My beautiful kids

My beautiful kids heading for school
Originally uploaded by humbert15

That Davros mask really is quite unsettling isn't it?

New chainrings

New chainrings etc
Originally uploaded by humbert15

I can't remember how well this function of linking directly from a Flickr page to a Blogger page works. So let's try it with this semi-random (but still quite pleasant, no?) shot of my gleaming new chainrings. I completely understand that this may not elicit quite the feelings of excitement and bike-nerd thrillage in some people as it does in me, but hey! Do I care?

Low tide sunset

Another shameful delay between postings, for which I can only apologise to you, my imaginary reader. By way of making amends, here's a photo I took the other day while out walking my new lens, a Nikkor 50mm f1.4. It was the wrong lens for the job really - something wider would have resulted in images with a bit more scale I think - but hey, I'm not complaining. I really like the results.

The agony & the ecstasy

This picture just about sums up the family fairground experience I think. It's all here: one child ecstatic while the other teeters on the edge of a nervous breakdown, garish colours, confusion, needless and excessive expenditure... What more could a parent want? I'd like to add that no child was psychologically or physically harmed in the making of this picture. If only I could be certain that were the case...

Formidable festival lady

I went to the St Anne's Well Festival today, a civilised riot of middle-class families pretending they're a bit younger and freer than they really are. You couldn't see the well-manicured lawns for all the tartan picnic rugs and changing mats everywhere. There was cava, there was knitted fruit (I kid you not), there was even a kids' rave tent, complete with nodding DJ and Joe Bananas-style tent next door selling Haribos and sugary drinks by the gallon. The sun shone and the mums and dads kicked back, happy to let the kids run amok for a bit in the hope of a peaceful night later. When this rather formidable lady walked past us I grabbed the camera and shot her without thinking - which is most unlike me actually, I'm usually consumed with self-conscious reserve. I'm glad I got her though - and I'm even more glad she didn't see me getting her.

I'm a sucker for a nice shadow

I can't resist a nice bit of shadow play. And that's a nice colour too - maybe one to bear in mind when (if?) I get round to painting our front door.

The front door has needed a coat of paint for about seven years now. I've resolved to do it at least a dozen times in each of those seven years and, of course, it remains unpainted.

This year though...I can feel it. It's really going to happen this year.

Neglect is a terrible thing

Perhaps that's not the wisest title to use for a post about a picture of ones daughter, but it's not her who's being neglected, it's this blog. It's suffering for a variety of dreary reasons that don't deserve the time of day but rest assured, army of loyal readers, it won't always be this way.

This shot was taken at my nephew Tom's 18th birthday celebration (strictly speaking, I think it was about the 18th celebration he'd taken part in but let's cut the lad some slack for crying out loud). In every single shot of Tom that I've taken he's pulling this ridiculous cheesy grin face - the sort of face you wouldn't want to inflict on anyone without fair warning, so I'm not going to give it any webspace this time. Let's focus instead on the delightful Marni, resplendent in Oliver! outfit, as she eats something or other in front of a mirror.

Mosher

I went out with my nephews last night to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club do their thing. The real occasion was young Tom's eighteenth birthday - which makes me feel very odd whenever I think about it. Surely it was only five minutes ago when he clung onto my leg, balancing on my foot as I walked through his house...

Anyway, the gig was excellent, both because the band really know what they're doing and because the moshpit was full of eager young bloods who liked nothing more than to throw themselves at each other with large smiles on their faces. The bouncer at the front was none too pleased but this only served to fuel their enthusiasm and it was a genuine delight to witness such exuberance - except when I was showered in beer or barged forcefully into the people behind me. This bloke was particularly crazy.

Healthy food porn

Preparations for this blooming bike ride have completely taken over my life (what do you mean 'what bike ride?' where have you been?!) I've found it very hard to sustain anything else and this blog has definitely suffered as a result.

Still, there's always combining the two things isn't there? This shot is of some date and nut energy bars I made the other day when it dawned on me how much I'm spending on the shop-bought variety. In truth I don't expect huge savings - these are way too more-ish to be saved just for bike rides - but they're completely delicious, packed full of good things and, more to the point, rather photogenic too.

