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.
Seville
He Who Walk, Bangalore, India.
Sahara Camp
Charles, who led me up the mountain…
life-modelling in Florence, Italy
with modern Bedouins, Israel
The Blue Pearl ~ Chefchaouen
Richmond Park
Ghana Africa
Venice, Italy… back in 2013.
Self-portrait. Ghana.
Sacred Banyan Tree, Bangalore, India
San Lorenzo, Florence 2015.
Deep in the jungle, Maharashtra, India.
Before a Hindu wedding, Bangalore, India.
Italy.
‘le grand meaulnes’… Brussels, Belgium
Sorisole, Italy
Abdou, my brother
in a Bedouin Tent in the Negev Desert, Israel
Venice
Sunset, Verona
Cape Sounion
Rabat, Morocco 2018.
Masai the Lioness
Lompoul Desert, Senegal
Holy Water
wild zebra
Me and my boy, Ghana
She was the lady who sold flowers at the temple, Bangalore, India.
Ancient temple, Mysore.
Bergamo.
Berber Boy, Sahara Desert, Morocco
With Muslim family, The Gambia.
This llama spat at everybody else but me… I never doubted him.
eating my way through Rome…
Giant standing stone at Avebury.
Florence 2018.
Bobor tribe dance which I partook in.
Brussels, Grand Place.
at an oasis, Sahara, Morocco
Casablanca, Morocco
J.F.P.Clayton.
Reflecting at Avebury, Womb of the Earth Chakra point.
Fez Medina.
Bangalore, India, 2015
Madrid, Jewish quarter
Lion pawprint
Venice
Charcoal Tattoo, Ghana
Croc, The Gambia
Lompoul Desert, Northern Senegal
Athens, Orthodox Priest
Bracciano
at the Grande Mosquée Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco
Erg Chigaga, Sahara, Morocco
My very own turban being fitted by Tuareg, Erg Chigaga, Morocco.
Missahoe Orphanage, Ghana
Tagounite, Morocco
Wild Vultures
White man of Erg Chigaga
The power of sea. Agii Apostoli, Greece. pc – Frederick Peters.
Lady of Rufisque, Senegal
Gambia
at the Missahoe Orphanage with my babies
Missahoe Orphanage, Ghana
In the desert, Senegal.
Bedouins, Israel
Venice, first time.
Pavel Colon, Seville.
Lompoul Desert, Senegal
India, Jungle Reatreat
Hindu Temple, Karnataka
Rome
Mona monkey
people of the village who asked me to take their photo
Florence
Hunsur, India
June Morocco 2018.
India
life-modelling in Florence, Italy
Florence, Italy, 2014.
Ghent
With Desmond, my Ghana Starchild.
La Almundena, Madrid
He Who Walks
Ponte Vecchio
Holy Light, India.
in the might of the Wli Waterfalls, Ghana Africa
My good friend in Hunsur, India, after swimming in the lake together.
Wli, Ghana.
The Gambia
Tagounite, Morocco
Sahara Sky, Morocco, Africa
Venice, 2014.
Ghana, Africa
Senegal
In hilltown Coorg, with nuns from Catholic Convent, India.
on a nomadic Berber camp, Morocco
W. Bagley.
My friend from
On Fathala Wildlife Reserve.
Grand Place Brussels
Venice
the Python and the Man, The Gambia,
The Gambia
Fathala Wildlife Reserve
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.
Venice…
On a slum in Ho, Ghana
Venice
Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH
Florence, Italy. 2016.
Vatican City
Ghana.
Ho, Ghana
Rescuing a baby squirrel in forests of Tafi Atome
Wild Cobra, India
Plaza de Espana, Sevilla
Crossing The Gambia river.
San Miniato, Florence
Digya National Park, Ghana.
At a Hindu wedding, Bangalore, India.
Burning sun, Agonda, Goa.
Vatican
Holy Light, Hunsur, India.
Jungle Retreat, Masinagudi
Sahara with Berber flag
Remote village, name and location unknown, Ghana
With a greek farmer, Agii Apostoli.
Chef, Morocco, June 2018.
On the Farm, Hunsur
a Dieu
Accra, Ghana
Greece, 2014
India
London
River children, Adaklu.
Temple monkeys, Mysore.
