Mood change

First, the results and thank you for voting. Two thirds of you preferred my colour image so I think I have a clear steer on that.  No vote today but again two versions of the same image that I think convey very different moods. I rather like this if only for the strong eye contact. Although the red is a very powerful influence on the image I feel the monochrome version is overall stronger. To me the eyes have a more plaintive and penetrating quality.

I was grateful for the feedback on the last post (is that a bugle I hear?) and I will respond individually to the comments. The reassurance offered is gratifying but it is all relative and it depends on to what standard you wish to aspire. I genuinely feel that I have another step up in me but I can’t see how to unlock it. I do agree with Steve Gingold that revisiting places pays dividends. I would shoot Antarctica very differently if I went again. I will go back to Cambodia I hope and have another go at Angkor Wat. I would love to tackle Venice with a fresh eye. I also believe that I get frustrated and shoot for the sake of shooting occasionally. I am better at passing up the easy or generic shot but I guess I am still a serial recidivist at heart.

Next week will be a forced break as I am heading off to London for a shortish business trip. Its a different way of spending my retirement 🙂    Then I have a business trip to Singapore coming up (did I mention I was retired?) and then Mrs. Ha is whisking me off on the wings of paradise (well, Emirates actually) for a holiday with friends in Portugal. Life is so busy I can hardly find the time to take photos.

Tomorrow I start a long stint all wired up as the cardiologist wants to see what my heart does over a 24 hour period. I guess there is a good reason for it but it is jolly inconvenient. I need to do it before I go to London or I shall never get round to it and I don’t think walking through the airport with wires all over me and a clicking box strapped to my chest is likely to get me further than the nearest anti-terrorist cell. I have never been a huge advocate of water-boarding as a treatment for heart problems. I don’t think an orange jump suit will suit me either. Must clash with my hair. So tonight I shall seek out dear old Cilla Black on Spotify and reassure myself with repeat plays of “Anyone who had a heart”. My dear old late mum bought the 45rpm when it first came out. But then she also bought things like The Bachelors (I believe), Brian Poole and The Tremeloes (Silence is Golden) and Millie (My Boy Lollipop). Which probably explains my upbringing. In the Red corner we have Mrs. Hardacre and Engelbert Himperdunk and in the Blue corner, Mr. Hardacre with his Chopin & Liszt. What was a boy to do? Turn to sex and drugs and rock’n’roll? Looking back it would have been the ideal solution but I think I opted for heading out to the golf course every non-school day instead. And that is probably where it all went wrong.

Fore!