A state to which I aspire? Well, it would be nice. In fact I’m unsure I even want to be particularly busy with it. But I’m not there yet, and even if I was, I couldn’t live on a boat. At least, not one without a substantial and comfortable bathroom, which, I’m led to believe, most do not have.
It may seem surprising that these seats were not filled for a Merseyside derby, but this was Liverpool v Everton in the Women’s FA Cup, and also not being played in the city of Liverpool but in the stadium of St Helens rugby league team. There was a reasonable crowd packed into one side of the ground but the other three stands were mostly left empty. Someone’s still got to be ready to retrieve the balls, though. Or maybe this guy’s simply taking a break and hoping no one’s noticed.
This shot could be in sharper focus, but never mind, I like its repetitive character.
Until recently this was a field. Now, see for yourself. Soon, it seems, this will be “Heather” (sic); touted on the nearby advertising board as “Original Housing for Modern Lifestyles”, which is as bland and meaningless a piece of blurb as I’ve ever read (tell me just what will be ‘original’ about it all, and we’ll start from there). By the time they’re done I guess they hope someone will still be able to afford to buy them.
Damp, and packing up early. So much of 2026 thus far has been dull and drizzly weather — nothing poor, not in West Yorkshire anyway: other places have had snow, or storms, but not us. We have just remained clamped under the same grey clouds for weeks now.
80s music aficionados will surely recognise the work of New Order (and Peter Saville) on the left: what a fine album is Power, Corruption and Lies. Hook and Sumner’s guitars are melodic and brilliant and they’d all discovered Ecstasy too. The 80s peaked right there if you ask me. Marc Almond puts in an appearance as well, and his lot weren’t bad either. Sadly I will never now see Soft Cell live, thanks to Dave Ball popping off this mortal coil last year (RIP). Clare went in 2021 but I was on St Helena at the time: bugger.
Brrrr! It’s cold outside. Get that fire lit!
For the second semester in a row I have been allocated a 4-6pm teaching slot, and, as yet, we are nowhere near far enough into the spring for me to be seeing sunsets on a Tuesday; it’s dark by the time I emerge. The walk home then begins up Brook Street, which for some time now has been consistently a traffic jam at about 6.10pm. The cause is obvious, and I’m sure all the Manchester drivers are very happy when they realise there is, as far as I can tell, nothing in particular going on in the coned-off lane.
Whomever stencilled this on Cross Street, Manchester, is obviously referring to the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum theory — the idea that whenever a decision is taken, both possibilities play out, and so all possible worlds exist as parallel universes. Which is all very well but if, somewhere, I am the King of Norway — or banged up in a concentration camp for some perceived felony or other — or having great sex with Natalie Portman on a regular basis — the “I” that exists in this reality still had to go to work on this Monday morning. Another proposition then — it is what it is.
Couldn’t decide between two pictures today and went with this one largely to avoid having two pictures in the same weekend taken in the cinema. But this one will do. It has been a while since something has used the dry dock in Hebden town centre, but this barge obliged today while also being quite well-decorated, although what a tsunami has to do with the water on a canal does pass me by. Wishful thinking perhaps?
After dull weather for what seems like the whole year, at least in Yorkshire, the forecast relented and a Saturday walk in the sunshine duly transpired. I am pleased with this shot; the positioning seems just right and she does make quite a nice shape. The walk was quite good too (but more details are still to be posted on the County Tops blog — bear with me).
Being 42 