1. Where are you? Tell us the story that got you there.

I’m in Weybridge, Surrey, which is just within the south west bend of the M25. Far enough away from the rat race that I wake up to clean air and smog free skies, but not so far away that I can’t grab a Starbucks chai tea latte and an apple and cinnamon muffin when the urge takes me (which is quite often).

Getting here was quite literally a case of putting a pin in a map trying to find somewhere that was close enough to commute to work and cheap enough to afford.





2. One book, one song, and one movie, and tell us why.

“Elsewhere” by Gabrielle Zevin – because life, and death, are just new beginnings that should be embraced and not feared.

“I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing” by Patricia Rozema – because beauty and art are all around us in our everyday lives but we need to shrug off our preconceptions and not be influenced by others in order to see it for ourselves.

“Moon River” when sung by Audrey Hepburn – just, because. *sigh*




3. Why do you moblog?

Despite being lucky enough to get paid to do colouring-in for a living, sometimes the prospect of yet another day dealing with yet another ream of 10.5pt Frutiger Roman garbalese* fills me with despair. Moblog allows me to have some creative freedom fun that isn’t tightly constricted by corporate guidelines, ridiculous deadlines and clients who don’t know their Arials from their elbows. It helps me keep the creative juices flowing when they have all but dried up at work.

* made-up word




4. What do you capture with your camera/mobile phone? Tell us your favourite subject.

Most of the things I blog are just odds and sods that make me smile. I’m not a very good photographer, and until recently only had my cameraphone to take pictures with, so I’m never going to come up with some glorious eye-popping image. However, I’ve now embraced this point and click style of taking pictures. Lots of the time I can’t really see in the viewfinder what I’m taking a shot of, which makes it all the more exciting getting home and discovering what I have.

I find that this makes the experience of taking photos more of a challenge, because I then have to really study the shots I’ve taken to see what can be zoomed in on and cropped, and which images can be placed together to make an interesting set. Quite often I find details in photos that I’d never noticed when I was taking them.

I’m currently loving putting together short visual stories, preferably without any words at all, but I’m also exploring how the presentation of a photo can help convey the photographer’s message. There’s a time and a place for colour, black and white and even solarisation, provided the effects help to enhance the appreciation of the photo rather than detract from it .

Brighton is currently my muse, so expect to see more shots of the locals going about their business while I sit on the sidelines and snap them going about their business.




5. If you could travel in time, where would you want to be right now?

Well, obviously travelling back in time to see dinosaurs or into the future to meet my cloned cyborg self are pretty high on the list.




6. When were you happiest?

Lazing on the balcony on sunny Saturday afternoons in Dulwich, reading or doodling and having to share what tiny space we had with three cantankerous felines who all wanted dibs on the cushions and the sunny spot.




7. What trait do you most dislike in yourself and what trait do you most dislike in others?

I’m a terrible ditherer when it comes to making decisions. I’ll come up with a thousand options for any one situation but I’ll never draw a line in the sand and make a definite and final decision. That’s probably why it’s taking me so long to decorate my flat, I start decorating it one way and then change my mind halfway through and go off on a tangent.

I’m also very easily distract . . . . .

In others I can’t abide rudeness, gum chewing, and smokers who think that the world is their ashtray and can just flick their butts where they choose. Grrrrr . . .




8. Where is your favourite place to holiday/vacation and where in the world would you most like to visit?

I generally feel the urge to make one trip a year back to my home town of Weymouth. Whether it’s the middle of summer or the depths of winter, I take the same old walk along the shoreline and over the cliffs taking in the sights and sounds. I don’t think there’s any of my family still living there, but making the trip is almost a reunion of sorts as I walk and remember the times I had growing up there and my grandmother and grandfather now long gone.

Holidays for me are all about friends, I don’t care where in the world I am, just so long as I’m accompanied by those that are dearest to me.




9. If tomorrow was your last day on Earth how would spend the day?

There would be a lot of tea, good friends, chat and cake involved, either something with spicy ginger or perhaps a classic Victoria sponge.

I would probably finish the day having a thumb through my old sketchbooks and photos and thinking to myself that this hasn’t been such a bad life afterall.




10. What question would you like to ask yourself? Answer it if you can.

Where will you be in five years time? I really don’t know. This year I will be “celebrating” having been in my job for 20 years, which is way too long to have been stuck in one place. I’m currently filled with excitement that I am finally ready to make a leap into a brand new direction with my work, but also terrified by the fear of leaving behind the security of the job I know so well.

Oh well, ever onwards . . . into the fog.

Posted by Sprocket