On Saturday I made good on a promise to myself: I went for a bike ride with a bunch of strangers. It was great fun, and while I didn’t make any friends, I did chat to a couple of people and took those first important steps.

Fine outing yesterday morning, to see the Raoul Dufy show at the Palazzo Cipolla down in the centre.

The crocuses have been out now for a couple of days here, as they have elsewhere. These are not the big blowsy purple or yellow ones that make a bright carpet of colour. In fact, from a distance they’re nothing, one reason why I did not bother with a wide shot here. Get down on your knees in the m...

This is something new, on two counts. It records a hike we took together in the country, The Squeeze and I. And it uses a new template I made specifically for photos. That is explained elsewhere.

It is truly astonishing what phone cameras are capable these days, and that old saw about the best camera being the one you have with you is truer than ever. Nevertheless, I do sometimes get a hankering to go back to my “proper” camera. Sometimes it is because the picture couldn’t be taken any other way, like the nesting blue tits I posted yesterday. Other times it is because I want a degree of control more than the phone affords me.