Category Archives: Urban scene

Dracula’s Castle, the University of Manchester

Monday 8th October 2012, 4.15pm (day 410)

Beyer building, 8/10/12

Actually this is the Beyer Building, at the University of Manchester, in some rather spectacular autumn plumage. But it does look like Dracula’s castle. I can quite see him striding past one of those windows in the middle of the night. (Or perhaps I think that because personages of the university administration reside here.)

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Taking shelter, Bergen

Thursday 4th October 2012, 3.05pm (day 406)

University of Bergen, 4/10/12

Travelled last night from Trondheim to Bergen. I do like Bergen, it is a fine city, but it’d be even better if it didn’t chuck it down with rain about 75% of the time.

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Cathedral grounds, Trondheim

Tuesday 2nd October 2012, 4.50pm (day 404)

Trondheim cathedral, 2/10/12

Trondheim is the third-largest city in Norway, founded in 997. At 63º25’N, it’s the northernmost place I have ever been, which explains why the autumn colours have arrived here rather earlier than at home. This is a good thing – the place looks stunning at the moment. These are the grounds of the Nidaros cathedral, built in 1070, the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world, and a very impressive monument.

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Cross Street, Manchester

Friday 28th September 2012, 4.10pm (day 400)

Cross Street woman, 28/9/12

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.

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The morning train arrives

Thursday 27th September 2012, 8.55am (day 399)

Train arrives, 27/9/12

Lovely morning today, which at least means the three-day storm has passed over without flooding us again (though towns to the east were definitely not so lucky). Beautiful light at the station as I waited for the 0856 train in. And here it is, right on time.

Tomorrow is day 400 of this blog, so as I do with these milestones, I have updated the ‘best of the rest’ page with some more recent pictures that didn’t quite make the one-a-day cut.

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Off into the distance

Wednesday 26th September 2012, 8.35am (day 398)

Joe going to school, 26/9/12

This blog is one of my personal diaries as well as a gallery, so occasionally you get pictures because they have meaning, even in a small way; and not because they are particularly accomplished photographs. Today is one of those.

This is Joe going off to school fully on his own for the first time, as opposed to being accompanied at least part of the way. I suppose there is no going back from here. Which is fine, good luck to him.

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Oh. Joy.

Monday 24th September 2012, 5.10pm (day 396)

Sandbags, 24/9/12

Many Hebden Bridge shops that have been closed since the double floods of 22nd June and 9th July are just about getting ready to reopen. But, after three weeks of relatively dry weather, it’s been raining all day again and the rivers are very high. Christ, I hope it doesn’t flood again or some of these shops will probably never re-open. These don’t look the most adequate flood defences in the world.

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First day of autumn

Friday 21st September 2012, 3.00pm (day 393)

Baumann park, 21/9/12

Another beautiful day in Moscow to mark the Autumnal Equinox. As you can see, the trees are just starting to turn. I did get some great photos of the Moscow River again tonight – the Hotel Ukrainia lit orange by the setting sun –  but as I did that theme yesterday, here’s somewhere else. This is the Baumann Park, in the district of Krasniye Vorota.

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View from my room at the Crowne Plaza hotel

Thursday 20th September 2012, 8.15am (day 392)

Moscow river, 20/9/12

Utterly glorious day in Moscow today, as good as any have been on this blog so far. I was pretty sure this was going to be today’s picture as soon as I took it, but when fully ‘developed’ I did notice imperfections around the sun – due to it being taken through glass. Nevertheless I decided to go with it because the thrill of having this as literally the first thing I saw this morning when I pulled back the curtains in my room stayed with me. The ‘spires’ are the Hotel Ukrainia, which has appeared before on this blog, and for me is one of the most spectacular buildings in this city – one day I will treat myself and stay there.

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Moscow city limit

Wednesday 19th September 2012, 7.30pm (day 391)

Moscow sign, 19/9/12

Nearly posted a random picture from my transfer in Frankfurt airport, purely to get a gratuitous 8th country onto the blog, but then managed to capture this sign, which I’ve been trying to take a photo of for the last few visits. That I managed it today was a result of the car being stopped right by it – on what was not a great night to experience Russian traffic.

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