This year marks a full decade since I left Mexico and came back to the United Kingdom. I still miss Mexico, warts and all. Indeed, it’s the warts that I perhaps remember most vividly… Read More

For months, we’ve been stuck inside our homes or condemned to the same set of local walking routes. We’ve all been checking the daily infection and death rates, rejoicing in thei… Read More

This week, a most beloved institution put both my loyalty and my patience to the test. I have supported Liverpool FC since conception. Mother dear might have held a palm to her swollen belly… Read More

I tired of blogging, so I stopped. Now I find I am tired of not blogging, so I shall resume. A rest is as good as a change. But a rest and a change are better still. I’ve done both. So… Read More

Snowboarding is a popular sport in the UK. Racing down the mountain side gives you an amazing adrenalin rush. It is a perfect opportunity to push your physical limits. With a new board, pant… Read More

Fifteen years, two months and twenty one days ago I wrote my first blog post. Today, I write the last. It’s been fun – mostly – but these days I seem to blog largely for th… Read More

An awful lot of people pass through our lives, disappearing as quickly as they entered it. This is particularly so when you are travelling the world with a rucksack on your back, flitting&nb&hell…Read More

I’ve used Flickr, as a paying subscriber, for over a decade. And I’ve been a happy subscriber, for two reasons. Firstly, Flickr displays photos beautifully with powerful org… Read More

The Fuji X-T20 has a number of film simulations built in, as plenty of cameras do these days. One of them is Acros, reproducing a well loved film for the digital age. When I was reading comp… Read More

Do you remember Harold Camping? A bible thumping christian who made his living from predicting the end of days and sharing his theory over his radio station. He built up quite the following… Read More

Things in photography that just don’t work out. Shooting into the sun. Moving objects in low light. Subjects behind glass. Except sometimes you break the rules and it’s ok, becau… Read More

Umbrellas make unusual street art. But art is art. And Mary Poppins 2 is on the horizon, so it’s topical. This street is in Cherbourg, a small port in Normandy, not so far from the bea… Read More

I discovered about six months ago that my Adobe Creative Cloud Photography subscription was a 12 month contract. And not a rolling monthly deal, as I had assumed. My contract renews on Augus… Read More

I’ve had a Goldilocks moment with my new Fuji X-T20. I bought it with a new prime lens, the weather resistant 23mm f2.0. I’ve had a few prime lenses from the Fuji XF range over t… Read More

I have no unboxing video for you. I don’t get the fad for unboxing videos. I know what a box looks like. I know how to open a box. Can we just see the product, por favor? I’ve al… Read More

Whenever someone utters the word ’emotive subject’, you can safely wager that what they really mean to say is ‘everyone just calm down, please’. Or ‘this topic… Read More

It is a fine week for anniversaries. On Wednesday, I marked ten years of marriage. And today marks three years since I started my job on the railway. It’s been a good three years. Don… Read More

The older one gets, the more one’s calendar seems to fill up with memorable dates. But today’s is special. Ten years ago today, on the 08/08/08, the Beijing Olympics opened with… Read More

When Mrs P and I decide to go to London, we catch the train. For us it is free, so there’s not really a decision to make regarding mode of transport. It’s a comfotable way to go… Read More

It rained for a couple of days at the beginning of the week. Quite heavily in places. This was the first serious rainfall we’ve seen in weeks. But we have returned to Mexican Weather c… Read More

Inspired by my trip to Stratford upon Avon, I’ve decided that I should probably invigorate the quality of my writing by making up some brand new words. Canaffiti is high quality urban… Read More

We enjoyed a cultural weeked away, did Mrs P and I. There was something very Mexican and something very English in it for both of us. First stop, Shepherds Bush Empire to watch one of Mrs P… Read More

I couldn’t help myself. My head had been turned by the new entry level Fuji XT100, and my plotting started. I thought I could save a bit of money having a body only model brought back… Read More

If there is to be a second referendum on membership of the EU, as I hope there will be, then prepare for controversy galore. The original question on the ballot paper – This or Not Thi… Read More

In 2016, the UK held a referendum on our membership of the EU. Problem number one: the question was vague. It was a this or not this binary option. At no point was a choice offered on the wi… Read More

