I’m confused, perplexed, flummoxed - how on earth has it got to the last day of October already? I’ve been having this conversation with a lot of people recently and it seems that I’m not alone in having seen this year fly by, with no real understanding of where those days/weeks/months went…

…but looking forward first, here’s where I’m going to be when November undoubtedly whizzes by in the wink of an eye/click of a shutter/jump of a dog…

As you no doubt know by now, the Shambles, Devizes is my regular place, Bay 20 - find me there in November on:

Thursday 6 Friday 7 Saturday 8
Thursday 13 Friday 14 Saturday 15
Thursday 20 Saturday 22
Thursday 27

Elsewhere in November I’m looking forward to being at a few new events -

Christmas Begins Friday 21 at Salisbury Market Place & Guildhall Square 13h00 - 20h00 (1pm til 8!)
The Christmas Switch On Friday 28 on Marlborough High Street (SN8 1AA) 12h00 - 19h30 (midday - 7.30!)
Christmas Market Saturday 29 at The Hawk Conservancy Trust, (Andover) 15h30 - 19h30 (3.30pm - 7.30!)

I really am looking forward to these new events and would love to see you at one (or more!) of them - a little heads up that early December I’ll also be at Bowood House for a rather lovely Christmas event on Tuesday 2 December, 9h - 14h00 and I’m looking forward to returning to the fabulous, history-rich Shaw House, Newbury for their Christmas Market on Sunday December 6 - notes for your diary now, with more information from me later in November.

OK, now, what have I been doing to lose all sense of time…

There have been more fabulous dogs and their amazing owners; there have also been some fabulous trees, mushrooms, leaves that I’ve been lucky enough to wander among (not the mushrooms, I’m a stickler for not disturbing them and that’s not always easy when there’s as many as there have been this year)

I did some brilliant shoots when the bluebells were out in West Woods; this is the first time I’ve been there in autumn and wowser, it’s a stunning place. Quiet and mysterious, little footpaths asking to be followed into the depths - just pay attention to your bearings it’s easy to lose them here!

I went up to Birmingham to catch up with some amazing friends I’ve known for decades and decades…it wasn’t about photography though I did manage a few of Mouse and Branston as well as a particularly attractive tree (if you’re wondering about the overhead perspective - it was soaking wet and I wasn’t wearing my usual ‘lay down and get muddy’ pet photography clothes!)

Pets that I did photograph in my ‘lay down and get muddy’ clothes were fabulous. Here are a few favourites from recent shoots - I can’t share some as they’re a Christmas surprise for an unsuspecting other half - how exciting!

and now…some very exciting things are happening in November, including this weekend by the sea with my cameras and some great photography friends, so it’s time for me to go and see what’s happening out there before it’s too dark to see anything!

All the best to you all and I hope to catch up with you somewhere soon,

Phil x

This was supposed to be a blog about counting locks rather than miles on the Oxford canal - but before I got to write it, we’d passed through all the locks and emerged into some sort of wondrous country where there are no locks…imagine travelling more than 8 miles a day with minimum effort!

Coming onto the Oxford canal after the river was quite a shock; after barely 3 weeks on the Thames I was fully accustomed to pressing buttons or turning easy wheels to fill or empty locks. Opening the gates was never a full body battle for me.

The very first Oxford lock is quaint; wide enough for just one narrowboat (widebeams aren’t welcome here) and charmingly rickety, I was reminded how each lock has its individual character – some are loveable, and some are decidedly unfriendly, consuming all my efforts, body weight and forgotten muscles before they move

The first stretch out of Oxford is a mix of locks and lifting bridges, nicely spaced and a gentle start to the canal…apart from one particular lifting bridge that beat me last year and beat me again this one, thank you helpful dog walker. The canal winds its way through open countryside, through tree-lines glades and narrow reed-filled stretches. We passed liveaboard communities, desirable lock-side cottages (and one that’s burnt out and derelict) and villages where weeping willows drape over the water.

But the locks…one day we travelled from 9 til 5, we did 13 locks and covered 9 miles. The next day, 9h30 - 15h45, 9 locks, 8 miles…it’s best not to be in too much of a rush and never stop thinking of the pub that is that day’s destination.

After all the locks and the disappointment of last year’s favourtie pub having moved its operation into a drafty marquee with minimal heating and dubious adherence to current guidelines, we moved quickly on to the northern part of the Oxford canal - exciting new territory to discover at last even if neither of us had realised we were entering suburbia and finishing just around the corner from an immense national grid power station; it felt as far removed from the ‘other’ Oxford canal as could be.

But this is where we discovered the joy of lockless cruising; 15 miles a day no sweat, with late starts and early stops. The only thing missing was the sunshine. We travelled the full length of the Oxford canal in 9 days; we could have taken more time but barbecue season seemed to have ended abruptlly and the rural idylls were behind us…onwards to the Coventry canal…

The best pub? The Victoria in Jericho, Oxford. Everything a local pub should be; great beer, brilliant staff and atmosphere, allegedly excellent pies and lots of space for a relaxing few hours. Plus decor that creates talking points if you’ve nothing really new to say to your partner!

Next post will be wildlife themed…the kingfishers have shown me a bit of love recently.

Until then, stay safe and stay warm…it’s getting cold out there.

Phil xx