Those of you who know me will be very surprised to hear that I nearly bought an advent moose today. Having been thoroughly dismissive of all the tat around this year (like the 'be jolly' Santa-snowman balloons), I have finally…
Not my finest photographic hour, but I wasn't really moving in advent circles today. I was going to make a comment about the hats, but now I realise it's a charity initiative, I withdraw any malevolent Santa thoughts.
The hunt for the tackiest representation of Christmas is only two days underway, but already we have a strong contender. The in-thing this year seems to be decorating animals and the shops are festooned with reindeer antlers drooping under the…
Each year, I make an advent calendar from Christmassy stuff in the shops. Nothing clever, very little photographer input, but it shows I'm not a complete grinch about this whole Christmas thing, which IMHO starts way too early. So here…
Well look what I've found! Chelsea Pensioner Russian Dolls - is it me or do they bear more resemblance to Cossacks than CPs? Anyway, the big event of today is that Izzi is 18! HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZZI! Auntie Del is…
This isn't the first time I've seen the rubbish piled up against a luxury motor, but it is the first time I've seen it against a Ferrari. If that were my Ferrari, I'd be livid, but it isn't so I'm…
Is this the biggest snow globe in the world? What a fabulous idea! I wonder if there are certain times of day when it shakes and snows ... I don't normally start my advent calendar until the 1st December, but…
I thought this was a fitting end to the Big Adventure. It is cheaper to buy Russian (or matryoshka) dolls in Vienna than in Dnipro and it's even cheaper to buy them on Amazon - although the prices quoted in…
Back in Vienna and a shock to the system weatherwise - cold, windy and snowing so a mug of hot grog at the Christmas market was required to warm the cockles. The market seems to have reached a new low…
Days away from signing an association agreement with the EU, Ukraine's President has backed out and instead wants to align the country more closely to Russia. This has led to uproar in Kiev as demonstrators took to the streets and…
How to enjoy a fag without leaving the warmth and comfort of the hot-dog kiosk, and yet not break the 'no smoking in the food area' law. Another action packed day involving a tram depot, some interesting garages, a block…
So what do you do with a building that's shaped like a hammer and sickle? No one seems to know and this beautiful building has fallen into disrepair. Personally, I would turn it into flats, but our man in DNK…
Dnipropetrovsk is a city of contradictions. It seems that it is quite permissible to take pictures of the rocket/missile factory, but absolutely forbidden to snap away in the shopping centres, which BTW comprise outlets such as Marks & Spencers and…
Well I'm finally here and it's fabulous! Not dissimilar to Merthyr Tydfil, but ten times the size. A bit of a familiarisation day today - the ten bob tour around the city so that I could decide the places I…
Quick stopover in Vienna en route to the Ukraine. Hopefully, my next post will be from Dnipropetrovsk - but if the technology fails me, then there will be radio silence for a week!
Only three days to go until my big adventure. Lots of stuff to deal with before I go and I still haven't decided what camera kit to take, but am tending towards small video camera, the M9 and three lenses…
Although it's still quite mild, it does feel as though autumn was short-lived as the mornings get darker and the trees more desolate. I'm practising the Dr Zhivago look ready for my trip - photographically speaking, that is. I'm not…
I was rather pleased with this and I know it's just a flower and I know it's too noisy and I know it's wrong on all sorts of levels, but I've been having a few problems with my camera (again),…