It's the weekend dear readers and hopefully the sun is shining where you are, it's been such a great week so I thought I would do a 10 happy things for the weekend post so here goes - 

1. I picked up a really fun travel assignment this week, I need to fit in in my schedule in the next few weeks but i'm really looking forward to it.
2. My crowd funding funds will soon be with me, it's travel time!
3. My bargain hunting and a donated train ticket are getting me from Newcastle - Edinburgh - Inverness - Aberdeen - Newcastle for £40.85
4. Claire from the Inspire Network alerted me to the fact that I should check out Megabus for cheap travel, it's a fiver to go to Birmingham, compared to £110 on the train and there's just no contest really, even if I am a little afraid of what kind of bus would take you all of that way for a fiver, I shall no doubt report back. Now if only I could find a similar bargain price for a hotel, £50 a night seems to be about the cheapest unless I want to get murdered in my bed or sleep in a brothel.
5. I finally committed to an iPad mini for travelling, this means I don't have to worry about the weight of my rucksack and I can leave my books and my Macbook Pro at home.
6. I'm planning to travel every week now which means I'll avoid the World cup, hurray!
7. Petunia continues to be the best husky on the entire planet, we love her so much, if only the cats would love her like we do!
8. Look out for me in the Sunday Sun tomorrow, they're doing a follow up piece on #ukcityscapes, they've asked me to keep in touch so they'll be getting all of the exclusives.
9. I'm going to write an E-book about crowd funding, it'll be a helpful guide full of tips and tricks, the ones I used to raise 144% of my target.
10. I get the whole day off tomorrow,  family days are my favourite days of all.

Whatever you do this weekend, lets go out there and make it the best weekend ever!

It's over, it's finally over....

The last 45 days have been the biggest roller coaster I have ever experienced.  Crowd funding is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Here's some stats from the UK Cityscapes project crowd funding campaign

144% funded
£3599 raised
15, 498 visits to the Indiegogo page
106 contributions
1500 Facebook shares
903 Tweets

If you were a part of this even in some small way then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.


If you read all of the articles (I'm quite glad I didn't read them until afterwards) the first thing they say is Do not do this on a whim!  So on that one I'd say Mandy 1 - Crowd funding advice - 0, I do know exactly what they're getting at though!

So you're probably wondering what exactly happens next?

It takes around 15 business days for most of the funds to be released, Paypal is immediate and that's helped with cities I've been to over the last 45 days, the bulk though will mean that the end of June/whole of July/August will be devoted to travelling this great land, climbing tall buildings and walking more miles in a week than i've ever walked before and that's not a bad thing!

If you follow me on social media you'll be able to keep up with each city as it happens, I post little postcards on the go through Instagram so feel free to give me a follow, I always try to follow back, I love seeing other peoples worlds, I'm instagram.com/MandyCharlton

My Etsy store Philomena's Boutique will be refreshed and all of the images from all of the cities will be available as Prints, fine art prints, Canvases and there'll also be options to pre order the UK Cityscapes books in both digital and hard copy.  I'm also working an E-Book which will be about the Crowd Funding journey and how to launch and run a successful campaign, I plan to get that written on evenings when I am in hotels on my own.

"But oh, Wait, I'm a company and I want to get involved, I really want to sponsor UK Cityscapes" I hear you say, well worry not, companies can still get involved in return for publicity, reviews and other such wonderful things, if you are a UK company, involved with travel or you're a hotel then please continue to get in touch by emailing me 

you'll also be seeing a lot more photos of my cats again and yesterday we just gave a home to Petunia, a 2 and a half year old husky with neurological problems, she has the equivalent of doggy autism and problems with her back legs, we took her out for her very first trip to the park yesterday and she loved it She's just quite the most enchanting little character. She's perpetually happy and has settled in better in one day than any other pet we've ever had, because she has no prey instinct and wants to be everyones friend she'll no doubt end up being friends with the cats, she's not even interested when they go next to her cage, much to their dismay.

