Earlyish start in Manchester for all of us… The third shot in nine days to be taken from more or less the same spot (along with this one and this one) — all within a few yards of each other, anyway.
A row of tents, from which are emerging a range of nice-smelling foodstuffs each lunchtime, seems to have established itself recently on Bridgeford Street on the uni campus. Probably it is just an exam season thing, but they seem to be getting enough business to make it a viable permanent fixture.
Gibson Mill, buried in the heart of the woods of Hardcastle Crags about 2.5 miles from Hebden Bridge town centre, has in its time been a mill, a roller-disco (honestly) and, now, the visitor centre for this National Trust property. This is something of a stock Hebden Bridge shot, but one that has as yet been unseen on this blog. (And seeing as I’m still trying to avoid repetition after 1,740 days, I guess that means it will now be unseen in the future. So make the most of it.)
A nice, sunny Sunday, which I saw nothing of, being confined at home grading assignments and wondering (among other things) what I was going to offer for today’s shot. But I did not give up; as night fell I got this shot of the tenement-style housing across the way. Why this line of top-and-bottom housing (the upper levels will be a different house from the lower, facing the street behind) is named for Gustave Eiffel I have no idea, probably it was all being built around the same time as that tower in Paris and so someone paid tribute.
Not an exciting shot, because not an exciting day, sometimes you just have to hang around at home and get the chores done. Tomorrow won’t be any more eventful either. At least it gives me the chance to show how the garden has started producing: the leeks, mint, rhubarb, rosemary and kale you see here all went into dinner, in their different ways.
A later ramble through Manchester city centre than yesterday. This shot could be sharper but I still like it, particularly as, when you look closely, you see there are two pairs of hands there, texting away.
Another shot of Manchester architecture, this time a more significant building despite its unassuming appearance. This is the former office of the great Factory Records, founded by the late Tony Wilson and which gave the world Joy Division, the Happy Mondays and the Haçienda nightclub amongst others. Although actually they only moved to this building relatively late in the label’s existence (if you have seen the movie Twenty Four Hour Party People this will be the scene of the (probably mythical) moment when Rob Gretton attacks Wilson over the cost of the table at which they’re having their meeting). As you can see it will soon be overshadowed by whatever is being built on the site of the old BBC building behind.
Incidentally, and one for the anoraks, this shot is taken at the same time as yesterday’s (allowing for the rounding to the nearest 5 minutes which I always do). This is the 13th time in the 1,736 days when there have been two consecutive shots at the same time. The nearest I’ve come to three in a row remains 20th – 22nd November 2011 (9:55am, 9:50 and 9:50).
On a grey day spent entirely working at home it’s always helpful for the photography when one of the local herons turns up in the Hebden Water just below my house. They are not particularly willing models — this one saw me a few seconds after I got this shot and flew off — perhaps that explains why it looks a bit rueful here, its neck tucked in, shoulders hunched. That’s why I’m calling it “Humph”, I can imagine that coming out of its mouth in a speech bubble.
Manchester city centre, like all big city centres, is now substantially formed of anonymous glass buildings like these, the coating probably not doing much for the insulation, but look at the lovely reflection effect it gives. I like taking pictures of buildings though I am sure all would be better composed if I had a hundred-foot tall crane to lift me up and get the perspective right.
My weekend was Sunday and today. I still seem willing to get up to the Lake District when I can — it’s been six weeks since my last visit, I was getting itchy. Probably I’ll still be doing it when I’m this guy’s age. After all, with a backdrop like this for one’s life — how can it be wrong? The lake is Derwent Water, the town Keswick, the mountains are all worth the time, if I haven’t convinced you yet to visit this part of the world then you really haven’t been paying attention. (See my other blog for the details of today’s walk, and all the rest of them too.)
