Jan 31 2016
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Daily Post, Interior

Pop-up shop, the sequel (3.5 years on)

Sunday 31st January 2016, 2.20pm (day 1,620)

Pop up organic shop, 31/1/16

On 1st August 2012, the photo of the day was one taken in the Hebden Bridge Baptist Chapel, where the Valley Organics shop had temporarily set up after the twin floods on 21st June and 9th July 2012. Exactly three and a half years later, here the same enterprise is again, grateful for the help of others — in this case the temporary premises are offered by the Salem Centre. I don’t want here to complain or get political — that is not the point of this shot. But I do recognise that all concrete help of this kind comes from within the community, directly.

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Jan 30 2016
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Daily Post, Interior

A battered old favourite

Saturday 30th January 2016, 6.50pm (day 1,619)

Cuckoo's Nest, 30/1/16

Finally made it home, 24 hours behind schedule, and just before landing finished this for the umpteenth time. I know pretty much exactly when I bought this book — April 1989 at a gas station in Pennsylvania. As you can see, it’s certainly seen some attention since then. And rightly so; in my opinion it’s definitely one of the greatest novels ever written. If you’ve never read it, you really should.

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Jan 29 2016
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Bad weather in Bergen (but not the apocalypse)

Friday 29th January 2016, 12.20pm (day 1,618)

Bad weather, Høgskole, 29/1/16

A somewhat strange day. Apocalyptic weather forecasts led to most of Bergen shutting down at lunchtime; my day’s work at Høgskolen i Bergen was truncated as a result, and it was at the point of termination that I took this picture, which doesn’t quite capture how foul it was here, though I like the greyness of it (I knocked down the saturation a bit, but only a bit). Shortly after this KLM then cancelled my flight home, which explains why I’m still here and won’t be home until tomorrow night, 24 hours after originally scheduled.

Yet in the end the afternoon’s weather in the city, while poor, was certainly no worse than it often can be here. I originally got quite angry about this, feeling that everyone could have done with a little less panic. However, it seems that the coastal mountains may have protected the city somewhat. Apparently areas futher north today had the strongest winds ever recorded in Norway. But hey, I’m still allowed to be pissed off that I didn’t make it home (quite a few flights happily left Flesland airport), particularly on a Friday night. So another day in Norway tomorrow, then. So be it.

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Jan 28 2016
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Daily Post, Interior

Apollon, Bergen

Thursday 28th January 2016, 7.15pm (day 1,617)

Apollon, 28/1/16

It’s a bar. It’s also a record store. It’s…. it’s…. well, what more do you want? Or need??

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Jan 27 2016
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Seafarers’ monument, Bergen

Wednesday 27th January 2016, 2.20pm (day 1,616)

Seafarers' Monument, 27/1/16

The Seafarers’ Monument sits in one of the main squares of Bergen. It’s not the most beautiful of monuments, but maybe that’s why someone decided, presumably before Christmas, to prettify it.

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Jan 26 2016
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Daily Post, Interior

In transit, Schiphol

Tuesday 26th January 2016, 1.05pm (day 1,615)

Schiphol, 26/1/16

So ends a 96-day run in the UK, a relatively long one for me: Tallinn in October was my last trip out. The weather was gross all day, so no in-flight panoramas I’m afraid. This shot epitomises the day more — like everyone else who flies around Europe on any kind of regular basis I am pretty familiar with Schiphol’s gigantic terminal. I quite like this shot because of the seeming dichotomy between the two sides of it; brutal vertical lines like that one in the middle don’t usually help the composition but here I think it works.

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Jan 25 2016
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Chinese lanterns, Albert Square

Monday 25th January 2016, 9.25am (day 1,614)

Chinese lanterns, Albert Square, 25/1/16

Manchester has a pretty big Chinatown (hence the Chinese Arch, which has made it onto the blog three times by now). The lanterns hung in Albert Square around this time of year (see also here) are also good for a shot each year.

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Jan 24 2016
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

We’re now open

Sunday 24th January 2016, 6.10pm (day 1,613)

Reopened shop, 24/1/16

Four weeks after the flood, a positive message. The ‘bobby dazzlers’ in question will not include our parliamentary representative or any of his colleagues elected by constituencies flooded in December 2015, despite the financial resources we expend on furthering their lifestyle, and the moral authority they claim, on the basis that they are “representing the interests of the people”.

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Jan 23 2016
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Daily Post, Landscape

Waterworks markers, Hardcastle Crags

Saturday 23rd January 2016, 1.30pm (day 1,612)

Waterworks, 23/1/16

Possibly these are markers for waterworks up in Hardcastle Crags, as this is where Hebden Bridge’s water comes from in the end.

Or possibly these are the abandoned prototypes of tiles in the short-lived “double-letter” version of Scrabble, left here to rot when it was proven nobody could actually think of an English word that had “…PV…” in it. (I’ve been trying.)

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Jan 22 2016
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna, Transport

Rochdale Canal at Callis Wood lock

Friday 22nd January 2016, 4.15pm (day 1,611)

Canal at Callis, 22/1/16

Part of the reason I have felt uninspired lately is that I’ve been spending too many days at home, not going out. Also that the light has been very poor — I swear we’ve had half a dozen sunny days at most since the start of November. But both of those things changed for the better this very pleasant afternoon when I managed a stroll along the canal bank. Much of the towpath is still closed because of flood damage but this section, at the Callis Wood bottom lock, is still open.

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