Barcelona is a really, really nice city. It's a shame we were only there for two days, as there's so much we didn't get chance to do. Thanks to all of you who suggested things to do. I had an amazing birthday (my first in another country!). The thing that surprised me most was how warm it was. I was expecting it to be warmer but not to be walking round in a t-shirt and sitting outside bars at night.

As with all the trips I go on, I've brought back a fair amount of photos. There's the usual stack of landmarks and stuff. Also, what I tried for the first time, was to be a little adventurous with the camera. Inspired by Mike's revived interest in photography I've been pointing the camera at things other than famous landmarks. I've also turned off the flash and the "auto" mode. I'm quite pleased with some of the results. I've started a photoblog to house them all. Comments welcomed, good or bad.

Not only did Karen treat me to the weekend as a present but she made the special effort to make sure I had something to actually unwrap this morning: this book. If I needed more inspiration, it's in there!