A day on which I came very close to having nothing to photograph, but I did decide, around noon, that it was interesting that the coal shed of one of the houses across the road actually does have coal in it at the moment. The photo is one of textures, making a kind of collage. That’s my justification, at least.
Another day spent almost entirely in my office at home, working, and not emerging until after the sunlight was mostly gone. The Friday market in town was still open at this point, though only just, and I’m sure this guy is considering packing up his clocks and jewellry and calling it a day.
I go monochrome here simply because it feels right for the shot and it stops the bright green stripes at the top dominating it. It is not a ‘Black Friday’ reference. I hate that bollocks, in fact: especially because, as various recent conversations about this marketing wheeze have proven, virtually no one in the UK — consumers, retailers, the media, anyone — actually understands the derivation of the term. Be honest — do you know where it comes from? (American readers don’t get to answer this.)
12 of the last 16 shots have been taken in Hebden Bridge, and there are going to be more coming up — by recent standards, an unusually static state of affairs. But when it looks like this in the morning, I don’t really care.
The last few days have been very cold. Even this morning there was still plenty of snow on the ground. But the temperature rocketed upwards today, to 11º or 12ºC, and it rained quite heavily, thus taking out all the snow and filling all available drainage — including the river and, seen here, the canal — almost to overflowing. Three more hours after this picture was taken and all the remaining snow was gone, as if it had never been.
I did think about giving this post a different title, but, you know — it is what it is.
Rather than just being a random piece of (pink) machinery left lying about the place, though, I think this has been adopted as an advert for a local haberdashers: the entrance to which is just to the left of the photographer, at this point.
I have marking to do and didn’t really leave the house all day (well, OK, I went to the pub, but it was dark by then). The snow came, and this shot seems to sum up the day well enough.
I entitled this “November morning” before I looked more closely at the time it was taken. But somehow it feels like a morning, so I’m not going to change it.
According to the advertising for this stall on Hebden Bridge’s Friday market, Norwegian socks are the best in the world. Who am I to argue? It does get pretty cold and wet in Norway. Anyway, if you want them, you now know where to come and get them (outside Norway).
Most of the kids who live in Hebden Bridge, but attend Calder High School about 2 miles away, get the bus there. But these three look to have decided to walk it — and good for them, it was a very beautiful morning, and there’s no need to walk along the main road.
Whomever preceded me to this park bench, during the shower that fell an indeterminate amount of time before, certainly left an impression. And a dry spot, one that, let’s say, is bigger than I might have left.
Down the years I have come to the conclusion that if one wants to simply do as one pleases in public space in the UK, there are two foolproof methods for achieving this. First, try pulling on a high-visibility coat of some kind. No one will then question your behaviour. The other is to say, “We’re filming”. You are then permitted to fill any thoroughfare with junk, block rights of way with impunity, and do so on a regular basis for months on end. Whatever forthcoming TV epic has been in production in Hebden Bridge since the summer (and we know what it is: something about a female 70s punk rock band), it had better turn out good.
Being 42 