Out of the Frying Pan...

Haha...I have to laugh, it would be a very miserable time indeed if I didn't..

Commenting to friends on how fit I was feeling at the start of this year I didn't expect to find myself in plaster at the start of my Birthday month!!

Running has been going well and I had just done a ten mile session the day before disaster struck.

We were preparing the car for a trip 'up north' for Grannie's seventieth Birthday celebrations. I heard some whistling sounds on the drive and at first thought kids were blowing through blades of grass. The noise got louder and decidely more panick stricken, so I went to see what was going on. I saw people on the drive and at first thought that a dog had got it's head stuck in the fence. Then I saw what the commotion was all about. Two local dogs had dragged down a deer which was screaming for it's life. Now I rather like a venison steak but I also love most wildlife and seeing this poor creature being pinned down by throat and hind quarters made me a bit angry. I waded in with fists and boots flying. One dog was thrown some distance and could not get back to the scene..The deer ran off with me and the second dog in pursuit..I was aware at this point that my leg was a clicking and a bit sore..

Long story cut short, the adreneline wore off, ankle went blue and green and very large during a four hour drive, at the end of which I couldn't walk. Stuck up north and relying on a drop of wine/beer to take my mind off things...unaware at this point that my ankle was broken!

Newark A&E did some X-Rays and sent me off with pain killing instructions. A week went by..I carried on as normal as possible. felling trees and chopping for logs, business dinner dates and then, while photographing a primary schools tag rugby contest last Friday, I received a call telling me to get straight to hospital and get plastered!! Resetting the damage did hurt a bit but not so bad, it's now simply a case of frustration! A cast from knee to toes really does try to slow a bloke down..Running is postponed for the month but I have worked out that I can climb on to my turbo trainer, tape the injured foot to the pedal and still put in some quality spins..Hopefully not delaying the repair. But I return to the Doctor in an hour and no doubt he will bang me to rights! Dammit.

Silver lining, naaah..But I have washed the floors, tidied the utility, repaired my old wooden kayak paddles, shot some pigeons for the pot, had my eyes tested and generally skulked about. I still need to chop the logs!

Blogging twice in the same month!!?? Whatever next.

Good morning one and all, its mid morning and from the look of things from my grubby office window it is a little milder than it was at 7.30a.m when I thought it was a bit on the chilly side.

we have one son on an outward bound course in Wales and another back at school today after the half term break, so normality is returning.

Our three day damp adventure to West Wales now slipping into history.

I am trying to get out for a run in the next half an hour...Spirit willing but the flesh is weak. A strong coffee has helped and if I don't seize the day, the drug will have worn off and I will be planning lunch!

I took an interesting call yesterday which I put down to a rival photographer trying to find out what my rates and client base was like..How suspicious of me! It actually turned out to be the directors of a local (and international company)seeking urgent P.R. portraits!

I quickly rigged my high key background and lamps and prepared for the arrival at 8pm. Slightly nervous as I always am when the pressure is on. What nice people! Punctual too, which is one of my little quirky things!

Lots of chatting and laughing ...oh, and some photography and I am pleased to say that despite lacking some dynamics, the shots are pretty useful and I think the client is happy too. Which is most important.

Anyway, the original plan was to drift over to Centre Parcs Longleat today to join our friends Carl & Sarah and join Carl in some sport..Running, swimming , riding. Unfortunately, the shoot has taken up the time and I am back to planning a run here at the Old Barn...It's so difficult to motivate myself but I shall bring this blog to a close and get my kit organised. Shall I run through Box Woods or the Colerne Valley? Hills or Mud that is the question.

Photos attached show lead actor, SAM RILEY on the set of 'BRIGHTON ROCKS'...a sneaky snap from a kitchen window.

Two images from a 16 frame sequence that show a male Sparrowhawk with it's prey, one of my neighbours white doves. This is the third time we have witnessed a kill on our drive but feathers are often spotted in a small heap around the garden so it must be a local hawk. Quite spectacular but not a nice death for the Dove!

To the Dru' and back.

A long long time ago in days of irresponsibility and gung ho madness, I frequented a bohemian hang out called The Druidston Hotel. There we would gather after days of sailing, surfing and currousing, to drink copious quantities of good ale and vintage port....Until we were banned.

