Wednesday 12th April 2017, 6.50pm (day 2,057)
Something tells me these three have been drinking buddies for a long time. They are all consuming their pints at the same speed, note.
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Category Archives: Portrait
Leaving the house
Sunday 2nd April 2017, 4.25pm (day 2,047)
An opportunity to picture the new coat that Joe acquired for his birthday last month, with suitable patch now installed. His choice, in case you were wondering — he does claim to like this popular beat combo.
John, outside the Railway
Friday 31st March 2017, 5.50pm (day 2,045)
As March becomes April and it turns into spring, it’s nice to be able to sit outside the Railway, in reasonable warmth and evening sunlight, for the first time in about a year and a half. John: meet the blog. Followers of the blog: meet John.
Cherry blossom worship
Tuesday 28th March 2017, 10.40am (day 2,042)
Last full day in Japan. A couple of free hours this morning were spent in Shinjuku-gyoen park, along with several thousand other people, most of whom seemed to be cooing over the blossoming cherry trees (sakura), with dozens of Japanese engaging in what I could only perceive as a form of fundamental nature worship beneath each one. A total stranger asked me in the hotel elevator this evening whether I had seen the blossoms. They even have national news announcements, blossom forecasts if you like, stating where the best displays are to be found. I don’t dispute these plants’ beauty, but I can’t help thinking — you know, we have cherry blossoms in England too. They’re just there. But clearly I’m missing something.
The Osaka recruitment fair
Thursday 23rd March 2017, 7.00pm (day 2,037)
I am here to work rather than just swan around visiting shrines, so here is a picture of that side of my life. We are trying to persuade Japanese potential students to come and study in Manchester — many of whom are vastly intelligent, fluent in English and would be obvious assets to the intellectual community, only you try telling this to certain elements in the reactionary press. Anyway, ignoring this aspect of our lives my colleague James, on the left, and his temporary client, seem happy enough as they discuss how to arrange this. I like this picture, it makes it feel like our presence here has a real positive point.
This week’s transit lounge (Helsinki)
Monday 20th March 2017, 4.55pm (day 2,034)
I am sat in my hotel room in Tokyo as I type this, but there can be no photos of Japan for this day as I didn’t touch Asian soil until Tuesday morning. This is Helsinki, which a few years ago had several shots on this blog in its own right but since then has become another one of those places (Copenhagen, Schiphol, Istanbul….) seen as an airport transfer but not otherwise ‘real’. How does it compare? Well, it has a decent amount of booze in it as you can see. And there was sunshine, which was certainly more than there was in Manchester on departure, or indeed on Tokyo on arrival, both teeming with rain.
Heading home
Thursday 16th March 2017, 5.55pm (day 2,030)
Long day for me today. In on the 7am train out of HB and back on the 17.45 from Manchester, on which this shot was taken. I felt like the woman in the middle.
Choosing dinner
Sunday 12th March 2017, 4.45pm (day 2,026)
Uneventful Sunday due to having to work, after which the in-laws came round and took us out for dinner, which was nice. Here we study the menus attentively although four of the five diners all ate the same thing anyway (roast lamb). And very nice it was too.
Dinner, the aftermath
Thursday 9th March 2017, 11.05pm (day 2,023)
I could have uploaded another picture of snowy land- or urban-scapes but let’s pay tribute to the people who have made my stay in Tromsø a highly enjoyable and hospitable one. Helene relaxes after dinner, and deserves to, as she cooked it — elk bourgignon apparently, a new one on me but it was very tasty. With plenty of wine to wash it down as you can see (not an inexpensive proposition in Norway). Thanks to everyone for having me…. back home tomorrow morning.
My students at the National Football Museum
Friday 3rd March 2017, 11.10am (day 2,017)
I do say that on this blog no pictures are staged or posed, and this is the case — I do not arrange any photos specifically to be a blog post, I just take pictures of what’s happening around me at any given time. This is perhaps on the borderline of acceptability then but I did take this photo anyway, for other purposes, and it was the one that I liked best today. My Educational Technology and Communication students on their annual field trip to the National Football Museum in Manchester, with replicas of the Premier League and FA Cup trophies.
Being 42 