Carpe Diem – seize the day! This phrase, introduced to me by Charlie Waite, is popularly translated as ‘seize the day’. Why is this suddenly important? Well before this Christmas I was, totally out of the blue, hit by a heart attack. It arrived unnanounced and resulted in my having a quadruple bypass. I received excellent care and am now on the road to a full and successful recovery.
Nevertheless, the trauma of the whole episode brought me up short.
When I came out of hospital the phrase and its meaning suddenly came into very sharp focus for me. I had been given a ‘body warning’ or, more in the venacular, a kick up the arse. My body had issued me with the warning and the excellent treatment given (and continuing to be given to me by the NHS) had responded in a very positive way to that warning.
What has this got to do with photography? Well, in a way, very little, possibly, except that I no longer hear myself debating whether to go out with the camera or not – I just go! From now on if an opportunity presents itself to grab some really good shots I will take that opportunity by the scruff of the neck – I will ‘carpe diem’!
Every day has become so precious – I love photography, I love the natural world. I do not intend to waste time cogitating. I will go out and I will take full advantage of every chance I am presented with.
(I may need some more computer memory though).

This is a winter afternoon on Penarth Pier near my home. I cannot walk for miles (yet) but this was an opportunity so I took it!

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