The year got off to a terrible start for UKIP, the country’s official party for racists and bigots, when their leader’s (inappropriately young) girlfriend got him the sack with s… Read More

I recently popped back home. Define home? We can have several places we think of as home, can’t we? But I think that the place you grew up will always register as ‘home proper&rs&hell…Read More

A couple of years ago, when we were burgled, the police ran down the culprit. They found his fingerprints on an inside window pane. They obtained CCTV footage of him buying bottles of booze… Read More

I enjoyed my first protest. It’s one more thing crossed off life’s bucket list. It was a worthy cause. It was a great opportunity for a photo walk. It was a successful protest, t… Read More

The concept of free speech is something of an oxymoron if taken too literally. The only guarantee when anything is taken to an absolute is that freedom will not be the result. The boundaries… Read More

Everytime that I am unfortunate to have to see Jacob Rees-Mogg’s ugly mug, I am left with the feeling that I’ve seen the Right Hononourable Member for the 19th Century somewhere… Read More

We are being blessed with Mexican weather in the UK at the moment. Let me define Mexican weather for you. Or at least, my definition of Mexican weather. It’s nowt to do with where the… Read More

I recant. I take it all back. I bow my head in shame. Well, sort of. I did at least provide a few caveats in my pessimistic prediction of how England might fare in the World Cup. It has tran… Read More

Today, even as I type this, a group of toffs are holed up at Chequers trying to decide which of the latest combination of fudged trade and customs plan they would like the EU to reject. Some… Read More

Today marks the 70th birthday of the National Health Service. It’s a birthday worth celebrating, and it conveniently falls on Throwback Thursday. The NHS isn’t perfect, but what… Read More

I arrived in Mexico in mid 2005, just as Lopez Obrador’s tenure as Head of the DF government was coming to an end.  But I’d spent a couple of weeks in the city a few years e… Read More

Shift work is not everyone’s cup of tea. I, however, quite like variety. Which is fortunate, given the nature of my role. If I were to brainstorm words associated with my job, variety… Read More

What exactly is the Proper Brexit of which Nigel Farage speaks? Pre-referendum, Nige declared that even the worst case scenario would leave Britain better off economically. He now believes t… Read More

We have just gone past the half way point of the World Cup. Two weeks left of the greatest show on earth. A fortnight more of socially acceptable xenophobia – please do, by all means… Read More

Carrying on a little bit from yesterday, and the fifteen year milestone this blog reached. When I first started blogging, I did so on an entirely self-built site I created using Adobe Dreamw… Read More

Fifteen years ago today, I published my first post on my blog. How time flies. Oh, if I could only go back to being that 30 year old, just about to head off on a backpacking trip to Mexico… Read More

Most companies of any size offer a few benefits and perks to their employees. The railway offers more than most. Who wouldn’t want a final salary based pension? They’re hard to c… Read More

I have been to watch a day of sports at the Olympics. I’ve seen Liverpool FC play at Wembley. I’ve cheered on Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. But there are still a few more sportin… Read More

I strolled past this marvel of engineering at the weekend. It is truly a thing of beauty, one of the finest cars ever made. I don’t care how quirky it is, I love it. And I’m not… Read More

Life on a narrowboat always greatly appealed to me, although it’s a life best suited to a singleton. In my opinion. I personally wouldn’t want to share quite such a limited amoun… Read More

Three days to go, at the time of writing. The excitement is….not at all what it used to be when a World Cup was about to start. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the tourname… Read More

In a few short months I will reach something of a milestone. It’s a slightly notional milestone, some would say. It’s not so much that I will turn 46 years of age. It’s mor… Read More

Death usually comes with a jingle. The jingle of a breaking news alert from the BBC, Guardian, Washington Post or Sky News apps on my phone. I’ve not monitored this enough to make a sc… Read More

There is a special magic to be found in the Arabic world. It’s in the architecture, the sounds, the smells, the language and the people. It is other wordly. There is a sense of a histo… Read More

Here’s one of my rather infrequent self portraits. I’ve been missing in action longer than Melania Trump, but no one seems to have noticed. Regardless, here is proof that I&rsquo&hell…Read More