I'm happy we found Petunia, she's going to keep hubby company when I'm away from home.

Oops, got totally distracted there didn't I, not like me at all!

Have a wonderful weekend, pray for sunshine because I am off to photograph a wedding and the portraits are timed for the same time as the thunder, my outfit today will probably be a floaty dress and galoshes!

All PR requests  and enquiries about the UK Cityscapes project should be sent to mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com

Crowd Funding Target Exceeded, Thank You from me and UK Cityscapes, 58 Cities to go...

I'm delighted to say that at the time of writing this update I have exceeded my funding target for the UK Cityscapes project and to say that I am excited about that is very much an understatement!  When I heard the news I leapt from my chair, danced around the room, punched the air and then did a high kick, much to the amusement of my teenage soon and yes, I can still feel the muscle pulling in my leg, I'm not usually a high kicker now that Fame isn't on the telly anymore.

I'm going to paraphrase a post I wrote on Facebook or add to it, one of the two - 

I've had many wobbles and a lot of love and support, but I knew from the start I would do this, every time I would have a wobbly panic I would tell myself "no, you've got half of the North East behind you, you will do this" Last night with 16% to go Looby and I had a massive hug and both asked the universe and thanked the universe and God for helping, we knew today would be the day I would smash it.  That's the thing about having a dream, if you live it, believe it and just know you'll do it then I really do believe that anything is possible.

I've read so many articles about not doing this kind of thing on a whim and I'd have to agree, I'll certainly be more than delighted to advise other people who are thinking about this.  I think though that the only regrets you have in life are for the things you don't do and I've always been a flying by the seat of your pants kind of gal!

There are too many people to thank who deserve massive thanks but I think that's for another post when I've had time to calm down a little and process this all.

So for now, it would be absolutely incredible given the chance if I could smash this target off the face of the earth so please continue sharing and pre-ordering books and other goodies from the UK Cityscapes page.

The next phase of travel is already in the planning, at the moment it looks like I'm going to either Coventry or Bradford.  I hope I can work my magic on them, Bradford at least has been featured over the last few weeks in the BBC drama Happy Valley, really enjoyed that even though it was a little grim, I've heard they're thinking of a second season just like Broadchurch, you do wonder if these places turn into death spots on the UK map!  hopefully my images of Bradford might just be a tad cheerier!

So for now, a huge thank you and I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about a wonderful weekend in Northumberland spent comfortably camping.

Exciting News, 3 days and 13% to go for UK Cityscapes

It's Wednesday and it's very early, well at the time of writing this it's before 8am which classifies the time as early for me, if you know me well you'll know I am not a fan of mornings!

So here's the up to date stats for the UK Cityscapes Project


There are 2 days, 12 hours and 10 minutes (at the time of writing) to go in the first phase which is the funding phase

I am £332 away from my funding target, that's only 13% or 3 business investors or 2 canvases + a book or 11 books or 1 complete collection of 69 prints + 2 books

I have been to 11 cities, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland, Carlisle, Liverpool, Sterling, Dundee, Perth and York.

Favourite cities so far, Newcastle (obviously) and Liverpool

Least Favourite City, Dundee, mostly due to the people, although I'm sure there are truly lovely people in Dundee the ones I came across were not.

I'll keep todays blog fairly short and to the point, here's what I'd love you to do, if you haven't pre-ordered a book or got yourself a canvas, print or even got your name in the book then do it now before it's too late, if you back the project it means you are part of the project and you can say that you helped the creation of the UK Cityscapes project and book.

Also, people are voting for their least favourite city of the UK on my Facebook page, go and place your vote to send me to Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Coventry, Stoke on Trent, Sheffield or Bradford and that's where I'll be going next week.

and I couldn't leave you without posting an image so here's something lovely from City 2/69 - Liverpool and it's intricately weaved landscape from 400 ft above.

Writing the book, I've begun

Yesterday I started to write the actual book for Uk Cityscapes, at the moment the working title is "Postcards from the City" it may change of course depending on popularity and publishers but it's a
good working title.

