Photographer & Writer
“Flying overseas. No time to feel the breeze.” - After six months of captivity under Kim Jong Boris, the good ship Rookster sets sail again. The old country was unrecognisable. That post-Olympic swagger I left in 2013 has gone, replaced by a conformity I can’t condone. And my sense of belonging is on the blink.… Continue reading Shutter Island
Three years ago the freedom of infertility set me on a mid-life meander to Melbourne. Last month, I went home... So, what have my cohorts and countrymen been up to without me? Well, apart from break-ups, breeding and Brexit. Not much. We did the rounds. From family roasts to beers with the lads. We were like social… Continue reading A Sort of Homecoming
Wednesday 24th July 2013: It’s a lovely English summer’s day and I’m in the car on the way to the airport. John Denver's words play out of the radio: “I’m leaving on a jet plane. Don’t know when I’ll be back again”. How apt I thought, but I’m glad he’s not a pilot for Cathay Pacific!… Continue reading The Day We Caught The Plane
Since deciding to depart these shores, I've been getting rid of stuff like it's going out of fashion... To be honest, most of it had. But it did get me thinking... Why did I own a load of stuff I didn't need? And what made me spend so much money on it in the first… Continue reading There’s nothing like a good clear out…
If there's one film that's left a mark on me and the missus it's Revolutionary Road. Winslet and Di Caprio play this couple in 1950s America, who dream of moving to Paris to be artistic interesting people but settle for the mediocrity of nine-to-five suburbia instead. It's an ill-fated story that all ends in tears.… Continue reading Our “Revolutionary” Road…
Listening to this tune on my daily commute helped me realise it was time for a change. The Jam: Smithers-Jones (1979) Here we go again, it's Monday at last, He's heading for the Waterloo line, To catch the 8 a.m. fast, its usually dead on time, Hope it isn't late, got to be there by… Continue reading The only one smiling is the sun tanned boss…
Probably my favourite piece of commuting related artwork... Not much has changed in the last 80 years! Power used linocuts with separate blocks for each colour. For more detail click here.
Saw this book and thought it'd be worth a read before the trip... The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton My rating: 2 of 5 stars Don't really know what I was expecting, maybe it was some insightful ways to get more from my travel experiences. What I got was a book of two… Continue reading Book: The Art of Travel
After 5 years at this place it's time to call it a day. It's the first time I've jacked in a job without another one line up, but sometimes in life you gotta let the chips fall where they may. Like a shopkeeper, I need change. _____ *Spanish archer = elbow (from the Spanish… Continue reading Step 1: Give work the *Spanish Archer
"Wanna be wild 'cos my life's so tame, Here am I, going nowhere on a train, Here am I, growing older in the rain." - Noel Gallagher
Ben Rook 