One thing I love about my job is that it takes me to some great places, both new and interesting locations close to home and some fabulous spots further afield. I live happily in the centre of a buzzing, vibrant city, so I appreciate the contrast of the countryside - and always enjoy going to the seaside!

What a great trip to Nonsuch House I had last week...I'm just sitting editing the images now, and smiling! While I was there for a commercial client, it wasn't my first visit. I'd been a few times under my own steam, as it's a compellingly welcoming and comfortably place in an outstanding location. It felt very much like renewing acquaintance with friends. They've just been listed as one of UK's Top 50 B&Bs by The Independent. I agree, wholeheartedly, Kit and Penny!

The northern coast of Aquitaine is a bit of a hidden gem, with long stretches of almost deserted beach. The currents can be tricky, and in some places treacherous, but the sea is fantastic to watch. There are only intermittent access points, unless you’re on foot or horseback, and there is no over-developed, fluorescent stuff to be found. It’s a glorious place to wander, dream, and re-balance - and off-season is just as good a time to go, wrapped up well.

I was on my second trip to rural France for the new book, and actually rather a bit lost. I was trying to find what turned out to be one of the most lovely hotels I've visited, when I drove past this view. I stopped, of course, and put the hazard lights on - it wasn't a very sensible place to stop - and stood there for a moment or two, just loving the undulations and the lines. A car came past, first slowing down politely, then down came the window, and the gentile homme asked whether I was ok - could he help?  I thanked him profusely, assured him I was fine, and he drove on.

I’m back in France, photographing more lovely places for the new book. Chateau de Rodie was amazing - the ancient castle sits within a working farm, with more animals and birds than I could count, including a number of rare breeds, not least a flock of Landais sheep. Suzanne, below, and her sister (Mole - don’t ask!) get the birds inside every night, safe from foxes. I went with them , and we took  a moment to watch this snowy white bird’s display - unlike the bird on the left. He’d presumably seen it all before.

I last visited Mont St Michel about 30 years ago, and had forgotten how imposing and surprising it is. It’s essentially  a rocky island off the Brittany coast, with the abbey built around its granite apex. Below is the village, built on sand in a fortified enclosure, surrounded by the bay - which has the strongest tides in Europe.

I was actually in Hayfield yesterday to photograph performers rehearsing for an open-air production later this month. James, the artistic director of Artizani Street Theatre, lives on a farm, and they're using a platform set up in one of the barns, not just as it gives them a lot of space, but also to keep them out of the rain...wet summer, this! As I was leaving, it started to get very dark very quickly. I noticed these clouds coming in fast above the hillside. A storm was brewing, and a few moments later the heavens opened. 

I was in the French Alps last week, on my last trip for the Go Slow France book. I took the opportunity to see some friends in Cordon, and had to get up in the dark to get to the airport in time for my flight home. As I was driving down the mountain, the sun was coming up, and suddenly Mont Blanc appeared through the clouds it had been obscured by for the whole of my visit. Stop, camera, shot - and on to Geneva airport.

I found a huge onion plant in the kitchen garden at Auberge de Concasty in France, and got right down onto the ground to photograph it against the incredibly blue sky. That was before the inn’s owner, Martine, mentioned  that she always wore boots in the garden as there were occasionally snakes around. I’ve had the picture blown up to a metre high and printed onto canvas - it has considerable impact! It’s hanging in my current exhibition at the Arison Gallery and is proving very popular - I’ve taken orders for three copies in the last fortnight.

The last in the placenorthwest series of features today, with my picture gallery of  St Helens. I really enjoyed the variety. The market, selling shiny shoes, school uniforms and pig's ears, was just across the road from the World of Glass, where a glass blowing demo was under way. I also got to see the unveiling of a statue of the Saints rugby team captain, and the amazing 'Dream', on the site of an old colliery, pictured here. You can see how huge it is, by the tiny people to the right.

This is such a wonderful time of year. Maybe it's memories of all those new school years and uniforms, but autumn for me is redolent of new starts, new challenges and new clothes (even now I always like the new autumn ranges best!).

 A friend called early one morning last week, on her way to teach at Shrewsbury School. She was driving through Cheshire lanes, leaning out of her car window, photographing hoarfrost in the beautiful early light with her mobile phone. "You HAVE to get out here with your camera!" she insisted. She was lyrical! So I went; I'd never seen hoarfrost before. What a wonderful morning I had, soaking up the stunning light on the frozen landscape against a beautiful blue sky, and gawping at the detail in frozen leaves, berries and grasses.

There's a full moon tonight. I have some great memories of full moons, including one over the Taj Mahal - that one still makes me laugh like a drain. It wasn't a romantic evening, believe me! This photograph, though, was taken in France, on the Atlantic coast. It was a hot night in August, and a whole bunch of us, kids and adults, played cricket on the beach till it went dark - or as dark as this gleaming light allowed it to. It was a great evening, and a pretty spectacular sight to see.