You never know who you might run into at BDI and today it was good to see Anton Corbijn who's preparing for two big shows in The Hague. In this picture Brian seems to be making out that he's giving Anton a cup of tea but he's never made a cup of tea for anyone - I made that cup of tea and a very particular cup of tea it was too! 

Lovely light frost - and a little mist - when I went to put the rubbish out this morning.

Really enjoying this collection of John Berger's writings on photography edited and with an introduction by Geoff Dyer. My favourite piece so far is 'The Suit and the Photograph' about August Sander - one of my favourite photographers - and, more specifically, an examination of an image which I love: 'Peasants going to a dance, Westerwald, 1914'.

More toys than ever... and looks like someone gave Grace a Pony Kids haircut!

Thinking about the Pony Kids. I know some have died and one or two are in prison but no idea what's happened to most of them... This year I'm going to find out what they're all up to.

More Pony Kids to find this year.

Very sad to hear that 23-year-old James Maughan - a brother of Winnie Maughan, from my film Pavee Lackeen, and who had a small part in the film - was found dead yesterday across the road from his mother's flat in Dublin. A terrible tragedy. The scandal is that there is no will - political or otherwise - to address the issues that face Traveller kids like James and leave them with very little chance in life. In James's case with no education, no possibility of finding a job, no direction. What chance that this will ever be addressed?

I looked at my phone this morning and found this photo. I have no recollection of taking it. All I remember is going out to lunch with some friends... and waking up this morning with these words banging in my head, "Tell the Mexicans not to bother crossing o'er the Rio Grande, a Mickey Mouse team in Orlando...." but I don't remember the rest. I have a feeling that fella doing the kissing might be one of the lyricists. Oh well, it's Xmas!

Just published... an interview I did about the Francis Bacon studio photographs for the online photography magazine SuperMassiveBlackHole. For a link to the magazine click here

I always like doing the FT Quiz of the Year: http://tinyurl.com/kyau4bq