Take a look at what we've been upto and where we've been!


	Augusst 2006 -Normally this time of year, you'd expect me to be rambling on about how great Brighton Pride was.....not this year! I decided to do something new, catch up with a few old faces and do Amsterdam Pride! A long weekend booked, nice swanky hotel (you can always tell a good place by the size of their bathrooms & showers!) and lots of friendly (new and old) faces to see!
	July 2006 - Any excuse to get the camera out eh! This time round (it's that time of the year again!) it's the London pride march, only a bit bigger this year, we've got EUROPride happening in town, and top top it off, they're changing the route and it starts in Baker Street! Handy if you work there eh! So on the Saturday, i head to the office, chill out at my desk, open the window and watch everything start! 1pm is the time the parade kicks off, so I make my way down Baker St towards Oxford St and find a good vantage point (you'll notice that photo of me sitting ontop of a bus ticket machine!)....XXL in the evening for a bit of dance therapy!
	June 2006 - YAY! Holiday time has finally arrived and this time it's a long one (well in comparison to previous holidays!) I took 10 days off work (miracle!), spent 8 of them in my favourite ciry, Barcelona, and went out with my friend Chris who'd never been. Barca is one of those amazing places, lots of amazing things happen out there, including being in the same hotel as som well known faces from back home! Whilst I was out there, I met up with Matt & Wayne and spent a day in Sitges (see I can get out of the city!).
	May 2006 - An sunny Sunday in London, cheeky pint with Tim, and whilst I was wandering around, got an invite to dinner (a good curry!). Whilst I was mooching, i snapped just a couple of things in Seven Dials, looking up at the window of Msr Menet, who I think is still there, newspapers still on the window! Did you know that Seven Dials actually only has four??
	May 2006 - Yet more presentations to the client and another new destination, Grenoble, bit of a bugger to get to, flying to Lyon, SNCF to Grenoble!
	June 2006 - It's another big presentation time for work. Off to Geneva to talk about professional photography and professonal photographers! It's an overnight job, so I take a few quality moments to wander round the downtown streets of Geneva, suss out the places to sit and watch and go to the lakeside to catch any moody reflections that may be loitering with intent to be snapped up!
	April 2006 - Awww my Dutchy Friends would have loved this day! It's QUEEN's Day! Not the ones Im normally used to but those from the dyke infested Netherlands. It's their Monarch's birthday today and the tradition is to eat lots, sing funny songs, dance like Ooompah-Luuumpah's and wear orange (dont ask me why, Im sure there is a reason!). Met up with Hans and then met some of his mates too....great (orange) fun was had by us all!.....
	April 2006 - You'd have thought by now that the sun would be out and the beginnings of spring sprung (so to speak!). Anyway, I took one of my regular Saturday trips into Soho to catch up with folks and finally caught up with Pawel at The Edge! On my way round that neck of Soho, I managed to find myself in a street with a curious TV studio....
	March 2006 - A trip on a cold Sunday to capture some more gothic, moody images. Barry had told me something about Bromtons Cemetary, close to Chelsea Harbour where I used to work, so I got the tube down, wandered round my old stompgin (well workign) ground and snapped away!
	February 2006 - PMA (a big US photography conference) is back again...and Im hacking it off to Orlando this year to do some mystery shopping for Hewlett Packard. I spent a rather warm week here, all day asking questions, taking photos and collecting freebies to examine and deconstruct! In the evenings? Well I was normally way too tired to enjoy, but needless to say on a couple of occasions I escaped from uptown and found some local delights to snap up!
	February 2006 - Second half of birthday bonanza - MADRID! A long weekend there relaxing, experiencing more Latin ways to chill, smile, laugh, emote and reflect (something that has been a big part of my world over the last couple of years! So click, enjoy and see the things I saw.....
	February 2006 - The birthday week approaches and in time old tradition, it's time to get out into Europe somewhere and experience culture (and forget numbers!)...This year it's a bit of a double whammy...one week Brussels, catching up with Neil (from Amsterdam and XXL NYE) the next weekend it's Madrid, solo on the journey, but hoping to make new (non-catalan) friends whilst Im out there!