Oxford University, England
Florence, Italy, 2016, Rose Greenfield
Richmond Park, London
India
With my God Child, Ghana.
My Tuareg brother, Noureddine
One skin…
Como
Wli Jungle
Wild peacock
wli lower falls
Aire de Sevilla
Deep in the jungle, Maharashtra, India.
Young Boy, Senegal
Avalon
Hunsur, India
San Pellegrino
Bangalore, India
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
Avalon
Athens Central
Sunset Ghana, Kpando
Venice
pc – Frederick Peters, Greece.
Fez, Morocco, 2018.
A wild horse in the New Forest national park.
Self portrait.
India
Tafi Atome, Ghana
Venice
Dragonfly, India
bathing child with fevers from malaria in Africa
With ‘Prophet George’ The Gambia
dancing with Bagbor Tribe around the fire
Me and my precious boy
smile…
L’erba magica.
Tuscany, Fiesole.
Il Davide. Mon amico.
Followed her down to the river to collect water…
Florence, Italy.
Ghana
Feeling Freedom of the World’s Greatest Desert
bathing baby elephant, mudumalai national park, India
Bridge of Sighs… apparently not for me!
Seville
Monas
Greece 2014.
Pavel Colon, Seville.
The Light, Indian Sky.
Morocco
At home, Florence, in my birthday suit.
Lompoul Desert, Senegal
Slef portrait in Agonda, India.
alone in Western Ghats Jungle, India
Wild bat colony in flight, Ghana
Mysore, India
Agonda, India
J.F.P.Clayton
Sitting beneath ancient trees at Avebury, Womb of the Earth
Monasterio, Fiesole
Hunsur, India
Plaza de Espana Seville – a great moment of liberty for me.
Bagbor dances.
Senegal during Monsoon season.
Bracciano
barefoot at the base of a sacred banyan tree, Bangalore, India.
pc – Pavel Colon. Seville, Spain.
Connecting with the riches of the past, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.
Tuscany 2015.
Mediterranean Waters, Greece
Capitoline Hill, Roma
People of Tafi Atome
Ghana
Gambia
in the might of the Wli waterfalls, Ghana, during monsoon season.
Morocco
– after being submerged in the Holy Chalice Spring, Glastonbury.
Great Britain
Shaking hands.
Tuscany
Bangalore, 2015.
Casablanca, Morocco
My Italian city… 2015
At Missahoe Children’s Home, Ghana
India
Hindu Temple, Bangalore, India 2015.
Ghana
Wild elephant, Maharashtra
Feeling the winds of freedom on the Evian Gulf, Greece
Seville
Florence
Running barefoot through the desert
Children of remote village in Ghana
Jungle Prince… he outdid me.
Jungle, India
Erg Chigaga
in the Power of Wli Falls
Venice, Bridge of Sighs
The Eye
Lago d’Iseo
on top of the Glastonbury Tor.
Florence, 2015.
Self-portrait, Agonda, India
With Ethel and Mary
Trekking through Digya Jungle, Ghana.
Athena
Touching The Light, Madrid, Spain.
Ghana, with my boy.
self portrait, jungle, Maharashtra, India.
Dome of the Rock, Temple Mount
Bergamo, Italy.
Santo Spirito, Florence. Rose Greenfield
Bathing in sacred crocodile pool, The Gambia.
with the rangers… Digya National Park, Ghana
Tuscany
Agii Apostoli, Kalamos
Florence
On a slum in Ho, Ghana
Holy Red ‘Chalice’ Spring
Bangalore
Staring out into Rainforests, Western Ghats, India
Read my latest full story Palace of Earth here.
*
*
*
all enquiries: diary.aesthete@yahoo.co.uk
*
*
*
A pocket full of life!
LikeLike
It’s been quite a ride…
LikeLike
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.
LikeLike
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
LikeLike
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.
LikeLike
Thank you 🙂
That’s such a lovely image you have created in my mind. Thank you for understanding my vision so well.
Jx
LikeLike
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!
LikeLike
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.
❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
You had wonderful journey. It had been pleasant to follow you throughout the year. I’m looking forward to your next stories..
LikeLike
It really has been!
Thank you for following this tale.
Jx
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your beautiful collection of visuals from your life’s adventure,
Deirdre
________________________________
LikeLike
My absolute pleasure.
Thanks for commenting.
Jx
LikeLike