Curious cyclist

I passed this curious thing on a monster bike ride at the weekend. I'd cycled so far that I was beginning to feel slightly delirious so the sight of this object as I rounded a corner near Goodwood House was disconcerting to say the least. Turns out it was part of a large outdoor sculpture exhibition.

I only had my phone with me but I think the shot's come out quite well. Some subjects are so downright arresting that they don't need to be shot with great technical wizardry.

Easter kids

There's too much going on in life at the moment! I'm struggling to keep up with the blogs and the training and the work and the rest of it! So, in haste, here's a shot of the kids taken during the Easter weekend, which we spent with my parents in Dover. It was the kind of perfect weekend that feels like a real gift these days. Life is so full and complicated and my parents are getting on a bit, so carving out some time when it's just us and them and lots of food feels like such a precious treat.

Nice try...

I thought this shot had enormous potential but I fear it falls a bit short. I was about 15 miles into a long training ride this morning when I spotted this view of the Seven Sisters park from a hill above Alfriston. It looked rather lovely - considerably more so than it does in this rather lacklustre shot. Then I saw the mirror and thought I might be able to position myself in the shot, together with the rather lovely farmhouse behind me, to create something quite interesting. But I don't think it works really.

Ah well, you'll just have to take my word for it - it was lovely out there today.

Vegan dog?!

I spotted Heather Mills doing a cookery demonstration outside the Churchill Centre in Brighton yesterday. I've never really had a very strong opinion either way on her but I confess I was taken aback when she told the crowd about her vegan dog. This seemed so far outside the realms of the reasonable that I was looking for any signs that she might be joking but trust me when I tell you there was not the tiniest hint of humour anywhere near her.

A vegan dog...it boggles the mind so completely that I really don't know what else to say on the subject.

A shadow of my current self

I took this shot doing about 17mph on the A281, which on reflection was a very silly idea. There was quite a bit of traffic about and I wasn't paying much attention to the stuff you really ought to pay attention to as a cyclist. But I need lots of generic cycling pictures to go with my road.cc blog so needs must and all that - and I do quite like the outcome.

Family portrait

Here we all are, strolling towards the King Alfred Leisure Centre for some Sunday morning family leisure - specifically a swim, followed by a walk home again, then a bargain lunch of some description.

I know this is going off the point a bit in relation to a shadow family portrait, but I remember when we used to go for two or three Sunday pub lunches a month and not worry too much about the finances. We were able to buy little treats here and there - we even went for the occasional foreign holiday!

But not any more, oh no. The freelance lifestyle has put paid to that. It seems we can't be happy and comfortably off. This is almost certainly not the case at all, of course, but it certainly feels like it at the moment. So maybe the photo isn't off the point at all - maybe we're a shadow of our former selves. Or something.

Anyway, we had a splendid time in the swimming pool and whatever the lunch was it was jolly tasty, so all's well really.

Extreme reading

Schools these days! What are they like? Marni was asked to come into school tomorrow with photographic evidence that she had practised 'extreme reading' over the weekend. So of course I parked her in the middle of a usually-busy road and snapped furiously for a second or two before yanking her out of harm's way. I shudder to think what less responsible parents might have encouraged their children to do. Reading on the railway? On that death-defying up 'n' over ride at the end of the pier? In the sea? Outside some dodgy nightclub at chucking out time?

I wonder if we've misunderstood the brief...

Maisie, Cecil & Jazz

Maisie, Cecil and Jazz...there are three names to conjure with. There's a trend to embrace some of the names that were popular in the first half of the twentieth century - I know of kids called Mabel, Alfie, Esme and Hardy - but I bet it'll be a while before Cecil hits the top ten again.

A big part of me hopes Jazz was Cecil and Maisie's avant garde offspring, who left Hove as soon as he was able to for the bright lights of Paris or Berlin and became a drug-addled artist of ill repute.

I suspect the truth is more likely to be that Jazz was a Yorkshire terrier whose dreams rarely extended beyond catching squirrels in St Anne's Well Gardens, where you'll find this plaque.

Gloves

I've been struggling to find the perfect pair of winter cycling gloves. I realise this isn't everyone's idea of a fascinating topic for discussion on a blog or anywhere else, but you'd be surprised! I addressed this important issue on my road.cc blog and it attracted more comments than anything else I've posted. And before you say anything rude about no one taking any notice of my blog, let me add that it was today's most discussed item on the whole site (which quite surprised me as it goes but there we are). So perhaps you're the boring one for not thinking it's interesting. Bet you hadn't considered that had you?

