After what seems like a year (though it was really only since november) I got my feet properly wet again. There’s nothing like a day out on the boat combined with diving in the off season…

It’s just as cold down there (13-15°C below 15m) but the feeling is so completely different it might as well be an entirely different planet. Maybe because there’s just you and (almost) nobody else around.

I only did few dives, first of which was a night dive (not really a standard practice) and the last one I screwed up (plain and simple). Apparently I didn’t fasten the tank to the BCD well enough (or the BCD is useless) and it slipped away at 35m. As the location didn’t really allow much fumbling around (current, nothing to hold on to etc.) I didn’t take the BCD off to work it out and continue so I aborted the dive with both hands behind my back holding the tank in place.

You might question why my buddy didn’t help out but as it happens we had a complete failure in communication. She didn’t understand what I was trying to point out, never noticed what the problem was and I didn’t hassle her long enough for her to finally get it. I still don’t really know why I didn’t do anything to solve the situation either on my own or with her help but at the time I felt aborting was the only real option. You can imagine the dissapointment. Even though we made our way out slowly, with a few peeks here and there, and did 75% of the planned dive we still got out half an hour sooner than expected.

I screwed up…

I was however fortunate to act as a dive guide for Croatia Undersea project backed by Croatian national television HRT. Guys were great to dive with but I had to cut my participation in this awesome project short because I had to return home (only to realize later on I didn’t really have to go back)… §@$¤!!!

image gallery (only did two dives with a camera so there are far fewer photos than usual)

preview:

No za tiste, ki bi raje brali v slovenščini naj povem samo na kratko… Izlet v Nemčijo je bil uspešen (no, končni rezultat upam da bo tudi) čeprav se je Dina uspešno branila ves prvi dan. Dopoldne naslednjega dne je Klemens končno dočakal svoje kar samo potrjuje kako vzdržljiv in potrpežljiv zna biti s tečnimi ženskami. Marsikdo drug bi verjetno obupal ;)

Nekaj malega fotografij je v galeriji (avtorica Janja Lebar)

Naslednji update o situaciji verjetno pride čez približno 4 tedne po ultrazvočnih preiskavah. Upam da bo kaj…

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Random visitors to this blog might be surprised to see photos of dogs doing it in the sidebar but just bear with me for a moment…

Dina, Janez & Janja returned home from rather long drive to Petershof a few days ago where Dina met Klemens for the second time (their brief introduction was in Tulln at Eurodog show 2005).

I wasn’t there, unfortunately I had to be in Maribor, but for some reason I keep imagining the scene of their reunion with Urge Overkill – Girl, You’ll be a woman soon playing as the soundtrack ;)
After a long and hard battle where Klemens proved himself to be a worthy adversary of great patience and stamina (she definitely ain’t easy), she actually became a proper woman. (And no, I will not post the video) ;)

Now let’s just hope that we see some new furry monsters in two months or so…

Some more photos are in the gallery (taken by Janja Lebar).

From this quick dog porn excursion we now return to our regular scheduled programming… ;)

I’m putting this in the daytrippin category… every one said I was insane (but then again…that’s hardly news) but I simply had to get away. Even if it was just 43 hours. I needed it. Badly.

So I jumped onboard Easyjet flight to Stansted, transffered to Stansted Express train to Liverpool St. station, got on the Central Line to Holborn and a final transfer to Picaddily Line got me all the way to Picaddily Circus and the Picaddily Hostel (the one which everyone seems to know intimately) ;)

Woke up early next morning so I went for a walk along the Southbank from Waterloo station to Millenium Bridge. Along the way I took a peek at an exhibition at OXO gallery which was nice.

I didn’t go inside the Tate Modern although I’d love to someday.

Back at Waterloo st. I got on a train to Woking. Adrian was already waiting but it took me a while to realise that. He cut his hair (gone bald might be more accurate) ;) AND changed his car (that was more of a surprise than anything else) since we last met four years ago.

Banbury museum, about half way to Birmingham, was our destination for the day and the reason (or rather – the excuse) for my trip. You see… I desperately wanted to see a retrospective exhibition by Michael Kenna and it closed on that same weekend I was there. The trip was a last moment effort to see it.

Kenna is one of the best current photographers in my mind. His photos are captivating in their simplicity and minimalism to the point that they are the only photos I’d even consider buying! I guess the fact I went there (only) because of him says enough about my attitute towards his work.

I wish the prints displayed were bigger but my mind was sattisfied regardless. Even more so after browsing through some of his books.

After a quick lunch/snack along the canal in Banbury we continued north towards Stratford-upon-Avon. We didn’t stop since we got there right when it started to rain but you won’t see much of interest there anyway. Next stop was Warwick castle and I have to say it was a pleasant surprise, especially the peacock garden and lots of great trees to climb (if nobody’s watching) ;)

After sunset we set up gear at Kenilworth castle. I made a few shots without a tripod but I’m not really any good at such stuff so I mostly watched Adrian get into his rythm ;)

(Man of mistery himself)

Back in Woking we had a quick pint before I got back on a train to London and after another early wake up call I walked north through Regent’s park into Camden town and got on the Northern line and then on the Metropolitan line to Liverpool st. station. Stansted express didn’t run all the way to Stansted so we were transported by bus. I didn’t mind, some people did… for some reason.

That’s it. Photos in the gallery as usual.