Costa Rica: San Jose

City battles with rainforest; and loses.

Adventures in Central America... coming soon!

... I just need to get a shift on and write it up! :o)
Pura Vida!

Hot in the City - Guy Fawkes in Winchester.

Now walking on a fire at 650C was never gonna be cold but I didn't expect it to feel quite so hot! So what's the secret? Why does the skin on your feet not burn off at 650C?  Well it appeared it was all about heat recognition. Before walking on the hot coals standing at the edge and think "Shit, that's F'ing hot!" is enough to enable your body to compensate for a few milliseconds of skin touching the coals as you walk across them. Hard to believe buts that's the way it is. What's strange is if you get to the end, totally relax and get out of those thoughts and then accidentally stand on a loose hot coal it will burn the skin off your foot. 

Weird eh? Good fun though and all done for a worthy course. Give it a go and  find out for yourself. It feels good to accomplish fire-walking.

This was all done in aid of Brendoncare charity in front of the city of Winchester bonfire on the 5th November (Guy Fawkes night in the UK).

Where does all our time go?

The top 5 time wasting devices of the current era in reverse order are...

5: Television. Even after that worthy programme don't be tempted to flick through all the other junk!


4: Games console: OK, so we all need a little break, but these machines eat time. Before you start playing be sure to check the time, say how long you will be and then switch it off when your time is up.


3: Sat/Cable TV: So if TV didn't already have enough of it there is now even more junk to distract and destroy your time.


2: Laptop/Tablet: Good for work and comms but when do you ever do the one and only job you had in mind on there? Get the job done and get off quick!


1: Smart phones: iPhone, Android whatever. They all do it and they do it all. But they follow you everywhere too! Beware, they are out to get you and they love to eat your time up. Have you noticed just how many times you interact with your smart phone rather than the people and the world immediately around you. Go and get more life instead.


Its going to be tough to walk away from these time eaters but be sure to keep an eye on the clock and get up off your arse when your pre-determined time is up. Go and do something less boring instead!

And of course, reading this blog is in no way a waste of time so you are safe here :o)

Vegas - deglitzed

I'd never had the urge to go to Vegas but always wanted the excuse to go.
With a friend inviting me to their Vegas wedding and asking me to do their wedding photography my opportunity had finally come!

Vegas really did exceed all my expectations too, as these first couple of images show.


Hiking to a climbing crag in Red Rock Canyon. Hangovers were soon banished. No doubt due to the fresh air, the exercise and  the vast panorama bursting with ancient life and hugely saturated colours.





 
Mountain bike trail views were so wide my eyes were not big enough! Looks stunning eh? Well half way round one of those cacti had an argument with the front tyre. It had to be half way, not at the start or end! No survival was needed though. So quick thinking and quicker pedalling and rather than a night in the desert is was yet another night out in sin city, and yet another hangover to follow. Such is life in Vegas.