Waking up in Amman.

Just arrived Amman. Looking out from the new airport to the old.

Happy to see my photographs of Daniel Bruhl in The Telegraph Magazine's Men's Style Supplement. I saw the film 'Rush' and he is very very good as Nikki Lauda. 

Back on the island of Inishmaan and walking around Dún Chonchúir, the pre-Christian oval stone fort. 

A great airport to travel through. No X-ray machines, no hassle. And great photos on the walls.

Very sad to hear the news of Seamus Heaney's death. I was fortunate to photograph him on several occassions. Will never forget the day I went to his house in Dublin to photograph him for the Whoseday Book. We recited Patrick Kavanagh's poem 'Epic': "I have lived in important places, times when great events were decided, who owned that half a rood of rock, a no-man's land surrounded by our pitchfork armed claims...." and some of 'The Great Hunger'. As well as being a wonderful poet he was a remarkably kind, generous and modest man. I was always struck by his willingness to give so freely of his time. And when it came to Northern Ireland, many tried to claim him for their own cause, but he always remained his own man. 

On the Gowla in Connemara fishing with my dad and Mr Colm Redmond of The Zetland Hotel. I think there must be a guy in a wetsuit just below the surface following us around because everytime my dad puts his line in the water he catches a fish!

This is worth two entries because it's such an amazing house in a truly beautiful setting. Also, because in 2009 an Eileen Gray 'dragon' chair sold at auction for $28.3 million! Can't wait to see the film.

A rainy day in Monaco... on the way to see Picasso exhibition.

Two Picasso exhibitions at the Forum Grimaldi: 'Picasso in the Cote d'Azur' and 'Picasso from the Nahmad collection'. Both very interesting but I preferred the Cote d'Azur exhibition which documents the summers Picasso spent in the Cote'd'Azur from the Twenties onwards: the houses he stayed in and a selection of works made in them - including the amazing 'Still life with mandolin and guitar' from 1924. The Nahmad family collection is a good overview of Picasso's work - as they seem to have something from every era - but it's a bit of a job lot. You do get a sense though of the many stylistic periods Picasso went through, how prolific he was and how uneven the work is.