House red - # 12/10

The RuTDP Bar Fly is flexing his wings as well as stretching his crooked legs.  A walk to the Royal Oak alongside a new friend, (wounded on the same day and in the same manner) yielded this close up.  The Colour Version is quite spectacular, too; but the "dark forces" won the battle for the final decision.

The glass is more than half full - # 11/10

Charles Aznostix, the much loved Gallo-Armenian chanteur, nips about the kitchen preparing his lunch:  a fine field mushroom, topped with a disc of good French goat cheese accompanied by an excellent and unusual German red (yes, German red) wine - a rarely available estate-bottled Vogtsburg-Bischhofflingen of the pinot noir grape variety, followed by a fresh clementine, a cup of coffee and some Cadbury's whole hazel nut milk chocolate.  What better and what more healthy for one who must be constantly at peak performance for his expectant and demanding clientele?  Charles would not hesitate to recommend the wine - also superb with a fine 100% natural grass-fed Scottish grown rib-eye beef steak of totally traceable origin, with pommes frites, accompanied by a lettuce and tomato salad dressed in olive oil and Italian balsamic vinegar laced with a touch of fresh garlic.  Charles also declares his delight with his recent move to Britain where he finds the culinary standards to be far above his expectations and sounds a warning to his French countrymen.  "You may have won the rugby thanks to a bad referee who discriminated against the English who, critics all agree, actually beat you on the field; but just watch out - la France is definitely on a downer where lunch is concerned!"

Two sticks and a cup - # 10/10

I can now get about on the buses. I'm excedingly grateful for the excellent bus service we enjoy where I live and also for the European Union directives on making public transport accessible for those with limited mobility - new bus designs, raise-and-lower suspension systems, raised curbs at bus stops.  It's not something you ever want to use, but it's great when you need it.

Going to the toilet - # 09/10

I know you are all waiting for an arty shot of two walking sticks, but this is hot stuff, and far better!!

Imagine a tripod in the alleyway, and me hobbling and leaping "stickless" (sticks parked against a trash bin) setting the camera to snap two seedy blokes chatting in a toilet doorway.

It's my first real "outing" apart from a trip in a taxi to the physiotherapist.  The scene is two real, absolutely genuine "artists" chatting in the doorway of the "Toilet Gallery" in Kingston upon Thames.  The gallery is run by Kingston University and is sited in a derelict ladies' toilet down an alleyway behind a pub.  AND.....get this!!!!!  Behind the toilet in the other courtyard is the grave of Nipper; the dog who features on the famous HMV (His Master's Voice) record label.  (I'm grateful to the curator and the artists featured who went to a small amount of trouble to help me create this image.)

The girl with the vacuum cleaner - # 08/10

Take Ham House, drop in some back lighting, a conservation cleaner, an Olympus C7070 compact and you get Rembrandt and Vermeer.  (I had planned a shot with two walking sticks but it didn't work. So you got this instead.  Sorry).

Not needed on voyage - # 07/10

I never needed the wheel chair (lent by a kind friend).  The weather was always too cold to be pushed out.  Now the Spring sun is shining and I can walk out on my two sticks. 

The wheel chair just provides a good subject as I play about and experiment with the camera.  

Taking an all round view of things...... - # 06/10

Getting back into the swing of things I suddenly found I had forgotten how my toys work; most alarming.  Anyway, all straight now and doing nicely on the walking sticks.

Nice in 1949 - # 05/10

It seems that I was quite nice in 1949. She telephoned me a couple of days ago, having found this in a drawer when sorting through memorabilia.  Nice that we are still friends after so many years.