Tag Archives: 42

Dec 05 2011
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait Gallery

Doug in his wheelchair

Monday 5th December 2011, 4.10pm (day 102)

Doug in wheelchair, 5/12/11_low-res

Doug is my friend and has been using a wheelchair for at least 10 years due to an autonomic disorder. What amuses me slightly – but I also think it says a lot about stereotyping – is that because his legs are in full working order he often propels himself around using his feet (kind of like you’d move a kids toy car). But you’d be surprised how many people look askance at him for doing this, as if they can’t balance the equation ‘in a wheelchair’ + ‘can use his legs’ = ? Many look at him like he must be a faker. After a while you get tired of pointing out that only a small minority of wheelchair users are paraplegics, and just start finding their confusion amusing.

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Dec 04 2011
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Daily Post, Landscape, Sport Gallery

Reindeer run, Bramham Park, near Wetherby

Sunday 4th December 2011, 11.10am (day 101)

Reindeer run, 4/12/11

So called because all contestants were supposed to go round in a pair of novelty antlers and a flashing red nose. Except that anyone taking it remotely seriously, like these two guys (who finished 3rd and 4th I believe), ditched the accessories before they even started: though the guy in front does appear to still have the nose strapped to his forehead. Maybe it’s even still flashing.

It was damn cold today. And muddy. I know I am in no position to criticise, having spent Friday 3,000 feet up in the first snowdrifts of the winter, but you’ve got to be pretty dedicated to have run round 10km on this rather fierce December Sunday morning. Joe & I said ‘sod it’ after about 15 minutes and waited it out in the car. It was the wife (and assorted in-laws) who took the plaudits today.

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Dec 03 2011
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Daily Post, Family Member, Portrait Gallery

Clare, adding up

Saturday 3rd December 2011, 11.10am (day 100)

Clare, writing, 3/12/11

Another effort today by the Whitworth family to sell various forms of artwork (home-made and otherwise) to a mildly interested public. Better than three weeks ago: we made a reasonable amount for two hours’ work.

This blog is now 100 days old so I’ve put some more photos up on the ‘Best of the Rest’ page. Of the 100 photos I’ve used here are some stats – the numbers don’t quite add up because sometimes I’ve just had to classify them in more than one category:

  • 8 of the photos are landscapes, 5 of these from the Lake District – 30 urban scenes (of which 14 are in Hebden Bridge and 7 in Manchester) – 25 portraits (6 of Joe, 5 of Clare, 6 of friends or colleagues, 8 of strangers and, mercifully, only one a self-portrait) – 10 of flora and fauna – 6 classed as ‘transport’ and 22 interiors.
  • 14 of the daily photos are taken outside of the UK: 4 in Russia, 3 in Finland and 5 in Norway, plus two at indeterminate locations, somewhere over the North Sea in planes (to and from the same trip to Bergen in early November).
  • The most popular time for photos is the morning: 40 of the 100 have been taken between 8am – noon. Only four have been taken after 8pm.
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Dec 02 2011
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Daily Post, Landscape Gallery

On Helvellyn, looking south

Friday 2nd December 2011, 11.25am (day 99)

Helvellyn, 2/12/11

Do I need to add any commentary, really?

I’ll just make an observation – don’t think the whole country is like this. In fact, this was about the only bit of the Lake District that was like this. There are several more photos up on the 214wainwrights blog, which will give you the full flavour.

Also, tomorrow’s the 100th day of this blog so there’ll be another ‘best of the rest’ selection going up.

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Dec 01 2011
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Daily Post, Urban scene Gallery

Urbis and the Arndale Centre, Manchester

Thursday 1st December 2011, 9.35am (day 98)

Urbis and Arndale, 1/12/11

December 2011 dawned pleasantly mild – rather different than the 1st December 2010, the defining characteristic of which will be clear from a quick look at this Facebook album. The light this morning was really good: a good sign of that is when you pass a scene you see two or three times a week, on average, and see it in…. well, see it in a new light. As here.

