Christmas jobs...

As Christmas approaches and we wave goodbye to another year it occurred to me that as I approach almost 300 posts on this blog there's only so much one can write about riding round on a bike! And it is especially difficult when you don't manage to get out on the bike. So it is that this, the first blog of December 2012 is not about cycling at all. I haven't been out, my cycling has been confined to my imagination, thinking and reading. I have made a couple of new cycling book purchases. A most excellent book about my all-time favourite Eddy Merckx.

Entitled 'Merckx 525' (the 525 being the number of races Eddy won) this is a premium, authorised book, lavishly produced in coffe-table, hardback style with colour and black & white photos throughout. In addition to its authorative text, this beauty of a book contains a unique collection of exclusive photographs including many that have not been seen before. It is the only book authorised by Eddy Merckx on the occassion of his 65th birthday and the first truly complete record of his accomplishments - its worth treating yourself! - come on, it's Christmas!

I have just started a Christmas contract taking photographs of families as they visit the Winter Wonderland at the Conkers visitor attraction at Moira in Derbyshire. I signed up for this back in the summer and suddenly its here and I've just done my first weekend. Basically its a seasonal attraction, part of a much bigger and widely visited forest/woodland attraction. There's a walk through the trees to Santa's Grotto and there's a sleigh that the people climb into and I take a couple of photos of them with a couple of real reindeers, then they carry on to see Santa who is sitting in his rocking chair inside a 100 year old log cabin - with a wood burning stove and elves and all the trimmings. As these things go it isn't at all bad - but I'm out in the cold all day and, sadly, don't have the time to cycle!

If you're paying a visit to Conkers with your kids this Christmas, come along and say hello.