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I’m hanging up my flying goggles. Feet firmly on the ground from now on. Time to explore the world on my doorstep.

If you had a free round-trip ticket to anywhere, where would you go?

To be quite honest I’m at that point in my life where I am quite satisfied. I live in a country that itself has some of the most beautiful scenery you will see anywhere, not a million miles from my doorstep, but I’ve hardly seen any of it. Why?

I think when you are younger, and some older people still have it, there is a wanderlust in you that makes you want to see everything, see it all as if you are going to be the last person to ever see or experience it. If that’s you, then great, keep it up enjoy it and don’t ever let anyone put you off doing it.

Me though, I’ve hit a point where there isn’t anywhere on the planet i truly dream of visiting. I’m not immensely well travelled, I have done a bit but compared to many I’m a true amateur in the travel business.

To be quite honest I’m now quite content in keeping my feet on the ground and discovering the world on my doorstep. I’m in a country with many undiscovered treasures for me personally, and from now on that’s the route I will be taking.

So a round trip for me would probably be in the form of a coach or train ticket giving me unlimited access to their networks. That would be nice and simple wouldn’t it? With no queuing and herding like sheep at airports….how utterly pleasant.

Have a lovely day, don’t let others bring you down. Stay safe.

Even more electrifying

And tonight, to add to the superb artwork that nature has supplied all week, the moon decides to poke its head through the storm clouds.

The holiday is coming to an end and tonight has given us even more to enjoy as the moon has started to break through the storm clouds.

Hello moon 🌒

Superbly stunning views of nature this week. Quite unique and unbelievable.

Have a superb day.

It’s been electrifying

This holiday has not disappointed in supplying natural phenomenon to photograph. Mother nature has pulled out all the stops this year.

This holiday has not failed to produce the goods. I’ve taken some stunning photos this year and mother nature keeps supplying the photo opportunities. Another night of heavy electrical activity out to the north of the island, supplying a superb natural firework display.

Just absolutely mesmerising

Have a good day all.

Full moon, storms and rainbows

Weather mood swings in Cyprus. And a full moon.

Having a wonderful time out here in Cyprus, we’ve seen some stunning weather events and exceptionally beautiful full moon. This island continues to deliver and impress.

Weather and moods aplenty

Have a lovely day .

Some observations in black and white

A walk around the towns and some observations in black and white

24th of September 2026 around the towns of Polis Latchi and Limni, Western Cyprus.

Have a lovely day.

A windy day

An ill wind is forecast locally today…

Just ordered beans on toast in Cyprus, a big soup bowl full of beans turned up with two pieces of toast in a rack. How quaint and it was gorgeous. Just wasn’t expecting so many beans.

Beans on toast

Have warned my fellow holiday makers that it’s going to be a windy day today.

And before anyone goes on about being a typical Brit abroad wanting some British food..stop right there! I love the traditional food, only last night it was Octopus 🐙 and traditional Cypriot cuisine as it has been most days. This morning I wanted something lighter as I have eaten like a pig the last few days…so there!

Have a super day

Just like this, with cold tea!

Sun, good company and no drama with cold tea

How do you make time for self-care?

Sun. Cool breeze. Good company. No drama

Rest. Recharge batteries and don’t surround yourself with other people’s dramas.

Well, for two weeks at least, and then back to a normal service 😂

And my wife is in full silly mode at the moment. Asks for a taste of my iced tea only to comment, “ugghh that’s horrible, it tastes like cold tea” a real hand palm moment 🤦‍♂️

It tastes like cold tea 😂

Have a lovely day.

Out of office

The out of office is on. Holiday mode activated

That’s it, we’ve left the county for a while. Time for some well earned R&R

Over Aurach in the Austrian Alps – Tyrol
Over Sipovo, Bosnia – you can’t see me but I can assure you I’m in the window just above the “i” on the logo
In Cyprus, tea for the ladies and a local beverage for me.

Happy holidays 👍

My Gold bling bike

My favourite purchase, from the days of my youth…

Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

It was around 1984 that the Raleigh bicycle company in the UK released the Raleigh Record Sprint entry level racing bicycle. I would have been around 18-19 years of age at the time and I would have been working in central London, temping as a photographic technician at the time. I would have been working between Edgware Road and Farringdon, and would be cycling in from Bushey in Hertfordshire every day, about 25 miles each way at the time. I was quite fit back then.

The Raleigh Record Sprint

My mum at the time had one of those catalogues where you could purchase items over a period of time otherwise known in the UK as on the, “Never Never”. I loved this bike as this particular model had a lot of Gold coloured attributes, gold handle bars and levers as well as a gold chain set and mudguards. This bike really looked like, “The mutts nuts” as they say.

It was a pleasure to ride however the pot holed roads of London were not the ideal surface for a road racing bike with pencil thin tyres and narrow rimmed wheels. It gradually got to the stage where I was spending more time in maintaining the bike at the roadside, and being late for work, that I made the decision to transfer to public transportation.

I worked with a lad at the time who was mad on biking and he turned up to work one day on what I believe was one of the first mountain bikes I had ever seen. I was very sceptical at the time joking that there were, “No mountains in London” however he was the one cycling the roads of London daily with no issues with punctured tyres or breakdowns.

It turned out that Mountain bikes were the way forward on the mean pot holed roads of central London. Though, it would be a few years before I could afford one of my own.

I’ve seen many old Raleigh Record Sprint bikes since and have always considered getting another. But to be honest they command such a strong price now that to be realistic, it just wouldn’t be worth it as I’m probably never going to actually ride one again.

It was a lovely bike, it served a purpose but was killed by the potholes that were strewn across London in the mid eighties. The roads haven’t improved much since, but the bikes have, hence the amount of them you see if you ever venture that way.

Have a lovely day. Stay safe.

Trains at Melton

Here are four photos taken whilst I was visiting the signal box at Melton Mowbray. This train line is between Leicester and Peterborough and has a number of Victorian era signal boxes still in use today. All pictures taken with my IPhone 14 Pro Max.

View towards Leicester from Melton Mowbray
Leicester bound
Peterborough bound
Time exposure Leicester bound

Have a happy day. 👋