Last year I wrote L’année de merde, a brief run down of what I’d been up to photographically in a truly historic year. For many, 2021 has felt like the encore that was as welcome as a fart in a lift, but after vaccination, some warmer weather and a spell of online dating, things picked up here in my corner of England.

This year I took regular trips out, practically each weekend and many weekdays if my work allowed. Much of that time was spent wandering about woodland or up on the North Downs, with a fair amount spent at the same local reserves I’d concentrated on last year.

After a few restrictions were adjusted here in England, I was given the go ahead to get out and continue my voluntary fixed point photographic surveying of a couple of local nature reserves, Wye NNR and Hamstreet Woods NNR. In the new year an exhibition at The Beaney Museum in Canterbury on Kent wildlife through the ages will have a looping AV presentation on the Wye photo surveying and indeed some of the wildlife shots I’ve taken over the last 4 years at the site. More on that another day!

Considering how I last wrote about doing autumnal shots, then never posted them, here are a few from Kings Wood, just outside Challock in Kent, at what passed for peak autumn colours this year.

As much as things can still get a bit doom and gloom of late, especially with the latest variant of Covid taking hold, I have a booster jab booked, continue to submit swab and blood samples to the Office for National Statistics for their Covid Infection Survey and am very much looking forward to Christmas Day with my family. There is much to be thankful for from 2021 – work has been continual, I’ve actually seen some friends and family, and met someone amazing who I won’t write about here because screw you and end of blog post.

To 2022!