One of the secret joys in my life is taking photographs. When backpacking through various parts of Europe this year, I was always armed with my trusty 35mm camera and could always come up with a good shot or two from every trip. Granted, I did take photos of sights, attractions and scenery that have been photographed a million times over, but in its own way, each touristic shot was mine.

Looking at all the photos, it seems a woefully inadequate reminder of how much I enjoyed every trip, of how much I experienced and learned from every place I visited. Few of them captured the depth of feeling and beauty of that place at that particular point in time. Yet, they serve as an important key in unlocking all those feelings which have been buried underneath everything else that I've experienced since then.

There's nothing much to photograph here where I live - except the Christmas decorations. Cheesy as they may be, I really do wish I had a camera with which to showcase the beauty of the lights on our main shopping areas. They would put London to shame any time.