23rd September and I have just got back from recording some audio with Martine for the iMake podcast and it’s still raining, oh and foggy. At least the thunder and lightning has stopped and it’s not as windy as they said it would be. I’ve not heard if the strong wind warning has been dropped for the area but it isn’t anywhere as near as windy as they said it would be.
At times like this it’s nice to reflect on the Summer that has just passed, although not the best I can remember weather wise there were some good parts. In August I went to the Western Mediterranean on a cruise with P & O. It was hot, too hot at the time but looking back it seemed somewhat halcyon. Warm summer evenings sitting on deck sipping a cooling cocktail as the sun went down and listening to some soothing sounds from one of the ship’s groups. In reality at times it was blisteringly hot and for someone who doesn’t really like the heat the sightseeing in the cities was just too much. Perhaps I should contemplate visiting Rome in the winter? Still, that said, I did manage to get off Oceana and visit a few interesting places. First on the list was a wine tour from Barcelona, two wine houses and a couple of tastings meant for a very chilled evening. The scenery was not that remarkable so I decided to have a go at taking some ‘arty’ shots with my camera. The best one, in my mind anyway, was of a stack of pallets stacked up next to the winery.
I also visited Monte Carlo which was very interesting, and indeed, the only place from where I brought back a souvenir. It was a beer mat from the Monegasque Brewery! Still an interesting, not to mention expensive, place to visit. The pictures below show the polished motorboats lined up in the marina. The second one shows a reflection of the casino in the fountain outside.
I also took time out to really enjoy the facilities on board the ship. With my camera in hand I captured what I think of as the essence of a really hot day. The bottles looked so cool and green, nicely chilled and just what was needed to refresh an otherwise hot day. Almost too tempting by half. I think from memory this was about 10:00 in the morning so was far too early, but I still think they looked great. I apologise for the really blatant advertising!
Oceana is one of P & O’s mid-sized ships. We sailed from Southampton and spent the first three days t sea. The prospect of crossing the Bay of Biscay seemed to unsettle some of the other passengers but in the end it was really calm and absolutely nothing to worry about. The trip was for two weeks and we also visited Florence, Portofino, Cartagena, Rome and Gibraltar.
I have loads of other photos but I have just picked some of my favourites, i hope you like them.
In The Potting Shed 
Found you! But you need to do some writing, kind sir!