marramgrass

Near Kamari, Santorini, June 2008.

The last photo from our trip, and by far my favourite.

Megalochori, Santorini, June 2008.

Oia, Santorini, June 2008.

This is the view that has become the clichéd representation of Santorini in guidebooks, paintings and on postcards sent all over the world. Of course I had to shoot it for myself. It felt very strange to be standing looking through the lenses of all those other photographers, almost all of whom did better with the scene than I managed.

Oia, Santorini, June 2008.

Oia, Santorini, June 2008.

A few weeks later and the Irish Water Spaniel pups are getting bigger. Their eyes are open, they’re very mobile, and discernable individual personalities are starting to develop. Of course, given that there are six of them together with bladders proportional to their still-small body size, there is often a bit of a whiff — you can’t bath them too often because their skin and coats aren’t up to it.

But from a distance, especially by photo, very endearing.

There are few things that will make me go all girly like puppies or kittens. It’s the way I’m wired, and I make no apologies.

One of my in-laws’ Irish Water Spaniels birthed a small litter earlier this week. For scale, the first image features my wife’s hands which are smaller than mine in the second image.

Altogether, now: “awww.”

Being only a few days old, their eyes are still closed and it will be a fair while before they can stand. They swim around on their bellies just like the little brown and furry tadpoles they resemble.

Our street, last night. It was all still there this morning. I haven’t seen snow so deep in a long time.

There are things that I just can’t help. Is it a recognised psychological condition?

I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think I can go to a party without photographing glasses.