One of my favourite images from the top of the radio tower in Liverpool, spot the travelling ants down below!

I have an enormous decision to make as well, do I publish a photo book full of the UK cityscapes and then another book "Postcards from the City" which tells the adventures of the whole project?  Which one would you buy?

At the moment I'm keeping a folder of images separate to the actual text in case it actually does become 2 books.  Thinking of book buying, if you end up with a book which has 300 pages and then another 300 images it just doesn't seem a good idea to publish a tome like "War and Peace"

The story of the adventure and the crowd funding certainly make for a great and sometimes humorous read, I've been immersing myself in lots of travel books for research trying to learn the art of painting a picture of a city without actually plonking a photograph in between paragraphs but I think I'm getting there and I am truly excited about the book.  If the first 2 chapters and the introduction are anything to go by I'm pretty sure that you dear reader are going to love it.

I'm pleased to say that my blog now gets up to 600 views a day which is amazing, and I have readers from all over the globe, particularly the UK, Australia and the USA, this of course is one of the reasons that becoming a business investor for my project would be great for your business, you can find out more about becoming a business investor HERE

This week is all about securing the remaining investment I need for the first part of the project and that's where you dear reader come in, if you haven't ordered your book yet or you'd like to own a piece of art from the project then click HERE

I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with news of next weeks travel schedule, I'm taking advantage of half term and intend to visit at least 3 or 4 cities next week, possibly Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield.  I did ask the girls,  but one said Inverness and one said Cardiff so I took the middle ground and they'll both be joining me for 2 days each.  This of course means negotiation and bargaining about how much photography I am allowed to do before we have to visit the nearest museum, big wheel or attraction but that dear reader is all part of the adventure.

UK Cityscapes, The Movie

It's not like me to blog twice in one day but here it is, the movie premier of my movie, of course it's all in aid of the UK Cityscapes Project and if you like it I would love you to do one of the following things

1. Visit igg.me/at/ukcityscapes and share the link, or claim one of the wonderful rewards
2. Buy a digital postcard from your city for only £3 HERE
3. Pre-Order a digital copy of the book for only £5 HERE
4. Pre-Order a copy of the actual book (10x8 landscape photobook) for only £30 HERE
5. Become a business investor and secure yourself a year of sustained marketing for only £100 (that's less than £2 a day and you will be reaching thousands every single day HERE
6. Buy a Canvas from the project to decorate your home, workspace or office (16x24 inches) for £150 HERE
7. Book a 1 hour photo shoot with me for you and your family/kids when I visit your city (if I've already been to your city and it's in the NE of England don't worry, I can come back) HERE

Thank you, you're amazing!

UK Businesses? Do you want to grow a national market for your product or service, for the cost of a local ad?

Edinburgh, City 6 of 69 in the UK Cityscapes Project

1. Is your business located in one of the 69 cities of the UK?
2. Would you like to secure more clients or sales?
3. Would you like a low risk way to get your business name into a national market for at least a whole year for less than £2 per week?

Invest Now

The UK Cityscapes Project can help you do just that!

For a one off £100 investment into the project you will get a year of sustained advertising, your link will be a permanent fixture on my blog for at least the next year and my social media accounts are growing every day, my blog currently gets up to 500 page views per day and I have thousands of followers on Twitter and Facebook and you will benefit from all of that to ensure that you reach a massive national market.  It's not a low risk investment, it's a no risk investment!

So Buy It Now, there are only 20 business spots available!

To contact me click HERE

For 24 hours only - Pre-Order a digital copy of UK Cityscapes for only £2 instead of £5

For one day only dear reader you can pre-order a digital copy of my forthcoming UK Cityscapes book for just £2, the regular price is £5, only 100 copies are available and the offer only lasts for 24 hours so pre-order your digital edition of UK Cityscapes today!



