El Fugitivö

So I thought I'd take some early shots of Wandsworth Common.   Nice patterns from the trees...

Last summer we did a quick 3 day trip to Paris.  I'd forgotten how wonderful that city is.  Here's a few of the best snaps... The Pantheon...  

I’m sitting down here, watching the rain polish the road Patterns in the dirt show where the water has flowed But Marie she is wondering when are we to get old

We decided to go to Cormayeur in Italy for a day's skiing.  The drive from Chamonix through the Mont Blanc tunnel was amazing.  Cormayeur is quite a large resort and we got a bit lost finding the lifts but a friendly bus driver decided to take pity on us, ignore his timetable and take us directly there! Cormayeur also has a telecabin, which is very photogenic!  Here's a couple of pics!

The Aiguille de Midi is an incredible double cable car ride from Chamonix.  It is over 3800m high and the views are fabulous!

A robber with a bag of loot Is being chased by the Plod down past the suet Both ignore a couple with lots of money Getting frisky down by the honey They’re too busy to notice the tin foil hat Worn by the paranoid part-time acrobat Swinging high above from aisle to aisle  Picking up shopping with grace and style

My life is spent wired to the screen and line Time spent off is no doubt thought a crime All you speak and think is kept for ever and a day A shrinking cage in which for you to safely play

Two thousand years ago in London a Roman built a temple to Mithras on the banks of the river Walbrook.  This year a beautiful new museum about this temple has just opened at the new Bloomberg building.  

Well... it's concert time again...  t his time we traipsed as far as North London to enjoy the Brickwork Lizards launching their fine new album at the Slaughtered Lamb.

The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland is a world heritage site. Thousands upon thousands of hexagonal basalt pillars disappear into the sea and show the causeway where Finn MacCool was challenged to a race from Ireland to Scotland by the bad Scottish giant.   In the version of the legend that my Dad told me the rules of the race were clear - the first of the two giants to touch the Scottish coast would win the right to marry some beautiful female giant.  Both giants set off from Ireland at a furious pace but while running across the Irish sea the Scottish giant was clearly winning. Finn  was falling behind.  Finn knew he was going to lose and had to do something amazing to win!  In desperation in the last seconds of the race Finn decided to do something pretty radical - he chopped his hand off and threw it at the Scottish coast.  His hand flew past the Scottish giant and touched the coast first - he won the ra...

Modern cities have instructions are everywhere!  I thought I'd document some just for fun! Clapham Junction -2017.  Yes 2017.

She was my beautiful sister The one that would make things better She was the one with all the laughter She was my beautiful sister

Acting on my own terms Yet feelings still raw Eight years ago today, it was Should have done something more

Second time to see this band in a month and what a concert!  This time they were playing Unknown Pleasures and Closer, with an aperitif of some New Order stuff.  This was in the Roundhouse in Camden and was sold out.  Much bigger than Valencia this is a great venue to see a band - top notch sound, lighting and plenty of room.  Only downside was the queue for the blokes loo - sheesh.

We didn't go up to the Dales just to walk - we took our bikes too!

Just spent a great week up in the Yorkshire Dales.  Big blue skies and snow on the ground meant for some wonderful photo opportunities!

Belfast is famous for the Harland and Wolff shipyards where the Titanic was built.  Dominating these shipyards are two giant yellow gantry cranes fondly nicknamed Samson and Goliath.  Goliath was built first in 1969, with Samson following shortly later in 1974.  I dimly remember when there was one... I think!

Every year Hyde Park plays host to a fantastic Christmas fun fair called Winter Wonderland.  Loads of stalls and both new and traditional rides to go on.  Most of the rides have travelled all the way from from Germany and the bright lights and colours really give a sense of being at an old-time fun fair!  I thought I'd probably only take a couple of pictures but as usual ended up taking far too many!  Oh well!

The Valencia City of Arts and Sciences can be found at the end of the Turia, a dried up riverbed that runs through the centre of Valencia.  Built in the mid-90's it contains some of the futuristic buildings that I have ever seen.

So this is what we get Our journey’s final station Jettison all our worries And bask in a new-forged fiction Reawakened simple hopes for a long forgotten vision  Martyrs traitors and saboteurs  Are the resurrected prohibition

David de Limón's witty street art can be found everywhere you look in Valencia! I love it!

  I saw Peter Hook and the Light playing Unknown Pleasures a few years ago in Sydney. They were so good then I really  wanted to see them again but hadn't had an opportunity until this year   We couldn't get tickets to the London gig so we decided to go to Valencia! And what a treat!

