Clapham Common, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

A cold, frosty but beautiful day in London. I was just visiting for the weekend but will be back in London from this weekend – very exciting and all change once again!

Guildford, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

… took in some culture before the shopping.

Guildford, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

I’ve finally finished editing all my travel pics – hooray! Back to every day photos. Christmas shopping in Guildford …

It’s no excuse I know, but I seem to be busier than ever – with the wedding preparations and thinking about going back to work – a scary thought but one which I am slowly getting my head around! I am up and down to London every week at the moment – Stan and Paula’s place just around the corner from Sheffield Terrace has been my second home recently … I managed to take the camera for my last visit so I could record where my time is going! Lola, the cat, posed for me too …

We are headed back to town for the longer term on 18th December. Hoping to blog before we leave – I can feel yet more Port Solent views coming …

London, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

Lola – Paula and Stan’s cat.

Port Solent Sunset, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

I’ve got out of the habit of blogging … here’s another beautiful sunset that we watched from Chris’s window – I just can’t get enough of these mesmerising views. We’re making the most of them as we are now planning to return to the big smoke before Christmas.

Port Solent on a blustery day, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

Hello blog – it’s been a while! Forced rest this weekend with a bad back and I managed to get out for a short walk (with camera obviously). I don’t get bored of this view – it’s the view from Chris’s apartment. Hard to beat what ever the weather.

I’m planning a wedding (THE wedding!) and starting to think about work. Days fly by but the camera is now a permanent feature.

Feeding at the Zoo, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

It’s Sam’s 10th birthday weekend and we are celebrating together! Sam is my nephew. We spent the day at Banham Zoo. An evening at the Odeon watching Disney’s 3D Up (fabulous film!) on Friday and boating on the Norfolk Broads to come … it’s all go in Norfolk!

French Riviera, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

En route from Nice to Marseilles – we have had some beautiful sunsets and one gorgeous sunrise (to my knowledge!). Sadly, the last 3 days it has been chucking it down!! We’ve had lashings of rain, gale force winds, huge thunderclaps as well as lightening that felt so close it was coming down the mast of the boat. I didn’t know there was this much rain in the sky … ho hum, not exactly what you would call summer!

In spite of this, we’re having a very relaxing time. We’ve enjoyed a lovely few days with friends (Shirls, Roger and Kerry) who have now run back to the UK. We have another week before we head off to Morzine – some more house hunting searching for the perfect ski chalet. In the meantime, here are a few more shots from the Cote d’Azur ….

We’ve had a fabulous few days. Just as it should be on the French riviera – lots of sunshine, blue skies and glam bars and restaurants. Today the heavens opened so we have found a bar and have decided to drink heavily. Here is the wine selection we’re going to work through!

Here we are in the south of France – weather beautiful and we have a brand new 37 foot boat. It’s the tallest boat in the photo attached! Have been sick as a dog today getting to grips with my sea legs ( decidedly out of practice!). Fortunately Chris is made of sterner stuff and managed to get us to calm waters in the gulf of St Tropez … Cocktails now in hand and feeling much better!

Vietnam, originally uploaded by deakin.karen.

It’s been a while …
I’m back from my travels in Vietnam and Thailand – just for a week until Chris and I head off to the South of France for some sailing around the Mediterranean. In the meantime, I wanted to try to show you some of the fabulous images that captured my imagination. I’ve just started to edit the 2800 photos I took – quite a daunting task. Before I get started, I’ve picked out just a few from Vietnam to share and to inspire me to start the task. It’s a beautiful country; the people were warm and welcoming; the temperatures hot and the climate humid. I’m definitely going back …