This has nothing to do with H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, but the demise of my trusty Cobra tripod.

I’ve had my tripod for about 20 years - back in the days of 35mm film, no autofocus, guessing the light level (I couldn’t afford a light meter), and my second hand Zenit SLR (I later upgraded to a Pentax).

Yesterday while practicing some portrait photography, the central column of the tripod snapped off. Luckily the camera didn’t go tumbling to the floor.

So another item to add to my wish list. This is becoming a rather expensive hobby. Any donations welcome.

Yesterday I decided that there is some essential equipment that is missing from my camera bag - baby wipes.

While waiting in a queue for Anna to go on the Driving School ride at Legoland Windsor, a bird with a very good aim left a deposit on my new Sigma 28-300 lens. Luckily this was on the barrel of the lens, not the optics. However, I did not have any tissues with me. The only thing that I had to hand was “emergency sheety” (one of Anna’s comfort bits of cloth) in my pocket. This was not terribly effective, so I had to wait until we got home to clean the lens with a baby wipe and kitchen towel.

Having just started using Flickr, I’ve been lured into joining the 365 days project. The idea is that you take a self portrait every day for a year. Just what a self portrait consists of is a bit loose - anything as long as you took the photo and it contains a bit of you.

You can see my efforts here. Days when I have more time I’ll try and be a bit creating/experimental. Other days there will probably just be a quick picture of me at my desk.