Category Archives: Photo Story

Spring is here part II: a calendar year in the countryside

I mentioned last week in my first post about the beginning of spring that every day this year I’m reading The Shakespeare Almanac by Gregory Doran. I’m also reading a book called Wonderland, day by day. Every day in the book focuses on a different aspect of flora and fauna in the UK, as theContinue reading “Spring is here part II: a calendar year in the countryside”

A photographic journey into The Cairngorms

The area of the Cairngorms in northeast Scotland is not an unknown wilderness. Five of the UK’s six highest mountains are all in the park so to say it’s very well-trodden by walkers, tourists, walking tourists is a vast understatement. Not that you’d want to go walking if you could be there right now. RightContinue reading “A photographic journey into The Cairngorms”

Times like these: East Germany

It’s time for part two of my time travel series. I haven’t discovered how to travel back in time, but I did chat to my mum about a trip to East Germany we made as a family in June 1991 – during a very important time in German history. It was eight months after theContinue reading “Times like these: East Germany”

Times like these: Hong Kong in a hurry

Until last night, I couldn’t remember when the clocks go back and when they go forward. Well, now I know: spring forward, fall back. If you’re in the UK, I hope you got a lie in on Sunday morning with the clocks going back, or that you did something nice with your extra hour. IContinue reading “Times like these: Hong Kong in a hurry”

Shetland’s love affair with wool

This weekend should have been the start of the 11th annual Shetland Wool Week here in the island’s capital Lerwick. It has instead gone digital due to Covid. I had no idea such a week existed – until yesterday when I stepped into a peti knitting shop called Jamieson’s. My mum has always been theContinue reading “Shetland’s love affair with wool”

Photo Story: London Revisited

My friend Poly sent me a photo last week from Brockwell Lido before a swim. Quiet, peaceful, serene. I remember queuing with my housemate Giada for five hours to get in on a hot day once. It was brutal, but as soon as we laid our towels down and jumped in the water…glorious. With aContinue reading “Photo Story: London Revisited”

Alaska: a tale of two bears

This bear is a grizzly bear that was supposed to be a polar bear. Perhaps I should explain. We made an adventurous plan last year for our September trip to Alaska. We would go way up north to the Inupiaq village of Kaktovik on Barter Island. Each autumn, polar bears gather there, awaiting the iceContinue reading “Alaska: a tale of two bears”