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  • Archive
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • England
      • London
      • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
    • Europe
      • Albania
      • Austria
      • Bulgaria
      • Estonia
      • France
        • Paris
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Italy
      • Jersey
      • Latvia
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Spain
        • Seville
      • Switzerland
      • Ukraine
    • Beyond
      • Africa
        • Botswana
        • Cape Verde
        • Gambia
        • Kenya
        • Morocco
        • Namibia
        • Senegal
        • Tanzania
        • Zimbabwe
      • Americas
        • Belize
        • Canada
        • Chile
          • Rapa Nui
        • Colombia
        • Costa Rica
        • Ecuador
          • Galapagos Islands
        • Guatemala
        • Jamaica
        • USA
          • Chicago
          • New Mexico
          • New York City
          • Washington State
      • Asia
        • DPRK
        • India
          • Kerala
          • Rajasthan
        • Indochina
          • Cambodia
          • Laos
          • Vietnam
        • Japan
        • Nepal
        • Oman
        • Syria
        • United Arab Emirates
        • Uzbekistan
  • Themes
    • Architecture
    • Art
      • Crafts
      • Street art
    • Colour
    • Dark tourism
    • Eco-tourism
    • Food & drink
    • Gardens
    • History
      • Ruins
      • War
    • Landscape
      • Coast & seascapes
      • Deserts
      • Mountains
      • Rivers
    • Nature and wildlife
      • Animals
      • Birds
      • Plants
        • Flowers
        • Trees, forests and woodland
    • People
      • Culture & tradition
      • Street photography
    • Travel in general
  • Photo galleries
    • Themed galleries
    • Travel galleries
  • Postcards from the road
  • Challenges
    • Photography challenges
      • Lens-Artists
      • Monochrome Madness
      • Nature Photo Challenge
      • One Word Sunday
      • Photographing Public Art
      • Pick a Word
      • Squares
      • Sunday Stills
      • The Changing Seasons
      • Cee’s challenges
        • CBWC
        • CFFC
        • CMMC
    • General challenges
      • Happy Place Happy Space
      • Monday walks
      • Words of Wisdom
      • Writers’ Quotes Wednesday
    • Challenges archive
      • Bird Weekly
      • Friendly Friday
        • The Friendly Friday Challenge: how to join in
      • Friday’s Foods of the World
      • Just One Person
      • Life in Colour
      • Mid-week Monochrome
      • One-to-Three
      • Ten photos
      • Thursday Trios
      • Thursday Doors
  • About me
    • Contact me
    • ‘Always Write’ interview
    • My love of travel
    • My photography
      • Photographic techniques
      • My photography journey
      • Video
    • Disclaimer & GDPR
  • Archive

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Topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white bulgaria cambodia chile cities colombia colour costa_rica dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks naturephotochallenge nepal new_mexico north_korea paris people photography photo_effects PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills thechangingseasons usa views village wildlife
  • Culture & tradition,  Landscape,  Norway

    A brief look at the Lofoten Islands

    August 4, 2023 / 42 Comments
    Inlet in the sea with snow and wooden hut

    I had heard a lot about the stunning landscapes of the Lofoten Islands. They promised dramatic mountains, pretty fishing villages and a beautiful coastline. So when an evening excursion to see a little of the islands was offered on the Hurtigruten ship, I was quick to sign up.

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    Or what about ...?

    Man sitting on a rug using a hammer and anvil

    A blacksmith at work in Bukhara

    March 24, 2022
    Blacksmith crouching

    A village blacksmith in the Lao highlands

    March 10, 2021
    Old sign advertising a clog shop entrance

    Gallery: shoes, slippers, trainers, boots and clogs

    August 15, 2021
  • Coast & seascapes,  Mountains,  Norway

    Bleak landscapes of Kvaløya Island

    July 7, 2023 / 54 Comments
    Lichen-covered shore and inlet of water with snowy mountains

    Why do people choose to settle in some places and leave others almost deserted? The reasons are many, but natural resources play a big part, and so does climate of course.

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    Or what about ...?

    Child playing on an otherwise empty beach

    Gallery: seeing the English coast in black and white

    August 24, 2023
    Rocky coastline

    Stunning landscapes of Iceland: the day the sun shone

    October 29, 2021
    Old boat and rail track on a shingle beach

    Gallery: at the edge of England

    November 11, 2020
  • England,  Landscape,  Lens-Artists,  Travel galleries

    Gallery: an ode to beautiful Northumberland (shhh!)

