Manchester Victoria station passes by through the windows of a Metrolink tram. Why was I on a Metrolink tram going through Victoria, the place where I normally catch my train home? Because there weren’t any bloody trains from Victoria this afternoon, were there. Tram to Rochdale instead, three-hour journey home, welcome back to the 2015 commute indeed.
It’s really not an exciting period in my life. But it is, at least, the last week of teaching. Note the photographer to the left.
The point of this blog is not just to find the day’s ‘artistic’ or ‘creative’ side but also to try to epitomise my day. This shot sure does that. Sometimes I’m this close to sodding off back to Fiji.
Another beautiful morning, which we are becoming quite used to. When the light hits Hebden Bridge station right, it’s worth hanging around for — this train was going to Manchester, but for the sake of an extra 10 minutes until the next one, I stayed and got the shot.
Not my take-off, obviously — but we were next in line to head into this rather worrying sky. Mind you, I shouldn’t have been anywhere near being able to take this shot. I had to sit through a five-hour flight delay today on my way home from an enjoyable few days in Dubrovnik. But these things happen for a reason.
More a documentary photo today than any claims to artistic quality. This is where they’re currently at with the rebuilding of Manchester Victoria station. The tracks are the Metrolink (tram) line, still working (you can see a tram in the background) but the stop is closed. So the commuters can trundle through and watch lots and lots of men hanging about while dressed from head to toe in fluorescent orange.
Sometimes the shot is just a consequence of being stood in the right spot at the right time, isn’t it? And you wait ages for a photogenic plastic bag to come along, then there’s two in two days…
An uneventful day, but at least the canal in Hebden Bridge usually comes up with some kind of animated scene, particularly at the moment when the summer tourist traffic is coming through. This family seemed proficient enough at working the lock. I wonder if the kid realises that two hundred years ago, all things being equal, he’d have been doing that full-time.
… but this family did make their connection in Leeds. As did Clare and I on our way home from London, after an excellent weekend all round.
Into Manchester for the first time in a few weeks. Victoria station’s redevelopment proceeds onwards: this is taken from platform 1, looking back towards the old building (listed, so they have to preserve it in the rebuild) and the new roof. It’s good to see.
Being 42 