Category Archives: Urban scene

World’s steepest street? (candidate)

Friday 2nd December 2022, 2.45pm (day 4,117)

Marlborough Street, 2/12/22

When I was in Dunedin, New Zealand, almost ten years ago, I saw a street, Baldwin Street, that claims it is the ‘World’s Steepest Street’. And it certainly was very steep, particularly at one end. However, taken as a whole, the gradient of the street from start to finish cannot have been a great deal more, and was possibly less, than Marlborough Street in Hebden Bridge, which I walk down (never up…) on occasion and can attest to the fact that it is very steep indeed. I have tried now and then to get a photo that really captures the gradient but before this one have never been happy enough to post one, however, today’s can make it. I do feel that the Guinness Book of Records people should really come and settle the question. Hebden Bridge or Dunedin? I pose the challenge. (I’m sure you know of a steeper one in Italy, say, but let me dream.)

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Out of season

Wednesday 30th November 2022, 3.40pm (day 4,115)

Southport out of season, 30/11/22

Circumstances today brought me to Southport, a place that has featured twice on the blog before: here and here, both of them images of endless sand and sky (the sea here makes a notoriously long retreat at low tide, going out literally miles). These suggest the major function of the town is as a seaside resort, and that’s quite correct. So in late November, quite a lot of it looks like this.

I like this shot, except for the parked car. It’s impressive how often cars screw up an otherwise pleasing composition.

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Booth Street East

Wednesday 23rd November 2022, 3.15pm (day 4,108)

Booth Street East, 23/11/22

A day to reacquaint myself with people, who, generally, have not been seen on here for the last few days. Not that there will be many visits to Manchester coming up; I’m trying to minimise the need for them. And. by the way — Japan, brilliant stuff guys.

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Eiffel Buildings, twilight

Monday 21st November 2022, 4.15pm (day 4,106)

Eiffel Buildings, 21/11/22

I’ve said it before, but it’s days like today — spent entirely in my house, day 1 of the latest batch of marking — that will eventually do for this blog, will drain my creative juices dry and leave me with simply nothing to photograph. But there’s always the view. Same comments as yesterday re: the hours of darkness, only today, half an hour earlier. The car headlights coming up Birchcliffe Road, and about to turn behind the buildings, give the necessary additional touch.

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Rain on a Sunday afternoon

Sunday 20th November 2022, 4.45pm (day 4,105)

Sunday rain, 20/11/22

It’s that time of year when everyone looked outside at a particular point and said to each other — is it really only a quarter to five? We won’t be seeing daylight at that time again until about February. The rain was added atmosphere, but it is still needed. I like the ‘eye’ effect suggested by the lamp.

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Tea outside the museum

Wednesday 16th November 2022, 9.20am (day 4,101)

Tea at the museum, 16/11/22

Bolstered myself for a heavy day’s work in the library (yes, it was) with a necessary cup of tea on a sunny morning in Oxford. Behind, the Natural History Museum, which has not resisted the current trend for public buildings to be engaged in some major renovation project or other. [NOTE: thanks to follower John, who pointed out I had misidentified the building first time round.]

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Captions

Sunday 13th November 2022, 10.45am (day 4,098)

Captions, Leeds, 13/11/22

It looks like I may have laid these captions over the photo with some editing software but that’s not the case. Instead these were hanging above Briggate, in Leeds, because someone had clearly decided that positive-sounding, but actually meaningless, exhortations to solidarity are just what the country needs to get us through this time of incompetency.

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Chinatown crane

Thursday 10th November 2022, 10.00am (day 4,095)

Chinatown crane, 10/11/22

I’m sure it’s up to something useful. One of those shots which, I am very aware, would have benefited from better symmetry, but there’s only so much preparatory work one can do while stood in the middle of a street.

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November morning in the park

Wednesday 9th November 2022, 11.00am (day 4,094)

Park in November, 9/11/22

9th November 2021 was the day on which I landed on St Helena. No such adventures await me this November, but then again, I don’t have to spend ten days in quarantine again. It was too nice a morning to stay indoors, wherever I was.

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Worldle (daily fix)

Monday 7th November 2022, 4.20pm (day 4,092)

Worldle, 7/11/22

Clare has her daily fix of brain food, but though this particular game is on her phone, she brings it up for my entertainment. I get most of them first go, to be honest. This one’s easy: we were there, not three months ago.

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