Mike, A beautifully written piece. Thank you. Andrea.

What an interesting column. Lots to think about: classic TOP. The idea of thinking "what story am I telling" before opening the shutter; editing & curating our photos; & our 'root' teacher (that'd be one M.Johnston).

It's a funny thing: I too, thought a Leica was pointless, & I was entirely happy with my APS-C dSLR. Then, when I was looking for a weather-resistant (cropped) medium format system for use in the field, there it was. The Leica S2. Subsequently, I have re-gained all the hours looking at gear commentary, & just make photos. I've not felt impelled by the constant upgrade treadmill. On balance, it was eye-wateringly expensive to buy, but has been inexpensive (!) to keep & use. Besides, in the MF sphere, it's sufficient to have no more fingers on one hand, than lenses.

Funny. I don't seem to be able to find the link for "Have Fun With Any Camera" by Mike Johnston in purchases through TOP. I guess it'll take a little more time to show up.

The red chair is a bit like a belated birthday present for you, Mike, as well as a pleasure for us.

This moment, the actual introduction of the K-1, has had me intrigued for years. How would the 43/1.9 Limited lens perform at it's 'design' focal length? (I'd started out with the curiously named *istD.) Would it occur? So I bought the Pentax 645D. Weather-resistant medium-format, with Pentax's superb haptics, & versatile features. Where will it fit with APS-C & medium format? (Thinking of both camera size & the image files.) Once I've come close to deciding, I'll know whether this wonderful camera may work for me.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention above, a couple of battery-powered monolights. Good for in excess of 200 1/1 flashes per battery, & eminently portable. (My assistant is quite small.)

What happens if you just leave the leaves where they fall? I've leaves, eucalyptus bark & nuts, & even limbs just on the ground. On ~2700 square metres.

I like your view of the show: we see actual people, not just the 'stuff'. Bravo. After all, these are all things to be used by people.

My bank has just a few branches. To deposit cheques, I can simply post them, along with a completed deposit form. As for the overseas currencies, pick a bank that will handle the exchange. Here in Oz, I can also open accounts in specified currencies, other than au$, which can simplify the deposit.

A change is as good as a holiday: though from here in the South-East corner of Oz, you'll only change bearing by a few degrees, & distance by a few percent. Hardly any change at all! Anyway, I trust things go well in your new abode.

Sally Mann's innocent work is of her own children at play. What mother does not want the very best for their children? This whole sorry tale takes her love and creativity, and tries to twist it into something nasty. I strongly reject this bitter, petty twisting.

Well put. This is why I read TOP: thoughtful writing about the subject for which we have a passion. I've been trying to nail down my style for years, yet it won't remain still for very long. Maybe that's something to do with this 'photography'.

The iWatch looks mildly interesting to me. Displaying a preview image from an iPhone camera could be useful. As is indicating the time of day. But what about us left-handers, who wear a watch on our right wrist? (And even there, my watches suffer impacts with solid items.) The wheel & button controls are on the wrong side. Can the iWatch display be rotated 180 degrees? That's the crucial question for me.

Photography is about passion. Thus: "cameras enabling passion". Ivan Illich's book "Tools for Conviviality" expresses many valuable ideas. My tools are ideally sharp & specific, a pleasure to use. So I have "friendly cameras". Focusing to much on one aspect, can miss the point. The important thing is the holistic view.

On a shoulder strap running across my body, the Leica S2 (with one lens) seems no more trouble to bring along, ready for photography, than any other camera. A rather large pocket is required for the superlative lenses. Further to R.A. Krajnyak's comment, the RX1[R], with leaf shutter lens & 135-sized sensor, has me very intrigued. If Sony had not used lossy compression on the RAW files, I would likely have a RX1[R]. See "Image Quality" here: http://www.sansmirror.com/cameras/a-note-about-camera-reviews/sony-nex-camera-reviews/sony-a7-and-a7r-review.html and the linked page here: http://www.rawdigger.com/howtouse/sony-craw-arw2-posterization-detection

Maybe it's a self-deprecating thing where 'medium format' is not 'full' of itself. Just middling. Not 'large' nor 'tiny'.

While I've at least a few sample photos made in a variety of genres, nudes are conspicuous by their absence. The public face of a person strikes me as more interesting. To take another's photos & maliciously post them strikes me as just theft. In all sorts of ways.

Mmm. Orange. Good choice. My camera gear has orange cases, that tone with two orange suitcases for travel. I'm pleased someone else thought about keeping an eye on where the camera (or other) gear is going. I like the walk-around S2 & 70mm lens.

Excellent news. Now we know that the world-leading TOP development team has made use of the worm-hole between two very specific spots in Waukesha & Brighton. That explains the ruse of the apparent single desk in the TOP(W) HQ.

I hope the computer behaves itself: left behind at the old place. Last time I moved house, well, really the contents, was just before Christmas. There were no removal firms available. Woops. I ended up calling in all sorts of favours, & had a procession of friends helping my move.

Mike, Just: congratulations. Thanks for so generously sharing your joy & peace with all of us: your "TOP family". One of your well-wishing "siblings".

It's probably just as well I'm in the Antipodes. Otherwise I'd be very tempted to pop around for a cuppa and a chat. Frequently. And that would be likely detrimental for TOP. I'm so pleased things have started to work out. Please just be a bit more careful than I was: I plonked my A3+ inkjet at the end of my desk, with the result it's stuck on the french polishing.

In "The Hills" 40km east of Melbourne, in the Antipodes, we specialise in "four seasons in one day" weather. That's why our Bureau of Meteorology is based here. I consider Autumn to have generally the best weather: reasonably settled, relatively mild with a variety of conditions. And there are the colours of autumn leaves on the deciduous trees. Just wonderful. In Spring, our native plants generally produce their flowers. This is where a macro lens comes into it's own: many of these flowers are quite small and delicate. A treat for those who make the time to look closely. I was about to list the minority categories to which I belong, but I think I shan't: "Please accept my resignation. I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member". (With thanks to Groucho Marx. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Groucho_Marx )

Well! Exciting news. And while the builders are in, you'll be out, testing cameras & lenses, making more photos for us to admire. Sounds like we all have benefitted here.