About

Hi, my name is Jim, I am an Englishman living in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi.

return to Tbilisi 034

I started this blog from a pressing need to write, to share my interests, my photos and to make sense of my world. I take a lot of photographs of various subjects, some of which I intend to share here. I love reading and will add book reviews to this blog of the books I have read. Jim Holroyd 365: my name and the number of days in a year, when I started the blog I couldn’t think of a better name. I once did an art project where I sent a postcard with a small artwork everyday of the year to the director of the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham (Jonathan Watkins).

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night drawing

About:

  1. photos (everyday I carry my camera with me, some of the photos will be displayed here)
  2. Tbilisi, Georgia, observations as a foreigner living here, I have now been in Tbilisi for 5 years. Tbilisi was once in the Soviet Union and has a long history of being invaded by Russians, Persians, Turks etc..
  3. travel, I love travelling but now don’t have the resources to travel as much as I used to. Other countries and cultures fascinate me.
  4. book reviews…I read around 3 or 4 books a month and review what I read, the books I read are an eclectic mix of what I can find here to read, mostly in English but some books I read in French and I’m beginning to read in Georgian.
  5. blogging…I began blogging on 7 November 2013, inspired by reading a book (“Blood, Sweat and Tears”) which had started as a blog. I have no plans to publish my blog as a book (but who knows where this blogging will lead?)
  6. Facebook groups…I am in a lot of groups on Facebook, reflecting my various interests
  7. my thoughts 
  8. anything which sparks my interest, really
  9. replies to any comments (please comment, please, please…)
  10. look at the different categories —>

Please feel free to comment and ask questions on what I blog. I am quite new to this blogging, I was inspired by reading a book, which began as a blog of a London Ambulance Driver: “Blood, Sweat and Tea“.

I hope my blog will be entertaining and amusing.  I don’t know about which direction this blog will go, I am a great believer in serendipity...let the journey begin…

I also collect diecast model cars and get the same thrill at 49  50 as I did when I was 8, when I find a car I’m searching for, but don’t worry, I have a separate blog for blogging about this hobby.

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Three Corgi Competition Cars

If it interests you (and only if it interests you, I realise it is a rather niche interest) click the link: my diecast blog

I also have a separate blog for book reviews: my book review blog

I hate war and would love there to be peace in the world. My only tattoo is  dove, the symbol of peace.

my tattoo

my tattoo

I don’t think I’ll ever become a real writer (once this was a dream of mine) and that’s quite all right now. I’ve reached an age at which I’m at peace with my limitations and failures. But I’m glad to find a writing outlet.

Copyright

All images on this blog are copyright (C)

a) In case you want to reuse any of the photos in this blog, please notify me and provide a link back to this blog with full and clear acknowledgement of all items used.

b) All photos and text or part thereof are not to be used for commercial purposes.

c) All photos must be used in their original form, no addition or alteration are allowed.

 

57 comments

    1. Glad you like the blog, I’m quite new to this blogging, so still finding my way around. I love your photos of the Italian cities. My wife would love to visit Italy, your lovely photos further whet our appetites.

      Reply

  2. Someone told me Jim, that you have just become one of The Spikey’s, that small clan of folk known to be followers of Uncle Spike 🙂

    Thank you… I really appreciate that as I for one, know how many interesting and entertaining blogs are out there.

    My aim is to deliver an eclectic offering of posts, from my ‘point n shoot’ attempts at photography, to the sharing of my travel adventures since the 70′s, as well as day to day happenings on the farm. Oh, plus a few observations on life as I see it. Of course, if you have any suggestions for me, I’d love to hear from you, serious.

    In return, I promise not to be overbearing with perhaps 2-3 posts a day tops. But if you are at a loose end one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too. I have added plenty of categories to help in said digging process.

    Thanks again for your vote of confidence, and hope you have a great day…

    UNCLE SPIKE

    Reply

  3. Thank you for following my blog. I know how many interesting blogs are out there and feel honored that you picked mine to follow. I hope my stories entertain and inform and my photos bring you joy and wonderment. I find your blog most interesting and will be visiting often

    Reply

  4. Hello Jim-
    Your sense of humor first caught my attention with your post of the little Matchbox vehicles on the Weekly Photo Challenge.

    Then I explored your site a bit deeper after discovering that you are following my blog.

    When seeing you are from Tibilis, I will be honest to say I had no idea where this is. Promptly “Googled” that to learn you are living in Georgia. Returned to your blog and am intrigued by your points of view.

    This is the aspect about blogging that I am coming to appreciate more and more… the ability to see the world through the observations others share about their circumstances/perspectives in blog posts.

    I look forward to following your blog.
    Jane

    Reply

    1. I visited Georgia as a tourist back in 2008. I was invited to a wedding and met Khatuna, we got on well and I returneand England d in 2009 and we got married. I teach English here, there is a lot of demand for native English teachers. I taught English in France before.

      Reply
  7. Pingback: A note of Thanks « Books, Music, Photography, & Movies

  9. Hi Jim! Thanks very much for the blog follow. I look forward to checking out your blog, especially learning about Georgia. I hope one day to visit the region!

    Reply

    1. Georgia is a fascinating country, with a very rich geography for such a small country. The high mountains and old churches are the biggest draw for most foreign visitors, landlocked Armenians come here for the beaches and Iranians visit for the casinos.