	January 2006 - Another NYE passes us by and with a momentary look back to everything I've experienced this last year, it's been a corker! So onwards and upwards mefinks! And with the new camera (well new in November) it's time to check out some of the tricks! I went down to the Sounthbank spoke to a kind gentleman who knows the owner and got permission to use a tripod on the land and happily snapped some unusual aspects of the London Eye...some amazing night-time images you can get, even with the bitter cold making my fingers go a little bit numb!
2005
	December 2005 - WOW August seemed such a long time ago! I've changed jobs, been dancing in Heaven Nightclub with work colleagues (don't ask!) taken on new things in my world, met new people...but all returns to a feeling of home with a trip to Barcelona to see Kerry and Maite, Johanna, George and some of the other friendly faces that makes Barcelona a very special place in my world! This is also a place where I really pushed the limits of the new camera!
	August 2005 - August and it's now coming to the close of the Pride season! A perfect opportunity to go see some good friends (Charles, Peter and Rob) and to see what the plans were for the Northern lads in their pride celebration. I had a good time, a lot of my recent findings and thoughts came to fruition here in Manchester and my epiphany of approach to the world was validated somewhat! Manfest and Federation were the main dance events and boy do those guys know how to dance!
	August 2005- Another month, another Pride event, this time the South Coast's turn to host. As usual Brighton Pride was a fest of happy smiley people, thriving on the vibe of music floating round Preston Park. Again, a time and place to catch up with old and new faces and to do some impromptu signing to some familiar faces. You can always guarantee a good day at the Brighton event, and that's not just because it's a free event. There seems to be a relaxed vibe down this neck of the woods and
	July 2005 - It's that mad and crazy time of the year where "PRIDE" seems to be the word of the day! So with gusto and lots of energy (it's a necessity!) we headed off for Soho for the Soho Pride event. The streets normally fairly busy with folks were packed out, all shapes, sizes, colour and orientations. Music filled the air at all corners of Soho (especially the Rupert Street end!) and there were plenty of friendly faces to smile at and chat to!
	July 2005 - Time passes by so quickly sometimes! In March, I met Senor Gil Ramos officially for the first time and now he's over here in the UK on a big adventure to find work, experience England. I kind of recognise that it's not going to be an easy adventure, there are lots of UK obstacles to overcome which I've experienced in the past, but Im sure whatever the outcome it's going to be character building! So as part birthday present, part "welcome to Old Blighty" I treated Sergi to a trip on the British Airways London Eye to get a better view of this huge city and see if it really is a place he wants to be living/working!
	April 2005 - Another weekend, another break and this time it was a re-visit to BCN to catch up with the well-missed Snr. Gil Ramos. It was a weekend of dance, drink, food, smiles, catching up with friendly faces (Hola @ Kerry, Patricia y Johanna!). Sunday was so sunny and the view from the Gaudi Park was amaaaazing! Tears at the airport as is when I leave this city, one day I'll get there, but in the meantime the focus is on learning Spanish (with some Catalan sprinkled here or there), making sure plans for the Gil Ramos move to London goes smoothly and well, just living life by the formula!
	April 2005 - Time for a holiday for Martin, and a chance for me to test out the life of living in London! So it was a case of Shoreditch here I come with Martin going to Tenby! I chilled, walked to Soho, had a better trip to work as well as took in the theatre and saw Acorn Antiques with Sinbad. On the Sunday, the sun was out, the sky was very blue and Soho was the place to head where I drank coffee, read my book and enjoyed being able to walk around and avoid overground trains! To finish the day off, I took a trip (up 366 steps) to the top of Monument, where the views of the city were amazing!
	March 2005 - A birthday treat for our friend Matt...an Easter weekend in Barcelona. We flew out very early on the Good Friday and enjoyed the Catalan celebrations. This was also the first time I got to meet up with one of my OUT linked friends Sergi. We took the bonding a bit too far and ended up getting mugged! Hmmmm I wonder if they've found a use for the many unusual items in my wallet!
