* Work: Summer seems like a long time ago, even more so as my work in July and August is quite separate to what happened when September came along, and what I’m doing now. August saw me hand over the Custom PC and bit-tech Editor’s Chair – for it is a chair, nay, a throne more like, bejewelled wi’ rubies and emeralds and all the riches of the Orient – and I didn’t really do a whole lot of writing for the site in these two final months. Nothing on the blog, but I did contribute a couple of reviews of two fabulous Xbox Live Arcade games. I’ve never played a game that engages with death quite as viscerally and tenderly as Limbo. It’s a distinctive, bleak and audacious game that really stuck with me. The other game I looked at was the far lighter Snoopy Flying Ace, an arcade flying game that’s visually charming but with hard-hitting, exciting combat.

So, seven years, and 85 issues of Custom PC and nearly two years of bit-tech and that’s… that. I didn’t go out with a bang, but happily, these were two pieces I had the time to invest myself in and write well. Since both publications will go from strength-to-strength (and it’s not a complete goodbye), an exit via the side-door, quietly, with a bit of grace is entirely suitable. I’ll cover what I’m doing now in the next blog post, as it’s still all in the mix a little.

* Away from work, I spent the summer really getting into cycling, and over on The Wired Jester I posted some thoughts on riding the bike through London. It’s still not really a frequently updated blog, but stepping away from day-to-day journalism means I’ve had a bit more writing energy for the last couple of posts, which is a-good-thing(TM).

* Photography: I’ve finally put up some pictures from last year’s trip to Baltimore, Washington and the scenery inbetween. I also put up the photos from a brief trip to Gothenburg and the Swedish coast. Beautiful silvery light, and since I’ve started using Lightroom 3, I finally feel I’m getting a little closer to what I want from my photography. If you’re a digital SLR photographer and haven’t tried it yet, it’s an absolute must. It will make a bigger difference to your photography than any new lens or body, so stop saving for that, and get Lightroom instead.

I’m also using Instagr.am on the iPhone, as sifter if you want to add me.

* Freelance-wise, my Mac User column continues, and I was quite happy to revel in my geekery with this one, which begins with a debate as to which country has the best plug.