This seems a very long time ago now. Another reason that I could not sort out my dead Mac for as long as I did was that we had to run Joe back up to his second year of uni in Dundee (of which more shortly). Two days before, we had the latest in what seems a series of farewell meals. Doubtless there’ll be more, unless of course this time he never comes back at all.
No particular point being made with this one, I just think it is a nice portrait. Sometimes C and I try to stop ourselves going out in co-ordinated gear but with these two you get the feeling the choices are carefully made.
Welcome to the era of the ‘hybrid’ academic conference, run by hassled people in rooms trying to get the technology to work properly. If we could just stand up and talk it would be a lot more reliable. Still ,Marije — and the other members of the KBSI2022 team — did their best, and it has been worth coming over to the Netherlands, rather than sitting at home and doing all of this crap.
My first picture from the European mainland since I was in Bucharest on 2nd February 2020. To get to this point required me to negotiate a 55-minute queue at St. Pancras station, then three trains, then this bus, proving that other countries can do ‘Rail Replacement Buses’ just as enthusiastically as we can in the UK. And there was still another bus to come after this one. I now feel like the guy sat opposite me here — time for an early night.
In 1689 there was civil war across Britain and Ireland as the Catholic King James II and the Protestant William of Orange vied for the throne. Derry was besieged for months before the forces of William finally prevailed, there and in the later Battle of the Boyne. And that victory has basically defined British politics ever since, and certainly Northern Irish politics.
The annual commemoration of the siege of Derry, the Apprentice Boys’ parade, is not as politically charged as once it was — in 1969 this event effectively set off the whole Troubles — but one might as well still see it as a political demonstration, conducted by a large number of middle-aged white men affecting a military style of dress. It made for good photo opportunities, but I document without sympathising.
Despite the various depredations of different kinds of Authority I am trying to affect a state of relaxation, and this gentleman, by the River Ouse in York, seems to be someone I can aspire to right now. I assume he’s not eaing the ‘ice cream for dogs’ though (see sign).
It is, perhaps, a little early to be taking a nap, but it was Sunday, after all. We’ve all been there.
Bacup Borough FC’s ground, the Brian Boys West View Stadium, is located at about 280m/920 feet above sea level. Which, OK, is not very high by the standards of some countries but for Britain it’s elevated: in fact this is one of the highest football grounds in the country. So even at the end of July it wasn’t exactly tropical. The goalie ponders play while the moorland ponders dumping some more rain on all participants and spectators.
After several days of inanimate objects it was time to put some people back on the blog and the choice today was between two groups of roughly similar size, dressed in red, celebrating something. I could have gone with the footballers of Campion FC who were witnessed winning the ‘Yorkshire Trophy’, a pre-season warm-up tournament but they put in the effort. However, let’s instead go with this one of these postal workers, clearly celebrating the end of their working week in the Rose & Crown pub opposite the main sorting office in Cleckheaton. And they put in the effort too, all the time in fact.
Like this gentleman, I felt that a ramble in the Chiltern hills was a fine way of spending a warm, sunny Sunday morning (and I got another County Top out of my efforts, if you want to read more). Unlike this gentleman, however, I did it in clothing: this bloke really was stark bollock naked other thank his pack and shoes. This shot is a rear view only but I can assure you he was letting it all hang out. I hope he had sunscreen. He looked rather grumpy about it, all things considered.
Being 42 