Found in Surrey, England

My lovely friend, Kim, took me out to lunch today and we ended up in a pretty little village called Godalming.  

Have I already mentioned that the charity shops in England blow my mind?

Books, really good secondhand books, start at .50p and don't go higher than 2 pounds.  And they're all in English. 

I have been living outside of English for so long that I still find this stunning, even after a month in this world.

It was foggy today but beautifully, autumly, foggy.  The light was divine and, for the first time in a long time, I felt my passion for photography rise up and demand time.

Kim stopped at a church, somewhere in the hills of Surrey, so that my camera and I could play for a while. 

The lunch was delicious.  We discovered Grills and Greens, and were served by a lovely guy from Rome.  My tagliatelle funghi, mushrooms and cream sauce with fresh ground black pepper, was rather divine.

The Story of 3 Birds That Rescued Themselves ...

My favourite cafe was closed the other day and I ended up at a nearby restaurant, hoping the espresso would be drinkable, knowing I didn't want to wander too much further in my search for good coffee.

Sitting there I noticed a rooster totally owning the small garden beyond the hedge in the grounds of the restaurant.  It amused me.  This was centre-city Antwerp.

A few minutes later I watched him visit with the pigeon you see in the series of photographs.  And honestly, they seemed to be greeting each other. 

I asked Vitaliy, the waiter, about them when he returned with a second, spresso and he told me the loveliest story.

The restaurant is called De Markt and the Bird Market is held weekly in the square nearby. Christoph the Rooster arrived first, after escaping the market, and set up home in the garden.  They named him after the manager I was told.

Then Micheal the Pigeon arrived and he stayed too.  He's named after the restaurant's Italian chef.  Vitaliy told me, smiling a little, that Christoph the Rooster often 'shouts at' Micheal the Pigeon ...

And finally, I think that third bird is a Crow.  He's quite motley but he moved in too and I love that.  How did those birds know they could set up home in the garden of a restaurant in the city of Antwerp.

And they've stayed

I loved the story.  I'll go back soon, I'll take Miss 11 with me.  She's visiting this week.  We have plans.

And so it is ... in Genova

The intensity of these days here in Italy have been quite incredible.  I have been teaching photography workshops in Genova and they have been everything ... a privilege, a challenge, so much fun, exhausting, exhilarating.

They have been about people ... about breakfasts at Douce while sitting outside in Piazza Matteotti, about the occasional aperitivo at Caffè Degli Specchi, and fresh take-away pasta, with sauces and parmesan cheese bought from the kind people at Pasta Fresca Fabio, in Via Di Canneto Il Lungo.

Tomorrow is my first 'day off' since arriving but that busy-ness hasn't been all about workshops and people, it has been about the fact I arrived in the city relaxed and happy to be back only to have that moment of horror when I realised, quite late in the day, that I had forgotten to pack the power cord for my laptop.  But you know that already...

In all my years of traveling with ridiculous amounts of equipment I have Never Ever forgotten my laptop cord.  Nor my phone cord (only discovered when I needed to recharge my phone yesterday).  I believe I may have left them on the same chair when finishing my packing at 4.30am that morning I left.  Mmmhmmm, and those comfortable walking shoes I own ...  don't ask me about how my feet were on Friday but honestly, never before has so much been left behind.

I was quite stressed when I flew.  That much is clear.  I believe I may develop some 'behaviours' as a result of 'the forgetting'.

But that aside, I realised again how much I love working with women on their photography.  I simply love it!   Often they have an instinct... a good eye for composition but a way of doing it all that somehow falls outside of the rules of 'technical'.  And it is this that seems to make it so much more difficult for them to own their way of seeing and capturing the world.

I should know ...

I'm so delighted with the work my clients have produced over these days.  I will publish some in the weeks ahead however tonight I must sleep so as to be up and out early ... for breakfast at Douce.

Ciao from this ancient city I consider the best in all of Italy.

What I Love Best About Being Back in Genova ...

I so very much enjoy  the people I meet here in this ancient Italian city and then I love introducing visitors to all that I love about being Here.

The last few days have been extraordinary and incredibly busy. Today, out with Gabriella all day, I took a series of photographs that made me smile.  This is one.

It's not so much about being great ... it's simply about sharing something found on one of those most excellent days.

There has been so much more.  Working with Anna and Valeria, meeting and working with Silvia too ... days spent with Maddalena, and Gabriella, and a superb night out with Alessandra, Davide, Federico, Grazia, Maddy and Isabella ...listening to Ghos T Notes perform out at Nervi.

Making plans to catch up with Leah and Outi.  Eating at Douce.  Surviving on 6 hours sleep.  Knowing Il Genovese is a plan for soon.

Back in Genova, Italy, and loving it.

Pasticceria Liquoreria Marescotti di Cavo, Genova

I had my first hot thick winter chocolate at this beautiful ancient Genovese cafe late on Saturday afternoon.  I met Dear Miss Fletcher, who has already written of this beautiful place, there and we talked over steaming hot drinks.  

I hope to have some of their stories to tell you in the weeks ahead.  I took this photograph as we were leaving.  The place is stunning.  I promise.

Crossing Antwerp's Pontoon Bridge, 2014

Crossing the pontoon bridge in Antwerp was so much more fun than I had imagined. I met a remarkable older gentleman and his wife as we queued.  Together we laughed and chatted our way across that pontoon bridge.

On the other side we hunted down Choice New Zealand pies, discovered the Cava stand, and spent a good hour speaking to strangers at Hilde's pie stand, about New Zealand and pies of course. One man, who so very much wanted to live in NZ, proposed marriage to me. He offered my Belgian bloke his wife in exchange. There was much laughter.  Benny was there with his fries in the Retro - Food bus too.

It was a truly delightful way to spend an afternoon.

Below is a view from the Left Bank back to Antwerp city ... with the story too.

A highlight of this commemorative programme is the contemporary reconstruction of the 1914 pontoon bridge, symbolising the connection between the past, present and future. The temporary pontoon bridge across the River Scheldt near Steen Fortress will be built by Belgian and Dutch engineer battalions on October 3rd, 2014.

The construction of a contemporary “Peace Bridge” is a technical feat. Above all the bridge will be a unique experience for the many tens of thousands of visitors who will be able to cross the River Scheldt on foot, following in the footsteps of the Belgian army as well as of the more than 10,000 refugees who fled a burning city in search of a safe haven. The reconstruction is a reminder of a significant historical moment in the city’s history as well as an invitation to build bridges in the present and work together to create a connected, inclusive city.