Sunday 8th March 2026, 3.15pm (day 5,309)
A Sunday afternoon game of cribbage. I won 3-2, by the way. As C pointed out when she first saw this, sometimes a blur is exactly the point of the shot.
Clare deals crib
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Category Archives: Interior
Domestic appliance shop – the antique section
Thursday 26th February 2026, 12 noon (day 5,299)
Having mentioned my cameras yesterday, be it noted that our washing machine expired instantaneously last week, virtually exploding in the middle of its final spin (I thought a pneuamatic drill had started up outside). We need a new one, and in such circumstances round here, Domestic Discounts in Halifax (advt.) is the place to go. They do have some newer models than these ones. I like their 1950s robot look: but, I suppose, robots is what they are, machines to do our labour for us — though the auto-mangle has not yet been invented.
Very fine albums
Thursday 19th February 2026, 10.30am (day 5,292)
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.
First flames
Wednesday 18th February 2026, 4.30pm (day 5,291)
Brrrr! It’s cold outside. Get that fire lit!
Harvey Keitel (kinda)
Friday 13th February 2026, 9.40pm (day 5,286)
Today it was either Harvey Keitel or an avocado. I asked the wife. She said, she liked the avocado, but, Harvey Keitel. So here you are. (You know the movie, right?)
Al Fardan Exchange metro
Monday 9th February 2026, 11.30am (day 5,282)
Another one where the verticals are doing a lot of the work. He looked pretty keen to get on the train that was coming: so was I, as it was the first leg (well, second, if I include the five-minute walk there from the hotel) of my journey home. I might be back next year… I might not. I probably wouldn’t come to Dubai on my own account but it’s not a bad place I suppose.
Authentic incomprehensibility
Friday 30th January 2026, 2.10pm (day 5,272)
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?
St Denys’ church, Rotherfield
Thursday 29th January 2026, 12.40pm (day 5,271)
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.
Dewsbury station footbridge
Saturday 24th January 2026, 11.50am (day 5,266)
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.
In the doorway
Friday 23rd January 2026, 5.00pm (day 5,265)
It’s Friday, it’s 5pm and, well, we’re in the usual place. It’d be great if the golden glow behind the beer glass was some tropical sunset, but sadly not, In fact we’ve barely seen sunshine for two weeks.
Being 42 