Over the years I have raced motorcycles, climbed mountains, and was rock climbing at UK grade E1 only six years ago. I have a few scrapes and falls, but mostly got away with it – then just after Christmas 2008 I fell four metres from a ladder while trimming the big hedge at the back of our property. It took three visits, over a period of two weeks, to the hospital ED before they diagnosed a broken back and a few cracked ribs. All I knew was it hurt like heck.

During the interim...

We meet a lot of interesting people on forums like these, and I often wonder who they might be when not posting to Photo Camel. I would never put myself up as interesting, but I feel vaguely flattered that the Camel has given us a chance to have our say, so I am going to have my say.

I’m a retired engineer currently living Rapaura, which is the very heart of the New Zealand wine industry in Marlborough. In fact our house is surrounded by thousands of acres of vines – which might be...