Category Archives: Portrait

Hair Studio?

Friday 10th October 2025, 3.40pm (day 5,160)

Hair Studio, 10/10/25

An uneventful day to mark the 34th anniversary of my becoming a resident of Yorkshire. I turned up to stay for a few weeks on 10/10/1991 and seem not to have left since. Anyway, that has nothing to do with today’s shot which I include as a prompt for speculation — just what is it that this guy expects to get out of his appointment in the Hair Studio? OK, there is a glimpse of a beard, but surely not one voluminous enough to make professional attention necessary. But what do I know? (Note: white post carefully placed to assist anonymisation.)

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Half-time penalty shootout

Saturday 27th September 2025, 1.25pm (day 5,147)

Orient mascot, 27/9/25

Went to Leyton Orient FC, of League One, today simply because I had never been there — it’s another one of those list-making things — a lunchtime kick-off making it straightforward at both ends of the day. Their two dragon mascots were quite endearing and going on the faces of the crowd behind, at least a couple of whom are clearly old enough to make their own judgments here, the locals think so too. They lost the game, though: 2-3 to Stevenage.

A full week of shots in London, then — 7 in a row. But that was the last, for three weeks anyway. At this rate, the capital will overtake the Lake District sooner rather than later and become the third most-depicted place on here, after Hebden and Manchester. I like the countryside, yes, but I must admit to quite liking London, too.

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The meeting breaks for lunch

Wednesday 3rd September 2025, 1.20pm (day 5,123)

Meeting break, 3/9/25

There is still just under a month to go until I start teaching the latest intake, but plenty needs doing to be ready for that day. Hence the length of the morning meeting. I skulk around, visible as a shadow in the mirror, while my colleagues emerge in the direction of lunch.

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T-shirt axiom

Saturday 30th August 2025, 11.30am (day 5,119)

T-shirt philosophy, 30/8/25

I’ll go with that. In fact I’d quite like this T-shirt, which is one reason I took a photograph of it. As seen on platform 17 of Leeds station this morning.

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Unexpected presence at birthday drinks

Tuesday 26th August 2025, 5.15pm (day 5,115)

Stormtrooper, 26//25

5.15pm on day 5,115 and it’s the start of the 15th year of the blog. All of which is numerologically pleasing but has nothing to do with the shot, and the shot has nothing to do with my birthday as such. As the stormtrooper helmet was there, it got worn by Mark, at least for a short time. Tony looks on in his usual measured fashion.

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Trying to make an impression?

Sunday 24th August 2025, 1.45pm (day 5,113)

Press ups, 24/8/25

Possibly she has known this guy for years and considers this just normal behaviour. Possibly they met last week in the gym and their Sunday in Bradford city centre is a first date. Possibly I should stop speculating about the lives of total strangers, but let me retain my little entertainments here and there.

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Busking in the square

Friday 22nd August 2025, 5.10pm (day 5,111)

Busker with organ, 22/8/25

Another week that I am glad to get to the end of. There seem to be a lot of these lately, at least where work is concerned. No matter, it’s Friday evening, and there was some half-decent music down in town courtesy of this gentleman and his relatively portable retro equipment.

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Redcar Beach

Saturday 16th August 2025, 4.00pm (day 5,105)

Redcar beach, 16/8/25

Only in Britain do we really try to create seaside resorts on north-facing coasts at latitudes like 56º above the equator: but Redcar, near Middlesbrough, just about gets away with it thanks to having a really excellent beach that stretches for miles. Even when the sun is out, though, you still need to be quite hardy to make a day of it, but obviously this family have the necessary genetic qualities.

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On campus, Friday morning

Friday 15th August 2025, 9.45am (day 5,104)

On campus portrait, 15/8/25

Going on the visual and auditory evidence on this Friday in August, and the occupancy rates of nearby car parks, I might have been the only person to actually be present for work in the Ellen Wilkinson Building today. It was certainly a quiet one, anyway. I like the patterns on this shot, and a general feeling of monochrome calm.

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Café Delight

Saturday 19th July 2025, 9.45am (day 5,077)

Café Delight, 19/7/25

It was a nice café and I certainly needed a decent breakfast this morning. Getting down to the fine details of the compsition, I’d rather the pole in the centre wasn’t there, but otherwise this works for me — though of course if she had been smiling I might not have used it. So it goes with irony.

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