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Nov 30 2011
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene Gallery

Stubbings School, Hebden Bridge – closed

Wednesday 30th November 2011, 9.55am (day 97)

Stubbings is closed, 30/11/11

The public sector comprises people like teachers, refuse collectors, immigration officers, police officers, nurses, gravediggers…  performing those tasks which are essential to the functionality and health of a society but which are difficult to ‘market’, unglamorous, dangerous, non-profit-making or all of the above. The UK government has, since taking power in a right-wing, private-sector-led coup that followed the inconclusive May 2010 general election, launched a sustained raid on the pensions funds of these groups, using the proceeds to pay off bankers who privatise and tax-dodge with their profits, but nationalise their debts – the perfect scam – and spending them on nuclear weapons that will never be fired (see October 3rd commentary).

The public sector unions responded by today calling a widespread strike, which will be excoriated in certain right-wing papers tomorrow as a matter of course, despite being supported by 61% of the British public, according to one opinion poll. Had Joe’s school been open – it was not – I would have kept him off anyway as a show of support. I hope there are more. Something has to make the bastards crack. They’re a Coalition for heaven’s sake, all it takes is the Lib Dems to stop pimping our arses while the Chancellor stands behind, shafting away.

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Nov 29 2011
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Daily Post, Interior Gallery

Mural, Bergen airport

Tuesday 29th November 2011, 4.05pm (day 96)

Bergen airport mural, 29/11/11

Although feeling sometimes like I do rather too much of this flying lark I do like looking at the departure boards in airports and thinking one day, I’ll just turn up and go somewhere random. I like the odd juxtaposition of destinations on this mural. Bangkok and Orkney in the same context – that won’t happen too often. Home tonight, though not until after midnight.

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Nov 28 2011
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Daily Post, Urban scene Gallery

Site of the new Høgskolen i Bergen

Monday 28th November 2011, 5.00pm (day 95)

Building site, Bergen, 28/11/11

Those of you who are visiting regularly at the moment (and I know there are a few – for which, thank you) might be wondering where the fjord is. Well, it’s not that I didn’t get a good picture of one – I didn’t even see one. A landslide at Myrdal rail station last night, up in the mountains, led to the cancellation of my day trip. Oh, I get my money back but it’s still disappointing. Four trips to Norway have now passed and I’ve still yet to see the reason Slartibartfast got his award (and if that means nothing to you, you’ve not read The Hitch-Hikers’ Guide to the Galaxy).

So here’s a picture of a building site instead. However, there is a connection – this is the site of the new Høgskolen i Bergen (Bergen University College), due to open in 2013 (or is it 2014) and, indirectly, one of the reasons I am here: the work I am doing here, in part, is helping prepare the library to move from having five separate premises into one big new space. So there is a point to the picture. But a fjord would have been so much nicer. Not this time though… or the next two (January & February), come to that.

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Nov 27 2011
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Daily Post, Urban scene Gallery

Mount Fløyen, Bergen, Norway

Sunday 27th November 2011, 3.25pm (day 94)

Mount Fløyen, 27/11/11

So here I am in Bergen again, and being a tourist for a couple of days – in all this run of visits to what I firmly believe is the most beautiful city I’ve ever visited, I have not had the chance before now to really look around (and see a fjord, particularly – which I will do tomorrow).

If anything I am slightly disappointed with the haul of pictures taken today (others can be seen in a Facebook album); none of them quite captured the glories of the view. This one is the best but there’s flare to the right of the image. But never mind, it was worth braving the freezing gale that was whipping in from the North Sea this afternoon. And it also becomes the first black & white shot on this blog, on its 94th day.

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Nov 26 2011
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene Gallery

Burst water main, Market Street, Hebden Bridge

Saturday 26th November 2011, 10.05am (day 93)

Burst water main, 26/11/11_low-res

So we move into the second trimester of this blog. End of November, December, January and most of February – the winter months. Expect lots of pictures of the cold and wet. I get several trips abroad in this period but they’re all to Norway (to where I head once more, tomorrow), Russia, the Netherlands – you won’t be seeing any winter warmth.

This picture was the only really interesting thing to happen today but is deceiving. The flood has been caused not by rain but by water flooding out (literally) from a burst mains pipe and drowning the road.

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