If I can sell 100 copies in the next 24 hours I'll be nearly half way to my crowd funding target and there are still 31 days to go. I really need your help to do this, if you missed why, you can catch up here

If you're wondering why I'm not off hopping and leaping and bounding through cities right now it's because I have a full week of work this week, portraits, pre-wedding shoots and consultations as well as it being my beautiful daughter Abigails 12th Birthday

She was pretty delighted to receive her very first pair of Dr Martens, purple ones too!  She also got new brogues, new Converse and a brand new electronic keyboard (yes that's 3 pairs of footwear, it seems my passion for shoes has passed to both daughters even though this one says she is not a girly girl, one day I think she'll rebel and all she'll want to wear is pink!  Abigail of course has already travelled to some of the cities with me as has Looby and that for me is a wonderful thing, I think that probably goes to making up some of the adventures we've had on our travels so far.  I love going to cities and travelling even when I'm on my own (and I actively try to deal with that anxiety I still get when someone is walking behind me) but it's always fab when you can share the experience, I can't wait to share more cities with them in half term and then the summer holidays, I'm even hoping hubby will be able to come along to some cities, I think that's how the stories are created, it'd be easy to just turn up to 69 cities, take one photo and then sneak away without anyone seeing you but I don't want to do that, I want to truly experience each city providing enough images for a blog post and chapter of the book about that city.  I think it would be really hard to get a feel for a city in an hour, who knows though, I may find cities I want to escape from as soon as I get there ;)  I don't believe that though, I think there's beauty to be found in each an every one of our cities, definitely there are some where it's not immediately visible but it's only by exploration you get to see it.  I guess that's a bit like people really, you can't just take people at face value, you have to see what's inside them to have a true knowledge of their inner selves.

So Happy Wednesday, Happy Birthday to Abigail and I am off to buy a big 12 year olds birthday cake (as opposed to a 12 year old birthday cake which wouldn't be very nice at all really)

A Sunday look at #UKCityscapes and why this project is so important to me

It's a grey and slightly damp morning in Newcastle and I'm still in my pjyamas planning my next move! This morning someone tweeted a link to this photo saying they'd found it in my Etsy store and isn't it fabulous.

and this dear reader is the photograph which inspired my UK Cityscapes project

Earlier this week I spoke about why I need your help and told my story but this was really the moment that inspired it all.  I was over 400ft in the air standing at the top of the radio tower in Liverpool and for the first time in forever (sorry Frozen ;) ) I felt that feeling of total insignificance, we're all so incredibly small when viewed against the large landscape in which we live.  We can be all consumed by our problems, worries or human conditions but in reality they're so microcosmic when compared with the universe and it's amazing structures, formations and landscapes.  Now I'm not trying to undermine how utterly trapped you can feel when you have any mental health challenge and I should know from my own personal experiences of bipolar and agoraphobia, I suppose that several years ago I could not have done this, I could not be so high, so open,so tiny for agoraphobia made me essentially hide into the smallest corner wanting to be wrapped in a warm dark blanket of my own mortal fears.  I manage my own mental health pretty successfully and I speak about it to try and help, encourage and inspire other people who may at this moment feel trapped by their own inner mortal fears.  I think there's an ongoing fighting viking inside me which some days has to fight harder than others, don't get me wrong, when I get worried I get anxious and when I get anxious I forget to breath, funnily enough though it never ever happens in my professional life, probably because when I hold that camera I am very much in charge of the world, maybe that's what we all need, to find our own empowering tool which helps us to be in charge of our own universe so that we can climb tall buildings, scale large mountains and reach the precipice of our own destiny.

That's another reason that this project is so very important to me, I want to use this to do as much good as I can, I want the world to know my story and for everyone who's currently struggling to know that it is possible to be amazing and do great things.

Please support this project by claiming a perk on my crowd funding page or sharing this post or sponsoring me with your business and thank you, you're amazing!

Uk Cityscapes, here's where we're at -

It's Friday, it's day 11 of my crowd funding, it's a couple of weeks since I started the UK Cityscapes project and I've been to 7 cities so far.

