Nice Things

I feel in the mood for something entertaining today, so I rummaged through my picture file and found some nice things from interesting places that I feel happy to look at. Hope some of them will cheer you up too!

A photographer colleague, Jeremy Hoare (checkout his lovely pics here) is convinced that the future of travel "writing" is largely visual and cinematic. He uses this little movie as evidence, and I almost think he might be right. It's called The City of Samba from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo. This filming technique is known as tilt head video, featuring close focus and quick or slow motion, giving the impression that human life is really a video animation. I think it's amazing.

Now some of my own photos. Below, a ceiling in a mansion in Trieste. I'd like one like this. It wouldn't go with my furniture, but I'd still like it. I mean, imagine that above your head.

Below, this rather surreal picture shows a steam train chugging out of a wood in Norfolk. But it's real. The place is Bressingham Steam and Gardens, and I recommend a visit if you like acres of beautiful gardens, or steam vehicles, or both (as I do).

Here's another almost surreal photo (true colour) which shows Santorini from an island in the caldera of the extinct volcano. At least I think it's extinct. The ground was pretty hot and steamy!

Ah! twin babies! (not really)

Here's a photo of what I would MUCH PREFER to be doing today. I spotted this guy last month in Malaga, Spain.

Actually what I have to do today is organise permissions for the Japanese translation of my Lewis Carroll biography, research a proposal, and wade through a load of unutterably tedious legal stuff that just goes round and round in a crazy way till I feel like Alice, shouting "You're nothing but a pack of cards!"