Do you notice how I use the term WE in order to dilute the weight of guilt I feel for the way I conducted myself personally...There were others, their names are protected from this blog but I am happy to mention them in other dispatches as they have been great pals over many years.

That was in the mid eighties..Here we are in 2011, a little slower, a little madder and considerably poorer. But it is half term for the children and my beautiful wife booked us a three night stay back at the 'Dru' to find a little peace and tranquility to explore desolate beaches and relax in the dining room and bars with fine food....and ale.

It is only a three hour drive due west from home so we had a pleasant enough time packing and taking our time before arriving at our destination...in the rain!

We had booked a late Sunday lunch of home made curry and a pint of Hobby Horse ale (wine for Kate!) Then I took Toby to see where the cellar bar was..The place from which so much hell was raised...I recall twenty years earlier, rain dripping down through the roof and the stereo playing The Doors, Riders on the Storm...loudly...Such atmosphere.

The bar hadn't changed, even the dreadlocked old man at the bar seemed to be a permanent fixture! Toby and I had a beer and an Appletizer and suddenly a voice said....'Oh hello'..

Stranger than strange...In walked my past... Craig, Wild and respective wives and the children that I had never met.

My own family joined me, Rory towering over most, Kate and of course Tobe' and we had a fantastic reunion in that old cellar bar as if time stood still.

Not content with a fond farewell we were invited to Wild's parent's home...The converted cow sheds on a hill overlooking Little Haven. Mr & Mrs H. were on very fine form indeed. The wine was breathing, huge roast dinner was just being removed from the Aga. No awkwardness was felt as we were instructed to join the long table and drink wine while the families ate. Conversation flowed, laughter bounced from the walls. How easy it is settle into the comradeship of good friends, no matter how big a gap of years has passed.

My head was swimming, I hadn't had more than one pint since November!!! Combine that with some fine red wine and I was rolling.

'Wild' nowadays lovingly called 'Mild' was due to fast for a colesterol test the next day...he is five years younger than I...and in need of medical attention! Say no more.

So that was Sunday used up! WE had to buy a few provisions on Monday then we wandered across to Haroldstone Chins via the cliff path down onto the Dru's beach. The weather was mild but overcast..It didn't stop us exploring rock pools and caves as we went.

Marloes Beach is another great place to lose yourself..Rarely a busy place, you have to walk to get to it which keeps many visitors away. Add a sea mist and chilly wind and we were once again enjoying the wide open spaces as the tide swiftly receeded. Rory said he would be revisiting these wonders when he was old enough to travel without us. It makes me feel rather mortal but reassured that our children will perhaps think of us long after we are dust (or sand) when they trek across these wonderful places.

I did sneak down the cliffs to fish but the waves were fearsome and casting beyond the breaks was impossible, the sea choppy and anyway...there are no fish left around the Great British Coast are there!

February 2011..Time flies by.

Hello I'm back. It's Thursday Feb 10th 2011, 11.54a.m precisely.

All is well here. I took my sons to the Bath Theatre Royal last night to see Handsel and Gretal performed in the 'Egg' by the Young Peoples Theatre. This was no ordinary fairytale!! But a modern take on coming of age. Hugely dark and nighmarish...just the thing for a ten and thirteen year old! Toby (10) is a budding young actor and I would be surprised if he is not involved in film, stage, production as a professional person in the coming years, he is a natural.

My gorgeous wife is away with conference work this week. I always miss her when she is away, even though for the past week she has been riddled with a nasty flu like bug and moped about the house. She now she seems to have recovered, gone off on her trip...leaving me with the early symptoms of a chest infection, and feeling very lethargic. Thanks Darling!! I think Rory is also suffering I am expecting him to come home from school early..But like me he does seem to grin and bare it.

Corsham Running Club gather on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I plan on joining in this evening for a five mile run round the village. Not very inspiring on a dark and damp evening but I need the companionship of others to drive me forwards.

On the 30th Jan. The weekend before last..I raced in the Slaughterford 9..a hilly trail race with 'A sting in the tail' ..This is a local run and I have actually entered twice before but unfortunately not been fit enough and / or injured and been reduced to watching from the sidelines..Obviously the end of January is potentially bloody cold, wet, frozen and all over miserable..But as I surfaced from my cosy bed at 7a.m. I saw sun shining and blue skies...still chilly mind you!