	February 2005 - A little birthday treat to myself (how kind of me!) and I took myself away to Amsterdam to enjoy this amazing city, talk to random people, dance, drink and absorb the culture. The hotel (Drakes) was amazing, very friendly and when I got back to my room on the Saturday, I had a bottle of bubbly on ice! Here you can find just a few snippits of places I went to, things I saw and pleasures I encountered!
2004
	December 2004 - With an attempt to be really organised this year, I made a decision in a moment of madness and headed for the world of making my own christmas cards! AND before anyone who didn't get one of these says anything, they take bloody ages to make and so I gave up after about number 70!
	December 2004 - So...the big question...where has this year gone? Suddenly the Banner Xmas party comes reeling round like a huge vodka-fuelled tornado! This year, was a change from the last (Russuan) themed event, though Vodka was still a major contributor to the evening festivities!
	October 2004 - The weirdest weather ever, and to accompany it, a skyline view from the lego building that made you rub your eyes in wonderment of Mother Nature and her whacky colour schemes!
	September 2004 - One of those Sundays where the mood just took us. Woke up, had croissants and coffee and decided that we should go somewhere to see a bit of London (the place we all seem to take for granted).....DECISION....Canary Wharf. I remember this day for lots of reasons; winding up Lou, tall buildings, dreams of a 30th floor (£3 million) apartment and lots of conversations on future prospects and plans.
	August 2004 - with recent rumblings in the social life, it was time to treat Andy to a weekend to remember from his school break. So blowing cobwebbs off the car, we set off for Manchester Pride, booked into a nice (and close) hotel in the centre of Manchester and whooped the weekend away with dance, music, dares, Stella (!), vodka, bungees and some big smiles all around!
	August 2004 - A trip to see Madonna means Charles and Peter pop down from Manchester for a few days. Post concert frenzy is spent in London catching some of the amazing architecture of the Tate Modern Museum on the south bank.
	August 2004 - Almost at the end of the Pride season already? Where has this year gone? So much happening, so many good and bad things come in the way, but it's times like this you really get the chance to catch up with those familiar faces and celebrate. Probably one of the best Pride events is Brighton. It's by the seaside, it's mostly excellent weather, it's always fun and busy and it's FREE!
	August 2004 - The third Soho Pride event, and the first one I've properly attended! Met up with Justin, Iain, Taras, Chris, Darwin, London QT and a whole heap of other new and old faces from OUT and had a right Vodka frenzy in the middle of the West End. The sun was really beating down hard which made the vibe even hotter than it already was!
	July 2004 - One year away from the big 30, what could friends do, but help celebrate the last twenty-something birthday party! A quick shimmy to Chippenham, the only straight club for miles and ummm pinging comes into mind.....Vodka and gyrating scutty akimbo resulted in a fab night out with the gals.
	July 2004 - Hop, skip and a jump on a fancy plane and Im in Barcelona again on business. It's the usual trip, lots of client meetings, not so much time to really appreciate such an amazing European city!
	July 2004 - Heading back to my old stomping ground of Essex, time for a BBQ (not had one of those for ages!) and off to Steve & Brett's for a magnificent bbq, feasting on South African sausage (how big are their cows?!). Met a heap of OUT folks I've been chatting to for a while, so had a great catchup and chinwag. Pictures courtesy of Mutant Rabbit
	May 2004 - Birmingham Pride 2004 - The first trip out and about in solo format. Few challenges along the way weren't going to get in the way of having a good laugh and the chance to met up with Gary, Ady and Phil (with Phil's sister and brother in law too!)...Fun was had by all!
	April 2004 - Chris and Megan finally tied the knot, and to do it in their usual style, they went over to Prague for a special ceremony. This was my first major break of 2004, I'd just quit at Banner on the contract and was preparing to head (on my return) back to Soho to work at Edelman. This weekend holds a lot for me. It was a weekend of trying hard and realising lots, stuff that would soon bubble and rise to the surface and make 2004 a very significant year for me.
