Making Decisions

It's almost time to leave ..

Lives in a van. Bimbles with a camera. Often pointing his pixel box at scruff. Has been known to run long distances. Would consider cake as a form of payment.

Recovering.

Welcome

Hello, and welcome back to another week behind the lens. I’m writing this little update from a rather wet and windy Santander in Spain, having finally left the UK just over a week ago. I’m getting ahead of myself mind you. First up we will delve back into the archives for my regular update from my creative journal as I continued to navigate my time locked down in Cambridge.

Further down I’ve also linked my latest, as well as my first, YouTube vlog (from 10 years ago), along with a few images from the week ahead taken down through the years.

Thanks again for allowing me a few moments of your time.

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Extracts from a creative journal

19th January

Back into Cambridge for another bimble with the X100T. The bus somehow manages to avoid most of the potholes, and safely deposits me in the town centre. If I was someone interested in investing then Kwik Fit would be in my portfolio. Those guys must be quids in with the amount of repairs they are doing these days.

The winter light is once again sublime, although as has been the case for the past few weeks the forecast of ice and mist fails to materialise. Still, I’m enjoying simply walking, observing, avoiding eye contact with punters, and generally having a fantastic morning. Cambridge has changed since we last lived here, and mostly not for the better, but it still holds little pockets of beauty if you know where to look.

When I’m back in Cambridge my mind will sometimes play tricks on me. Questioning my decisions on leaving a career to follow my passion. Doubting our life choices to be travelling full time in the van. This trip no difference and it takes quite a bit of willpower to keep moving forward. Then again, a few mornings wandering with the X100T and iPhone in beautiful light, helps to quell such voices.

For every shadow there has to be light,

Just look for the light.

20th January

A trip down memory lane. First we trundle around Anglesey Abbey, although our decision to take up the free house tour was perhaps a mistake. We spend the next hour locked in a stuffy room being educated on antique clocks, which as it turns out aren’t actually in the house. The one the chap has been banging on about is a replica itself. The light outside looks rather nice and I’m tempted to feign injury to escape.

The gardens are looking a tad sorry for themselves, although the first few signs of life can be found under foot, with snowdrops the first to awake from their winter slumber.

We then pop into Quay Mill, my first visit since our wedding reception. Has it really been almost 25 years? We get the obligatory photo in front of the water wheel.

21st January

Awake to the socials on fire with news of last nights Aurora show, which was seen as far south as Devon. I tell myself we were clouded in anyways, although later spot a few images from Cambridgeshire. Looks like most folks found their saturation sliders in photoshop.

Ah, but did they find dragons ?

We have also, finally, made a decision. It’s south we go. Scotland will have to wait.

23rd January

I should have heeded my own advice regarding investment in Kwik Fit, as I now find myself in their forecourt getting two new tyres on the van after the mean streets of Cambridge did a number on us.

Pothole pricks

As I drive back, over £300 lighter in the wallet, a pigeon is glaring down at me. I’m sure it’s learnt from the Mallards from last week, and is laughing.

Pigeon Prick.

I can’t wait to escape this urban lockbox. I hunt out corners of nature where I can but it’s not enough.

It’s time to leave …

But that will be a story for next time …

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Vlog

The second part of my little wander around the streets of Cambridge with the X100T.

Turns out I’ve been on YouTube for 10 years so I thought I’d share the very first vlog I made a few weeks after we had arrived on the north coast of Ireland.

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Twelve

A final reminder that you can go ahead and download my latest e-zine twelve, which includes 12 images that tell my story of 2025.

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The week that was (8th - 14th Feb)

A few images from this particular week down through the years.

The week that was ..

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Other corners of the inter webs you can find me.

• The X100 Diaries

• My Portfolio

• Bimbles magazine

Thanks so much for allowing me a few moments of your time. I hope you have enjoyed my words and images, and if so a quick share amongst your own community will help spread the word.

And if you really enjoyed it you can even consider throwing a few pennies into the tips jar. It helps most with diesel costs for the van to keep me on the road making images.

Until next time .. Happy Pixels …