Liverpool
Newcastle
Carlisle
Durham
Sunderland
Edinburgh
Glasgow

the most important post I've written this week was about the reason why I'm doing this, my war against agoraphobia and bi-polar and why I must achieve this

and so where are we now?  Well currently I've ran out of my own tiny weeny pot of savings, everything i'm earning at the moment is going into this project so as soon as I get paid for some stuff I'll be back on the road, or the train, I am actually hoping to hop to York today but it very much depends what time a delivery arrives.

My favourite image of the project so far -

Possibly because it's the image which made me decide to do this and it's all about transition, change and making bold statements, something which I identify with in my own story.

Someone asked me this week how you can go from having agoraphobia to being 400 foot up in the air with vast spaces around you, well the answer is that agorapobia is always there and there are anxious moments but then I remind myself that I'm literally giving agoraphobia a big kick in the face and I'm not just doing this for me, I'm doing it for everyone who's living with a mental health challenge and winning, although i'll always have bi-polar but I don't believe i'll ever relapse, good medication, a positive outlook at all times and a love of photography, enterprise, inspiring and helping other people mean that even when i have scary moments/hours/days I know exactly where the boundaries lie and I know how to fight them and win.

So what can you do to help?  Well there are a few ways, as of this morning I have raised £528, that's 21% of my Crowd-Funding target, if you're wondering how that works, mostly credit card payments mean I'll get a substantial part of the total around 14 days after the crowd funding deadline closes in 36 days, anything paid via paypal I get immediately and that's helping me get to cities, with the admin and getting the word out there as well as securing perks for people who contribute.

If you want to make a contribution you can do so here

If you are a business reading this, get in touch, tell me how I can help you and in return secure some business sponsorship. I've spoken to press and coverage is imminent so the earlier you're in this with me the more publicity I can get for us both.  Perhaps you would like to exchange artwork for sponsorship, well that's fine but I can't help you if you don't give me your proposals, you can email me at any time at mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com

All of the images from the project are available as framed fine art prints, 7x5 in size in a 2 inch mount with a matt black frame and they're signed and numbered, all are only available in a limited edition of 100 and if you would like to purchase one again just email me or you'll also find a selection in my Etsy store, Philomenas Boutique

If you want up to the minute progress while I am on the go all you need to do is follow me on Twitter and you'll also find me on Facebook and of course I have my own website and I am still very much available for weddings and portraits oh and 1 more thing, if you don't live in the North East and would like to book a photo shoot with me when I visit your city there's a couple of special perks just for you on my crowd funding page.  book early though so I can plan it into my schedule as some cities I may only be coming to for a few hours, whilst I'd like to spend 24 hours in each city it's just not possible.

1 final thing, if you're travelling to a city somewhere and have room in your car for me (serious offers only and no serial killers please) I'd love to split the petrol costs with you so do get in touch :)

Have a wonderful bank holiday weekend, I am shooting portraits, a party and then celebrating Abigails forthcoming 12th birthday which is on Wednesday but we always celebrate on the bank holiday weekend.  This year she's getting an electric keyboard and some Dr Martens amongst other things, being 12 seems pretty splendid to me.

Oh and here she is, my just about to be 12 year old.

Galsgow, City 7 of 69 (host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games), UK Cityscapes Project by Mandy Charlton

First of all I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has shared the campaign page, read my blog post about why I'm doing this or made a contribution and claimed a perk!  This morning I've raised 21% of the total and campaigns who manage to get the first 20% are statistically more likely to reach their target, there's still 37 days to go and 79% to go though so keep sharing, helping, whatever you can, I'm determined I can do this now!

So lets get back to city number 7 of 69, the 2014 Commonwealth Games host Glasgow...

largest city in Scotland and 4th largest city in the UK with a population of over half a million people.  It's home to some of the most splendid museums and it's a place to go if you have kids because with the exception of the science museum they're all free!  Don't leave out the Science museum though as it's quite fantastic, we go every time we're in Glasgow because Abigail and Looby love it so much.

