God, it feels so long since I have been doing this blog. Way back in September – though it feels much longer ago – I took a picture of ‘the official photographer’, on a day when he was taking photos of us, constantly, throughout a conference/seminar session. Today I got the chance to repeat the theme, quite exactly.
She is definitely cuter. And considerably more Russian. Whether she is a better photographer or not, I have no proof.
Which, of course, is something I do frequently: though not as often as some. Either the 0652, if I don’t have to take Joe to school, or the 0856, if I do. Today I did. It was a nice sunny morning, and though I got a couple of other decent pictures throughout the day, I’ll stick with this one: it’s nice to be on the way to work and still feel quite mellow about the day, and the shot captures that I think.
Full-on day of work today, both in Manchester during the first part of the day and in Hebden Bridge on into the evening. Very few chances to snatch photos of anything, and they were all snatched in transit from one meeting to the next. These guys were taking life rather easier than me today, but I still like the juxtaposition of their gathering with the sign in the windows of the Town Hall behind them.
Got bored today and shaved my head, well, a #1 clip anyway. I do this kind of spontaneous thing now and again. Ask my wife one day how I proposed to her.
Clare’s alter ego – whose identity, of course, I could not possibly reveal – was doing a burlesque show in Chester tonight, and I got to go along for a change. Here is another of the lovely performers (5 female, 1 male). I like taking pictures of people candidly – it helps you see what they really look like. I get the impression Ginger looks rather like this most of the time, in fact. (Even if her right leg does appear to be stood in a big glass. Perhaps I should have cropped that, but what the hell.)
After a busy week, today was dull, spent working at home while the rain came down outside. Later on, Joe observed that he never gets to decide my photo of the day. OK, mate: go ahead. Here is his choice. I love the pegleg on this Lego pirate; a neat touch.
We transited down to Kristiansand today, in the southernmost part of Norway (though still as far north as Aberdeen in Scotland). Wouldn’t have chosen to come here normally, but was invited to give a keynote speech at a conference. It’s not as dramatic as the western fjords but it’s pleasant enough, and the sun was shining. This picture makes it look like it’s got wide, sweeping sands, but actually it’s a pretty scrubby bit of beach, probably artificial. Nevertheless, the kid’s having fun, and it was quite a sunny and pleasant evening.
‘Vilvite’ is Bergen’s kid-oriented science museum. Joe’s favourite exhibit – and, except perhaps for the big artificial stream in which one could play with sand dams and watch the formation of alluvial flows, probably mine – was this big marble run with about a hundred different little channels and toys and bells in it. Took me a few goes to get this shot, but I like it a lot.
“Ere, mate. Dontcha think it’s ironic, like, that the day we put up this ‘summer house’ in the city centre, it’s the first rainy day in a fortnight?”
“Yeh, it’s all part of the comedy of life innit. Or maybe because it’s a Bank Holiday weekend. Anyway, sod that. I want to know why Jack ever thought that those shorts were a good idea.”
I’m off to Norway tomorrow – most likely there won’t be posts on here for a few days but you’ll get a big lump of them all at once when I get back. Including one of a fjord. If it kills me, there’ll be one of a fjord this time.
Even the keenest follower of this blog is unlikely to have lost a great deal of sleep over the fate of the mölkky (Finnish skittles) set last seen on Christmas Day. But here it is, providing an excuse to involve Joe, Clare and our neighbour Keith in some enjoyable physical activity out in the woods across the road, on another glorious evening. Better than just hanging round the pub anyway. (Which we did anyway, afterwards…. too nice to stay in.)
