Welcome to 2019 one and all!
I am so happy to write those words.
What a privilege to be alive and well and still moving forward in my journey.
Each new day and each new step up the tall ladder of my dreams is a day well spent, and I regret not.
To celebrate the New Year, and also Diary of an Aesthete reaching its first 5000 subscribers, in over 150 countries, I have put together a little collage of pictures from my journey thus far, starting way back in 2014 with my first steps, all the way up to the present.
This really has been such an inspiring journey and I feel so blessed to have connected with such incredible individuals all round the globe, both on the road and through this blog.
Here’s to making dreams come true, to perfect imperfection, to life’s ecstasy, bliss, to chasing skies and taking the long way round…
“It is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts.” – Qur’an.
Eternal love ❤
Ad Infinitum.
Sacred Banyan Tree, Bangalore, India
Missahoe Orphanage, Ghana
Bergamo, Italy.
Venice
Self-portrait, Agonda, India
Richmond Park
Pavel Colon, Seville.
Senegal
‘le grand meaulnes’… Brussels, Belgium
The Eye
India
Rescuing a baby squirrel in forests of Tafi Atome
in the might of the Wli Waterfalls, Ghana Africa
Bangalore, 2015.
Burning sun, Agonda, Goa.
on top of the Glastonbury Tor.
Lady of Rufisque, Senegal
Bangalore, India, 2015
Lago d’Iseo
Shaking hands.
Bracciano
Bagbor dances.
Lion pawprint
Holy Water
Greece 2014.
Tuscany
San Miniato, Florence
With my slum warriors in Ho, Ghana, where I lived in a house with a tin roof, and had to jump over open-air sewers to get to the streets, for a few weeks.
Rabat, Morocco 2018.
Ghana Nov 2017.
Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH
in the might of the Wli waterfalls, Ghana, during monsoon season.
Children of remote village in Ghana
Crossing The Gambia river.
Charles, who led me up the mountain…
Hunsur, India
W. Bagley.
Missahoe Orphanage, Ghana
Before a Hindu wedding, Bangalore, India.
With Desmond, my Ghana Starchild.
Sahara Sky, Morocco, Africa
Bergamo.
Plaza de Espana, Sevilla
Monasterio, Fiesole
at the Missahoe Orphanage with my babies
Me and my boy, Ghana
On a slum in Ho, Ghana
Florence, Italy.
Nov 2017 Ghana
Avalon
Venice, first time.
My very own turban being fitted by Tuareg, Erg Chigaga, Morocco.
Brussels, Grand Place.
With Muslim family, The Gambia.
Mysore, India
At Missahoe Children’s Home, Ghana
Florence, Italy. 2016.
This llama spat at everybody else but me… I never doubted him.
J.F.P.Clayton.
self portrait, jungle, Maharashtra, India.
Hunsur, India
India
Self portrait.
Venice
Ancient temple, Mysore.
My Italian city… 2015
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
Erg Chigaga
bathing child with fevers from malaria in Africa
With my God Child, Ghana.
Tagounite, Morocco
wli lower falls
Self-portrait. Ghana.
people of the village who asked me to take their photo
Young Boy, Senegal
On a slum in Ho, Ghana
Ponte Vecchio
Bathing in sacred crocodile pool, The Gambia.
Charcoal Tattoo, Ghana
pc – Pavel Colon. Seville, Spain.
Venice
Florence
He Who Walks
Bangalore, India
Holy Red ‘Chalice’ Spring
Lompoul Desert, Senegal
He Who Walk, Bangalore, India.
Reflecting at Avebury, Womb of the Earth Chakra point.
Venice, Italy… back in 2013.
Pavel Colon, Seville.
With ‘Prophet George’ The Gambia
Giant standing stone at Avebury.
Touching The Light, Madrid, Spain.
Ghana
Great Britain
Florence
Fathala Wildlife Reserve
Bedouins, Israel
Morocco
My friend from
bathing baby elephant, mudumalai national park, India
Ghana
with the rangers… Digya National Park, Ghana
San Lorenzo, Florence 2015.
Agonda, India
La Almundena, Madrid
Bridge of Sighs… apparently not for me!
On Fathala Wildlife Reserve.
Jungle Retreat, Masinagudi
Monas
San Pellegrino
Sitting beneath ancient trees at Avebury, Womb of the Earth
Hunsur, India
Casablanca, Morocco
at the Grande Mosquée Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco
Wild elephant, Maharashtra
Avalon
Temple monkeys, Mysore.
Italy.
Athens, Orthodox Priest
People of Tafi Atome
Venice, Bridge of Sighs
Hindu Temple, Karnataka
Vatican City
Wild Vultures
The Gambia
Bangalore
Oxford University, England
Feeling the winds of freedom on the Evian Gulf, Greece
Grand Place Brussels
The Gambia
Ghana.
dancing with Bagbor Tribe around the fire
smile…
Connecting with the riches of the past, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
Accra, Ghana
Ghent
In the desert, Senegal.
Florence
Madrid, Jewish quarter
Sorisole, Italy
Florence, 2015.
Bobor tribe dance which I partook in.
In hilltown Coorg, with nuns from Catholic Convent, India.
Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount
Trekking through Digya Jungle, Ghana.
the Python and the Man, The Gambia,
life-modelling in Florence, Italy
She was the lady who sold flowers at the temple, Bangalore, India.
Richmond Park, London
Me and my precious boy
A wild horse in the New Forest national park.
Tuscany 2015.
life-modelling in Florence, Italy
Agii Apostoli, Kalamos
Ho, Ghana
Casablanca, Morocco
Erg Chigaga, Sahara, Morocco
Florence 2018.
