M5 DINING

We've all been to one at some stage.

Stopping at one usually starts as a necessity. Primarily petrol and a piss.

(Not forgetting coffee)

Once in there you have entered the retail web.

The monotony of the motorway primes customers to wanting. On offer – crisps, fizzy drinks, chocolate, Mickey D's...maybe a session on a vending massage chair. A brightly coloured range of products to help the kids rattle, feel sick and want more sugar by the next pitstop. 

With no chance of shopping for alternatives, and very few healthy options, you are funnelled through the foyer of limited choices to quell your cravings.

That said, some are good and gain a cult following, proving worthy of a gold pin on a national map showing the service stations of the land.

Others are terrible and prey on empty fuel tanks and the unwary, making journeys longer and pockets emptier. 

A late night stop amplifies how dire these long drive stepping stones can be.

These photos are from a late night coffee stop on the M5.

The dining table and chairs moved along the vinyl floor and placed by the roller doors of a closed shop. Within reaching distance was a tower display of screen-wash and a line-up of cuddly toys in cramped shelf conditions. Bon appétit!

No complaints – mission accomplished. Got coffee, didn't eat.

FACE TIME!

It's all very good posting clips of flicking through sketchbook pages filled with face drawings, but not so good if you actually want to see one for longer than a second.

It could be deemed smoke & mirrors not allowing eyes to settle on any one picture for too long. Taking advantage of the current wave of short concentration spans sweeping the world, courtesy of social media reels.

So, with this in mind, here are a few stills for more face time!

LET'S FACE IT...COULD THIS BE MORE?

Drawing faces continues. They might not stop!

Will they journey on?

In September 2025 I posted a piece on how drawing, sketching and doodling faces had resurfaced into my daily routine, especially in the a.m of each day.

Well, not much has changed, maybe the a.m bit...just a bit. But they go on.

Now this band of penned faces gather in numerous sketchbooks. They tag along wherever I go, pushing the carry-on weight limit on a trip to Sri Lanka.

The growing collection now demand a collective name. It's narrowing down, but still hovers before landing. 

'Let's Face It' has got its tippy-toes on the ground.

STACKED!

One more from the day at Fistral featured in the post four days ago. While tidying up photos the process stalled when this one appeared.

Corduroy stack!

A QUICK SPLASH OF COLOUR

Just a quick splash of colour to show we are clearing distance from winter and the B&W debacle!

That said, a picture of a rain lashed window indicates a slow stuttering distancing from winter.

Oh, the April anticipation!

When the sun is shining, each day wants to gambol into springtime and towards summer. And then strong winds whisk a shield of cloud over the warm sun rays, encouraging winter to stick around and show a cold sting in its tail. Households up and down the country have two seasons clothing strewn across all surfaces as the decision for a day's outfit goes bipolar.

Hold tight! Choose wisely!

Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes! 

The supermarkets have broken rank and have exchanged fire logs for BBQ coals and flower seeds. Commerce pushes its own change in the hunt for revenue...the seasons can catch up!

For me the defining turning point is when wetsuit boots come off.

Soon, soon...wait for it.

STOP IT NOW!

I know no one wants to hear this, but yes, there is more.

I doubt trawling through my photos taken from December 1st to April 1st and sifting out the black and white shots is going to convince anyone, least of all me, that I've been fully committed to the B&W winter rules. In fact, it screams the fool doth protest too much, methinks. Did it anyway.

But with a 'move the goalposts' approach this hollow deposit can be seen as paving the way for a year of eagerly shooting in colour.

Of course my intention from the start.

Not just a B&W photo dump...a BS dump as well!

What's that...you think that's it?...Yea right!

I'M NO LAWBREAKER...HONEST YOUR HONOUR!!

No doubt looking desperate now, eagerly trying to claw back an idea that I can conform to my own rules...which is highly unlikely.

Still, I continue with more exhibits of black and white photos from winter and the black and white days: 1st December 2025 - 1st April 2026.

3...2...1...BACK IN THE ROOM

Yes! I took a break. 

Now, it is quite clear looking at this winter's posts, that the 'shoot only in black and white' rules have been broken. 

Despite the drab days of winter demanding B&W shots, there were enough flicks of colour to go rogue and wander the streets of Newquay like John Rambo, ready to shoot colour at any moment, anything to break the cheerless days.

The April 1st (B&W) deadline has now passed, so this is a desperate photo dump post, one that perhaps shows some intent to follow the idea drummed up late last year.

GET READY FOR A FIRE

More flagrant disregard for the winter black and white rules...oh well!

I did start shooting in B&W...honest! But it was the red of the fire extinguishers that drew me over to the old Newquay Burger King window. So I switched to colour and while trying to find an angle, an old man approached to take a rest by leaning against the BK shop front pillar. He paid me no attention and I got a shot.

GET 26 STARTED

Already breaking the rules!

Sometime last year I bandied around the idea of shooting only in black and white for winter. I have been...really. But a rainbow appeared so I switched to colour and was lazy in changing back, oh well.

Shots from around Newquay so far this January 2026.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 5 FROM 25

To start with, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

And to finish with a quick 5 shots from 2025.

Not necessarily my favourites or even the best one's, although that is subjective, but they are all from Newquay and they'll suffice for getting 2026 underway, albeit as a review of 2025 photographs. So last year!