I was going to write the usual annual retrospective, but sometimes life just gets in the way. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; perhaps it is, so anyway, here are a few.

A bit of solitude in the hills is good for the soul. An early morning at Shenavall, waiting for John during his epic winter round.

Discovering the joys of snowshoeing in the Trossachs.

I spent lot of time this year exploring places closer to home, discovering little overlooked gems of nature here and there.

And thinking about trees. One of my favourite, almost local, spots.

And farther from home.

After years of talking about it, Linda and I visited Iceland this year; of course, while Scotland was basking in sun, we picked the worst Icelandic summer in 100+ years, but we did glimpse the sun once or twice.

And while we liked Iceland a lot, this still remains our favourite place in the world.

For reasons, I spent lot more time taking pictures this this year, mostly landscapes, treescapes, and birds. This unremarkable picture of a greenshank is one that I had to work the hardest for – bird photography in the wild is very hard.

And after a 17 year break, I started using film again. Not out of nostalgia, but as a means into the world of medium format and bigger cameras, but it really got to me as a medium in its own right. There just is something about film.

I have been particularly drawn into the wonderful world of Black and White film photography. Had it not been for the Iceland trip, most of my pictures this year would have been B&W.

That’s it really. Have good holidays everyone!