This blog post contains a selection of photographs which I made in the middle of February 2025 on a visit to Madeira – a Portuguese island in the Atlantic just north of the Canaries. It's known for having a warm and pleasant climate all year round, even in Winter, and also for having some of the best hiking trails in the world. It's also known by many people as the  vertical island  due to its incredibly steep mountains which rise from the ocean. Madeira is a green and lush island with some very impressive coastal cliffs.

This is a selection of photographs from a visit to the African country of Morocco in late December 2024 and January 2025. Notes on images will be found at the end of this page. Places visited include the cities of Agadir, Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Essaouira, as well as a trip through the High Atlas Mountains to Ait Benhaddou, Fint Oasis and the Atlantic coastal region in Southern Morocco.

https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Jordan+Fadden

As we move from Winter into Spring time, one place I ventured into for the first time last week was the dramatic moorland region around the North Yorkshire villages of Clapham and Austwick. As you make your ascent on the steep tracks, incredible panoramic views open up across the Forest of Bowland to the south. And as you ascend farther into the Dales you encounter all kinds of interesting boulders, crags, and screes. The distinctive dry stone walls and many field barns confirm that you are well inside the National Park, with streams gushing from the hills and limestone pavement dominating the views of the famous Yorkshire three-peaks once you arrive on high ground. 

The smartphone offers an alternative way of drawing and seeing. Even when you're not one for spending very much time looking at little screens, and swiping and tapping and scrolling, the smartphone can still be a useful device if you happen to be without your usual materials. And of course a tablet would be the next step if you was really inclined to using a digital means of sketching, especially if your focus is going to be on landscapes. As small as the touchscreen is, it responds to subtle movements made by the finger or thumb. No app was used here, just the basic photo editor which allows you to make marks over the top. The phone I used was a Samsung Galaxy S8 Edge. Very small compared to most.

Thank you for the memories to those whom I met on my journey to the famous lagoon, - in particular Florentina and Theodora who invited me to Padua to show me the sights of this nearby town at night. Tina was a most knowledgeable guide, whilst Dora kept us amused with her hilarious accent. Also, best wishes to Kalina and Milena. I very much look forward to revisiting Venezia in the future. Even though the days are only short, and the weather still quite cold and unpredictable, the light in January is still dazzling as you can see.