I decided to make these photographs as I will be leaving my job in education very soon, I have been noticing how Plymouth looks early in the morning but had not recorded it in the two and a half years I have been in this role. 

In light of recent events here and my upcoming change I decided to to show the city in the morning light. The light here in Devon seems luminous and I have been welcomed here by the wonderful people since I got here 21 years ago. Moving here from London in 1999 changed my life, offered me a new way to live and gave me a new home - Thank You Plymouth. 

It really is a brilliant place to live. 

https://joannedorotheasmith.format.com/thefront - The Front is also an ongoing exploration of the area I live in Plymouth.

Whilst in Scotland I visited my first Botanic Garden, wondering on the history of these gardens I did a little research and found out about the colonial roots of the idea and how some of these gardens aided empire building. Botanic gardens are trying to break away from this image it seems and not all were founded under empire, but this was an interesting subject that I will be revisiting.  These photographs are really a preparation for researching a new subject. 

I found this article in the Financial Times - https://www.ft.com/content/dcd33da0-0e69-11e4-a1ae-00144feabdc0

It outlines the reasons for establishing these sites as a means of supporting the growth, sustainability and local resilience of colonies. More research is needed but this might have to wait whilst I finish other projects. 

These are from my first trip away after 2020. I had never been to the cairngorms before will definitely be going back.  I took these for myself outside of any project, which makes a change!