It was a very festive weekend

with Burns Night and Australia Day on the calendar. I did pull my kilt out for Saturday and went to a great photography exhibition and had a couple of drinks with friends. About to head downstairs now and develop another roll of film- and I'm still really enjoying the process.

Doing some catching up with my old photos and a lot of catalogue work- there are more there than I realized.


Tune of the Day: A Good Day To Die    by William Elliott Whitmore

The black and white developing course on the weekend

was a success with everyone being able to get their film done and take some images home. I had a lot of fun teaching it and they were a great group of students. What's next, guys?  :-)

There is a long-term photo exhibition in Zürich which has just opened and will remain open until August. At the moment I am considering getting some work together to hang a few pictures and see how they are received. It will probably be black and white stuff from around the city. Thoughts?


Running off into town shortly to go for a beer- and catch up with a few friends. Nice.


Tune of the Day:   Gun Street Girl   by  Tom Waits

A new Operating System for my Mac

meant that my scanning software needed updating. I have tried a Demo version of Silverfast (an older version of which I had been using) and today tested and bought VueScan. It seems simpler and faster and I like the results from my first roll. The big test will be when I put a roll of Medium Format film in the tray, but I'm sure that all will be well.

It is very mild here and has been damp. Reading about avalanches and related deaths in the mountains to our South is not good and I see that the USA and Canada have been hit by proper winter storms as well.

Went for an enjoyable photowalk yesterday with Mirco and Peter- I was very happy with the way in which my pics turned out.

Onward and upward.


Tune of the Day:  Hey You    by Pink Floyd

I am going to see more movies this year

and started off the year with Nebraska today. It was most enjoyable and has put me in the mood to get into the cinema and keep up-to-date.

I'm heading out again tomorrow to take some more photos and looking forward to that. The weather should hold until we are finished which makes things much more pleasant. I've just been reading about the snow and ice storms racing across North America at the moment...... has me thinking about buying an even warmer jacket!

The duck for dinner was good. Thanks!

Tune of the Day: Set Me Free    by Los Lobos

Happy New Year!

I'm not a great one for New Year's Resolutions, so there is no need to go into that  ;-)  We had an enjoyable dinner with friends last night, a relaxed day today and I am about to head out to a New Year's Day party for a few drinks. Catherine will be headed off to the office tomorrow and I will continue with my Lightroom learning and see if I can start to get things under control.


Tune of the Day:  Sara   by Bob Dylan

My photo exhibition kicked off last night

so we did the appropriate thing and made a party out of the occasion. Thanks to everybody who came along and a huge thank you to the kind souls who purchased prints! I certainly hope that they bring you many years of happiness.

After arriving home late this morning, I haven't managed to achieve too much today, but the highlight of my activities was certainly a little snooze in a comfortable chair in a bookshop in the city. Wonderful! I won't need much rocking to get to sleep tonight, but I will probably wake at 3 tomorrow morning.....


Tune of the Day: Transmission   by Joy Division

Spent a little time today working on my first

photo exhibition. A friend who is a pro photographer also has a photography school and is going to show some of my stuff on the walls of his new premises when they are opened in late May. It should be a lot of fun and I'm pretty happy that this is going to happen. There will be a mix of photos but the largest percentage will be digital images and I think that they are a great set.


Tune of the Day: On and On    by Gladys Knight and The Pips

It is raining again this evening and I'm starting

to wonder if summer really did come on that Tuesday back in March. Hoping that things are a little warmer and dryer on the weekend so that I can get out and about, do some exercise and take a few pics.
Off to do a little beer-drinking tomorrow evening with the party champs of Canton Zürich.

Congratulations to Lord Hobbsodopoulos- the new passport looks wonderful tucked into your striped apron!


Tune of the Day: Don't Sell It   by The Cruel Sea

I could get comfortable with the idea

of having Monday off. A pity that the weather didn't co-operate a little better, but it was a most enjoyable way to start the week. There was a package waiting for me in the office when I returned today- not another camera, but something else that will make photography easier and even more fun. Keep your eyes open!


Tune of the Day:  A Little Green Rosetta   by Frank Zappa

Zürich is a good-looking town

and it is especially pleasant to walk around in the evening when there are not many people about. I was out tonight with my camera and really enjoyed the couple of hours.....


Tune of the Day: Ain't No Sunshine   by Soul Bossa Trio

I didn't expect my camera in the post today

so it would certainly have made a nice surprise. Alas, it was not to be. The sun is shining, I have already taken some photos and we are heading off to a surprise birthday bbq later this evening. All good!


Tune of the Day:  Alice    by Tom Waits

Catherine called it "an adventure"

but it was just one of my normal walks about town with the camera. Yesterday's camera of choice was the F5 and I managed to shoot a roll and a half of Kodak TMAX 100. I'm quite happy with the results...


Tune of the Day:   Waiting For The Sun    by  The Doors

I'm sure you all realize that tomorrow is Friday :-)

but you may not realize that I am having next week off. Look out! There may even be some photos to publish here....



Tune of the Day:  Orange Claw Hammer    by Captain Beefheart

You owe it to your ears

to check out the album "Straight To You" which is a Nick Cave tribute done by Radio JJJ in Sydney. I only heard of Abbe May recently, but she really rocks "Lie Down Here And Be My Girl" and "Depth Charge Ethel". Well worth the price of admission.


Tune of the Day: Depth Charge Ethel   by Abbe May  (no surprises there)

Sometimes it is great to be old-fashioned

and I really enjoy taking photos with my film camera. Walking around with this last week was a lot of fun!


Tune of the Day:  She's Got The Jack   by AC/DC

Scotty's last day today

and I'm sure that he is off to do something much more enjoyable........


Tune of the Day:  Broken Train    by Beck

I know, I know....

but the weekend is not over yet! The world does look different in black and white.


Tune of the Day: Lie Down Here And Be My Girl      by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Time to build a boat!

After several dry, mild months it looks as if we are playing a game of catch-up here at the moment. Going to get all of our October and November precipitation in a few days (albeit in December). They tell me that tomorrow it is going to get cool and we might even get some snow.
Chop a tree and open another bottle of red!


Tune of the Day:  Green Eyes   by Nick Cave

Guests coming this afternoon

and I'm looking forward to cooking and opening a bottle of wine or three. Today is the start of Week 50 and I am participating in another Photo Challenge- this one just a week long and involving 50mm lenses. I will try to post some of my out-takes here during the week....


Tune of the Day: Strangers  by Portishead