The first rays of sun raising behind Italy are illuminating strangely shaped clouds over the sea in front of the Larvotto beach. There is a storm of birds flying by, although a slow shutter has blurred their silhouettes somewhat. Two facts come to my mind: the Earth is not flat (if it were, I could see the sun in the frame), and also, we are nearing the change of season.

While the first fact is hardly a discovery, I’ve recently learned, that among various unhelpful human beliefs pervasively present among us, the belief in a flat Earth is still alive and kicking. The society which gathers these brave proselytes even has a neat internet site.

The change of season takes place twice a year in Monaco, in the middle of May and November. Spring gently warms into summer, and then cools back into spring again. Although you can get some near zero temperatures at night once every several years in January or February, it is not common. Last spring (November 2013-May 2014) I don’t recall to have seen anything below +12 C in the morning on the thermometer outside my kitchen window. On a personal level I mark the passage of the seasons by changing my basic attire. Now, long trousers give way to shorts. This is an additional and welcome step in my journey towards personal freedom, particularly appreciated after some thirty years of going to work in a suit and tie.

This year, I’ve promised myself to improve my freestyle. I need to do more exercise, and swimming is ideal for people getting older, but one has to practice one of the styles that do not strain your back. The sea down here, particularly in the mornings, is usually crystal clear, and the sensation you get when you see flocks of little fish dancing around you in the water in early light is truly exhilarating.

One of the few photographic drawbacks of the summer on Cote d’Azur, is that rain is uncommon, therefore blue skies render landscape photography more difficult. I guess, there are ways to compensate this by shooting other subjects…

“Softly As In a Morning Sunlight” – Modern Jazz Quartet