Jun 01 2026
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Daily Post, Urban scene, Hebden Bridge

Power to the cats

Sunday 31st May 2026, 4.05pm (day 5,393)

Chinese power cats, 31/5/26

The automatic waving cats in the window of the local Asian food store all seemed to be raising the fist in unison this afternoon. At some point in the far future, archaeologists (if such a profession remains by then) may well dig some of these up and ponder on their use in idolatry or some other kind of religious context. But, no, they are just pointless tat, although endearing enough. Maybe the same is true of those similar cat statues dug up from Egypt or wherever. Only the original owners know…

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May 31 2026
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Daily Post, Sport

Fishing in the Hebden Water

Saturday 30th May 2026, 2.30pm (day 5,392)

Fishing, Hebden Water, 30/5/26

This being the first Saturday since 7th February (when I was working in Dubai) that I did not have a football match to go to, I needed other entertainments. Not that I joined in with whatever these two were up to. My lifetime’s participation in the sport of angling (if sport it is) lasted about two hours, when I was about fourteen years old. I’ve spent more time potholing, in fact (about three hours in 1991): which also involved wading around in undesirably cold water for most of the time.

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May 30 2026
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Daily Post, Interior

The endless task

Friday 29th May 2026, 2.50pm (day 5,391)

Grading, endless, 29/5/26

It’s that time of year again. Oh God. At least I don’t have to do them all.

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May 29 2026
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Halifax station

Thursday 28th May 2026, 12.40pm (day 5,390)

Halifax station, 28/5/26

In effect, this was the last leg of my journey home from Scotland — I had to take the hire car back then came home on the train. There’ll be plenty of shots of the local area in the next three weeks, I’m not going anywhere. You find all of this stuff fascinating, I know.

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May 29 2026
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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Broad Law, summit architecture

Wednesday 27th May 2026, 11.05am (day 5,389)

Broad Law beacon, 27/5/26

The drive home — with a walk on the way, to the summit of Broad Law, the highest point in the Scottish Borders at 2,760 feet. There was not a great deal to see on the way up, but the top is graced by this construction, a VOR beacon (that is, Very high frequency Omnidirectional Range — so now you know). Should every mountain have one? Well, probably not, but this one does.

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May 29 2026
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Chimney pot plant

Tuesday 26th May 2026, 10.35am (day 5,388)

Dundee chimneys, 26/5/26

I am days behind with my posts — and Tuesday 26th May was not an exciting one, I spent most of it in the flat in Dundee, trying to work but (as is the case most of the time these days) not exhibiting a great deal of mojo. The picture is one of those ‘what can I see out of the window’ moments. Let’s at least speculate as to why this specific chimney pot proved such an attractive home for the foliage. It’s something to do.

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May 26 2026
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

A cup of tea in the Glen

Monday 25th May 2026, 11.05am (day 5,387)

Today was a public holiday, although whether this was actually being observed in Scotland was a matter of opinion (Joe had a class at uni today for instance). Either way, on a sunny day, work didn’t seem like a priority, and I was certainly not the only one taking some form of outdoor exercise this morning. If you find this place on a map (the glen in question being Campsie Glen) you will be able to work out where I and this gentleman took it. But not at this specific point in time. I was just setting out, but he could be at any point in his day.

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May 24 2026
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Daily Post, Sport

Victory celebrations

Sunday 24th May 2026, 1.35pm (day 5,386)

Cup winners, 24/5/26

The players and hangers-on of Andreou’s FC (it’s a bistro in Arbroath, apparently) celebrate their lifting of the Angus & Mearns Amateur Football Association Cup, and if you think it’s rather sad to get so excited about such a local thing, well, you didn’t live through their remarkable 7-5 win over Kirriemuir Thistle this Sunday morning. It was 3-3 at 90 minutes, and on a warm day, the period of extra time was characterised by some rather knackered defending, but I didn’t care and, evidently, neither did they. Well done to them.

I have been to 95 football matches this season — a new personal record — but today was the last. For a few weeks, anyway.

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May 24 2026
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Daily Post, Art and architecture

The memorial on Dundee Law

Saturday 23rd May 2026, 1.05pm (day 5,385)

Dundee Law memorial, 23/5/26

Who knows how long The Child will stay in Dundee but for now the place is coming to feel familiar enough. I have developed a habit of ascending Dundee Law each time I come to the city. The view is excellent and the massive memorial on the summit certainly does its job. Making it up to the top from Joe’s flat, without a break, has become a good marker of whether I’m still fit enough for satisfaction.

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May 23 2026
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Daily Post, Landscape, Transport

West Coast Main Line

Friday 22nd May 2026, 10.45am (day 5,384)

Train from Tebay, 22/5/26

My day was spent driving to Scotland. This took at least an hour longer than it usually does thanks to an excess of traffic around Edinburgh, of which, of course, I was a component part. Being whisked north by train instead does appeal but there are advantages and disadvantages to both modes of transport. (Anyway, the train pictured is travelling south.) As seen from Tebay services on the M6, a frequently-used stopping point on this particular journey — though not for rail passengers.

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