We are reaching the end of the road. We know not exactly where the road ends, as this is unchartered territory – not even Google has a map to get us out of this tangle. There are sever… Read More

  Decision One: A friend of mine bought his partner a new camera, her first ‘proper camera’. Very generous! It’s a Canon DSLR. Nice. He’s taken her for a couple… Read More

Some new technology ideas change everything, and one wonders what one did before. Others are just gimmicks, soon to pass into history. And others still look like gimmicks, but prove to be a… Read More

Britain has no shortage of castles. There’s a huge range in size, fame and condition for castle fans to choose from. Some, such as the Queen’s favourite abode at Windsor, are sup… Read More

Bournemouth is a popular seaside town. Very popular, even. If I had to liken it to a Mexican resort, then Bournemouth is our version of Acapulco. Is the sea as warm or the tacos as good as t… Read More

The photo is from 2006, and Lopez Obrador’s first attempt to win the office of president. This protest occurred at the IFE building across the road from our home. Obrador came and gave… Read More

I like my job. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, actually. From both a job satisfaction and a financial point of view. Sure, I don’t love it so much that I’ll keep tur… Read More

Let me tell you a story. It’s about that photo up there. I took it just a few minutes ago. That cat has been hanging around the station for a couple of weeks. Today it got bold enough… Read More

Don’t worry, he’s not ours. He is a newly arrived nephew. He has a first name and two middle names, all in homage to his recent ancestors. All of whom are now sadly deceased &nda&hell…Read More

Well, of course it’s Mexico. Where else do you get a cathedral like that, with skies so blue and faces so brown? Well, I guess quite a few places in Latin America. But this blog is cal… Read More

I am a very modern religionist. Tots up to date. When I go to church for nourishment, I go to the local in Westbourne. Very pretty it is, with lots of stained glass windows, as you’d e… Read More

We’ve had such a long and dreary winter this year. And spring was just an interlude – a momentary interruption of winter for just a few days. But, with fingers crossed and touchi… Read More

Mother Nature, as is her wont, has played a dastardly trick on us. A week of fine sunny weather and soaring temperatures, convinced us to put away our winter clothing till the frozen winds f… Read More

Once upon a time, I walked the entire length of Avenida Reforma, including the Calzada de los Misterios. I took a photo every 8 steps or so and created a video out of the hundreds of snaps w… Read More

Mrs P and I happened to be strolling up the Mall over the weekend. There’s a big Commonwealth of Nations Heads of State conference going on, so the Mall is lined with the 54 flags of t… Read More

Hurrah! Smug Mug have bought Flickr. Which, I think, is great news. It’s time to get out the bunting and celebrate. I’m pretty invested in Flickr. I’ve been paying my annua… Read More

There’s a lot to like about this car. It’s a McLaren, so it’s a British car. A real British car, as in it’s owned, designed and built in Britain. Or so I thought, but… Read More

Would you just have a look at that! Have you ever seen something so fabulous in your life? A beautiful blue sky. My scepticism was, happily, unfounded. Fair weather has arrived and the tempe… Read More

It strikes me that not too many foreign visitors ever think of exploring Mexico’s many mountains. Other than the handful who come here specifically to do so. I must confess, it didn&rs&hell…Read More

Today, I am the quiz master. There is only one question. If we take a walk down through the fog to the end of the pier, what will we find? Give it some thought. There are so many possibiliti… Read More

The robin is a welcome sight at any time of year. But the sight of his red breast is no signal that summer is about to arrive. That will be signalled by the appearance of a different type of… Read More

The court of King Arthur, the Loch Ness monster, the ‘Good Old Days’ and the British spring of 2018 – all frequently talked about, but never actually seen. Despite the occa… Read More

Mrs P and I love a bargain. Who doesn’t? But I think we love a bargain more than most. Neither of us will pay full price for anything of substance before we’ve scoured the intern… Read More

This is me, returning from my night of triumph at the annual awards night of Northwood Boys Club. So many certificates, cups and shields, huh? To be honest the two cups were for winning the… Read More

I always feel a bit short changed by the interactive travel maps you can fill out on the internet. I’ve spent weeks travelling through exotic locations such as Sri Lanka and Malaysia… Read More