1 thing I've never managed to do in Glasgow is go up the Glasgow Tower which is unsurprising because since it was built in 2003 it's only worked for 20% of it's whole life, I suspect if I ever get up there I'll be rewarded with the most spectacular views of Glasgow ever though!

Glasgow of course has long been associated with Rennie Mackintosh, the designer, architect and artist was one of the most influential figures of Scotlands history.

Shall we get on to the photos?

The cityscapes aren't always the most picturesque things you've ever seen but they all make up the amazing city that is Glasgow

It's been lovely having my daughters along while they've been on their school holidays, I shall really miss them next week when I start doing the cities on my own.

sorry about the dodgy photograph of me, you can't really pack hair straighteners when you're carrying everything in a backpack, my neck is in enough pain without packing unnecessary products!

Cityscapes are everywhere in Glasgow because of the multiple hills it's built on, I would have liked to get higher up but I'm happy to wait until the Glasgow Tower re-opens this summer, I reckon it'll be a view worth waiting for.

The next city I'll be visiting is York, I know exactly where I'm going to capture the cityscape and there'll be lots of photos of the beauty of York too, I had intended to go today but the weather is appauling all over the UK today so I'm having another admin and planning day.

If you're a photographer popping your head in to read this post you may like to know that all of the images were taken with the Fuji X-Pro1 and the 35mm f1.4, it's the most amazing combination and the dynamic range alone is quite a special thing.  You may also like to know that all of these images were shot in Jpeg, the X-Pro1 makes it possible to never have to shoot in RAW again, how much editing?  Well all of the images have been through Lightroom, then Photoshop and then Lightroom again, it's quite a specific look and feel I have gone for and there's more information about why I've chosen to do that on the campaign page.

If you would like to contribute to the campaign in anyway possible the page is here and to email me about any of the images or anything about the project at all my email address is as ever mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com

Uk Cityscapes, My story and why I need your help...

You find me back in Newcastle today dear reader, I'm home to do some admin, catch up with some of my regular work and above all do some planning for the next stage of my UKCityscapes challenge

I've been thinking about writing this since I started the quest to be the first person to visit, document and photograph all 69 cities of the UK and I feel it's probably important to provide some background into the reasons I'm actually doing this.

Here's the thing, I started my business in June 2007, before that point I was recovering from agoraphobia, for 3 years I'd barely been past my back gate on my own, when I was getting better I would take Looby to the park for protection, she was 3 years old at the time!

You see in 2003 during my 3rd pregnancy I was finally diagnosed with bi-polar disorder something which had been in my life for as long as I could remember but without any diagnosis other than depression and I knew myself it couldn't just be depression, I went through long periods of being quite happy, too happy, trapped in a whirlwind of euphoria, when my hubby met me in 1999 I was the most fun girl at the party, we know now it was because I was not a well person.

It's often common for bi-polar to lead to agoraphobic symptoms and in 2004ish it happened to me, I was attacked in the park while walking our dog and I just stopped going out on my own, the open world became a scary place and it was just easier to stay at home, in these days of the internet you would be surprised just how easy it is!

I have to say that from the day Looby was born I was put on the right medication and started the long process of getting better and being well and since 2007 I have been completely well, yes I still have days where I fight harder and in January this year I felt myself slipping into the not going out pattern, mostly because i'd worked too hard doing stupid amounts of work for very little reward and I was exhausted, this project is the perfect antidote.

When I am on top of the highest building in the city right out in the open, often feeling so high that I am amongst the Gods it's an amazing feeling to remind myself just how free I am, like I've taken all of my demons, lined them up against a wall and conquered them one by one.

I am making a commitment today to donate a percentage of the royalties from my eventual book to the charity MIND.

and that's why I need your help to succeed, I can't do this on my own, the cost of travel alone would make your eyes water but I want to do this to tell the world that you can do anything as long as it's on your own terms, I want to stick two fingers up at mental health and say we're all fantastic and we can do things in spite of long term health conditions.  I want to inspire other people to go and have adventures and conquer their own demons, some times it is about feeling the fear and doing it anyway.  You only have 1 life and it's a big adventure, you must do something to make it count.