With Ethel and Mary
Running barefoot through the desert
Santo Spirito, Florence. Rose Greenfield
London
Lompoul Desert, Senegal
Masai the Lioness
Wli, Ghana.
Berber Boy, Sahara Desert, Morocco
Florence, Italy, 2014.
Seville
With a greek farmer, Agii Apostoli.
My good friend in Hunsur, India, after swimming in the lake together.
barefoot at the base of a sacred banyan tree, Bangalore, India.
Wild peacock
Feeling Freedom of the World’s Greatest Desert
India
eating my way through Rome…
Bracciano
Tagounite, Morocco
Abdou, my brother
Greece, 2014
Gambia
Staring out into Rainforests, Western Ghats, India
Lompoul Desert, Northern Senegal
Aire de Sevilla
Mediterranean Waters, Greece
Deep in the jungle, Maharashtra, India.
Gambia
Venice, 2014.
The Blue Pearl ~ Chefchaouen
Slef portrait in Agonda, India.
Deep in the jungle, Maharashtra, India.
Sahara with Berber flag
India, Jungle Reatreat
Cape Sounion
Followed her down to the river to collect water…
Seville
J.F.P.Clayton
June Morocco 2018.
My Tuareg brother, Noureddine
Remote village, name and location unknown, Ghana
Tuscany
Wild bat colony in flight, Ghana
Mona monkey
Chef, Morocco, June 2018.
Il Davide. Mon amico.
Rome
Dragonfly, India
The power of sea. Agii Apostoli, Greece. pc – Frederick Peters.
Tuscany, Fiesole.
Capitoline Hill, Roma
Athena
Fez, Morocco, 2018.
Ghana, Africa
in the Power of Wli Falls
L’erba magica.
One skin…
Hindu Temple, Bangalore, India 2015.
Seville
alone in Western Ghats Jungle, India
Fez Medina.
Senegal during Monsoon season.
Athens Central
pc – Frederick Peters, Greece.
with modern Bedouins, Israel
in a Bedouin Tent in the Negev Desert, Israel
Plaza de Espana Seville – a great moment of liberty for me.
Morocco
Lompoul Desert, Senegal
At home, Florence, in my birthday suit.
wild zebra
Croc, The Gambia
The Light, Indian Sky.
Sahara Camp
Holy Light, India.
Sunset, Verona
Venice
Wli Jungle
River children, Adaklu.
White man of Erg Chigaga
– after being submerged in the Holy Chalice Spring, Glastonbury.
Jungle, India
On the Farm, Hunsur
Florence, Italy, 2016, Rose Greenfield
At a Hindu wedding, Bangalore, India.
Holy Light, Hunsur, India.
Digya National Park, Ghana.
Ghana Africa
a Dieu
India
Vatican
on a nomadic Berber camp, Morocco
Venice
Ghana, with my boy.
Tafi Atome, Ghana
Sunset Ghana, Kpando
at an oasis, Sahara, Morocco
Jungle Prince… he outdid me.
Ghana
Venice
Venice…
India
Como
Wild Cobra, India
Read my latest full story Palace of Earth here.
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all enquiries: diary.aesthete@yahoo.co.uk
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A pocket full of life!
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It’s been quite a ride…
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What glorious photos. You are such a beautiful man in all ways. And what a journey you’ve had friend. I’m so glad your health has allowed you to continue this amazing path of yours and to support you in sharing it with all you meet and all of us! I look forward to crossing paths someday and perhaps sharing the road for a bit 🙂
Many blessings for a joy filled 2019. May this be the year, and soon, that the shift into the light is finally and fully ushered onto this planet forever more.
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Thank you!!
I have been very blessed indeed, and you bless me more-so. My health has held up and I’m so thankful for that fact. My soul has a fire that, if fuelled, cannot be overcome. I’ve felt this so many times. I just have to manage my fire; sometimes it burns a little too low. Creating things and connecting with people and places brings me to life, quite literally.
Life meanders much this year, already bringing me a host of unexpected treasures to look forward to… it’s so lovely to have already done so much ~ now I have nothing to prove, can sit back and wait for the stars to speak to me their truth and plans… I’m always ready for the call.
I have every confidence that we will cross paths, my friend. When the stars speak it so.
Love Jx
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A beautiful kaleidoscope of photos. If we were to sit somewhere in the sky watching mother earth turn around slowly I guess we would have this view. It’s got everything, man, woman, the five elements, flora, fauna, edifices, everything brimming with a mystic quality, as it shall be if we see them with our five senses and our heart, putting aside our judgement. Beautiful inspiring work.
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Thank you 🙂
That’s such a lovely image you have created in my mind. Thank you for understanding my vision so well.
Jx
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You must be, in some not normal way, blessed. Your way has been amazing, to see all those places, to feel them…
Do you ever feel fear?
The photo collection is breathtaking. It has been very interesting to travel with you, in my armchair.
Have a great year 2019!
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Perhaps, you’re right… I don’t profess to know. I know only that when I travel alone something very special happens in the air around me… I feel different, everything feels different. I even move differently… speak differently sometimes.
But, yes, I feel Fear all the time. It’s like every emotion ~ it passes. I don’t nurture that feeling. I discard it at the first chance… like I do with all useless things.
I think that is the only key really, I feel fear, I don’t pretend not to, and, yet, it doesn’t stop me. Once I am ‘there’, the other side of dreaming, the ‘reality’ part, then the magic takes over… and I enjoy the ride.
Wishing you all the best with the new year.
❤
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You had wonderful journey. It had been pleasant to follow you throughout the year. I’m looking forward to your next stories..
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It really has been!
Thank you for following this tale.
Jx
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Thank you for your beautiful collection of visuals from your life’s adventure,
Deirdre
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My absolute pleasure.
Thanks for commenting.
Jx
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