Definitely the most important Directorate of the University at this point in time. It is almost impossible to take a photograph anywhere in Manchester city centre without hitting some kind of building site at the moment (as I have observed numerous times recently); the University is certainly doing its bit for this architectural movement of 2017.
The cat looks slightly worried, as if the guy is a devious catnapper that has been terrorising Hebden Bridge’s felines for the last few years. Perhaps he’s trying to sneak him in the bag: or the green waste bins are calling ‘feed me a cat…’ (like in American Psycho).
The holidays have started, and a sunny day brought the crowds out into Hebden Bridge town centre today. All needed refreshment…
As the day wore on, what had started out as ‘close’ weather became downright ‘muggy’ until negotiating the outside world became like wading through treacle. Finally, the storm broke and we got some much-needed rain. It was one of those days at work where I just didn’t really have time to take a decent photo, and anyway, evenings have largely disappeared from this blog at the moment so let’s use this one (in fact this is the latest picture in a day since 9th March). We can call it ‘Storm Study (blue and yellow)’, if you like.
My 2017-18 football season opened at Salford City FC and a pre-season warm-up game against local rivals FC United of Manchester. The hosts won 2-1. You can read what I thought about the game, and see photographs of the day taken by someone much better at that kind of thing than me, if you purchase the next issue of When Saturday Comes (advt.). Salford City have big plans but their stadium, for all its recent renovations, is still pleasingly non-league in many ways. I like this catering van, its garish and gratuitously sexist decoration, and the worshipful posture of the customer.
I did a survey today and established there are presently ten building sites somehow or other getting in the way of my walk from Manchester Victoria to my office, as follows:
1) right outside the station; 2) the northern corner of the Arndale Centre is being redone; 3) on the corner of Chapel Walks and Cheapside 4) the corner of Mosley Street and Nicholas Street (the one pictured); 5) the building opposite the Chinese Arch that burned down last year; 6) big development blocking Abingdon Street at Major Street 7) the old BBC site, which has spread out to block the cycle path under the Mancunian Way at Brook Street; 8) the Engineering Campus Development at university; 9) the Brunswick Street ‘landscaping’ at same; 10) the Students’ Union redevelopment at same.
Manchester!! give this creative destruction a rest please!
Sums it up for me, in at least two different ways.
It is approaching 12 years since I started work in Manchester. In that time I have only rarely been in the city every day of a five day working week (indicated by the fact that there has only been one five-day run of Manchester pictures on here, which happened to be in March 2014). I have managed four this week, however. Anyway — the city might not be photographed as often as it could be, but this shot marks a nice round number — the 400th Manchester picture to appear on here.
Incidentally the blue plaque to the top left marks the founding of the Northern Rugby Football Union, later the Rugby League, in a hotel that once stood at this spot.
So scabbed has my walk to work become by various building sites of one form or another that each day I go into Manchester I find myself driven down further obscure corners of the urban architecture. And who is Gurn? Who knows what claims are made here?
Aberdeen is known as the Granite City and for good reason, as almost every building in the centre seems to be made of this mid-grey stone. It’s not unattractive, but on a day of foul weather like today was the effect can be to swamp you in grey. This picture was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, but yes, I could perhaps have been six inches to the right for perfect symmetry.
Being 42 