Every year, the square between the National Football Museum and Manchester Cathedral is occupied by an ice rink from early November. Then, every year around this time, it is dismantled again. I guess it keeps some people employed. Presumably there is some order involved; piece number 697 is getting ready for filing, for example.
An abstract, though it does represent the fact that the two trains I caught today were punctual to the minute: a good start for 2026. Let’s see how long it takes before this perfect record is broken; I predict Sunday.
I believe that the person who is the subject of the most statues in the world is Buddha, but I would be fairly sure that Queen Victoria is the most-depicted woman. She never seems to look particularly happy, though: whether she really said ‘We are not amused’ or not. That most public statues have invariably become covered in guano (that’s birdshit, of course) doesn’t help either. This one stands in Dalton Square, Lancaster: another stage in a slow journey north, for Christmas.
This one’s all about the lines for me. It’s not about much else, and as I post this on Monday morning no pithy or witty commentary comes to mind, so let’s just post it….
One day in the future, possibly not that far away, I may need to make a choice of walking stick, but at least I now know where on the Friday market they are to be found. I like the various lines on this one but it’s not the most exciting shot, I know — then again it’s not been the most exciting week.
Another well-lit shot of flora on campus, taken within a few yards of yesterday’s shot. At least the sun is shining at the moment and we have not yet quite hit the usual early December gloom. And look, people! There haven’t been many of them in the last three weeks… And no I don’t care about the asymmetry.
My present camera has stuck it out for about two and a half years now, which, I must admit, is longer than I thought it would and now longer than the average lifespan of my cameras which, after all, see daily use. In all that time, though, it has never really been able to take a very satisfactory handheld night shot, whichever setting I try. This one is nearly too out-of-focus to get away with, but I suppose it will do. Taken from home, looking down on the Calrec Audio car park: like this person, I also had a somewhat late finish to work today.
The chilly snap continues: cold enough to make leaving the house an unappealing prospect, anyway, at least until later. My daily patterns are definitely shifting away from mornings: this is the earliest shot since 2nd August in fact, and that was taken in special circumstances (like, we were already on a moving ship). If I’m no longer a ‘morning person’ though, what have I become? ‘Couple of hours in the middle of the day person, as long as the sun’s out’ probably sums it up at this stage of life.
Definitely just a dusting — but, nevertheless, today was easily the coldest day of the winter so far. And I guess we must say winter has now arrived, at least, in West Yorkshire.
No significant commentary today, just a pastoral scene on a relatively pleasant day of weather, one where I was glad I was not sweating it out in Manchester or some other such office space. It’s getting chilly, though.
Being 42 