Training had improved in recent weeks and my attitude was positive as I prepared a simple breakfast, cup of earl grey...swiftly followed by some freshly ground coffee beans in double espresso fashion...and then the regulation visit to the loo that accompanies all pre- race preparations!

I decided to cycle to the regristration point which probably warmed and stretched my muscles perfectly for the event. My number for the day..130. My hope...To complete the course in 1 hour and 40 minutes, allowing for the fact that I haven't covered more that 6 continuous miles at any time in the last year!! I add at this point that I have had some serious back problems that aside from wearing a neoprene harness regularly, I had to have treatment including needles along the right side of my spine and deep manipultion that caused me to 'bite the pillow' on more than on occasion!...I thoroughly recommend that to all my readers. The proof of the pudding...I am here and the run was fun! Except for the first and last hill..The first was at 1.5miles so I hadn't even got into my stride and I know it well...a short sharp dog leg in the woods that hits you immediately after charging down a track of loose rocks and roots...The last..The notorious 'Sting in the Tail' is a steep exposed terrace at about 8.5 miles...I watched the runners last year and I think the only people to 'run' up it were the first three out of almost 400!! I settled to become one of the masses, and walked..hands on thighs to the stile at the top...and some more afterwards...My family saw me at my worst unfortunately but I got the added bonus of a push over the finish line from my youngest son Toby, hands on my muddy backside and shouting "go daddy go daddy!" 1hour 32 minutes!!! swiftly followed by a one mile jog back to my bike and a short ride home ...No aches nor pains, well, not many..and the cracked/broken toe (the one next to my little toe on left foot) didn't play up despite most of the zinc tape that I bound my foot with, coming adrift!! 2012 will be 1.20 just wait and see!!!

Next competition...Well I have my eye on the Neolithic Marathon or the Half...crossing Salisbury Plain on 1st May. This will depend on a planned trip to the Isle of Wight with our old neighbours from Sawbridgeworth to cycle the 'Round the Island 100k'

1st of May is a Double Bank Holiday and coincides with the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince William to Kate Middleton...(That would be a nice photographic assignment!) The roads will be busy and there are many tempting sporting events nearby, not to mention trips to the coast of Sth Wales! But I will go with the flow and join the family in their ultimate choice.

Decent employment is ellusive, cold calling a thankless task. The climate is not the brightest but I am sure opportunities are out there..Does anybody know where?..I do begin to feel that the scrap heap beckons for ageing photographers like me!! But I am always busy with something, never sitting idly by waiting for the world to pay me.

Which reminds me, I need to fire up my chain saw and cut then split some timber for fire logs.

Best wishes one and all.

It's raining again...

It's raining again..that's a song title isn't it?
Anyway, hi, how is everyone? My last entry was a couple of months ago, it's been busy busy busy here in Wiltshire. The garden is really doing well and we are at last making our mark on it, new fruit trees (Pear and Plum) lots of herbs and a Twisted Hazel. Wildlife is always a joy to behold except for Squirrels, Magpies and Rats...Although the rats are pretty scarce now. I shoot these pests using a superb Theoben pneumatic .22 (Rapid 7) It's very accurate and I know I am losing the battle because for every squirrel that I dispatch, two more appear in the walnut trees the next day .

I am pleased to report that I am pretty fit currently. There has been some good fun mountain bike trips around the Box Valley with two or three 'Dads' all of a similar standard and riding some superb machines (me on an ATX 890 with Formula and Race Pace components) I have also been running, distances of between 5 & 10 miles, also around the numerous trails of the valley...some of the hills are a slog. You might find them on http://www.mapmyrun/.

Last Sunday Kate nominated me for a 10k trail run...Wiltshire's premier off road event! Called the Moonraker and held in the village of Urchfont somewhere south east of Devizes...I arrived to register with about forty five minutes to spare...It was torrential rain, turning to hail stones!! The start line was flooded but that just levels the playing field so far as I was concerned..
The start was called and I set off in the middle of a small pack which is how I like to go, but I found I was running beyond myself for the first few miles and really paid a heafty price when I got to the infamous 'Folly' a mile long climb that gets steeper towards the top, my legs were okay but my lungs were shafted. I made some good ground in the latter stages once I cleared the top and even had a good sprint in to the finish with an Amazonian woman who really wanted to beat me...and I think she did by about half an arm.