    November 28, 2022 / 54 Comments
    Lobster pots, small boats and a distant castle on a hill

    Are there places you know and love which you hesitate to tell others about, because you are tempted to keep them to yourself? Places relatively unknown that you fear might become spoiled if discovered by too many? And yet, they are so lovely you can’t resist singing their praises!

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    Stylised female statue head

    The art on the Tyne

    December 11, 2021
    Tombstones in a field

    Eyam, home to the original lockdown?

    August 25, 2022
    Red lantern, blue wall, green shutters

    2020: my (pandemic) year in review

    January 3, 2021
  • Architecture,  Chile,  Culture & tradition

    Chiloé: a place of witches and gnomes

    August 4, 2022 / 37 Comments
    Colourful houses built over water

    Islands are often special places, removed as much in their culture from the mainland as they are physically separate from it. Chiloé is no exception. This is a place of soft green hills, wild coasts and homely architecture. Famed for its wooden churches, sixteen of which are UNESCO listed, its people still more than half believe in the witches, ghost ships and forest gnomes that inhabit its mythologies.

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    Or what about ...?

    Ornate painted ceiling

    Gallery: ceilings and floors (and pavements and more)

    September 7, 2021
    Black and white photo of street signs

    Gallery: meet me on the corner

    September 2, 2022
    Looking down at a curved spiral staircase

    Gallery: staring up at the steps

    May 19, 2023
  • Costa Rica,  Nature and wildlife

    Will we see whales?

    February 24, 2022 / 63 Comments
    Whale's tale

    Sorry, we were told, when we planned our stay on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula; February is a bit early in the season to see humpback whales in Drake Bay and there are no tours running. Slightly disappointed, we settled for a day visiting Caño Island. We were promised great snorkelling and a landing on a beautiful island. But not whales.

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    Or what about ...?

    Abstract view of sparkling blue water

    Gallery: water, water everywhere …

    February 20, 2022
    Sun setting over the sea

    Gallery: enjoying serene views in Costa Rica

    February 19, 2022
    Three colourful painted wooden birds and some strings of beads

    Gallery: three times the fun in Costa Rica

    March 11, 2022
  • Animals,  Galapagos Islands,  Lens-Artists,  Sunday Stills

    Spotting wildlife in the Galápagos Islands

    January 23, 2022 / 60 Comments
    Large yellow reptile looking at camera

    For many years I wanted to visit the Galápagos: to walk on these remote islands where unique species thrive, where Darwin first developed the ideas that would change our understanding of nature, and where animals have never learned to fear humankind. In 2012 I realised my dream; and fortunately, it more than lived up to my expectations!

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    Or what about ...?

    Two elephants in long grass

    Gallery: the animals went in two by two …           

    June 7, 2022
    Elephant calf drinking

    Meet the orphaned elephants being rescued in Nairobi

    May 15, 2021
    Landscape with trees and escarpments

    Tiger, Tiger, burning bright …

    November 8, 2021
  • Animals,  Botswana,  Eco-tourism,  Monday walks

    A walk on Sausage Island: it’s all about the elephants

    May 25, 2021 / 20 Comments
    Dead tree and long grass

    While the safety of a jeep is comforting and often necessary on safari, there is nothing to beat the experience of walking through the African countryside on foot. A slight frisson of danger accompanies you as you step carefully through the long grass. The only sounds are those of the wildlife around you and the breeze through the trees; the only scents those wafted on that same breeze.

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    Or what about ...?

    Cheetah head and shoulders

    With the beautiful Africat cheetahs in Namibia

    May 16, 2021
    Two elephants in long grass

    Gallery: the animals went in two by two …           

    June 7, 2022
    River and wooded shore with reflections

    Gallery: on the Narayani River

    November 16, 2022
  • Bird Weekly,  Birds,  Galapagos Islands

    Blue feet, red feet, any coloured feet …

    May 18, 2021 / 24 Comments
    Two birds with turquoise feet

    There are several species indelibly linked in the mind with the Galápagos Islands, and one of these is certainly the blue-footed booby. The distinctive feet that give it its name, almost turquoise in colour, really are as bright and bizarre-looking as they seem in the photos!

