A travelog Saturday The end of September, summer drawing to a close, a British Airways COVID voucher burning a hole in my pocket, and so to Madrid - home of Lorca, Picasso, Modric, Franco, Hemingway, Bellingham, Iglesias, the Prado, an Egyptian temple, flamenco, tapas, teeming streets, ceramic tiles, bullfights, El Cordobés, jamon, Irish bars and … Continue reading 4 Days in Madrid
Jules et Jim
Ghost dog
What do all the picture taking guides always give as their first rule? Always carry your camera. And now there’s no excuse as everyone has a smartphone. Okay, I know not everyone has a smartphone. There are still tribes in Norfolk that have never been exposed to civilisation and so only have original Nokias – … Continue reading Ghost dog
Dog at Tankerton
Whitstable for a walk to Margate, Leica D Lux 8 over the shoulder, a warm day, summer trying to sidle in like a late comer at the theatre. Big skies, pebbled pavement, dog walkers galore, the slowly turning sails of the wind farm standing sentinel along the horizon. The beach huts at Tankerton, serried ranks … Continue reading Dog at Tankerton
Book browser, Alfriston
There’s a wonderful book-shop in Alfriston in Sussex. A warren of rooms and hidden corners, an armchair to sit and dip, new and second-hand volumes, maps and cards, and the day I was there, lavender flavoured shortbread handed from a tin to anyone who bought a book. They don’t believe in bar codes or scanners, … Continue reading Book browser, Alfriston
Arne Tjampens, Ghent
Flanders for a week’s cycling on the cobbles and a day off to wander the streets of Ghent. The streets crowded with shoppers and day trippers, frites with mayonnaise, canals, another candidate for Venice of the North, like Bruges but less famous. And always the buskers, the hawkers, the street sellers, the living statues mingling … Continue reading Arne Tjampens, Ghent
Woman at Western Wall, Jerusalem
I was 18, a callow youth, instead of now, a callow adult. It was 1975 and I’d spent 3 months on a kibbutz – it’s what we did before they invented gap years – with other volunteers from all over the world. Our last week was for us, and we hitch-hiked south and made it … Continue reading Woman at Western Wall, Jerusalem
Skateboarder at South Bank
There’s a place on the South Bank in London, just near the National Theatre where the skate-boarders go. It’s nearly always busy, every inch decorated by graffiti. The day I went a man was over-painting a wall – tattoos, straggly hair, low slung trousers, numerous spray cans at his feet. ‘Can anyone do that?’ I … Continue reading Skateboarder at South Bank
Man on beach at Skegness
I went on a photographic trip to Lincoln and then Mablethorpe and Skegness. I loved Mablethorpe – a flat expanse of sand, crazy golf with a pirate theme, ice cream and chip stands, little kids playing in the park, grey clouds and a slight mist in the air – Martin Parr on steroids, but I … Continue reading Man on beach at Skegness
Jon at South Bank
This is my mate Jon. Jon and I are the same age and we like the same things - photography, cycling, coffee, walking, stuff, culture. I've had loads of cameras in my time - every Nikon F series, a Rolleiflex, Hasselblad (never used), a Minox like the spies had, a Konica Hexar, Contax T2 with … Continue reading Jon at South Bank
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