They say you can weep but none will dry your eyes They say you can scream but none will hear your sighs They say you can bow your head but none will hear you pray They say you can age a lifetime in a day

This old heart of mine Is giving me warning signs But it’s drenched in wine, and I’ll not give up this time Not this time

The Roman Forum can be found in the centre of Rome.  It was a lovely day to walk around and soak up the history.  This is Julius Caesar.  Yes, the Julius Caesar.

The churches in Rome are old, spooky, and utterly beautiful.  

In Italy everything seems to be covered in graffiti.  Here's some of the best that I spotted!

One of the most amazing buildings, if not the most amazing building I have ever been into.  It is very hard to believe it has been standing for 2000 years.

I’m sitting here in the dirt and the grime I don’t have no doubt, not this time Feels like I can see back into time Beyond one or maybe more lifetime

Blue skies and red leaves make a fine autumn day in Richmond Park unforgettable.  Look at these colours!

It was a beautiful day to visit what is the largest amphitheatre ever built.  Commonly known as the Colosseum this massive structure is actually officially known as the Amphitheatrum Flavium.   The sunlight made it look like the lights had been left on on the second floor!

Naples is a city of beautiful ornate churches, dark scary alleyways and the best pizza in the world.  It was raining when we went there which only added a big dollop of mystery to the experience.

Pompeii was a Roman city which was suddenly and completely destroyed in AD79 by an eruption from the nearby volcano Vesuvius.  As such it is a incredible time capsule of how Romans lived 2000 years ago.

The train to Naples from Pompeii at dusk.

A  beautiful  collection of vintage telephones I spied in a hotel in Naples.

During the second world war a set of tunnels were built underneath Clapham South tube station.  100 metres down and built by hand, (yes, by hand!) these were designed to be used as an air raid shelter and we got to visit!   This is the staircase from the deep shelter up to Clapham South tube station platform level.  Where the exit emerged in the tube station is now sealed and its location is a secret for "security reasons"!  Eeek!

The Outer Hebrides are a collection of islands way, way, way off the west coast of Scotland.  We took a boat from Oban to visit the islands of Barra, Vatersay, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist, Bernaray, Harris, Lewis and Great Bernera.

These houses look so small and sad I wouldn’t want to live here The weather is so bloody bad I wouldn’t want to live here These people have such narrow minds I wouldn’t want to be them They live such little lives I wouldn’t want to be them The fear of those that are not their own I don’t know what possesses them Lives led with such a small horizon I don’t know what possesses them Crumble down the once great pillars of state Crumble down You can’t survive without care Think I’m going out of my mind This country lives in past glories No hope for the future The dim and dumb are safe and proud unaware they’ve been taken A land long run by spivs and shysters Into the ground Crumbled into the ground

My Dad always used to recite a little rhyme:         The Earth belongs unto the Lord         And all that it contains         Except the Kyles and the Western Isles         And they are all MacBrayne's

Calanais is on the isle of Lewis and is famous for its standing stones.  Stones have been standing there for over 5000 years and the site is older than Stonehenge.  The stones are smaller and finer than the huge pillars of Stonehenge and are very beautiful.  We visited Calanais this summer on a wonderful bike ride where we visited most of the inner and outer Hebrides.

So I visited the V&A last week in the hope of getting to see the Pink Floyd exhibition before it closed.  No such luck alas, so I consoled myself with taking a few pictures of some of the public exhibits!

Battersea is a traditional working class area of London that is undergoing an astonishing amount of change.  Many of the old buildings are being redeveloped or demolished, and whole new areas of waterfront apartments are being built.  London brick is making way for glass and chrome.  I though I'd take a few photos to document some of the more interesting old and new architectures in the area. Battersea Power Station A massive structure that was left derelict for the best part of 20 years.  Now it's one huge building site and a great thing to photograph.

The South Downs Way is an ancient 160km road from Winchester to Eastbourne. It's been used for around 8000 years and has numerous ancient sites along its route. We normally get the train from Clapham Junction to Amberley as it's cheap.  Amberley is almost halfway along so it's possible to go back to Winchester, on to Eastbourne or head off route to Brighton or Worthing.

ISO200 | f2.8 | 1/320 Lulu is a perfect model.  Today she was kind enough to spare some of her valuable time so I could take some photos of her.  To be honest we were both interested to see, in an entirely unscientific way, what differences there were between the photos from a SLR, an iPhone, and a Point & Shoot compact camera.

So while Herne Hill is usually used for Track, every Sunday afternoon it is transformed for a Cyclocross race. ISO200 | f9 | 1/320

Herne Hill is one of the few remaining sites of the 1947 Olympics held in London. Nearly lost to developers in the 90's it now has a huge following and a brand new stadium.   Saturday morning is 2 hours of fast track bike action.  No gears, no brakes - exciting! ISO 200 | 1/25sec | f3.5