Apparently the design of this building — two more or less circular pods connected by a bridge over the road — is meant to symbolise the bridging of the gap between research and innovation. Or so I was told by a helpful information sheet in the foyer. I was here to speak at a conference – six-hour train journey for an hour or so of attendance, but it was a nice sunny day and I got some other stuff done on the train.
The first one I’ve seen since about January 25th, the date I skipped out of last winter and buggered off to the Southern Hemisphere. A cold but beautiful morning captured as I headed for the train station to go into work.
A day of sunshine and showers, which I think this shot manages to capture, as well as documenting the continuing growth of the building going up near to our house. My first full day in Hebden Bridge since October 20th, but that’s fine, I needed the rest.
Yes, I’ve been travelling again, lucky me. Although I do intend to have four and a half months at home from mid-November until late March, because I’m getting rather tired of airports and stuff. However, there are compensations, like this, one of the world’s great views, surely. Russia is a vast country but this is its absolute centre.
Manchester’s Chinatown district is the third biggest in Europe, apparently. This arch, completed in 1987, crosses Faulkner Street (in the middle of which I was stood while taking this) at its junction with Nicholas Street. A wet day today, unpleasant weather.
The night falls earlier and earlier — but of course that is the time of year. The real shock to the system will come a week from today, when the clocks go back.
I didn’t even realise these guys were on unicycles when I took this shot, otherwise I would have waited for them to come closer. I think it works anyway, just a shame the detail is lost.
Taken firstly because I liked the light (it’s been a damn good month for it) and secondly for the novelty factor of actually being able to see across Oxford Road without a bus being in the way. The tower block in the background has appeared on the blog before, by the way.
I worked at home and taught online today and never left the house. Fortunately for the blog in these circumstances, there’s always the view.
Among other things you get a good impression of the rising extension to the Nutclough Mill (see also here and here). Will it look OK when finished, or terrible? Well, doubtless you will find out, as will we.
My perambulations through the centre of Manchester do seem to get later and later, don’t they. If the city has a symbolic centre, Piccadilly Gardens is probably it — no, not Old Trafford (which isn’t actually in Manchester anyway). This shot makes it look vaguely pastoral, which is why I like it: actually the place is a concrete jungle. A pretty intense rain shower stopped a couple of minutes beforehand.