Enigma - new object of lust

I've just realised I didn't add any photos from my visit to the Enigma workshop last week. Enigma make beautiful bikes - they made my beautiful bike - traditionally from titanium, although they recently started making steel bikes too. The reason for the visit was that I'm writing a profile article about them for the CTC magazine, but the real reason was to lust after all those gorgeous bikes and learn a bit about how they're made. It was a fascinating morning - who knew that TIG welding could be interesting? And I emerged with a new object for my bike lust, the Extensor, a drop-dead gorgeous steel framed beauty that I'm told rides as well as it looks - and as you'll see from the linked photo (not the rather poncey detail shot above), it looks pretty good. But then for around £3K, it should really shouldn't it?

Hot Chip

I love Hot Chip. Their gigs are so joyful and uncomplicated. And their music is surprisingly rewarding for something that sounds at first listen like little more than pleasant pop. According to Last.fm they're my second favourite band, after Boards of Canada, and I'm not sure that isn't what you might call an historic anomaly (do you like the AN there? I thought you would). I think they might actually be my favourites these days - and that's something I've always found it almost impossible to pin down before. At least since I was a spotty teenager madly in love with AC/DC.

But I digress. I went to the Brixton Academy last night with my brother and watched Hot Chip do their geeky, funky, soulful thing. The sound was pretty poor, but the vibe was right on the button. This shot was taken during the show's climax - an encore of Ready For The Floor. It was utterly euphoric and completely fantastic.

Mischievous girl

Honestly, this girl will be the death of us. The other day she went ominously quiet for a few minutes - just a few minutes is all it took. Next thing you know she's administered a DIY haircut on her fringe with a pair of nail scissors. The following day we receive an emergency walkie-talkie call from Oskar around bedtime. He reports that she's sitting in bed eating a pack of his M&Ms, bold as brass! When challenged she said she didn't know they were Oskar's. Oh well that's alright then...

These are just a couple of several minor irritations for which she's been responsible over the past week or so and to be honest the temperature was rising a bit. So it was kind of timely that there was a gas leak at her school two days ago and we ended up spending a day together, just the two of us. There was a gorgeous sun-kissed break in the horrible weather (don't get me started on the weather), so we headed for the seafront with bike, picnic and camera.

We had a great time and are now officially best mates again. I'm going to miss these days when she grows up.

Party flier

My very first flier (is it flier or flyer? I never know), courtesy of my artistic brother - thanks PT. There's a lot riding on this party - no pun intended - as I'm still a very long way away from my fund-raising target for the big bike ride this summer. So far I have just 13 confirmed guests so there may have to be a bit of a publicity drive some time soon. No need to panic just yet though I suppose.

It would be foolish of me not to include a link to my Virgin Money Giving page under the circumstances, don't you think?

Busker Marni

Marni is currently obsessed with 'African drums', which I think is a good thing on balance - at least for as long as we don't actually have any in the house. I think she saw a demonstration of some sort at school and is now convinced it is her mission in life to drum sense into the world.

So it was with no small measure of delight that she spotted this busker on our way to the Pavilion for a sound recording school assignment of Oskar's (which is another story entirely). After staring rather rudely at the chap for a good five minutes, Marni was asked to join him for a ... what? a duet? a jam? I don't know what you'd call it but I do know how much she enjoyed it. Needless to say, the busker assured me she's a natural - but I had just given him a quid.

Portraits for sponsorship

As I believe I may have mentioned before, this summer I’ll be taking part in The Race Against Time, a six-day bike ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

There are two significant challenges associated with this: cycling 140 miles or more every day for six days, and raising £2000 for the Bishop Simeon Trust, the race charity.

In some ways the fund-raising challenge is harder. Once you’ve hassled your friends and family a few times and still find yourself with just a few hundred pounds pledged, it’s time to come up with other ways of raising the cash.

One of the ways I’d like to do it is by offering a photographic portrait service. I’ll take a photo of you – or your kids, or your dog – and get it professionally printed and framed for you.

