2014: A YEAR IN PHOTOS

Here's a small selection of highlights of 2014.

 VISIT TO FINLAND

Ok, Åland may be a Swedish speaking autonomous region of Finland... But it counts to my list of countries visited. Lovely place to visit and even better if it means travelling by ferry. Ships bring out the Kate Winslett in me.

VISIT TO IRELAND 

I had not been back to Ireland since 2006. So a visit was long overdue. It wasn't exactly a holiday, but it was good to see family again.... Oh, and, of course, the landscapes... Kerry is not called The Kingdom for nothing.

VISIT TO LAPPLAND

I had always wanted to visit Lappland and this year that particular dream came true. Most people nortmally head to Finnish Lappland, but I chose Luleå in Sweden instead. Not sure if I managed to see the Northern Lights or not, but seeing the Baltic Sea frozen over was worth the visit alone.

VISITS TO STOCKHOLM

So I am a "Scandophile"... I can think of worse things to be mad about. I went to Stockholm three times and cannot wait to go back.

THIS VIEW 

The views from Kaknästornet in Stockholm are just fantastic. Without a doubt one of the highlights of the year, even if meant almost freezing to death.

VISIT TO MADRID

I lived in Spain for many years; 10 to be precise. However, I had not returned to Madrid since I came back to the UK in 2009. It was an emotional journey for several different reasons, which I shall not begin to bore you about. The city has changed quite a lot in the past 5 years, and not necessarily for the good. That said, in many ways it still felt like home.

PHOTOGRAPHY: PRIMROSE HILL

For those of you who are brave enough to venture up to Primrose Hill this evening, I hope you enjoy the fantastic views of the fireworks display. I will be watching them from the warm surroundings of my local pub. Happy New Year!

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUN GOES DOWN ON ANOTHER YEAR

Another year comes to a close... May the one that is about to start be a good one for everybody.

PHOTOGRAPHY: THE LONDON EYE

Beautiful sunset over the London Eye yesterday evening. Still does not make me want to go up there to see the New Year's firework display in person though.

PHOTOGRAPHY: UNEXPECTED SURPRISES

London is counting down to the New Year celebrations,  To ensure that people from far and wide can get about without disruptions [sic], London Underground appeared to have virtually half of the Tube network closed yesterday for "essential planned engineering works".  This is probably just as well. If I had known about it, I would not have got to see the rather special sunset over the Houses of Parliament.

ILLUSTRATION: UNDER THE SEA

Illustration titled "Under the Sea".

ILLUSTRATION: GANESHA

GANESHA © GINGER NUT DESIGNS

This A4 illustration is titled Ganesha. It is inspired by the Hindu god Ganesha. In this piece, the central point is the seated figure of Ganesha, set against a blue background that is decorated with flowers.  Materials used: promarkers and fine liner pens.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUICIDAL MOORHEN

OK, the drop from the cascade in the Kyoto Garden is not a massive one and moorhens can fly, but one false move and this specimen could have ended up as koi carp food... For the record, the kois in the pond there are rather (understatement) large.

PHOTOGRAPHY: THE INQUISITIVE SQUIRREL

Little things please little minds, so they say. I could spend hours watching squirrels going about their daily activities. So inquisitive, so energetic... and in the case of London squirrels, so bold. And there I was thinking that they hibernated in winter. Another meaningless piece of information from primary school that has turned out to be totally false.

PHOTOGRAPHY: EXOTIC CHRISTMAS

So Christmas has come and gone (almost). After a day of over-indulgence, it was necessary to go for a walk to catch some (very) fresh air. I headed to Holland Park, where I saw this majestic beast. He was very reluctant to give up his seat. I really don't blame him.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

For some things, translations are not required. Merry Christmas to one and all!

PHOTOGRAPHY: DOWN BY THE RIVER

I took a walk down by the River Thames in Fulham earlier this afternoon. The sky was moody to say the least. Very eerie atmosphere.

ILLUSTRATION: BRASIL BRASILEIRO

Illustration titled Brasil Brasileiro.

ILLUSTRATION: EL OSO Y EL MADROÑO

Illustration titled "El oso y el madroño" (The Bear and the Strawberry tree).

ILLUSTRATION: LADYBOY ET SON CHIEN

Illustration titled "Ladyboy et Son Chien".

ILLUSTRATION: NOTTING HILL

Illustration titled Notting Hill.

ILLUSTRATION: OWL

Illustration of an owl.

PHOTOGRAPHY: IS IT NEARLY CHRISTMAS?

I am not exactly a fan of Christmas decorations, as I think they are normally rather (OK, a lot) tacky... Proof of which can be seen this year in New Bond Street, where the lights look like enormous scorpions (they are apparently meant to be peacock feathers).

