Category Archives: Interior

Condiments

Wednesday 15th October 2025, 12.35pm (day 5,165)

Condiments, 15/10/25

Life remains unexciting and I doubt this is going to change in the near future. At least lunch was taken somewhere new. The rebellious spark in me wants to just swap a couple of these around. Not rearrange them totally — that would be messy. But, yin-yang style, maybe exchange one of the mayos with one of the ketchups. Doubtless someone would spoil the effect by putting it back: they wouldn’t be able to resist (not if they were anything like Clare, anyway).

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space (used)

Wednesday 8th October 2025, 7.55pm (day 5,158)

Spiritualized CD, 8/10/25

When Spiritualized’s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space album came out in 1997 it was a definite moment in the growth of my musical appreciation. I pulled it out of the pile somewhat randomly this evening and listened to it for the first time in years, but it still works. Apparently this version, packaged like a giant pill-box such as you might get from the pharmacist, is a ‘Special Edition’ and might well have been worth something in 2025 had all that careful replica packaging not been ravaged by repeated plays down the years. Digging it out was the most interesting thing I did today, anyway.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Nightjar in red

Friday 3rd October 2025, 7.40pm (day 5,153)

Nightjar in red, 3/10/25

The Nightjar bar sits under the Picture House so is a logical place to go for a pre-movie drink, as was the case this Friday night. And a word out to the movie, too — Spinal Tap 2, which, pleasingly, was extremely funny and in no way diminishes the original, something definitely not always the case for many such sequels.

Tagged , , , , , , ,

In the Water and Steam Museum

Friday 26th September 2025, 11.20am (day 5,146)

Water and steam museum, 26/9/25

A city the size of London is going to need a lot of water. And unlike, say, Manchester, there are no high hills particularly nearby, in which one can build reservoirs and let gravity do quite a bit of the work of moving that water to where it is needed (water comes all the way to Manchester from the Lake District a hundred miles away through gravity alone). Therefore, some serious pumping is required. What used to be the Kew Bridge pumping station, and is now the London Water and Steam Museum, contains the biggest beam engine ever built, a gargantuan see-saw with a steam engine at one end and the pump at the other. That colossal object was impossible to photograph adequately, but these instruments will do.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

For the reader at seat 32C

Thursday 25th September 2025, 11.35am (day 5,145)

My archives, 25/9/25

And that reader was me, today. Third and, for now, last day working at the National Archives. What’s in the files and boxes? Well, let me get on with writing the book, and some of it, you will find out.

Tagged , , , , , ,

Banjo skeleton

Wednesday 24th September 2025, 1.10pm (day 5,144)

Bano skeleton, 24/9/25

This agreeable piece of whimsy sits in the Cafe Torrelli outside Kew Gardens tube station. I don’t do advertising on here but lunch was pleasant, and I ate better than this guy seems to have recently.

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Rainy Monday

Monday 15th September 2025, 8.20am (day 5,135)

Rainy Monday, 15/9/25

Some might say we haven’t had enough rain in 2025 and probably they have a point, but there’s been quite a bit lately, and today it was obvious even at 8.20am that there was going to be plenty more. So profoundly uneventful was today that this is basically the same shot as on last Monday — only without the boots and with more water outside. But I had work to do, so what the hell.

Tagged , , , , , ,

Two points at cribbage

Sunday 14th September 2025, 2.15pm (day 5,134)

Cribbage, 14/9/25

Post-Sunday lunch card gaming. Clare demanded to play cribbage for the first time in a long while. Only the Brighton & Hove Albion cards could be found. Didn’t faze her – she won 2-1.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Customer feedback

Friday 12th September 2025, 5.45pm (day 5,132)

Restaurant post its, 12/9/25

This Japanese restaurant certainly solicits some kind of comment from its customers — most of its walls were like this, not just this one. And the wife (Friday Night Date) and I were very satisfied too, good food. I don’t do advertising on this blog but you might look in the High Street area of Manchester city centre if you want a decent ramen. I know this shot is overly pink but I did do my best with the white balance.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The tapping of feet

Wednesday 10th September 2025, 4.40pm (day 5,130)

Feet tapping, Railway, 10/9/25

Another less-than-exciting day: I am spending most of this week marking dissertations. One thing about the Railway is that it’s always had a very decent juke box. I don’t remember exactly what track was on at 4.40 this Thursday afternoon but whatever it was, this person was not the only one tapping at least one of their feet to it.

Tagged , , , , , , ,