An ‘installation’, I guess you’d call this, on campus at the moment…. Probably a huge amount of sociological analysis to be done here.
And how would I answer this question? Well, my bucket list is actually getting a few things ticked off it this year, if all works out (e.g. Japan, midnight sun, eclipse), so maybe I should think of some new ones. Or be all Zen about it, accept that my life could end at any time, and just take what’s coming — while continuing to faithfully record it of course.
March 2017 is scheduled to be an eventful month for me: by the time it ends I will have gone to both Japan and the Arctic (north Norway), so there’ll hopefully be plenty of photographic inspiration. It didn’t start eventfully however — a quiet day working at home. The market in Hebden Bridge runs on Wednesdays and Thursdays, here the stalls have been cleared but remain up in readiness for tomorrow. Plenty of good lines on this shot — which may or may not be perpendicular to each other.
Here we are in Brighton — big football match to go to tomorrow and, oh yeah, Clare’s annual jog up and down the sea front in the Brighton half marathon. Nice to get down to the south coast before the sun went down today. Here’s to a good weekend…. the anticipation of which is somehow epitomised in this photo for me.
As of a couple of years ago our Meteorological Office started naming our winter storms in accordance with the convention for hurricanes, cyclones etc. — it’s more media-friendly, you can tweet about #StormDoris which is the one which apparently hit the UK today. I don’t personally know anyone called Doris, but I have gone off the name after today — however, we could of course have Storm Drew at this time next year.
The third thousand begins under the Mancunian Way, a familiar scene from my walk to the office. This tent has been there for a few days now, I don’t know whether it is being occupied. Six pictures from the last seven in Manchester: in fact, in February there may end up more pictures from there than home in Hebden Bridge, which I don’t think has happened before.
The university have a campaign at the moment around environmental sustainability, and for whatever reason the marketing types see fit, it is called ‘10,000 Actions’, hence these hedgerow digits propped up by Oxford Road. Once I knew I was going to be in Manchester today, this was always going to be the choice, although I did somewhat ruefully notice yesterday that two of the zeroes had fallen down.
No matter, it’s the symbolism. I have reached my own big, round number — 2,000 days’ blogging. Every day a photo taken by me, on the day: there has been no cheating, I assure you, no retrospectives. Considering I just set out to do this for a year, I’m chuffed that I not only still have the motivation to keep going, but nothing has yet blown out on me, like a malfunctioning SD card or stolen camera — or worst of all, the feeling that on a given day, there has been simply nothing to photograph.
In celebration I have created a new ‘top 20 from 2,000’ page: my own favourite 1%. The stats have been updated too — these are an integral part of the blogging process for me, they are what allow me to notice the quirks and eddies and flows of my life, and how this daily photographing of one or other part of it build up into something meaningful. I don’t pretend to be a photographer — I hope I never have — what this blog is, is an extension of my diary, the visual, image-based journal that I show to the world on a daily basis: but most of all keep for myself. I thank you, though, for following it; likes and visits help me keep it connected to the rest of the world, and it’s nice to know that there are some of you out there who want to check in now and again and make me realise it’s not all gross self-indulgence. Thank you for still being here after 2,000 days.
And will I keep it going? Well, each time I think of stopping there seems to be just one more little carrot dangling ahead. Reaching numerical milestones like today is ongoing encouragement, and then looking forward…. over the next seven months I am already down to travel to Japan, the Arctic (twice, including for the midnight sun in June), the USA, other parts of Russia (non-Moscow) and some other new spots as well. Too much potential interest to stop now…. So on we go. Here’s to the third millennium.
The weekend was pretty grotty all round but today was a far more pleasant day of weather, particularly in Manchester. These fire escapes catch the afternoon sun very well. I also like the way this looks like it could be in New York or somewhere — one of those American cities where the fire escapes zigzag down the fronts of all the old buildings, anyway.
What ho, it’s day 1,999 of the blog. There will be a small celebration tomorrow. Assuming I don’t finally blow it and leave the camera at home.
It was the city of Derby I was heading to last night for my evening out, and a very good evening out I had. Having not been there (blog-wise) before I was keen for the place to feature on the blog as the latest new location, but walking through it back to the railway station this morning, it really did feel like a very nondescript place. All car showrooms, parking lots and industrial estates. So the above is pretty much the best you’ll get of Derby on a Sunday morning. Sorry.
Of all the back streets that comprise my standard walk from Manchester Victoria to my building at work, Abingdon Street is my favourite. It probably looks very much as it did a hundred years ago. Although in 1917 it probably didn’t host two of Manchester’s biggest gay clubs.
Being 42 