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    Or what about ...?

    Yellow and green birds on a branch, black and white background

    Gallery: playing with a selective colour technique

    June 1, 2021
    Two flamingos feeding

    Gallery: reflecting on birds

    March 27, 2021
    Bald Eagle on a wooden jetty

    Gallery: Bald Eagles, American Robins and more

    May 12, 2021
  • Culture & tradition,  Monday walks,  Senegal

    A village built on shells

    May 11, 2021 / 26 Comments
    Village street with men sitting on bench

    Fadiouth is an island village, and a rather unique one. It is also known as Shell Island, and the reason for this is pretty obvious; it is built on layers and layers of shells. These have accumulated over the centuries as the locals subsisted on cockle fishing in the shallows of the mangrove lagoons and simply discarded the shells, or used them as building materials.

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    Or what about ...?

    Yellow gable with image of Bob Marley

    One love: the rhythms of Jamaica

    December 30, 2020
    Dark table with lots of small dishes

    Gallery: Dining in (Japanese) style ~ kaiseki

    March 6, 2021
    Statues of four young men

    Roll up, roll up! A Magical Mystery Tour

    August 26, 2021
  • Botswana,  Landscape,  Monday walks,  Nature and wildlife

    A walk on Palm Island: hippos, hogs and crocs

    May 4, 2021 / 24 Comments
    Savannah landscape under blue sky

    It was early morning in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. As we stepped ashore from the small boat our guide, Slade, immediately stopped to load his rifle. It was a somewhat disconcerting start to our walk, to say the least. He then gave us a short briefing on how to stay safe during our time on Palm Island, one of hundreds that dot the delta.

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    Or what about ...?

    Wetlands in low sun

    Gallery: mokoro rides in the Okavango Delta

    February 3, 2021
    Two lions on a sandy river bank

    Gallery: taking a wider view in Botswana

    September 12, 2021
    Aerial view of green swampland with river channels

    Video: flying to the Okavango Delta

    February 27, 2021
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Read my featured blogger interview

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By Marsha of 'Always Write'

And my answers to Bren’s ‘five at five’ questions

Lady in a hat and red top sitting on rocks

Some favourite photos

Man in a turban with fishing nets
Fisherman in Fort Kochi, Kerala
Two elephants in long grass
Okavango elephants
Blue glacier edge
Glacier Grey, Torres del Paine, Chile
Elderly woman in black hat and sunglasses
In Santiago, Chile
Very large statues of North Korean Leaders
Statues of the Great Leaders on Mansudae Hill, Pyongyang
Water reflecting the sky with clouds and low sun
Approaching sunset in the Okavango Delta
Feet of huge metal sculpture, with man standing beside
The feet of the Angel
Large moai with row of more behind
The ‘travelling moai’ and Ahu Tongariki
Man in knitted hat by water, black and white photo
Waiting for the ferry, Banjul
Mountain reflected in a lake
On the road to Dyrholaey
Sunset at Wahiba Sands, Oman
Squirrel with a conker in his mouth
In Walpole Park, Ealing
Silhouette of a man in a gateway
Looking out from Bundi Palace
Blue and pink bird on a dead tree
Lilac-breasted Roller, Chobe NP, Botswana
Buddhist monk in orange robes with mobile phone
Monk at Wat Nong Sikhounmuang, Luang Prabang
Man sleeping in a tuk tuk by a carved stone wall
Tuk tuk driver by the Terrace of the Leper King
Close up of flamingo with head tucked under
Flamingo (Jersey Zoo)
Lady with baskets of fruit sitting by a canal
In Hoi An, Vietnam
Small fishing boat with a man in it, on a large lake
Lake Atitlan
Wet street and two people with bright pink umbrella
Street in Lucca, rainy day – edited

Some topics I’ve touched on

africa animals architecture art birds black_&_white bulgaria cambodia chile cities colombia colour costa_rica dprk ealing england flowers france friendlyfriday Friendly_Friday history india landscape lens-artists Lens_Artists_Challenge london Monday_Walks naturephotochallenge nepal new_mexico north_korea paris people photography photo_effects PPAC ruins Street_Art Street_Photography Sunday_Stills thechangingseasons usa views village wildlife

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