Back in Hebden Bridge. In the afternoon, a sudden storm, but with enough sunlight around to make the drops glisten and shine: beautiful, but not if you were out in it. This is taken from the shelter of home.
It was Zagreb, Croatia, to where I was travelling yesterday. When I was here just under a year ago I said it was quite possible I would return, and so it has turned out.
Amongst its other charms Zagreb is home to the quite brilliant Museum of Broken Relationships, where are exhibited objects, and associated stories, that represent break-ups of one kind or another whether through desertion, death, infidelity, geographical separation or whatever. The poignancy of that place — and it can truly be said that of all the museums I have ever been to, this was the first one in which I genuinely inspected every single one of the exhibits on display, and with emotional contact too — was highlighted by then coming back to the Lower Town via one of those panoramic viewpoints of the city (one of its churches in the background) where young lovers choose to set a padlock, to represent their undying commitment. It seems so permanent, yet in the end has taken just a few moments in time. I wonder how many of these can still be said to be meaningful. I’m not trying to be cynical. I genuinely hope most of them still are.
Second day in a row of some solitary bloke wandering around Manchester. Which is appropriate enough, because that’s how I’ve felt as my Unsabbatical continues this week. I have been walking past the bottom of these steps fairly frequently since the blog began, they make it today because of what I think is a happy combination of pedestrian and tree, the latter framing the top of the shot in a pleasant wave. A split second later and I’d have been too late. But then again I was feeling sluggish at 7.30am on a Thursday.
Another rather unexciting day on campus — the last two weeks have been more like an ‘unsabbatical’. A few shots might have made it today but I pick this one simply to manipulate the stats slightly, as this is taken at the same time as yesterday’s shot, 12:05pm: the first time there have been two consecutive days with the same time since Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd June last year (both at 3.50pm in London). These are the little coincidences that keep me pushing on with this project… well, sometimes.
Another day for spring foliage to fill up the bandwidth. 2,803 days in and there are still some corners of the home town worth depicting. The bridge has been here since 1510, or thereabouts, and seems good for a while yet. Whether the same is true of the photographer, who knows…?
Plans to minimise my time in Manchester while on sabbatical have not been successful this week (or next). The weather turned during the day, as well, and it was quite cool and rainy by the evening. A pleasant morning on HB station though: just the latest in a number of occasions where the arrangement of fellow passengers on the platform has interested me.
Back to work properly, but still a relatively balmy vibe over Manchester thanks to continuing good weather (it’s on the change, though), and a general lack of people of the academic persuasion. Why black and white today? Why not? I haven’t posted in monochrome for a while.
Was up early to catch a train for a Good Friday walk in the Lake District. Had stupendous weather and lots of nice photos from that will eventually appear on my other blog. But today’s picture isn’t from among them, because this one needs to be seen…. A deer, a very young stag (going on those first brave attempts at antlers), on the side road that parallels the canal for a little while, by the railway station. Astonishing sight so close to town, 6.35 in the morning or not. We both stood stock still for a while staring at each other and he decided he would let me get the camera out. Then he trotted off back down the road — I hope to safety.
Properly back home — this is the first Hebden Bridge pic in exactly a month. The Easter holidays have kicked in, it was a beautiful day, and like this horse, I was doing my best to relax into it all.
Back to the UK, and in Manchester, for the first time since 21st March. I had set an embargo on pictures of building sites in the city, but that doesn’t necessarily leave a lot to photograph: and this delicate crane did catch the eye this morning. It reminds me of the leg of some insect, or spider, reaching up to tap on the roof above.
Being 42 