We Brits are now less than one year from exiting the European Union. Sort of. And probably. Should I begin to accept the inevitable and embrace Brexit? Nah. Only when the inevitable is truly… Read More

Today is the 100th birthday of the Royal Air Force, the world’s oldest independent air force. Once upon a long ago, I served in the RAF. Why did I choose the RAF? Well, I got a bit too… Read More

Today, my photo takes us back exactly 15 years, to March 2003. I had not long turned 30, still worked at Texaco, and was enjoying the wonders of travelling as a single guy. There’s an… Read More

When I left Mexico in 2011, the city was making some effort to spruce up a few of its landmarks, historic streets and monuments, The Revolution monument perhaps being the best example. I rat… Read More

Over the last week, Putin’s given us Brits a twoferone deal. Another Russian exile has turned up murdered – this time strangulation rather than a nerve agent was the preferred me… Read More

I’m ever so British when it comes to complaining. I could sit through the most dreadful meal in a restaurant, with the most appalling service, and yet when asked if everything is alrig… Read More

Ranthambore Park, October 2017. Two canters full of safari passengers have found the park’s Holy Grail – a tiger sunbathing by the lake. Most people photographed the tiger. I pho… Read More

How long ago was this taken? Well, I guess I’m 5ish in this shot. Minus my current age, 45. So about 40 years ago. Give or take a year or two. My grandparents used to take my younger b… Read More

I don’t know whether Stephen Hawking was really the world’s smartest person. But I’m pretty sure he was smarter than me. I don’t really understand the indepth mathema… Read More

This chilled out hound lives in Faro, Portugal. He pretty much ignored me as I took this shot. So I inched a little closer. An inch too close, as it turned out. The hound saw me off. From cu… Read More

That’s Mrs P, strutting her stuff in the mid 30s celsius midday sun at the observatory in Jaipur. Signs of the time indeed. Why did I not think of that title for a post before? I rathe… Read More

Every once in a while, a town that is local to me will hit the national news. One of the most exciting events was back in the late 90s when a bunch of animal activists burst into a fur farm… Read More

They’re after my jobs, the ba****ds. Not the eastern Europeans. Nor the Indians. Nor the growing population of Latin American emigres. Those guys, up there. The machines. The dreaded… Read More

The end of this month marks a year since the UK invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, setting in motion the two year countdown to our exit. How’s it going so far, you ask? Not so go… Read More

If I’m asked what to do, where to eat, and where to go in Mexico City then I’ll waffle on forever with a billion suggestions. If I have to narrow down my response to a single sen… Read More

I knew the story of Jennie Jerome, the American lady who came to these isles and produced the dominant figure of 20th century British politics, Winston Churchill. It transpires that we retur… Read More

The London market place, where time stands still. Years, decades and centuries pass it by. The produce and faces change, buildings come and go, but the location stays the same. The centre of… Read More

It transpired that it was quicker and cheaper to get home via Faro than by returning to Malaga. We like quick and cheap, so that’s what we did. What can I tell you about Faro? It&rsquo&hell…Read More

This year, Mrs P and I have been particularly good cinema customers over the last year. We both enjoyed Gary Oldman’s version of Winston Churchill. I had my doubts about the casting of… Read More

I had a grand idea some time ago. For several years, London has been wrestling with the issue of air travel to and from the capital. Heathrow and Gatwick are close to capacity. Should a new… Read More

Southern Spain, and Andalucia in particular, has obvious appeal as a destination for a British traveller. It’s both easy and cheap to get to. It’s warm all year round. It’s… Read More

London has a multitude of famous old markets. Our favourite is Borough Market, near London Bridge. It’s a great place to go at any time of year for a bite to eat. You may know it from… Read More

In all of my trusty travel guides, mostly Lonely Planet books, there is a handy section about how to get around the town, city or country of your choice. Handy information about the bus serv… Read More

We’ve just returned from a jolly jaunt to southern Spain with a quick stop off in Portugal for good measure. It was so nice to be able to just drive 15 minutes up the road to our local… Read More

You may have seen the tragic news from a small town in southern England last week. A mentally disturbed man did not go into a primary school and  25 young school children were not bludg… Read More