Fareham as Haven

Perhaps because of my intra-night duty semi-catatonia I found myself remarkably placid and light of affect today. I was able almost wholly to overlook the fact that half-term had brought unruly hordes to the streets of Fareham. It had been a pleasure and a surprise to see sunshine when I stirred from my short but valuable extra sleep. I can no longer allow night shifts to affect my life disproportionately and so, having checked the dates of the food in the fridge, we committed to lunch out without really knowing what we wanted. The meal was pleasant but incidental and, with Greg enjoying coffee outside on a rare warm day, I went to take photographs.

Increasingly I am amazed at how much there is to photograph even in ones local area and how choosing to photograph selected subjects leads one more closely to examine other things around. Things previously mundane ask you to enquire into their history. I am really enjoying contributing toward Chinese Restaurant Worldwide Documentation Project . I don't even care if you think that is impossibly geeky. It is like geographing on a smaller scale and that makes it a manageable compromise. I can imagine contributing to other specialist streams as long as they inspire me and help make me one of the most published photographers on the internet.

We went on to look at the proliferation of Chinese Restaurants and Takeaways on Brockhurst Road, Gosport. Many of those are frequently obstructed by cars and will take a long time to reach Flickr but I was inevitably captivated by Fort Brockhurst, already a favourite building. I also paused at one of Gosport's many tiled pubs. I like the style a lot and think its inherent timelessness will inspire more pictures.

The second night shift in prospect seemed very manageable and we plan to visit Kent over the weekend but do not expect to be much helped by the weather after today's welcome brightness.