The blog of photographer Kim Ayres

Until next week

.
What with one thing and another, I’m going to be offline for the next week, although I should be back in time for my birthday.

If anyone is wanting to read more of my writings and hasn’t explored the archives, take a look at the sidebar on the right under the “Find Your Favourite Topics” section. In there you’ll find everything from Fatherhood to Photoshop, Religion to Epiphanies, Audio blogs to Mental & Physical Health gripes.

However, if you’d rather read something more current, allow me to point you to a few other blogs worth visiting. I recommended Sang Lee and Mary Witzl to you the other week, so here are a few more of my favourites.

For lightish fun and entertainment, you could do far worse that Daphne Wayne-Bough (rhymes with muff) - “international style icon, epicure and older woman par excellence” - over at Chocs Away Old Gal.

Fat Mammy Cat is the place to go if you want straight-up, no bollocks opinion. Feel free to engage in polite discourse, but should you choose to state your position from a position of superiority, expect to get skewered by 5 inch heels.

Jimmy Bastard is full of tales of the harder, darker side of growing up in Glasgow. From street urchin to hired thug to a man reflecting back on a violent past, its pure dead brilliant

Charlie flips between book reviewer and writer, and he excels at both. I always hesitate to recommend him because on at least 2 occasions in the past, when I have he’s suddenly stopped blogging for several months. But maybe we’ll be lucky this time.

Fat Lazy Guy is nothing like as Fat or Lazy as he used to be (though he is still a guy). Over the past couple of years he has lost over 200lbs in weight and really started engaging with life. He’s also a budding singer-songwriter and many of his blog entries are now Vlogs. Do ask him about his peanut butter cheesecake.

I desperately want to point you to Eryl and Sam who are 2 of my favourite bloggers, but life seems to have been keeping both of them away from their blogs for long periods of time. They are still worth going and saying hello to and having a rummage around in their archives.

More recent discoveries on my part are former TV writer, Jayne, a self-confessed, bleeding heart liberal; Ron, who at 67 has just got back from marching for gay rights in Washington and is about to head off to his 50 year school reunion; and Erika whose daughter has Angelmans Syndrome – she will make you smile and laugh, and at the same time break your heart with tales of Izzy.

When I've been caught up in several days of life being weird, chaotic or panic inducing, it's always wonderful to go over to Conny Wenk’s portrait photography blog and catch up on warm, smiling faces that are just so full of life. She has a superb talent for creating an atmosphere of relaxed fun for her subjects and then capturing them beautifully

American Hell is one of the great unsung cartoon blogs on the net. Eolai’s scribblings look like quick doodles, and yet there is often profound mood and depth reflected in them. But the accompanying words are always funny, painful or both.

And to round off, Pat is where you go when you want to sit with your favourite aunt in a café, supping hot chocolate with cream, marshmallows and a flake. Sometimes she’ll regale you with stories of when she was a famous model and sometimes you’ll discuss the best place to go for a pub lunch on Exmoor. And you feel you could tell her anything because she’s been there, done that, and modelled the t-shirt.

Do be polite and well mannered while you are visiting. Make sure you wash your hands after going to the loo or playing with the pets; say please and thank you when appropriat; and make sure you have clean underwear on in case anything happens to you on the way there or back.

.

22 comments

debra said...

(o)

Ron said...

Kim,
Thank you so much for the tips on the other bloggers who read your blog. I figure their blogs have to be interesting if they are fans of your blog.

You will be missed as all good friends are missed when they depart, albeit temporarily.

Stay well my friend and hurry back. We await your pearls of wisdom and humorous insights of life from your vantage point in the hills (?) of Scotland.

Unknown said...

Sometimes there are things that require our attention.

Be back soon though!

Gitta

Sami said...

think I'll give "aunt Pat" a try. thanks for the tip! hope your week is at least enjoyable!

Charlie said...

I'll be here, waiting for you to get back--I want some of Rogan's birthday cake.

Mary Witzl said...

Wow -- I was so surprised by your new look, I almost clicked right off -- I thought I'd got the wrong blog!

We'll all be back!

Pat said...

We are gonna miss your posts. Be back soon.. =)

snoble24 said...

some blogs seem ok

Pat said...

Hurry back. We all need a breather from time to time. Thanks for the heads up on other blogs. I'll be visiting some of them!

Helen said...

Hey Bearded One - very decent of you to leave us with something else to read while we wait patiently for you to come back. (Twiddling our thumbs, drinking coffee after coffee, trailing the halls at night, sweating profusely, eyeballs bulging, pupils dilating, saliva drooling out of the corners of our mouths, uttering mad sentences - "how dare he, I may never sleep, how can I go on, damn him, etc etc") Not that we hang on you every word or anything.........

Library girl said...

Took your advice and clicked on "conversation snippets" - what a laugh! Thanks!

flying eagle woman said...

more than anything in the world I love that you say "bloody hell"

I used to say that when I was younger...I guess I got it from reading cheesy romance novels.

I'm much older now so I fully enjoy it when I see it used spontaneously:-)

Have a good vacation from your blog!!!

hope said...

Yes, you deserve a week away from your fan-dom. :) Enjoy it!

Alice said...

I'm a new follower, and I will already miss you. But thanks for sharing, since it looks like I need to seriously expand my blog repetoire. If I spelled that right. How do you find the time?

erika said...

You will be missed. And it's so thoughtful and kind of you to recommend other people's blogs.

Entrepreneur Chick said...

Dig the new blog style!

> Happy Birthday in advance.

mapstew said...

So, what time should a lad arrive for the party? Should I bring a bottle? And what to wear? Formal or 'come as you are'?

sarah said...

dig the new layout

Helen Mac said...

I'm still laughing

Eryl said...

Oh man, I love the new look and now I want one! Have a good week off – I hope it is good stuff that is keeping you away. Thanks for the kind words about my blog, I'm trying to make some time to do a post about a recent trip but bugger me time making ain't as easy as it looks. I may resort to just pictures.

Pat said...

Thank you for your kind words and I'll try not to disappoint.
Couldn't you have coincided your break with mine - although I suppose folk would gossip:)

Kim Ayres said...

I'm back. Hope you all enjoyed the other blogs I recommended.

I hope you'll come back again...

All content copyright of Kim Ayres. Powered by Blogger.