Tuesday 6th November 2012, 7.55am (day 439)
Early in the day, more importantly, early in the year. Even if they are pretty… too early 😦
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Category Archives: Stranger
Bonfire Night
Saturday 3rd November 2012, 7.00pm (day 436)
Remember, remember, the 5th of November. Or, the nearest available Saturday.
Afternoon stroll, Moscow
Wednesday 24th October 2012, 3.45pm (day 426)
When you see Russians like this you can’t help but wonder what they were doing 50 years ago (around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis). He looks quite well-to-do: I suspect he may very likely have been the sort of chap who would have had a key role to play in, say, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Yes, I’m stereotyping, but not without some justification, I feel.
Hardy chap, at least, particularly to be out without gloves on today. It was freezing in Moscow, literally, and – albeit briefly – I saw the first snow of the winter today. You have been warned.
Director and cinematographer (kinda)
Wednesday 10th October 2012, 1.45pm (day 412)
Third Manchester picture in a row. Among other things I was filmed today as part of some contractual arrangement or other. Three five-minute takes and it was done. While the preceding talking head was shot I snapped this shot of the cameraman (the one who looks a bit like Rimmer out of Red Dwarf at the back) and director: it captures them quite well I think. Just as well as I was too busy to take more than about three or four photos today.
Smoke break
Tuesday 9th October 2012, 10.55am (day 411)
This couple were pictured outside the Sackville Building at the University of Manchester this morning, which was incidentally another beautiful, but chilly one.
Do I talk too much on this blog? Do I need to say why I find this picture aesthetically pleasing? I’ll leave it.
Cross Street, Manchester
Friday 28th September 2012, 4.10pm (day 400)
Busy day at work to end a busy week, and a busy month. Sometimes you’ve just got to admit that the most photogenic thing you saw all day was the rear view of a pretty woman on the walk home to the station. One chance to snap it, taken. I nearly cropped this to just show her bottom half, which works quite well with the leaf, but her hair is too good to omit even if it untidies the composition a bit.
The Modeller
Sunday 23rd September 2012, 1.45pm (day 395)
The Boy can still be enthused by models of worlds with trains in them, all lorded over by men of a certain age with, presumably, a slight God complex. But I do admire the skill that goes into their creation and some of them really are very fine miniatures. However, I got more interested today in taking photos of the people (almost, but not quite, exclusively male); this one was the best, I thought, mainly because he had good lighting. They all had this look of intense concentration, however.
Welcome back
Tuesday 18th September 2012, 9.15am (day 390)
All the students arrive all at once, and it’s both the most hectic time of the year as well as the most optimistic, in some ways. Everyone’s fresh, we meet people for the first time and learn about their hopes and aspirations. Scary time too, for them at least. Hence the ‘Purple People’ who have dotted themselves around the campus, and they’re being used, as you see here.
Significant academic year for me too. I am on sabbatical in the second semester and from mid-December to late August will not be in Manchester at all. January – June I will be in Australia. Looking forward to it…
Just before kick-off
Saturday 1st September 2012, 2.55pm (day 373)
As I move into the second year of this blog, some things are going to recur. Some of them at the same time each year (tomorrow, for example, Clare is running Alice’s Run again), others at different times, like this one. Here we are at Turf Moor, Burnley, for this season’s match-up between Burnley FC and my beloved Brighton & Hove Albion. Last season it took place in April, on a cold, grey day – and the match (and result) lived up to those conditions. Today, earlier in the season, much sunnier and warmer, and a happier trip for the travelling Seagulls. Burnley 1, Brighton 3.
Lunch in Mosedale Cottage
Friday 31st August 2012, 11.45am (day 372)
Another walk today. I snuck it in based on a good weather forecast in the morning, and so it was, but after noon we went back to the same old rubbish. Never mind, it was good while it lasted.
A distinctive feature of the walk was being able to have my lunch sat inside on a very comfortable couch instead of outside on some damp mossy rock somewhere. The reason was the existence of Mosedale Cottage, a ‘mountain hut’ or bothy, some three or so miles from any other building. When I turned up there were these three shepherds having lunch there as well, and why wouldn’t you, it’s definitely the most comfortable place to have lunch for miles around. We shared the room for 10 minutes, moved on. It was as good a spot for lunch as I’ve managed on any Lake District walk.
Being 42 