Sitting by the harbour in the small Danish town of Havnebyen. Friends from Maui have moved here and we are stopping by to visit them on our way to Portugal.

My stay here in Denmark will be no longer than a long weekend, but I’m pleased that I am here. Not just to see my friends, but to experience Denmark. I was last here in the mid 1990s to listen to a series of lectures given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We visited in the middle of summer, and time was available for us to explore Copenhagen. Many details elude me of that time, but I remember a boat tour, a walk in a beautiful park, and walking around Christiania.

I chose to spend just one night in Copenhagen on this visit, instead spending the time with my mother in England. My wife flew on to Denmark to take advantage of a house swap that we had done with a Danish family, and to fulfill her love of design. For her, Copenhagen’s architectural and design aesthetic are a place to immerse oneself in.

I finish writing this on a very wet morning in a summer house owned by the family which we are visiting, just down the road from Havnebyen. Our friends are in the middle of converting an old building into their new home, and so we were kindly lent the summer house to stay in. It feels snug and cozy, even more so as the rain falls outside.

I’ve enjoyed my short stay here in Denmark. The flora and fauna is so similar to Britain that I am feeling very at home in the rural landscape where we find ourselves. The autumnal changes happening around us, the light, the damp smells all take me back to memories that comfort me.

The Danish people have been friendly and welcoming in our meetings with them, and the built environment feels like one in which I could be very at home.

As we move onto our home in Portugal, I look back on these few days fondly, hope to return soon, not least to see the progress on our friends’ home.

Day 30 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Treasure, suggested by @agilelisa

From an art exhibition in Florida in 2018.

Lots and lots of little plastic animals, close up, as part of an art exhibit

Day 29 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Contrast, suggested by @gregmoore

Light and dark.

A lit road at night

Day 28 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Workout, suggested by @rom

Always worth it, but quite a workout. Haleakala crater.

View of Haleakala crater

Day 27 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Embrace, suggested by @mroutley

Returning to the UK, I always feel the embrace of the British landscape.

The Downs in Bristol

Day 26 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Belt, suggested by @annie

Taken in a small restaurant/bar in Kyoto in October 2016. A few beverages in view.

Japanese men sitting at a bar in Japan. One is smoking. A half drunk glass of beer sits nearby

Day 25 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Flare, suggested by @matt17r

Autumnal light.

Sun shining through the leaves of an autumnal beach tree

🤫 Sitting quietly.

🤫 Sitting quietly.

Day 24 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Belt, suggested by @allaboutgeorge

The only belt that I brought with me on this trip. Better than the last one though, when I forgot to bring one at all. Then there was a lot of hitching up of my trousers until I bought a belt.

Belt sitting on a pair of jeans in a draw

Day 23 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: A Day in the Life

Out walking in Bristol, England today.

Blackboy Hill in Bristol on a Saturday afternoon

I took this photo this morning while having breakfast and have only just looked at it. It’s a striking sunrise, even if I say so myself, with the cloud formations as well. Bristol, England.

Sunrise over Bristol, England with wispy cloud formation

Day 22 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Road, suggested by @jomalo

An old road maybe, running through the fields above the cliffs near to Ho’okipa, Maui

An old road maybe, running through the fields above the cliffs near to Ho’okipa, Maui

Day 21 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Fall, suggested by @pcora

A Horse Chestnut leaves start to change colour as Fall approaches. Bristol, England.

Fall colours as the leaves change on a Horse Chestnut tree in Bristol

Jet lag sucks, and I find that there is something settling about sitting quietly while the world outside sleeps.

🥱 Up early, did I go to sleep(?), for a jet lag informed breakfast.

🥱 Up early, did I go to sleep(?), for a jet lag informed breakfast.

Day 20 of the September Photoblogging Challenge: Disruption, suggested by me, @crossingthethreshold

I had no idea what I would post when I suggested this subject for a photo, but settled for snow in Portland from when we lived there in 2013.

Snow on the streets of Portland, Oregon in 2013

🌧️ It’s pouring in southern England right now. On my way down to Bristol from Heathrow airport.

🌧️ It’s pouring in southern England right now. On my way down to Bristol from Heathrow airport.