Friday 9th February 2018, 9.25am (day 2,360)
Richmond Street, Manchester. Overnight I have cogitated on a possible pithy commentary for this one and none springs to mind so let me allow the photo to stand on its own for a change…
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Category Archives: Urban scene
Vantage point, Charlotte Street
Friday 2nd February 2018, 9.20am (day 2,353)
One of those pictures where I didn’t really notice the details until it was ‘developed’ (that is, uploaded to the laptop). I thought the pigeon was actually a traffic camera until I looked more closely.
Morning on China Lane
Tuesday 30th January 2018, 9.40am (day 2,350)
China Lane, Manchester, was until relatively recently part of the old warehouse district. However, due to its proximity to Piccadilly station, in the 21st century it has become full of apartbouhotiques and bars where you can buy £7 glasses of Lithuanian stout with plates of felched scallop on the side. But at least there are still places to sleep.
Not much happens
Monday 29th January 2018, 1.00pm (day 2,349)
I will start moving around the planet again at some point but for now I’m where I’ve been most of the last two and a half months, namely at home in Hebden Bridge, which can be littered with interminably extended building projects just the same as Manchester can. The building that used to be the “Hole In The Wall” pub has been belching rubble over the street outside for what seems like about three years now. I actually saw someone working there today — but that is a rarity.
Working above Nutclough
Friday 26th January 2018, 10.35am (day 2,346)
A good view, but a precarious spot to be perched on this Friday morning. How do scaffolders have the confidence to get up there and be active when (to my mind) the whole edifice looks about to topple over to the right and crash him down from forty feet up in the air? The whole thing, put up this morning, had come down again just after lunch, so I hope it was worth it.
A new station
Thursday 25th January 2018, 3.35pm (day 2,345)
Since early December there has been a whole new version of our train service, extending — at least on paper — to Oxford Road station. This all makes my life mildly more convenient coming home on an afternoon, as long as I can bugger off no later than 4pm; in the morning it makes no difference at all, being quicker to walk between the two stations. For this, your friendly government magnanimously spent £85m on the Ordsall Chord development. Well, I’m sure it’s all part of some bigger plan somewhere. After all, it would be terrible to think that the people in charge of the country’s finances didn’t actually have a clue.
Pink litter
Monday 22nd January 2018, 12.20pm (day 2,342)
Tory cuts notwithstanding there remains a decent municipal waste tip a couple of miles away and even if you can’t drive to that the council will pick up this kind of thing from your house. So, sorry, but what’s the fucking point in dumping a broken chair by the side of the river, in a now-inaccessible but visible and central spot, where it will presumably sit for several months? Mucky bloody bastards. I hate this kind of neglect. I could say it’s a middle-aged thing but actually I’ve always hated it.
Bricks and barbs
Monday 15th January 2018, 4.35pm (day 2,335)
On this day last year I was on my way to Moscow (at 5.20am) whereas five years ago today I was in Nairobi having a rather good cup of coffee. No similar travels this January however. Got to look around the local neighbourhood for inspiration: lousy weather makes even hiking off the agenda. Consider the smudge on the lens artistic license.
Ex-ice rink
Thursday 11th January 2018, 2.40pm (day 2,331)
Don’t worry, Manchester has not made a sudden return to the depths of winter. In fact this is the Christmas ice rink being callously disposed of. That’s your festive fun over for another year, sod off back to work the lot of you. Then again this was the establishment that was publicly playing Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day as early as November 8th this year, so I have no sympathy. Doubtless it’ll be back in ten months.
Back on campus
Monday 8th January 2018, 11.10am (day 2,328)
Since 30th December, a photo that featured a cast of thousands, not a single person has featured on here; but then again there haven’t really been many chances to depict them. Nor was the Manchester campus this morning very busy, it does not crank up again until next week student-wise. This photo is a fine example of how all the litter and recycling bins around the place are good for the environment, but not photography. I suppose here it’s just about tolerable.
