Mayor

Three weeks today I will be a free man! My 31-year career in journalism will be a thing of the past and I will hopefully be starting an exciting new journey.

Photography is at the heart of the dream, but first I have to get properly trained, and to get trained I need a portfolio of images. So I have been out and about with my camera.

I need some people shots and this was one I took of John Marjoram, the mayor of Stroud, Gloucestershire, who kindly gave me a few minutes of his time. Yeah, I know, the sky's over-exposed, but I'm still trying to tame my new camera!

John, by the way, is the Green Party's only mayor in this country. He's a man of great principle and is an all-round nice chap.

After taking this, I met up again with my friend Steve, or cleansteve, and we enjoyed some Budding at the Crown and Sceptre, near his home.

I have a mixture of feelings about the weeks ahead - excitement, nervousness, sadness... Whatever happens, it will be a refreshing change.