Thanks for listening and even if you can only support me by sharing the crowd funding page on your social media feeds as long as we can all crowd together and get this thing funded to wonderful fabulous fruition then that's all that matters.

Thanks for listening, coming up soon is city 7 of 69, Glasgow.

Edinburgh, city 6 of 69, The UK Cityscape project by Mandy Charlton

So it's 7.20am on Monday 28th April 2014 and I've woken up to a sunny morning in Edinburgh, the 6th city in my UK Cityscape Project to be the first person to  document and photograph all 69 cities of the UK.

I've had a pretty good nights sleep at the Old Waverley Hotel on Princes Street, I still can't quite believe how lucky I was to find that this hotel had a massive discount on lastminute.com  The staff here have been lovely even though we were only staying for 1 night, we've a great view of the Scott Monument and our room faces onto my favourite department store Jenners. I'd always wanted to stay at this hotel, just for the views really and I thought i'd won the jackpot when the promised internal room actually happened to be one with a view, some of the front facing rooms which look directly onto the Scott Monument and Princes Street are definitely worth paying a little more if you are in Edinburgh for the whole Scottish experience.

So, what can I tell you about Edinburgh?

Well it's of course home to 2 very famous Pandas who live at Edinburgh Zoo, no time to go and visit them on this trip sadly but I'll be back with the girls in the summer for our fun trip!  Oh and just a warning, click on that link and you'll be transported to the Edinburgh Zoo panda cam, you may spend the day doing not very much else ;)

Apart from the Pandas -

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, population is around half a million or was when it was last counted in 2012.  It's home to the Queens official Scottish residence the Palace of Holyroodhouse, I've never actually been inside, the next time I must visit!

Edinburgh is a city steeped in so much history your head might just explode if you try to absorb it all at once, it's not a city you can just spend one day in, I've been visiting for many many years and still haven't seen all of it, there's just so much to do whether you have kids or not, to name a few things there's the National Museum of Scotland, the National Gallery, Dynamic Earth, the royal yacht Britannia, the botanic gardens, and of course Edinburgh castle a place I can finally say I've visited, just 1 note about Edinburgh castle, it's amazing, however it's also got a very expensive coffee shop, if you're on a visit you might want to avoid the £3 cup of coffee and the £3 cake, just because they're expensive does not mean they're the best coffee and cake you'll ever experience ;)

And so onwards with our photographic journey, lets enjoy slightly misty murky Edinburgh, at one point I thought we would have to give up as you couldn't even see your own nose never mind a cityscape but lucky it cleared a little later on in the day.

 I have Abigail joining me on this leg of the journey as she's still got another week left of her Easter holidays even though it seems like Easter was weeks ago, if you're wondering what the heck she's doing, well I think she was either trying to hold up the ice-cream van or she's being a tour guide.

yes I think we all wish we could do this to our beloved Tweens every now and then.

and so that was Edinburgh, one of my favourite cities and I suspect when I get to the end of the project it will still remain as one of my favourite cities, everywhere you go in Edinburgh there's beauty to find, the magnificent layered landscapes our cities provide is really in evidence in Edinburgh and although the layers combine the old and the new it's really the old which stands out more than anything else, inhale and you'll breath in thousands of years of history, so much so you better hope you don't get some stuck up your nose!

and so onwards we go on this crazy journey, we leave on a train for Glasgow this morning, luckily it's only a half hour journey and luckily for me I love train journeys.

If you would like to grab yourself a pre-order of the book, find out more about the project or sponsor my campaign you can do so here

If you're a business and would like to discuss corporate sponsorship and working together to show how magnificent your business is in your city you can email me here

and if you would like to purchase any of the cityscapes from any of the cities you can drop me an email or there's a selection in my fine art Etsy store Philomenas Boutique