Favourite Picture of the Year - 1

Well, it had to be another cat –or rather a kitten– and once again it’s from Greece. This beautiful feline was one of two identical siblings who delighted us every lunchtime at the outdoor restaurant we visited each day on the island Samos. They were playful, cheeky, adorable, sleepy, inquisitive, lithe at times gauche at others, sweet and affectionate –most of the time; sometimes all at the same time! Like all cats they could occasionally be stand-offish or disdainful, but as they were kittens this never lasted more than a moment. In their own minds they were tigers or jaguars or mountain lions and loved to climb. I took a series of pictures of them, but this is my favourite, despite the light being a little fuzzy (the sunlight was very strong beyond the shade). I think it captures everything I like about cats –the nobleness, the curiosity, the grace and the determination. So much of the Internet is devoted to pictures of cats dressed up, being grumpy or doing bizarre, crazy things that I thought it about time they were given some respect! Thank you for visiting my blog and please return again –next year is going to see some incredible pictures, right here! Location: Samos, Greece

Favourite Picture of the Year – 2

Earlier this year there was a celebration all along the waterfront in Oslo to celebrate the completion of a walking route that effectively takes you from one side of the city to the other. This ”fjord path” takes in quaysides, harbours and piers with lots of attractions, old and new, along the way. It is one of my favourite places for walking and cycling all year round. On the day of the opening there was much activity and extra hullabaloo along the whole route, and at the quayside below the castle where several historic boats are permanently moored some equally vintage vehicles were lined up. I’m a sucker for anything nostalgic, so I felt right at home. The picture is a memory of a pleasant day, but also an affectionate nod to the past. And I liked the pairing of the old truck and boat Location: Oslo, Norway

Favourite Pictures of the Year - 3

Sometimes the simplest things can trigger off a whole series of thoughts, and photographs do not have to be rich in detail or technically perfect to capture exactly a particular atmosphere or mood or moment. The reason I took this picture of a lowly biro lying on a window sill was that apart from a work-light this was the only object in a set of empty rooms I visited in the autumn. And the pen seemed so perfectly apt because these rooms were once a former apartment of Henrik Ibsen and this was his workroom. It was here that he wrote The Master Builder back in the 1890s, for instance. The vast building that housed these elegant apartments was later taken over by the Norwegian foreign ministry and was then the headquarters of the Gestapo during the German occupation of the Second World War. A building with a history, in other words. Now being totally renovated it was open to the public for one day and I did not want to miss this rare chance to see where Ibsen had once lived. His last home, just up the street, is of course more well-known and grandiose as that houses the Ibsen musuem, but here there was a strange sense of immediacy, as if Ibsen had only just left –there was something in the air; empty rooms are often so much more evocative than filled one, as if the walls themselves are finally able to speak. Maybe it’s just my imagination! The pen was, of course, left there by accident -no doubt by an architect or planner, but I like to think of it representing the great writer himself. Perhaps he too once placed a pen here while ruminating over the next words to write, looking out of this very window...Location: Oslo, Norway

Favourite Pictures of the Year - 4

Earlier this year I had to misfortune to get stuck in the middle of Germany’s biggest ever rail strike, which started one day after I arrived in that country precisely to travel about by rail for a few weeks. Needless to say it was a highly frustrating time; but there was something rather fascinating about seeing normally busy stations deadly quiet all day –everything was open, tickets could be bought etc. but there were no people about –and of course no trains (apart very occasionally). I was struck by the emptiness of the stations, the unsettling views of bare platforms and unoccupied tracks, yet at the same time fascinated too. Such places have a strange allure when they are empty and still and I tried to capture some of it here, and took numerous pictures this and other empty stations. It certainly helped me pass the time while I was stuck. Location: Lübeck, Germany

Favourite Pictures of the Year - 5

With Christmas and the end of the year drawing near I thought I'd round off 2015 by posting my 5 favourite pictures taken this year. I have been photographing steadily all year but there have been numerous technical issues that have prevented me from posting as much as I would like (ideally every day); these seem now to be resolved however and I look forward to sharing lots more photographs and thoughts in 2016. Today's picture was taken on the island of Samos in September and seems to me to capture the essence of a peaceful late afternoon when the sun is no longer fierce and a satisfying nap is the best thing in the world. I love cats for their poise, independence and ability to always find the best spot and never care about what anyone thinks. This chair was usually occupied by a salty boat owner who sat by the quayside of an evening. The cat may have been his, or belonged to the boat. But here, in total relaxedness, the afternoon belongs to the cat! Location: Samos, Greece

Globes!

I think one really gets a feel for the world as a cosmic entity from looking at a globe. I mean, maps are great and useful and practical, but they don’t really convey a feeling of distance, proportion or wholeness in the way that a globe does. A globe shows that which is common to us all –our planet; our world, and I for one always have a sense of wonder when I look at one. So imagine my awe at seeing 19 of them! This is the window of a travel shop quite close to where I live; it has other windows too and doesn’t just sell globes, but this is the window I always have to stop at. I found the globes looked like beads on an abacus, and the lines of the wall add to this effect –a kind of ”reckoning up” of the Earth if you like. I also thought it would be a fun picture to share. Location: Oslo, Norway