Pebbles with Added Glint

I thought that for a change we'd have a sniff of sea today. Now I realise that living in the centre of England does not leave me as coastally deprived as someone from Alice Springs, Regina or Des Moines but it's still far enough. And if you take into account Britain's overstretched motorway system, any journey to the briny is a major undertaking.

Work has taken me down to Devon twice in the last week and last time the sun came out. Obviously flags were flown to celebrate and I slipped off to the nearest beach to get a fix of waves and pebbles. The big wide 12mm lens is magic in these circumstances and with the high light levels in sunny Budleigh Salterton, the depth of focus seems to go on for ever. Just one word of warning - you need to move the camera pretty quickly if you don't fancy a salt-encrusted version. With my knees, that's always a gamble.

One of the reasons that the roads are so crowded is that seagulls have taken to using them. This is a problem that needs to be addressed urgently. Write to your MP today.