Dec 15 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger

Order now for Christmas

Wednesday 14th December 2022, 5.00pm (day 4,129)

Butchers', 14/12/22

At least I live in a town that still sustains not just one, but two proper butchers’ shops. These guys must make their entire annual profit at this time of year; I know in advance what it will be like when I go to collect my bird two days before Christmas. (Never a turkey, which is a meat I have never found all that appealing, to be honest.) There is no advertising intention to this blog, so can I also point out that despite depicting one of the establishments here, I actually ordered my meat from the other shop.

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Dec 14 2022
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

The Last Class: photography ceremony

Tuesday 13th December 2022, 10.45am (day 4,128)

ETC last class, 13/12/22

It’s the last class of the semester, and the done thing among students now is “get a photo of themselves with the lecturer” at this point. I acknowledge this but it did require leaving at least 20 minutes at the end of the session so the ceremony could take place: what you see here is the queue after at least half of them had already had their time. I was feeling like a cardboard cut-out of myself by this point, although not an unhappy one. Here I said, ‘right, I’m taking a photo of all you lot while you wait to take a photo of me’… and this is the result.

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Dec 12 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Landscape

Too cold outside

Monday 12th December 2022, 9.00am (day 4,127)

Snowy house view, 12/12/22

What small part of the world can be seen from our house, all looked like this today. With no reason to leave the house, I did not; picture opportunities were limited to using the long zoom to see what might be going on over the other side of the valley. They had their fires burning, anyway. This is also one of those shots that looks like I’ve taken it monochrome, but really have not; if anything I have beefed up the saturation a little.

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Dec 12 2022
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Daily Post, Interior

Christmas card session (still in bed)

Sunday 11th December 2022, 9.40am (day 4,126)

Xmas card session, 11/12/22

There won’t be much excitement or variety in my life in the run-up to Christmas — but nor do I really care about this. In the undertaking of her annual task (for which I internally thank her) of sorting out our Christmas cards, Clare makes another step towards catching up Joe in the ‘all-time appearance record’ on this blog; this is her 140th pic, with Joe presently on 146. Another shot with daringly off-vertical verticals, but then again I was still in bed too.

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Dec 10 2022
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Daily Post, Sport

Action at Ilkley

Saturday 10th December 2022, 4.15pm (day 4,125)

Ilkley Town, 10/12/22

This time of the year the sun is mostly gone by about 3.45pm and in low light — which includes floodlighting — my camera isn’t going to get any sharp action shots, certainly of football but to be honest even people jogging past the lens will be somewhat blurred. But I think I get away with this one – the impression is of action, the blurring does not really matter. The game was at Ilkley Town FC, the blue-and-yellow blurs scored two late goals to triumph over visitors AFC Blackpool 2-1.

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Dec 10 2022
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Daily Post, Urban scene

The lights on Spring Gardens

Friday 9th December 2022, 3.30pm (day 4,124)

Spring Gardens lights, 9/12/22

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s coming up to Christmas. Manchester city centre gets frantic at this time of year and in recent times I have done my best to avoid it: in fact I only have one more day there scheduled for 2022. The proprietors of this posh store on Spring Gardens (where all the stores are posh: next door is Vivienne Westwood) go for it every year to this extent; this year there’s the added layer of statement, that energy bills are just something other people have to worry about. But it does look pretty: even with the back of a ‘No Entry’ sign in the way.

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Dec 08 2022
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Daily Post, Transport

Rochdale station sunset

Thursday 8th December 2022, 3.25pm (day 4,123)

Rochdale station sunset, 8/12/22

Had things turned out differently I might have been in the Balkans today, but even though they did not, I am not bothered by this — which would not have been the case ten years ago. I guess I am more attuned to the enjoyment that can be had from the local area these days. Yes, even Rochdale railway station — like the rest of the region, bathed in cold but magnificent weather.

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Dec 08 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Frosty morning

Wednesday 7th December 2022, 9.00am (day 4,122)

Frosty morning view, 7/12/22

A cold day today. Of course, ‘cold’ by British standards is not cold by, say, Canadian or central European standards, but we notice it in our own way. Look, someone in Royd Terrace has even lit a fire.

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Dec 07 2022
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Leaving Victoria, early

Tuesday 6th December 2022, 7.40am (day 4,121)

Leaving Victoria early, 6/12/22

Decided I’d probably better put in an appearance in Manchester, but at this time of year it’s still barely sunrise when the 06:55 (constantly late-running) finally makes it there. I am pleased with this shot simply because it’s one of those that turned out just how I wanted it to when I pressed the shutter. I know the verticals are out of true, but that’s deliberate.

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Dec 06 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Ducks are for life

Monday 5th December 2022, 11.50am (day 4,120)

Ducks message, 5/12/22

In an ideal world, this message would end, “…. and not just for Christmas”, but sadly it does not. Then again, it’s been up for several months now, waiting only for an otherwise opportunity-light day of photography for its chance to be shared with you, my faithful readers. So this is not the seasonal reference it may seem.

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