50:50

  I have always thought of Sunday newspapers as a luxury; not just because of their price, although £3.20 did seem a bit steep, but because of the time it takes to read them. Working your way through the supplements is definitely something to be done on a lazy Sunday when you have no other plans; possibly in pyjamas, definitely with a big mug of coffee. I bought the Observer last Sunday, having waited for the week when it includes a food magazine, and it took me most of the day just to read the paper itself, never mind the review, the magazine, the sports section and the Observer Food Monthly. In fact I finally finished all of it on Friday, five days later, so I suppose I got good value for money. I felt very cross when reading some of the stories (just read the headline in the picture for details) and uplifted and informed by others. I discovered David Mitchell's weekly column (my celebrity crush if you didn't already know) and enjoyed his witty reflections on the things he is...

I knew in advance that I would be completing this challenge at the top of Portsdown Hill, as it has the best view over the city. It is also the home of the famous Mick's Burger Van which gives a little extra incentive to an early morning alarm call.  I set my phone to wake me up early on Saturday morning and then dawdled too long and opened the bedroom curtains in time to see that I had missed the whole thing and the sky was already pink. I checked Google to find that the sun would rise at 6.43 the next day and I reasoned that, if I waited until next month when the clocks changed, I would have to get up much earlier. So the next day I dragged myself out of bed just before 6 on a Sunday, on possibly the coldest morning of the year so far, and drove to my chosen view point with one flask of coffee and one sleepy dog. There is something special about being awake and outdoors while most people are still in bed. The ground was white with frost, the air smelled of bacon sandwiches and th...

  What a sad place the world would be without trees. Many have been here much longer than we have and we should respect, protect and value them. We should also plant them at every opportunity and the trees on my walk at Port Solent were all young and beautiful. Some were covered with lichen or starting to bud, like the gorgeous pussy willows in the picture; others were still bare and huggable. I enjoyed seeing them and posing with one, Missy the dog had a good sniff around their trunks and had fun with a stray stick!