Category Archives: Stranger

Before the match

Tuesday 15th August 2017, 7.20pm (day 2,182)

At the Three Pigeons, 15/8/17

“Come to the football, son,” he said. “All the glamour and excitement of FC Halifax Town v Dover Athletic, playing out before your eyes. That’ll be better than a night on those silly video games, won’t it?”

I hope they both stayed until the end, anyway. 0-0 after 86 minutes: final score 2-1 to Dover. Enjoyable in the end but perhaps not for Halifax Town fans.

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Out for a drink

Monday 7th August 2017, 3.30pm (day 2,174)

Mother and baby, 7/8/17

Returned to work today — albeit at home. Too long a day to spend entirely in the house sorting out a pile of email and draft student work however, so popped out for a drink in the afternoon, which is when I saw these two, doing the same thing and seemingly happy about it. (Was tough to get the camera focused on her face as opposed to the drinking straw, mind you.)

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Tired

Monday 17th July 2017, 3.35pm (day 2,153)

Tired, 17/7/17

It’s actually not a bad place to catch forty winks, the train home — I manage it frequently. Like these two gentlemen, I am tired…. but have now just three days left before my summer break.

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Evening in Argyle Square

Sunday 2nd July 2017, 6.40pm (day 2,138)

Argyle Square, 2/7/17

Still in London, and back in the usual haunt of Argyle Square, home of the cheaper hotels around King’s Cross. And a nice place to chill out on a sunny evening, as it was. Like the textures on this shot, and the colours.

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Sat in row B

Sunday 11th June 2017, 4.55pm (day 2,117)

Cinema row B, 11/6/17

I can’t have been getting outside much lately, for this is the sixth consecutive interior shot, and usually exteriors easily outnumber them. This afternoon’s entertainment at the Picture House: Alien: The Latest Franchise (OK, maybe it’s not actually called that); not bad I suppose but these are starting to get like the Nightmare on Elm Street series, let’s just crank out the xenomorph goo again and not worry whether anyone notices the lack of plot or character. Passes the time on a Sunday afternoon I suppose.

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The Ugra TV presenter gets ready

Tuesday 6th June 2017, 9.40am (day 2,112)

Ugra TV, 6/6/17

Khanty-Mansiysk lies in the Ugra (pronounced Yoo-Grah) region, the centre of the Russian oil industry — the money generated from same being the reason why a relatively small (100,000 people) and isolated city can sustain a few major conference centres, a national league ice hockey team, an airport, and indeed a life in a region where winter temperatures fall to -50ºC on a regular basis. Linguists may recognise the placename as contributing to the name of the Finno-Ugric group of languages, so if you speak Hungarian, Estonian or Finnish, this is where your ancestors came from.

Ugra TV seemed to think it worth covering the IT Forum that we attended this morning: no idea what is happening with the guy’s hands behind the presenter here, either it was something highly significant to her on-screen appearance, or he was just copping a feel.

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Stairwell, Salt’s Mill

Sunday 21st May 2017, 3.25pm (day 2,096)

Salts Mill, 21/5/17

Salts Mill was financed by Sir Titus Salt, and when it was completed in 1853, was the largest industrial building in the world. Salt built a ‘model village’ around it for his workers, Saltaire, most of which survives today as the kind of place middle-class people like me sometimes hang out on a Sunday to eat, drink and look at overpriced designer ware. But it’s worth a visit should you be in the area, so Saltaire can become the 190th identifiable location to feature on this blog in its 2,096 days of operation.

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Exchange Square

Thursday 18th May 2017, 7.40am (day 2,093)

Next, as usual, 18/5/17

Now that Manchester’s new Exchange Square tram stop is finished it gives you a whole new place to sit and feel depressed about the day to come. I am sure we have all felt like this on occasion at 7.40am on a Thursday.

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Great hair

Saturday 29th April 2017, 4.00pm (day 2,074)

Dreadlocks, 29/4/17

In my mind there is an alternative version of me with hair like this, but of course I would look silly and anyway would never get through that long stage of frizziness where it’s neither one thing nor the other. I guess for this guy the dreads are much more appropriate and probably permanent.

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Three blokes walked into a bar

Wednesday 12th April 2017, 6.50pm (day 2,057)

Oyster bar, 12/4/17

Something tells me these three have been drinking buddies for a long time. They are all consuming their pints at the same speed, note.

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