Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König. Wow…
The Wonder of Xmas
Now reduced…
Polka Tables
Polka Tables, originally uploaded by markrocky.
From our photography excursion (with Harvest Digital) on the South Bank using “Lomolitos” (mini Lomos), on Wednesday evening…
dew drop bye
dew drop bye, originally uploaded by markrocky.
Dew drops on barbed wire, one fine Winter’s morning in rural Somerset.
Chelsea chimneys
Chelsea chimneys, originally uploaded by markrocky.
Looking west across London from Peter Jones in Chelsea, on a bright and Christmassy winter afternoon.
street scribbling
Budding taggers learn how it is done..
These young whipper snappers were watching keenly as an older kid scrawled his tag on a wall along London’s South Bank. It didn’t take long. Let’s hope the pupils of this nursery school of graffiti move on to a higher level of street art sooner rather than later. Am I getting old? These pesky kids. Grumble grumble… I’ll be complaining about uneven pavements next.
Anyway – while I am on the subject, when a particular piece turned up at the bottom of Bristol’s Park Street a few months ago (on the side of a sexual health clinic, I should add for the benefit of the picture), I heard Bristol City Council were debating whether it was public art and should be left. Funny that they start to see the potential tourism benefits of leaving this stuff after years spent cleaning it up. They certainly wouldn’t have even considered the fact a few years ago. Well – they eventually decided to let it stay and it promptly made the Visit Bristol tourist guide.
green shoots
Taken in Somerset at the weekend – near Nunney. Things are starting to happen in the woods right now. Signs of new life abound. Like these guys – standing by, ready to unfurl…
Harbour seals on the Isle of Skye in Scotland
seal turns placidly and stares.
What a life these fat fellows have! Lazying about all day, just soaking up the sun and going for the occasional dip, maybe catching a fish if they can be bothered…
There’s more photos of Skye here (needs password – just ask me).
an essential cargo in the Philippines
Wow – that felt longer than two weeks. We’ve just returned from a different world and a very beautiful one at that. A world full of idyllic islands straight out of James Bond, with incredible diving and friendly people. The Philippines has such a bad press here in the UK and I’m almost tempted not to dispell the myths so I can keep the place all for myself… but how could I do that? Island hopping around the remote islands to the north of Palawan by banka revealed some of the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen. Thousands of deserted islands with sheer limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons, secret beaches and turquoise blue waters.
However, it seems tourism “eco-development” and land title disputes are endemic in this area and corruption, at all levels, is rife. It’s a fine balance between tourism alleviating poverty in a place perceived by Westerners as “paradise on earth” and maintaining a pristine environment for future generations. As tourism encroaches on these small islands in this fragile ecology, I really hope this balance can be met.
Some of the people we met along the way (like the folk at Kudugman) were trying to do things the right way- pushing forward low-scale, low-impact and sustainable developments of two or three huts on islands that draw minimal resources and offer a very basic yet completely serene break from it all. However, the terms “sustainable” and “eco-tourism” are used all too rashly and I hope that recent measures to develop these small islands do not lead to their destruction.
Anyway – here’s some more photos. Not that I need to convince you of the beauty of the place!
