27 May 2026

SALVAGE AT THE BUS STATION

Sometimes, just sometimes, a last ditch throw away effort can rescue the day – there are no guarantees, but don't let that stop you.

Picture this.

It's cold, overcast and the sound of pattering rain on the garage door is making it difficult to ignite the want to go surfing. But the surf is good.

An internal tug of war begins between the sofa and the ocean. Warmth and Netflix is appealing and presents a stronger case. You sit down. BUT, the surf is good.

Go to the garage, grit your teeth, turn your wet wetsuit right side out, throw in a star jump to fool yourself that it will count toward warming up and stretching. Then go, go, GO! Sometimes, just sometimes, they are the best surfs.

An hour or so later, your stoked and deserve a beer. 

A brief tangent to show a late push can save the hour.

And that is what happened on this day. It had been slim pickings for an hour or so. It's like that occasionally; the eyes just aren't tuned in.

The camera stays out but the agenda has changed. Home is calling and surrender accepted. BUT, there must be picture somewhere. The last ditch throw away effort was a simple route change around the back of town, passing the Newquay Bus Station.

Now, I doubt these shots will make the final draw towards the end of 2026. Yet, the wall of red from several buses stacked for departure sent my eyes into a buzz; and it is this that I am happy with.



10 May 2026

THAT CAN BE DONE

Another story could be told...one starting with FFS!

But it would be bad mannered and futile, while also exhibiting the lack of an alternative activity that should be wisely in place as a surfer in the U.K.

Surfing in this country means being patient and rehearsed in the acceptance of mediocre conditions. This is not a complaint; just an acknowledgement of where we are and embracing the necessary approach to remain keen despite the hurdles.

Keen in cruddy winds; side, cross and onshore. NE, N, NW, W, SW...getting better...SSW, S, etc. Howling, screaming and freezing. Crowds, parking and the growing number of charlatans who have infiltrated the line-up.

But NO! This is not a complaint; just an acknowledgement of where we are and embracing the necessary approach to remain keen. 

And being keen, allied with a love of the sea, is the required push needed to keep on getting in. This is the only way to stay ready for the sought after good days.

So every morning a quick assessment is made. On this morning the data was crunched and the camera was picked up, not the board. That can be done easily. Photography providing a great safety net for no surf days.

I love the morning light at this time of year.

The cloudless sky lets the early morning sunshine get everywhere until halted by shadow. Fleeting compositions created as the sun moves along the day's path.



3 May 2026

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.


25 April 2026

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!






24 April 2026

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.

19 April 2026

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!

15 April 2026

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.




12 April 2026

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!


11 April 2026

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.



10 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.



6 February 2026

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.

24 January 2026

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.



4 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!





14 December 2025

LET'S FACE IT

Morning drawing relentlessly continues!

Admittedly not every morning, sometimes the pen only gets to meet the paper later in the day. But by sundown, or more accurately at this time of year, by the time the stunted daylight dwindles to darkness, there will be another drawing of morphed faces looking in different directions, some eyes hidden in the ink lines.

The collection has yet to be corralled to find further form, they accumulate in my sketchbooks that lay open on the desk. Still unsure of the journey ahead...if there even is one. There is no saying there has to be. It could be the cathartic practise alone is their value. We will see.

Anyway...it continues!

1 December 2025

WHILE WE'RE HERE

One last burst of shots from the Canaries.

Bright natural light and colour may be low in stock for the upcoming months. Especially with photography because it's all black & white from 1st December through to 1st April 2026 (special circumstances colour allowed), and so it begins.

Autumn is over and we plunge, along with the temperatures and daylight into winter. Christmas inundates everything and offers the last stepping stone before the new year and a cold dark 3 month submersion.

Anyway, that's all to come.

So for now here is some colour from a couple of thousand miles south in September.






12 November 2025

LANDED BEFORE TAKING OFF

The post a couple of weeks ago was about the harbour wall & walkway in Corralejo, Fuerteventura. In particular the draw it has on me and its weathered charm.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves; I had to get there first.

So here are photographs from the flight leg of the journey. Two airport shots; one here, one there. To window shots; one reflection, one looking out.




27 October 2025

QUICK SIDE BY SIDE

A visit to Corralejo is not complete without a walk to the end of the harbour to get a clear view of Lobos and Lanzarote beyond. The rendering on the concrete wall is chipping off and the blue paint on the railings is thinning and sun bleached, revealing  woodgrain and knots, telling the story of being exposed to the weather each day.

The town changes a little between each visit, but I hope the harbour wall doesn't. There is something about it that catches my eye every time.

Two shots, taken 5 years apart – January 2020 & September 2025.

January 2020

September 2025