Feb 03 2026
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

Celebrating a life

Monday 2nd February 2026, 2.35pm (day 5,275)

At Steve's wake, 2/2/26

I do not know exactly how many people have appeared on this blog and subsequently died, for I cannot account for all the strangers who have been in shots. As of today, though, there are certainly at least six such people among friends and family. Steve Cooper — always known in the pub as ‘Little Steve’ (not that the other Steve is particularly large) had appeared three times, most recently on 28th March 2025. He passed away on 6th January aged 63, today was his funeral and then wake at the Railway, where it had to be. Other members of the crew are pictured looking happy, which is the main reason I pick the shot — as the booklet on the table announces, it was meant to be a celebratin, not sorrowful. But Steve will be missed, as will all friends when they are no longer with us.

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Feb 02 2026
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Daily Post, Sport

Half-time huddle

Sunday 1st February 2026, 11.20am (day 5,274)

Half time, 1/2/26

The players of AC Soulseek ponder the 45 minutes that are to come, though not without unhappiness, as they are 3-1 up at this point. Wasn’t I here basically a year ago? Yes, but I cannot honestly think of a more agreeable place to spend a Sunday morning in London — as long as it isn’t raining.

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Jan 31 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

The holy temple of Ganesh-with-Pigeon

Saturday 31st January 2026, 1.55pm (day 5,273)

Ganesh with pigeon. 31/1/26

The Hindu religion seems quite into its animalistic deities and idols, so I am sure that Ganesh and all his colleagues are quite happy that this superbly kitsch temple facade in Walthamstow has clearly become home to a number of pigeons.

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Jan 31 2026
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Daily Post, Interior

Authentic incomprehensibility

Friday 30th January 2026, 2.10pm (day 5,272)

Incomprehensible manuscript, 30/1/26

In case you were wondering I have been doing at least some work on this trip, including today, spent in the Asian and African Reading Room of the British Library, carrying on hunting down some sources relevant to St Helena and the East India Company. Some of them were useful and interesting (published tirades against incompetent former Governors and Deputies which for vituperativeness rival anything 21st century social media can offer). Some were useful, but not authentic documents; photocopies are OK but not quite the same when it comes to feeling connected to the authors.

This one was authentic — but as you can see, almost completely incomprehensible. I can see an ‘and’ here and there. And, oh look, that’s an ‘if’ towards the bottom right. How much valuable information is now lost despite being properly preserved and archived — simply because the handwriting is so goddamn awful?

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Jan 30 2026
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Daily Post, Interior

St Denys’ church, Rotherfield

Thursday 29th January 2026, 12.40pm (day 5,271)

Rotherfield church, 29/1/26

The little Sussex village of Rotherfield has two things going for it, as far as I am concerned. The first is that it was where I lived through my teenage years, more or less. The fact it has never before appeared on the blog (thus becoming featured place no. 522 with this shot) indicates that I have had little reason to come back here since departing in 1988 — at least not since the rest of the family also decamped from there a few years later. But I did make a day trip there today, for curiosity and something to do as much as anything else.

The second thing Rotherfield has in its favour is its church, a 13th-century masterpiece, a monstrously large building for such a little place. It’s the only thing worth seeing in the village but worth seeing it definitely is. Check out those ancient murals on the wall ahead, visible to the left of and above the arch: not to mention the 1,500-year old yew outside. These things were seen…. and now Rotherfield may well be unvisited again by me for a decade and a half. But hopefully all this will still be there for many years to come.

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Jan 30 2026
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Barbican

Wednesday 28th January 2026, 11.15am (day 5,270)

Barbican estate, 28/1/26

I like the Barbican estate in the City of London, particularly on a sunny and pleasant day. If someone were to offer me the chance to live anywhere in London (it’ll never happen) I would choose here, it just seems like a fairly peaceful and attractive spot despite, or perhaps because of, all the brutalism. It’s interesting to look at a map of modern London and trace the outline of the old medieval, walled city: many of the place names make it clear what used to be there — Moorgate, Smithfield, Barbican.

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Jan 29 2026
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Approaching the Temperate House, Kew

Tuesday 27th January 2026, 12 noon (day 5,269)

Kew Gardens, 27/1/26

A first-ever visit to Kew, and yes, it counted as work — as the nation’s premier botanical gardens this was a crucial node in the networks of information, learning and capital which formed the basis of the British Empire from the 18th century on, and to which St Helena and Ascension Island were intimately linked. Ahead, one of the entrances to the Temperate House, which at one point was the largest glasshouse in the world, and is still the largest surviving Victorian one.

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Jan 28 2026
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Fruit and veg

Monday 26th January 2026, 11.10am (day 5,268)

Fruit and veg, 26/1/26

Actually, maybe there aren’t any vegetables in view here — technically. Tomatoes are definitely fruit and I guess peppers are too. But what the hell. There are certainly some decent ingredients available throughout this city: it sucks them in from the countryside, like it sucks other kinds of capital, financial, environmental and otherwise.

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Jan 26 2026
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Living way up in the air

Sunday 25th January 2026, 2.00pm (day 5,267)

Walthamstow apartment, 25/1/25

I am now staying in London for a week, and for all of it I am going to look out of my hotel window and see these balconies. I wonder whether the couch you see here will be used much in January, but I guess it’s something that makes one’s elevated rabbit hutch a somewhat more agreeable place to live.

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Jan 25 2026
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Daily Post, Interior

Dewsbury station footbridge

Saturday 24th January 2026, 11.50am (day 5,266)

Dewsbury footbridge, 24/1/26

I have been meaning to feature the footbridge at Dewsbury railway station for a while: it’s just got an appealingly old-fashioned feel to it. On the far end also resides one of the best station pubs in the country — yes, almost as good as Stalybridge’s — it is undepicted here but take my word for it. It’s the best thing about Dewsbury, anyway.

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