2003
	December 2003 - Christmas time arrives! A quiet christmas day in Reading and then a trip to the flatlands (Kings Lynn) to see the family and exchange the gifts! Mum and dad have done a lot of work to the cottage now and it's looking very nice!
	August 2003 - Europride was the next venture which we sadly didn't manage to get to, but thankfully Charles (with his recent digicam purchase) took some great photos. I particularly liked the road sweeper photo, which I post-produced in my normal way, taking colour out, changing colour settings and getting some funky looking images!
	August 2003 - Another month and more travels to get my feet into the openings of job opportunities! Chester next stop...a four hour train journey with lots of changes and lots of hometown scenes that brought back memories. Chester was a pretty amazing place for architecture and the company ITC was interesting too. Shame it was a case of relocation though:(
	August 2003 - A bit of a hike accross to Bristol (stopping off to check out each service station) and we're at the annual BBQ of Matt and Mike's. A bit of a low turnout this year, even with one of the hottest days ever this year! Mind you with the need to quench a thirst, I took it upon myself to quaff as much fizzy pop as I could not realising it was Raspberry Reef....Needless to say my "on the way home" photography turned out a bit squiffy...the creative effect was pretty impressive though! PS apologies to Matt and Mike for the additional labelling on their shed...put a good use to those "tags" though!
	July 2003 - Charles and Pete come down to Reading for the weekend and we take a train journey into London to watch the Pride 2003 Parade and enjoy the post march glow in Soho sipping vodka and other high spirits!
	June 2003 - A drive west to Bath to visit Justine in her new (well she's been there since February!) home! Located just outside Bath in an amazingly tardis like house, we took a trip into the cathederal city and supped Starbucks....then stuck stamps on envelopes...(long story there!) I lost my silver zippo here! :(
	June 2003 - Having now done the BSL level 1 exam, it was time for some relaxation with my classmates and a chance to finish the course off with some fun and food in the park. The weather just about held out and we had a fun time!
	June 2003 - Walk For Life comes round quickly again! To make amends for our poor attempt last year, Lex and Myself made a big effort this time around and raised aver £500 between us! Walked along the route, absorbing the sights, sounds (and smells) of the 10km. A HUGE thanks to all those who did sponsor me, I intend to get more next year, so watch this space!
	June 2003 - WOW some blazing sunshine this month...on Sunday, after a decent breakfast, haircut and shower I popped out into the garden and took some pictures of the new decking courtesy of Chris and Meg
	May 2003 With our "free Entry Tokens" and our pens behind our ears, we took off to Wimbledon Dog Track for some fun at the races....Three winners for me, plus some near misses. I was accused of taking the fun too seriously, having analysed and done excel spreadsheets on the odds and dog information!
	May 2003 - More research and mystery shopping at the Natural History Museum. This time around it was Ecology, Earth, Biology and Mammals! The place is like a tardis. There is so much inside...a definate "must do" if you've never tried!
	April 2003 Well the Bank Holiday is always the time to clear the decks a bit, but adding decks is a new one to me! Chris and Megan (our upstairs neighbours) decided to embark on a decking project, and we decided to work on the house! New paint, security lights and garden lighting! Of course all working was supervised byGizmo. Regular walking on the deck to check it's level and rubbing against the paintwork to check it's dry!
	April 2003 The new year brings new opportunities and a chance to re-visit a childhood favourite, the Natural History Museum. I spent a long time looking at old and new and understanding what the museum had to offer to its visitors in order to research one of my glowing coals!
2002
	December 2002 - A day out in Windsor with some of the students from my BSL class trying to raise some money for the South Berkshire Deaf Childrens Society.
