Cormorant/Gull Rock, Bullock Harbour

Colourfully changable weather: wet, dry, cloudy, clear, mild, cold.... Took my mum to DALKEY where she'll be staying for a couple of weeks in a respite unit, which will give us a chance to go on a short holiday. so we're off to the Canary Islands (Fuerteventura) for a week. I've never been on this kind of heat-seeking holiday since I was about 15, so it will be interesting. Hopefully photographically interesting too; the island is volcanic and I am looking forward to seeing what the landscape is like.

After leaving mum I bumped into Gojoa and we went for a cup of tea in Queens. He had just bought himself the magnificent MAGNUM MAGNUM and I spent a pleasant 20 minutes looking through just a fraction of the riches: Erwitt, Burri, Freed, Bresson, Capa etc.

Then I drove down to my little thinking place in Bullock Harbour, intending to do some writing. But the colour of the evening sea and sky, mercury-platinum-turquoise and bruise-blue, were just too absorbing. I got stuck into photographing in earnest. I think the strangeness of the colours came from the storm front moving in; later, just before nightfall, I saw twiglets of fork lightning flicker over the city (too few to photograph, alas).

The edge of the harbour offers a good view of the open expanse of Dublin Bay, the sweep of city lights tapering onto Howth Head and the horizon. A great photographic stage, with people of all shapes and sizes wandering on and off, such as THIS MAN, wearing the Irish version of the hajib. A very nice lady walking her dogs put her her shyness on hold and waited patiently while I took some shots. THIS was the best of them.

Just before I quit, the gull and cormorant above caught my eye, resting on their mini bird island, with a lit ship (a movable people island) in the background.

Happy New Year all.