This shot is, as is completely plain even to a non-photographer, completely cack.

Why have I posted it? Well, I’ve had a really busy day, learning lots of stuff then a really packed evening with no time for serious photography. I took two shots in the pub, both on green mode because I don’t know any other way to make the camera pop the flash up (I always use an external flash in the studio). Of course green mode selects its own focus point and also chooses wide aperture for low light shots so the depth of field is shallow and it randomly picks a point in the photo to focus on – in this case, the beer on the table rather than any one of my friends. I suppose the camera knew what it was about because the beer on the table was certainly a big part of our evening!!!

What have I learned today – well, all sorts of fascinating stuff about getting articles and features into print – I am sure that it was a day really well-spent. It was also highly entertaining with Peter Sissons (highly-respected UK TV journalist) and Michael Heseltine (now Lord, ex Cabinet Minister). I was working and learning a lot that will be very useful in my job, but I was also being entertained. Very cool.

London is such a busy place. I have been overwhelmed by ‘rivers of people’. On the tube, I’ve encountered every kind of humanity from sullen teenage boys who can’t even seem to communicate among themselves, let alone with the wider world, young lovers, business people, tourists, homeless, buskers, people on their way out, on their way home and some dressed up in their finery on their way to posh dos.

I’ve been frightened by buses – I was so convinced that one was about to run me over, then equally convinced one was about to knock a chap off his pushbike. You’d be surprised how many bikes you see. All-in-all, I’d say I’ve been well and truly desensitised and have lost the ability to just meld in with everyone else here. I think that’s a good thing but it could be a bad one too.

The day ended with a few drinks in a bar with a crowd of friends. Some colleagues and some ex-colleagues – three of each in fact. Of course it was a wonderful night – who could fail to enjoy an evening with such a nice bunch of people – I did gatecrash the evening but I’m jolly glad I did and no-one seemed to mind so I’m claiming this photo that’s out of focus is just ‘right’ for the evening – I am certainly a little ‘out of focus’ myself. I even had a real ‘result’ in as much as my hotel is on the north side of the city but by complete good luck, it was on a train link that got me ‘home’ in just over half an hour from leaving them all at Clapham Junction station with hugs, kisses and plans to meet again soon.

last year, I was pretending not to be angry!