© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved

Urban architecture from East Kilbride, Scotland.

Previously unpublished shot from April 2021.

When you have climbed so many ladders there are only snakes left to take you to the bottom.

I am grateful for all of your kindness and support on my photo yesterday. More than you can know. To hear that you care and that you believe I have a talent is deeply heart warming. I am, however, just so desperately tired of suffering.

Tags:   Leanne Boulton urban staircase grim Scotland landscape urban landscape fragment photography concrete jungle stairs stairway steps ramp lines composition blue yellow concrete rust grime gritty melancholy railings handrail mobility pedestrian tone detail depth natural light outdoors outside town centre shopping centre city scene human life humanity society culture lifestyle people Canon Canon 5D Mk III 24mm EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM colour East Kilbride South Lanarkshire UK United Kingdom Great Britain

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© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved

Captured in April 2022 during a local walkabout with my camera in East Kilbride, Scotland.

My life is unravelling fast. My health deteriorated, my PTSD worsened and now some devastating news yesterday that removes my safety, security and wonderful beach walks.

I have been dealt with blow after blow throughout my life. I overcame them all. This time I am completely empty. I have no resilience left. I can barely take care of myself at times. I can hardly even leave the house or answer the door at times.

I don't know how I cope with this.

I lost my beloved career, my physical health, my mental health, my friends, my cats Kitteh and Jasper, my dad, my mum, my independence, my mobility, my ability to cope with anything going slightly wrong and now I have lost my partner. My home by the beach will soon follow. 20 years... 20 years. Gone.

I need a safe space to cope with my PTSD. I don't have a safe space.

I don't know how to survive this. I have nothing left. 300 miles away from my family. No friends nearby. I have nothing.

I am sorry to pour my heart out to you all but I wanted to let you all know what is going on because you have all been so kind to me.
Your support has been incredible throughout my photography journey. I can't begin to thank you all enough for that. You have warmed my heart deep down over and over again. You deserve honesty if I am unable to post any more photographs.

Take care of yourselves and each other. I'm done.

Tags:   Leanne Boulton urban landscape urban landscape fragment abstract photography abstraction decay decaying urban decay square crop format brick bricks wall brick wall cement foundation face facade pebble dash concrete mortar lines falling apart crumbling derelict breakdown mental health crisis lost abandoned journal tone detail natural light outdoors outside town city life humanity manmade still life object Canon Canon 5D Mk III 40mm prime lens EF 40mm f/2.8 STM black white black&white b&w mono black and white monochrome East Kilbride South Lanarkshire Scotland UK United Kingdom monochromatic bwphoto

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© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved

Excerpt from East Kilbride as I move on to pastures new.

Very close to my (soon to be) former home in Scotland there was a glut of hammer and sickle graffiti tags around the area promoting a local communist youth group. It looked nasty and, well, the tags had been there for months right up until Russia invaded Ukraine. The tags were very quickly covered up then with these dark squares. The image this made really caught my eye for a square frame composition. While I am not moving from town to country I am moving from town to smaller town by the beach. Still within striking distance of Glasgow though, have no fear there!

Right... off to pack up the PC, monitor and disassemble my desk.

Enjoy!

Tags:   Leanne Boulton square abstract Scotland urban snippet vignette abstraction crop suburbia landscape composition framing half nature manmade stucco concrete kerb sideroad industrial trees shrubs juxtaposition black graffiti coverup tone detail depth natural light outdoors town village scene humanity society culture lifestyle Canon Canon 5D Mk III 40mm EF 40mm f/2.8 STM prime lens pancake lens colour East Kilbride East Mains South Lanarkshire UK

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© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved

An excerpt from East Kilbride Village that I found looked so magical when speckled with light rain. One of two side by side dog statues (*though at time of photographing one had been stolen and was missing) that guard the one-way exit from The Village in East Kilbride, Scotland.

A sculpture by artist Shona Kinloch who is based in East Kilbride. Searching information online reveals two possible titles for this sculpture as "Twa' Dugs" or "Whistlin'" and while I'm ashamed that I don't know the actual name I can gladly say that I love the statue and it's location.

East Kilbride has been a great place to live for 11 years. Just on the edge of the old village centre and so close to every amenity you could need and just 1/2 hour from Glasgow. I'll be moving to pastures new on Monday and may be offline a short while from this coming weekend. Enjoy!

Tags:   Leanne Boulton statue bwphotography Scotland still life urban street abstract vignette dog Shona Kinloch art street art sculpture The Village South Lanarkshire animal portrait rain raining wet weather water droplets patina texture tone detail depth of field isolation bokeh natural light outdoors city scene town humanity life culture Canon Canon 5D Mk III 50mm EF 50mm f/1.4 USM prime lens black white black&white b&w mono black and white monochrome East Kilbride UK bronze

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© Leanne Boulton, All Rights Reserved

Urban landscape shot from East Kilbride, Scotland.

I live nearby and in May 2021 there was a very loud 'boom' and my windows and doors rattled violently. Archie the cat was very distressed and it wasn't immediately apparent what had happened.
There had been a gas explosion in this flat in the village centre. The roof had caved in, the walls were bulging and the windows had been blown out to where I am standing in this shot. It was a massive blast but, thankfully, there were only minor injuries for the owner of the flat. The rest of the block had escaped unharmed.
Now, almost a year later, work is about to start to rebuild and restore the flats to their former state. Having been empty all of this time, and still filled with people's belongings, I imagine there will be some damp clean-up required in all of the homes too.

I took this shot as I wandered around East Kilbride making some 'memory' photographs before I move home next month.

My heating engineer 'gas man' said that gas explosions were very rare and the following week I read about several happening in the UK. Be sure to get your heating systems checked at least once a year by a properly accredited engineer. Take care my Flickr friends.

Tags:   Leanne Boulton decay building explosion urban suburbia street urban landscape apartment flat house home gas gas explosion damp dank dark empty deserted abandoned mood atmosphere danger windows walls facade tone detail depth natural light outdoors town city scene life humanity society lifestyle Canon Canon 5D Mk III 40mm EF 40mm f/2.8 STM prime lens colour East Kilbride South Lanarkshire Scotland UK memories documentary

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