Jun 29 2012
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Daily Post, Interior

The Railway, in exile

Friday 29th June 2012, 5.45pm (day 309)

Railway in exile, 29/6/12

While I have been away in Russia, the clean-up has continued back home, and the end cost starts to be more apparent. My local, the Railway – where I have probably drunk twice a week, maybe more on average, for 10 years, is closed for two to three months. Several other businesses may not reopen at all, the cost of the cleanup not being worth the trouble. A furniture retailer in Mytholmroyd lost half a million pounds of stock in a single night. And probably the insurers will bicker about something.

Anyway, those of us who frequent the Railway have, for a while, had to find somewhere else to spend our Friday evenings. Today it was Marshall’s bar: themselves unable to serve anything on draught, cans and bottles only. It felt slightly wrong, but not too bad. I wish it hadn’t had to happen, however.

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Jun 28 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Chinese girl on plane

Thursday 28th June 2012, 9.15pm (day 308)

Chinese girl on plane, 28/6/12

It’s a nice shot (if a little out-of-focus). Unfortunately, this encapsulates the day because there’s no way I should have been coming home late enough to catch the sunset streaming through onto the face of my single-serving model. British Airways stranded me in the sixth circle of Hell that is Heathrow Airport for 7 hours this afternoon because their first choice of plane needed fixing. OK, I don’t want to go up in a dodgy plane but why the hell was it left to me – a passenger – to inform the BA ticket desk in Terminal 1 that one of their planes had gone tits-up, a full hour after the pilot told me and the rest of the passengers that it wasn’t going to take off?!

I’ve been on the go since 3.30 am this morning UK time (6.30 Moscow). I’m going to bed.

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Jun 27 2012
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

In the gardens of the Atlas Park hotel

Wednesday 27th June 2012, 7.35pm (day 307)

Atlas Park garden, 27/6/12

Last full day in Moscow, for this trip at least. (I’ll be back, never fear.) One thing that has been nice this time is that I have been staying outside the city, in a relatively rural spot. It’s very pleasant to wander through the woods and down to the river before dinner. Well, unless you’re particularly bothered by midges, anyway.

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Jun 26 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Endorsing the declaration

Tuesday 26th June 2012, 7.15pm (day 306)

Tatiana, 26/6/12

Today was a salutary lesson in what Principal Skinner (The Simpsons) once said: “Children! Do you want to be like the real UN, or do you just want to squabble and waste time?!’

I am being unfair. It was a very interesting day today. But the experience of writing a document then, in effect, having to have it endorsed by 120 different people from 40 different countries was a new one on me.  I therefore distracted myself from the more repetitive parts of the process by taking photos of the delegates. As you can see, everyone seems quite interested. Rule one of taking photos of crowds: even if it’s meant to be a photo of a crowd, focus on someone. This is Tatiana, from Brazil. There are good reasons to pick her as a focus: what a face!

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Jun 25 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

The official (Russian) photographer

Monday 25th June 2012, 11.40am (day 305)

Photographer, 25/6/12

God, it feels so long since I have been doing this blog. Way back in September – though it feels much longer ago – I took a picture of ‘the official photographer’, on a day when he was taking photos of us, constantly, throughout a conference/seminar session. Today I got the chance to repeat the theme, quite exactly.

She is definitely cuter. And considerably more Russian. Whether she is a better photographer or not, I have no proof.

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Jun 25 2012
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Daily Post, Interior, Transport

Arrivals hall, Domodedovo airport

Sunday 24th June 2012, 8.10pm (day 304)

Arrivals hall, 24/6/12

Well, here we are, off again. To a country that may have massive political and social problems, but has at least heard of the notion that in June, it’s supposed to be summer.

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Jun 23 2012
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

After the flood, the mopping up

Saturday 23rd June 2012, 3.40pm (day 303)

Pumping out, 23/6/12

Between about 10pm last night and 4am this morning Hebden Bridge town centre was under about 2 feet of water. (As you can see from many other pictures on this site we live 50 or so feet above the valley floor: luckily.) It drained quickly, and by the time I got down there at 10am, the flood water had gone. So no pictures of that.

But the damage had been done. At least half the businesses in the town centre were not open today and some might be closed for two weeks or more, a great dent in income in a time of diminished revenue as it is. The fire service were doing wonders, working all day to pump out cellars and basements. But although it did rain a lot yesterday, let’s also consider that most of the drains in this town are regularly blocked by dirt, leaves and debris because the Council don’t clean them: and we supposedly have a rather expensive flood defence system installed two miles up the valley (built after the last big flood in 2000) – which, for reasons no one is very clear about yet (was it not activated? Or simply inadequate despite the money spent?) – has failed. People couldn’t get hold of sandbags to protect their property. It’s the people, the businesses, of Hebden Bridge who will be picking up the costs of these mistakes.

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Jun 22 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

(D)rain

Friday 22nd June 2012, 9.15am (day 302)

Drain, 22/6/12

It’s still raining. It’s been raining all day. Heavily. The flood warning sirens in Hebden Bridge went off an hour ago: just an initial warning, but only about the third time since I’ve been living here (11 years). It’d better not: I’m supposed to be going to Russia on Sunday.

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Jun 21 2012
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

First day of summer

Thursday 21st June 2012, 8.45am (day 301)

Wet ducks, 21/6/12

Astronomically, today was the first day of summer. Ha ha. It’s throwing it down here. Even the ducks look depressed.

Incidentally, what you see here is the original bridge, dating from around 1510, for which the town of Hebden Bridge is named. It’ll have seen drier 21st Junes in its time.

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Jun 20 2012
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger

Waiting for the train to Manchester

Wednesday 20th June 2012, 8.55am (day 300)

Commuter, 20/6/12

Which, of course, is something I do frequently: though not as often as some. Either the 0652, if I don’t have to take Joe to school, or the 0856, if I do. Today I did. It was a nice sunny morning, and though I got a couple of other decent pictures throughout the day, I’ll stick with this one: it’s nice to be on the way to work and still feel quite mellow about the day, and the shot captures that I think.

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