My trusty 1984 Defender 90 is going to be sold...This is a fantastic 4x4. Rioja Red 200tdi...It looks like a much newer vehicle and drives well. Sadly it is simply no longer suitable for work when it comes...I don't like to drive great distances in it and it isn't suitable for family trips because the discomfort factor is huge for everyone bar the driver..I spotted a 2001 VW T4 '800 special' transporter van two weeks ago, advertised in the local newspaper shop window. It was owned by an elderly fellow who had only covered 1500 miles since 2005. The total mileage was 49k and the asking price...£4,950..I went to see/drive it and was impressed with the condition throughout but I couldn't get the price lower than £4,700 but I had to have it..I have looked on Ebay and VW forums and generally vans like this come up for similar (a little less) money but carrying over 150k mileage. Hopefully I now have a relatively economical mode of transport that will also carry camping gear and the usual clutter up and down when the need is there.
The Defender should fetch about £4,000 but I do need to clean it...After spending hours tidying and polishing it last week I took Rory out to find some logs in the local woods...
We...well me! Drove into an area that is being dug out to make a fishing lake and drove to the far end of the site...It had been raing all day, and the clay surface was very slippery and very soft...But heh..The Defender goes anywhere. But it doesn't cope well with land slip and in the space of a few seconds the drivers rear side had slipped into a nasty embankment, we seamed to be teetering on going onto our roof. So Rory climbed out with me coming out behind him...
Six hours , three changes of clothing, two attempts with a Mercedes G Wagon hooked up with ropes to my rear end and we were in a worse state..The rain was seriously hampering the rescue and I was worrying that the potntial selling price was being halved...neh quatered as I looked on..Then along came a JCB with caterpiller tracks. He hooked a chain to my front end and the G Wagon hooked to my passenger side to prevent me going over...then it was a simple pull...with a little diff lock and full throttle. Within half an hour I was free, but I had to drive out via a swamp of clay based water that covered the bonnet...a bloody relief I can say and I really love the Defender even more..I spent this morning jet washing inside and out, it looks non the worse for the ordeal.

Well that's it for now...There is plenty more to waffle on about...Job applications, kids schooling and parties to attend...See you next time...www.foxevans.com for all your photography don't forget!

ooh ahh!

Hello, this is my very first blog input. Greetings to one and all. What Fun!
I have just returned from a fantastic run through the country lanes near home here in Wiltshire, totally refreshed!
It was just 6 miles which is not much for hardened runners but I have just returned to jogging after a stressful year during which we have relocated from Herts. I have had plenty of free time on my hands but the worry of finding new employment got in the way of all things. Despite the fact that going out for a walk/run is one of the best stress busters around...other than Prozac of course..(No I don't take it)
You may guess that I am a photographer...I have been for twenty five or so years..I trained as a press photographer in the old days of film cameras 70s & 80s, worked my way through the ranks with a London based provincial newspaper then went to the cut throat world of the Press Agencies. I got involved with all manner of assignments some exciting, some frightening, and many plain boring...Photography is not always as glamourous as people think. But I can safely say I have seen and done more things than many 'normal' people and I feel that life has been a bit of a blast. I have been next to most of the Royals, many celebrities, some now long gone, I have witnessed big business mergers, captured imagery after gangland killings, crimes of passion and some totally wicked behaviour...and here I am relatively unscathed and believing that the world...although a bit screwed up is generally a pretty good place to be hanging around in.

So what' going on this week? Well I was involved in two days of photography at the Portman Horse Trials.
Many rich and famous people, land owners and horse lovers. The weather was bright & sunny with a cutting wind but I sat, camera in hand, capturing the atmosphere and chatting with passers by...Some of the people I met are 'famous' I guess but sometimes they are just human and for that reason I enjoy the banter and don't threaten them by raising the lens....Perhaps these people will invite me to snap them at a later date...I hope so, it's all about trust & good manners...oh, and some skill with the camera!
I'm off shortly, but before I close and incase you are considering contacting me...I don't do WEDDINGS! far too boring despite loads of money being available...That said I would do a Pagan wedding or something a little obscure provided I had freedom to work in a reportage style no holes barred .
I used to keep written daily diaries when I was a long haired..going off the rails hippy...It's just as well as I can not remember half of what I did when I re-read them...Maybe this blog malarky will become my new memoirs.
Bye for now. T