However, the lights in Stockholm are actually very good this year. I mean... Can anyone dislike enormous, free-standing moose lights like the ones on show in Sergels Torg? Got to love Swedish design!

PHOTOGRAPHY: BREATHTAKING VIEWS

The views from Kaknästornet (Kaknäs Communications Tower) in Ladugårdsgärdet (located in the east of the Östermalm district of Stockholm) are simply amazing. From here, you get a 360º panoramic view of the whole city and the numerous islets found in both Lake Mälaren and Saltsjön (bay of the Baltic Sea that extends right into the centre of Stockholm).

It is impossible to list all the places of interest that can be seen in the photo above, as there are just too many. However, you can see the main attractions of Gamla Stan (Old City) and Stockholm City Hall (which itself also boasts great views of the city). Entrance to the tower costs 55 SEK, and there are viewing decks on the 29th floor (indoor) and 30th floors (outdoor).

PHOTOGRAPHY: BIRD'S EYE VIEWS

The photo above was taken on the descent into Kallax Airport in Luleå. It was about 9:30am and the sun was just beginning to rise, but you can make out the pine forests and the many inlets of the Bay of Bothnia (Botten Viken), some of which were frozen over. This view alone was worth the airfare.

PHOTOGRAPHY: NORTHERN LIGHTS

A possible sighting of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) from Södra Hamn in Luleå. I cannot say for certain if it was the Northern Lights, but in the background of the photo above there is a multicoloured glow which does not have a logical explanation. The lights were coming from quite a distance away and there are no other major cities or towns in the area (just forest) that could generate that much light.

The colours of the lights also appeared to be changing from tones of green, blue, yellow and purple, which led us to the conclusion that perhaps it was a feint display of the Aurora Borealis. This may be not be the case, but in my mind it was. This possible sighting has only fuelled my desire to see them from up close, but for that a trip even further north to the Arctic Circle is required. Tough life, isn't it?

PHOTOGRAPHY: NIGHT TIME IN THE HARBOUR

If the views to be had in Södra Hamn, Luleå, during the day weren't spectacular enough, they got even better at night. We braved the bitterly cold winds and icy conditions and headed to the south harbour on the off chance of seeing the northern lights. On arrival we were greeted by a very ominous looking yellow and purple sky, which was probably due to reflections of the lights on the frozen sea... or possibly an indication of the brief snowstorm that take place later a while later.

The atmosphere in the harbour was rather eerie. There was not a soul to be seen, which is hardly surprising. Conditions were not ideal for a night time stroll, but it was well worth it.

PHOTOGRAPHY: FROZEN SEAS

I have just returned from a trip to Stockholm and Luleå, which is located in the far north of Sweden. I have to Sweden on many occasions, but had never ventured as far north as Lappland. I was not sure what to expect, but was expecting it to be mightily cold... and was not disappointed.

The photo above was taken in Södra Hamn (South Harbour) and, as you can see, it was so cold that the water in Bottenviken (Bay of Bothnia, the northernmost branch of the Baltic Sea) had frozen over as far as the eye could see. A truly breathtaking sight; even more so when the sun began to set at around 1pm, which gave the it a twilight-like feel.

ILLUSTRATION: ALEX IN WONDERLAND

Illustration titled "Alex in Wonderland".

ILLUSTRATION: BLOMMOR

Illustration titled "Blommor".

ILLUSTRATION: LA BIGOTUDA

Illustration titled "La Bigotuda".

ILLUSTRATION: KURBITS

Illustration of Kurbits decoration.

PHOTOGRAPHY: OLD MEETS NEW

A bitterly cold and rainy winter's day in Greenwich Park, but the views of the old naval college and the skyscrapers of the Docklands area make up for it.

PHOTOGRAPHY: LONDON SKYLINE

Winter may already have arrived, but the London skyline continues to change. There appears to be more and more skyscrapers popping up around the City of London.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUNSET IN WEST LONDON

The sunset in West London has been spectacular this afternoon.

ILLUSTRATION: LORD GANESHA

LORD GANESHA © GINGER NUT DESIGNS

This A4 illustration is titled Lord Ganesha. It is inspired by the Hindu god Ganesha. In this piece, the central point is the seated figure of Ganesha, set against a multicoloured patterned background.  Materials used: promarkers and fine liner pens.

ILLUSTRATION: FORTH RAIL BRIDGE

Illustration of the Forth Rail Bridge.

ILLUSTRATION: ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

Illustration of St Paul's Cathedral.

ILLUSTRATION: HERON TOWER

Illustration titled Heron Tower.