You’ll see one of my portraits I’ve done on this page (thanks to Sarah for letting me use it as an example).

For this service I’ll charge a fee of £15, plus the printing and framing costs. To be clear, every penny I receive beyond the printing and framing costs will go towards my sponsorship target.

The printing & framing costs will vary depending on what size print you want in what kind of frame but the starting cost can be as low as £10. So you could have a professionally framed (albeit amateurishly shot) portrait hanging on your living room wall for just £25! Bargain!

Of course if you feel inclined to donate more than £15 towards my sponsorship I won’t stop you.

Finally, if you’re not interested in getting a portrait done but you’d still like to support my ride, you can make a contribution on my Virgin Money Giving page.

Thanks for reading this. If you’d like to chat about having a portrait done, leave a comment on this blog and I’ll be in touch.

Hell on earth

I remember when Toys R Us represented the closest thing to hell on earth that Hove had to offer.

We used to dread going there so much that we almost never did. It wasn't the rampaging kids charging around the place; it wasn't the prospect of spending too much money on tat that would fall apart within a week; it wasn't even the deadness you saw in the eyes of everyone who works there or the bored terror in the eyes of all those parents.

No, it was the indecision - Oskar could never decide what to buy with his pocket money. Unless we'd identified something specific before setting off we would all be condemned to a nightmarish hour or more during which his frustration and uncertainty and confusion would steadily grow to the point that he would burst into tears of desperation and become incapable of speech, never mind narrowing down a shortlist of 14 toys.

So it was with some trepidation that I took both kids there today. To make matters worse we set off at around 11.30 - a classic time for blood sugar levels to start dipping, tempers to shorten and decision-making capabilities to evaporate. We had to be back by 12.15 at the latest too, to give us enough time for lunch before he went to a birthday party at 1.00. So, some time pressure and pre-socialising butterflies to add to the mix.

It was a recipe for disaster - but there was no disaster! Miraculously, both kids were happy to wait in parts of the shop that didn't interest them while their sibling scanned the shelves. Marni decided quickly that she was going to buy the largest toy dog I believe I've ever seen. His name's Sammie and you can see him here. He's so huge that a cull of soft toys was required to accommodate him in Marni's over-stuffed bedroom.

Meanwhile Oskar was waiting patiently for his turn and finding it tricky to decide but there was no agitation, just careful thought. Eventually he chose a discounted Wii game that probably involves a bit too much violence, strictly speaking, but I was so relieved he'd decided that I was prepared to look the other way for once.

Post-Christmas family lunch

I wasn't paying an awful lot of photographic attention when we spent the day with my brother and his family and my sister with hers on 2 January. I think we were having too much fun. But I did take a few photos and I think this one's my favourite - mainly from a compositional point of view. I like the symmetry created by Marni and Amanda's body angles and the snacks/drinks they're holding. I kind of wish one of them was in focus but hey, we can't have everything we want in life.

It's also a nice reminder that Marni has enthusiastically embraced the idea of dressing up for special occasions. She spent most of the Christmas season in this suit, handed down by her brother last year. When she goes out she adds a rather fetching cap - one of those rather blousey flat caps, if you get my drift. It makes her look like something out of Oliver! and is unspeakably endearing.

New year's day on the pier

I've just realised I've not posted here this year! Shockingly bad form. There's another blog taking my attention at the moment (on road.cc, about my big bike ride) but that's no excuse. I might find a few more photos to add today to make up for it.

In any case, this was taken on the pier on new year's day. We have a tradition of meeting up with friends and drinking beer on that day each year. We're usually nursing thunderous hangovers but this year was different. This year Madge and I spent new year's eve together on our own, just watching telly and eating rather indulgent party food from M&S - it felt right to do that for a change. The usual model of trudging off to some party or other just didn't appeal. For a few years now new year's eve has been a disappointment - there's too much partying in December to go for a big blow-out right at the end of the month. Perhaps we're getting old - perhaps we're growing up.

It was a beautiful day this year - as it often is. We walked to the pier, drank a few pints of Guinness in the pub whose name I always forget, ate fish and chips, then walked home again, ready and eager to begin January's healthier regime. No booze, healthy food and more exercise: the degree to which this appealed speaks volumes about how overdue it was.