Sunset On My Street

Norway is well known as "the land of the midnight sun", and long summer days that somehow never end but merely mellow into warm, golden evenings are certainly one of the country's greatest attractions; but it is not only in summer that the sun creates beautiful effects in the sky. These past few weeks have seen some fabulous winter sunsets –perhaps nature's consolation for not providing Oslo with as much snow as some people would like. I took this shot just as I was returning home one afternoon recently. It's the street I live in, so I know it very well –a perfectly ordinary, humdrum street– but I was struck by how it was transformed into something quite magical and magnificent as the sun came down. Location: Oslo, Norway

Irresistible Sign

I came across this sign in the window of a cliff-top café overlooking the English Channel at the end of a long, bracing walk on the South coast. There was something very compelling about its message and the nostalgic gentleness of its fading paint. I remember such cups from my childhood, and cakes -well; how can one ever say no to that! I fancy the sign had been here for a long time, which added to its charm. Above all I love its Englishness. And of course, I indulged! Location: Hastings, England

Le Chateau Frontenac at Night

Although quite mild as I write the start of this year has seen some very cold weather, with temperatures dipping far below most people's comfort level. Wrapping up in many layers to stay warm is called for as such times, but as I do so I comfort myself with the thought that the temperature does not quite come close to the coldest I have ever felt, and that was in Canada a couple of years ago. Visiting the fine city of Quebec in February was probably not the best idea, but that winter was particularly icy, casting a chilled veil over the entire city and made even colder by a cutting wind that turned one's blood to ice –or so it felt. On my first evening there I took my camera out to take some pictures, but taking my gloves off to operate it turned out to be a very bad idea so I gave up fairly quickly. But not before taking some shots of the fabulous Chateau Frontenac hotel that looms high in the old city. I took many more pictures the day after when it was a little milder –clearer and brighter photographs, but this one for me captures the winter moment perfectly. I headed inside here afterwards, to soak in the Chateau's warmth –as magnificent as the building itself. Hope you too stay warm, folks! Location: Quebec, Canada