Red Bicycle

Whilst walking around the streets in Kerela last week,  we came upon this young boy painting his bike. He was being extremely careful how he applied the paint and was very proud of the great job he had made of it.

Edited with Snapseed

Common Winter Visitor

I haven't quite decided if I've chosen the right or wrong time to be back in the UK. I should be flying back to India this week but with all the problems at Heathrow it doesn't look good. It's been wonderful waking up to that silence only snow can create. My first job each day is making sure the bird table is full with winter fattening food for my garden birds. We have had quite a collection in the last couple of weeks and today I was rewarded with a visiting Redwing. I grabbed a very old 70-300mm lens and managed to get a couple of shots before it flew off.

A Time to Gather your Thoughts

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas. We have been enjoying the feastive season at Amangalla in Sri Lanka. A wonderful old hotel steeped in hundreds of years of history. They have been celebrating Christmas in true style.

09:26 this morning a two minute silence was held to remember the 230,000 or more people that lost their lives in the devastating 2004 tsunami that hit the coastlines along the Indian Ocean, effecting over fourteen countries. The guests and staff at the hotel lit candles and placed then along the fort wall taking a moment to say a prayer or a few comforting words in remembrance of all those effected, especially the Sri Lankan people living along the coastline just metres below the fort.

Balmy Christmas

Its the week before Christmas and just feels so wrong to be sitting here with a temperature of 29 Degrees overlooking my tropical garden and pool. Im a big Christmas fan and really missing the cold weather, the preparations, everyones decorated houses filled with twinkle lights and even the cheesy Christmas songs in the shops thats leading up to Christmas day. To cheer us up we have however, had a delivery from a friend that came over from the UK. M&S mince pies and christmas pudding with a bottle of port to wash it down with. There are some things that you just cant do without!

Whilst sitting here wishing I was home in the UK this Brahminy Kite settled on a palm tree just across from my study. Even with all the building noise going on around he was totally aware of my camera shutter going off and acknowledging the bursts of clicks.

Endearing Nepal

Have just returned from trekking in the wonderful mountainous land of Nepal. Crisp clean air filled our lungs for 5 days. Admittedly climbing up nearly 1000metres one day with 15kg of camera gear on my back wasn't my idea of fun but the views, villages and people along the way certainly made it worth while. Fortunately that was just one day, other treks were easier and along with climbing up there is always the coming down.

The city of Katmandu is a total contrast, rich in history with some of its monuments now listed as World Heritage Sites. It is full of noise with amazing colour, architecture and tradition. A flight past Mount Everest was a perfect end to our trip and overwhelmingly exposed the magnitude of the region. Truly a unforgettable experience.

The Fly

Today I noticed something rather large and black with rainbow coloured wings floating in our pool. I managed to hook this guy out and I think he actually survived the experience.

Shivajinagar Scrap Yard

I attended a street photography workshop yesterday and we visited an amazing area in Bangalore which solely sold used car parts. Rows and rows of sheds and brick built units full to capacity of headlights, suspensions, engine pieces, window mechanisms and panels. You name it, it must be there somewhere. The vendors were so friendly and as cars are a real passion of mine, I spent a lot of time talking about cars and not taking photos. Fortunately, there was time to get some shots!