My first photograph - summer of 67 or 68

Unsure of the date as the writing on the inside cover of the album has both dates but I think it's more likely to be 67 that 68. I remember buying the camera at a gift shop, in fact camera is a bit of a grand term for it, it was a lens and shutter that attached to a 126 cassette film. I suspect this is why so many of the pictures suffer from light leak - not exactly a precision instrument. In this picture are my younger sister Lorraine and our dad. Location is Woolacombe in North Devon and I remember the holiday pretty well or at least snippets of it, not least getting a good bollocking for going off rock climbing with my cousins Keith without telling anyone where we were going or when we would be back. Thought nothing of it at the time of course, but as a parent, I can now appreciate the hell I must have put my parents through. Still, Karma sorted that one when Matthew was born. I've lost count of the number of times he has walked off without telling anyone where he was going.

Study has been emptied, painted and is now being refilled. This is how I came across the album. Oh, and the study is very blue and I mean VERY BLUE. Still, it looks fresh and I won't be working in here 5 days a week any more so I can live with it. I must have had the following in mind when I picked this colour:

'Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to red. Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration. Consequently it is serene and mentally calming. It is the colour of clear communication. Blue objects do not appear to be as close to us as red ones. Time and again in research, blue is the world's favourite colour. However, it can be perceived as cold, unemotional and unfriendly.'