	August 2002 -Welcome Edward Winstanley! And a huge hug to Clare and Steve for all of their hard work during a tough pregnancy! All of our love and best wishes go out to them all and we look forward to seeing you really soon!xx
	August 2002 - Just see what Pimms, food and hot weather does to us! It's mad, perfectly sane and intelligent people suddenly wearing strange garments, picking up cereal boxes and cavorting in form 3b gymnastics....sigh! We'll this is what happens in rural Berkshire (Thatcham to be precise), Justine and Siobhan had a bit of a BBQ bash at their place and I can guarantee that the next day, most folk were walking funnily!
	August 2002 - A lovely sunny day in Reading and as usual, Bruce (my adopted cat) is here, chilling out on the steps in the sun. Im sure he's mastered the art of knowing when folk are home and who is the easiest person to get food from (well OK it's me!).
	July 2002 - Justine's birthday celebrations, a quiet affair (NOT!) in Reading on the riverside at Bar 38. Fun was had by all and chips and food aplenty were placed in various places other than the mouth!
	July 2002 - The day of the tube strike! I remember it well, arriving at Paddington only to experience a very hot and sweaty 50 minute walk across town to Kings Cross! Made it eventually to Kings Lynn and spent the afternoon arranging the many flowers Nan had got that day. After a lovely meal I took the train back hoping that the tube strike was over (which it was)....however, all of the trains were in the wrong place (so the boards said!) and it took a bit longer than I'd hoped to get back home!
	June 2002 - Pride (pre-Mardi Gras) Parade in the centre of London. A mix of all sorts of gay and lesbian people coming together in our capital to celebrate the early Stonewall march of PRIDE!
	June 2002 - Decided to change the lighting in the living room to a more colourful experience. Recharged the Mathmos "blub" I got many years ago in Glasgow, treated myself to some coloured bulbs for the tall lamp and filled the fireplace with flames (OK, so they are only candles!)
	June 2002 - Just like busses, for a while we've not really taken part in the OUT events, and then here we are (with special invitation from JCZ) doing our second in the same month! Attended the 13th Walk for Life event in London, walking 10km along the river to raise money for HIV and Aids charities. Met some of the familiar faces from OUT and caught up with some of the Sutton Gay and Lesbian Group too!
	May 2002 - The OUT pages revamp and clear out...decided to do a fun perspective on some of the profile pictures I'd used over the last six or seven years on OUT! Don't laff at the old poses...I used to rely on my shoulders!
	April 9th 2002 - The day of the Queen Mum's funeral. As a mark of respect, Kew (and some of the other royal homes/gardens) throughout the country gave free entry to the public to give those who didn't/couldn't attend, a place to contemplate. Made my way (slowly) from Reading and took a train across Berkshire and spent the day looking through some of the summer blooms.
	February 2002 - Another visit to Reading by young Mr.Gizmo! He's not a street-wise cat at all and normally doesnt get out. But in Reading, there is a bit more security for him and so with great trepidation, he gets let out for a scuttle round the garden!
	February 2002 - MORE birthday celebrations (mine this time!)...a grand young age of 33 and I'd never been to Amsterdam! Time to cross that one off my list! For some strange reason, we didnt really get much of a chance to see much of this amazing city makes mental note - go again!
	January 2002 - Meeting Gary, Ady and Chris (plus friends) in London for a cheeky pint and sharing of shopping tips in Rupert Street!
2001
	December 2001 - Coffee with Julie and Ronnie. Reading's latest and greatest (well it was at the time!) coffee house soon became a place where drinks were cold/wrong/too expenisve!
	December2001 - A long crips weekend in Paris. This was my second time there, so it was a chance to catch up and see those places I didn't manage to get to last time I went.Check out the main map and click on the interactive dots to see the pictures from each location
	October 2001 - The Digitas Early Xmas Party! With all the redundancies made and the announcements now known, it was time to take a step back forget the last months and celebrate as the company we WERE. Hats off to Michelle and the team for a wonderful night. I leave the company with a smile on my face as the parting memories are that of this hot, sweaty (perhaps due to my leather chaps!) laffathon!
	APRIL 2001 - Furnished House - Been in the Reading pad now since February. Loving being there, and have started to add the homely touch to it. These pictures were taken around March/April time (don't ask for specifics now!)