A 1001 words.

I have had a great many things to say and as they became more and more, I wrote less and less until I scrapped everything I had to say and decided on an inconsequential post with some pretty pictures. I could have talked about my running and how "runners knee" has meant no running for 6 weeks, I could have told you about the last, awesome, Soundgarden gig at Brixton that I took my daughters to. I could have waxed lyrical about the new gluten free restaurants that are springing up around London or had another attack on the Government and their Badger Cull or Cameron's cull as it is being called now. I was having thoughts on class and politics and had some ideas on how a true democracy could be achieved, I also have some thoughts on teenagers and their inability to cope with peer pressure and our inability to understand their world, all that coming off the back of a suicide attempt by one of my daughter's friends. I also considered writing about the Clacton Airshow and maybe journeys taken this year, scarce though they are.
No, I decided, after seeing some most wonderful photographs on the Internet, that pictures could paint a 1001 words if a word was added. I saw some portraits of people, average shots taken on the street...I say average, shots of everyday people taken on the street with a simple line of text explaining them. It made for a very moving montage, adding some additional depth. As an example, there was a shot of a couple kissing and she had a blue blanket. The text was simple, she gave the blue blanket to a homeless woman sleeping on the street purely because she needed it more. It adds a narrative to what appears to be a simple story.
I can't compete with that but what I can do is say in as few words as possible, why the picture was taken, what it means to me so to start it off:

                                                                "Aching pride"

Get the gist? I see a Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster and it is enough to bring a tear of pride to my eyes, "Aching pride". So with that in mind.

                                                  "A reason to run"

                                                               "Awe inspiring"

                                                   "Nature is art"

                                                "Clean simplicity"

                                                       "Blessed"

                                             "The witness"

None of these pictures have been through Photoshop and only the brightness and contrast may have been adjusted on some of them and some are as taken. These are all from this year. I have taken far less photos than other years but I think the shots I have taken have been better than other years.

I will leave you with the one shot that despite the fact it wasn't taken this year, has broken my heart this year.

                                             "I don't want you to be a memory"