      Reply

  10. It must be both fun and difficult to be a foreigner in a place where they don’t speak your language. Good luck with the new language learning 🙂
    And I love that night paining photograph

    Reply

    1. Thank you for your comment. It is difficult not understanding the language here, I sometimes feel a perpetual tourist. But I have only myself to blame, as I haven’t applied myself to learning the language. I’m glad you like the night drawing, i have made a few of them. I may post some more.

      Reply

    1. I have been to Mtskheta but have no photos on here. Most are of Tbilisi and a few of Kobuleti and Turkey. My second post for “Serenity” was a pair of cats in Tbilisi Market….the first was the moon reflecting on the Black Sea at Kobuleti.

      Reply

  13. Hi jim and many thanks for following my blog @vannilla. It’s lovely to come across new blogs in different parts of the world. I don’t think I have any other followers from Georgia 🙂 I look forward to seeing more of your blog. Anne

    Reply
  15. Pingback: Chasing Dreams | Books, Music, Photography, & Movies

  16. I love visiting other people’s blogs. I am glad you found mine.
    I am very new to blogging and have learned much more than I expected to.
    Come visit again. You might like something else 🙂

    Reply

  17. Hi Jim, Thank you for following my photography blog, Jane’s Lens. I hope you enjoy my work. Your blog is terrific and I’ll enjoy looking around.

    Reply

  18. Your blog is really awesome, and you definitely take great pictures! the one with the kids on the swing is very interesting, i love the angle. Keep it up and see you around 🙂

    Reply

    1. I’m glad you like my blog. I was looking down on the playground from the 9th floor, I saw the two children swinging in unison and took the picture. I like playing with different angles.

      Reply

      1. I love that too, the results can be amazing, like in your pic. THanks for the explanation, I was wondering how you got it. Again, great shot 🙂

    1. Thanks, you have been to Georgia if you have been to Abkhazia, most states recognise it as still part of Georgia, even though like South Ossetia it is not controlled by Tbilisi.

      Reply

      1. I was cautious when writing that, I’ve read several different views about the state of affairs in Abkhazia, the coolest part was when we were invited to come to one of their homes, we got to visit with them, dine with them, it was a great time. Also have a wonderful friend in the states who is from Georgia as well. Either way I’d still love to visit the other part of Georgia, meet the people, learn about the culture, and explore it as well. I’m not a politician nor have a political bone in my body, just love people and where they live.

      2. I’m not political either in respect to the Georgia-Russia conflict. The peoples get on well, Russians visit our mountains and Black sea resorts. It is just our governments don’t get along, although it is easier now saakashvili has gone…but Putin is still a problem for us… there is a rumour that Putin may have been born in Georgia…

  26. I’m pretty sure I bought that copy of A.E. Van Vogt’s The Man With A Thousand Names after you read it. I very nearly used it to line the inside of my wet boots. 😦

    Reply

  27. So glad to have stumbled upon your wonderful blog! I was wondering if you could tell me how to get hold of a copy of Tabidze’s poems in English translation, like the one you own. Thank you so much!

    Reply

  28. Hi Jim

    Did you get the comment under “Georgian Language” I sent at breakfast time today? I tried to send it twice, but it doesn’t seem to be there.

    Reply

      1. OK, let’s try again.

        Hope you’re making progress with the ქართული ენა.
        My latest teacher is Peppa Pig. I’ve read that some people recommend cartoons for language learning, but I find many of them to be unsuitable, partly because of the unnatural voices. But in the Peppa Pig cartoons they speak almost normally, in short sentences, and about everyday situations.

        Georgia seems to be a very welcoming country. I don’t know whether they still give a bottle of wine to all passengers arriving at Tbilisi Airport, but it’s the only country in the world, apart from the EU, where British citizens can stay for up to one year (according to Wikipedia). I wrote to the Georgian Embassy in the UK and asked them if it would be possible to stay for almost a year, then leave for a few weeks, and then stay for another year, but they never replied. Maybe they haven’t got a rule about that. Obviously, if I decide to stay, the best solution would be a residence permit. That seems possible, from what I’ve read, but you don’t know until you actually try. As you mentioned you know a number of other expats in Georgia, maybe you have heard of some positive or negative experiences with immigration or applying for residence?

      2. I’ll have to try out Peppa Pig, my granddaughter, Elene loves Peppa Pig.
        The current situation is you can stay something like 360 days in Georgia as a UK citizen, without any documentation other than your UK passport. They did try changing this in 2014, but found it deterred some Brits, who they seem to quite like. The situation may change again, if I hear anything I’ll let you know. Good luck. I haven’t received a bottle of wine, but I know some foreigners who have.

  29. Well, that’s good if they like Brits. I expect they like Ukrainians too (both countries have had problems with Mr Putin). The wine they handed out to me and everybody else was on the arrival of a flight from Ukraine, so maybe the bottles of wine are reserved for certain flights.

    Still on the subject of wine, it’s interesting that you gave up being a teetotaler in your forties when you came to Georgia. Perhaps it’s impossible to be teetotal and socialise in the Land of Wine. It may also be a bit difficult to drink very little (like me) and socialise – what do you think? I really only like dry wine, but I can drink one glass of beer or whisky just to be sociable (while others are drinking two or three).

    Reply

    1. It depends who you mix with, at feasts, you are expected to drink wine, but you can sip the wine not down the glass after each toast. I’ve been a little tipsy a couple of times but usually I’m okay.

      Reply

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