Being 42

Apr 12 2026

Play-off semi-final

Saturday 11th April 2026, 4.35pm (day 5,343)

Some leagues get themselves wrapped up early, like the Northern Counties East League, which has already reached its play-offs. These are fans of Beverley Town, the home team. There are about 10 minutes to go on the clock at this point (though what they don’t yet know is that the ref is going to keep things going for about 20) and the 1-0 lead is going to be retained, don’t worry folks — although if you ask me most of them are looking at their phones at this point.

Tagged 56, crowd, football, gallery, non-league, photography, photos, play-off, semi-final, spectators, stadium

Apr 11 2026

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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Fungus on the barstool

Friday 10th April 2026, 5.15pm (day 5,342)

After a run of travelling, today marks the start of a period to be spent mostly at home, and ended where many Fridays do, namely the pub. There I noticed that the old logs used, now and again, as bar stools have a rather encrusted look about them which was a worthy subject for illustration. In fact there are a number of regulars of the Railway who affect this kind of thing, with me probably among them, these days.

Tagged 56, fungus, gallery, photography, photos, pub, Railway Inn, stool, wood

Apr 10 2026

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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Swindon mural

Thursday 9th April 2026, 10.20am (day 5,341)

More use of other people’s art, but Swindon, where I stayed after yesterday’s walk, seems to have quite a lot of it and much of it is pretty good. Better than covering these hoardings with advertising anyway. I have noticed in Manchester that there is a mural which is simultaneously an advert, however: corporate public art in other words…. Let us hope this trend is generally resisted.

Tagged animals, art, flowers, gallery, mural, photography, photos, public art, Swindon

Apr 09 2026

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Art and architecture, Daily Post, Landscape

The Uffington White Horse

Wednesday 8th April 2026, 10.20am (day 5,340)

The Uffington White Horse is 360 feet long (110m if you insist) and may be over 3,000 years old. Most of the hill figures carved into the chalk downlands of southern and eastern England are modern imitations but this is the real aboriginal deal. Like most art, it’s designed to be seen straight on, not at some oblique angle from just above its top right-hand corner. But it’s still mighty impressive. Whomever it was first dreamt this up and then managed to organise its production — I say, good for them.

For more pictures from today’s walk see my other blog.

Tagged 56, county top, gallery, hike, hiking, horse, Oxfordshire, photography, photos, prehistoric, walk, walking

Apr 07 2026

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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Big beetle building

Tuesday 7th April 2026, 11.20am (day 5,339)

Surely the title of this post is self-explanatory. I love it. I just wish I could remember exactly where I took this picture: it is somewhere on either Howland St or New Cavendish St, somewhere very close to the BT Tower. But I cannot find it on Google Street View (last updated in that area in about 2021) which suggests it has only been there for a couple of years. Great effect, though: and presumably functional in some form or other. Going on the way all the pipes run into it I assume this is the air-con, or possibly the pillar of the structural integrity of the superframe, or something.

Tagged gallery, London, photography, insect, photos, building, beetle, design, 56

Apr 07 2026

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Daily Post, Interior

Breakfast with good fortune

Monday 6th April 2026, 9.55am (day 5,338)

I don’t know, I spend the whole day — and a public holiday, no less — in one of the planet’s most significant cities and I feel like depicting at the end of it is breakfast. What this says about me, I no longer care. Actually I am quite happy with this picture: like many of the ones I like the best it is the one I intended to take when pressing the shutter. Over the road, the “Good Fortune Studio” stayed just like that throughout my 48 hours at this particular Travelodge, and that says something too.

Tagged 56, breakfast, eating, gallery, graffiti, hotel, London, photography, photos

Apr 05 2026

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Daily Post, Transport

Fallen bicycles

Sunday 5th April 2026, 2.20pm (day 5,337)

The legacy of Storm Dave. We will rebuild.

Tagged 56, bicycles, bike, cyclist, fallen, gallery, London, photography, photos, weather, wind

Apr 05 2026

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Daily Post, Urban scene

New arrival in Dewsbury?

Saturday 4th April 2026, 1.55pm (day 5,336)

So I’m trying to work this one out. Did someone simply not bother to overpaint, or remove, the entire sign? Or was the original commission a misunderstanding, and Kirklees County Council fully intended to warn drivers and others that around the corner they might encounter one or more specimens of Equus zebra? Inquiring minds want to know.

Tagged 56, car, Dewsbury, gallery, photography, photos, road sign, sign, zebra, zebra crossing

Apr 04 2026

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Art and architecture, Daily Post

Rochdale mural

Friday 3rd April 2026, 6.10pm (day 5,335)

I have no problem using other people’s art to pep up the blog and this is remarkably good. Apparently, with a pair of 3-D glasses on, it comes out even better. So effective is it that I resisted the temptation to post something from this afternoon’s football match, although Rochdale 2 Morecambe 4 was such an unexpected and pleasing result that the temptation was a strong one, I must admit.