As the cold, grey days persist with glimpses of early morning sun that dares me to complain I find myself suffering from a terrible nostalgia for Mexico a place that I lived in my boyhood and where married my Rosemary. Our two daughters were even born in the working-class neighbourhood of Tacubaya.

I miss that warmth (but I forget those cold Mexico City winters were none of us had any kind of heating available) and that smell of wet or even dry earth. I miss the ochres and the reds and the oranges that are so lacking in Vancouver where everything seems to be gray, blue or cyan. Those colours give me the chills.

In the last few days I have been reprising some of the photographs that I took of my long photographic relationship with Y the Ukrainian woman who happens to be a professional dominatrix who in spite of that has a warm smile.

Y

More Y

Some years ago my friend Ian Bateson went to Japan and brought me a Japanese bathrobe/jacket.

In May of 2008 Yuliya came to our garden and posed for me wearing her usual outfit (nothing). I lent her Ian’s coat and she raised it in some of the photographs.

I immediately thought of (and I have no idea why) of GeorgiaO’Keeffe and of Mexico.

I long to go to Mexico and will do so soon to take this sort of photograph but using the harsh Mexican sun and feel the heat behind me.

For this blog I have had one hell of a time removing those bits that will offend many and particularly the minders of social media.

Instead of scanning the actual 6x7 cm  negatives I scanned the contact sheet images and then further degenerated those offensive nipples. It is a pity but the photographs still have for me the impact of the Mexico I so much love and miss.