Tuesday 12th June 2012, 9.20am (day 292)
Got bored today and shaved my head, well, a #1 clip anyway. I do this kind of spontaneous thing now and again. Ask my wife one day how I proposed to her.
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: 42
Lost
Monday 11th June 2012, 2.45pm (day 291)
What little stories there are all around us sometimes. Who abandoned this pair of grubby, but otherwise serviceable-looking shoes by the side of this crossing over Oxford Road today – and why? Or have they struck out on their own, striking a blow for the freedom of brogues everywhere?
Ginger la Rouge
Sunday 10th June 2012, 10.45pm (day 290)
Clare’s alter ego – whose identity, of course, I could not possibly reveal – was doing a burlesque show in Chester tonight, and I got to go along for a change. Here is another of the lovely performers (5 female, 1 male). I like taking pictures of people candidly – it helps you see what they really look like. I get the impression Ginger looks rather like this most of the time, in fact. (Even if her right leg does appear to be stood in a big glass. Perhaps I should have cropped that, but what the hell.)
Arachnophobes: don’t scroll down
Saturday 9th June 2012, 11.55am (day 289)
You were warned. But I think this is a beautiful creature; currently living in the shed outside our front door. Rarely have I seen a bigger one, and certainly not in England. I won’t get a better photo today so I’m posting this now. (I haven’t been able to identify the species, not for certain: if anyone can help, leave a comment…)
Postscript: Thanks to Gary, a nice man at UKsafari.com, I’ve been told it’s a Cave Spider: see this page. Species either Meta menardi or Meta bourneti, but it’s impossible to tell which one exactly without capturing it and using a magnifying glass…which I am not going to do.
Joe makes a contribution
Friday June 8th 2012, 3.30pm (day 288)
After a busy week, today was dull, spent working at home while the rain came down outside. Later on, Joe observed that he never gets to decide my photo of the day. OK, mate: go ahead. Here is his choice. I love the pegleg on this Lego pirate; a neat touch.
Leftover flags, Canal Street, Manchester
Thursday 7th June 2012, 2.25pm (day 287)
Back in the UK, where there are occasional bursts of paraphernalia left over from the Jubilee celebrations last weekend, missed due to my being in Norway. So here’s a belated reference to all the pro patria stuff.
Early morning moon, Kristiansand
Wednesday 6th June 2012, 4.30am (day 286)
Today at 5.45 am (Norwegian time) there was a transit of Venus across the sun, the last such event until 2117. Through a series of lucky events, I did actually get to see it; not many people would a) be up at that time b) be somewhere where the sun was shining (particularly in Norway), c) have sight of it while sat in an airport departure lounge and d) have access to a pair of plastic, cheap children’s binoculars which nevertheless did project an image of the sun onto a whitewashed wall – on which the tiny black dot that was Venus was clearly visible. I did try to take a photo of it, but that proved beyond me, which I was disappointed about until reflecting that I was, after all, trying to take a picture of the dark side of a planet some 20 million miles away with a compact digital camera. So here’s another picture of an impressive astronomical object instead. (Chosen also for the novelty value of the time: one of the earliest shots on the whole blog.)
Kilden performing arts centre, Kristiansand
Tuesday 5th June 2012, 5.40pm (day 285)
Norway is a sensibly governed country, compared to others I could mention: the best example of this being that the Norwegian state retains a 51% share in the main oil company and in each of the national banks. The result: it’s very wealthy. (Citizens of countries whose governments have, instead, chosen to squander all the revenue from North Sea oil over the last 40 years might like to take note.) Which is why it can afford to build vast and impressive new performing arts centres like the Kilden, in small provincial towns like Kristiansand.
This picture was taken during the conference reception. There are other people all around, but somehow, on this trip, it didn’t really seem to be about the people. At least, not photographically.
Town beach, Kristiansand
Monday 4th June 2012, 5.30pm (day 284)
We transited down to Kristiansand today, in the southernmost part of Norway (though still as far north as Aberdeen in Scotland). Wouldn’t have chosen to come here normally, but was invited to give a keynote speech at a conference. It’s not as dramatic as the western fjords but it’s pleasant enough, and the sun was shining. This picture makes it look like it’s got wide, sweeping sands, but actually it’s a pretty scrubby bit of beach, probably artificial. Nevertheless, the kid’s having fun, and it was quite a sunny and pleasant evening.
In the fjord
Sunday 3rd June 2012, 11.50am (day 283)
So, finally, I make it into the fjords. This is a narrow passage between the little islands of Paddøy and Hokøyna, north of Bergen on the route up to Mofjorden. I don’t really feel I did the Norwegian landscape justice with any single photo taken today, partly because of a simple lack of good light, and also because for most of the journey we were either on a boat which was moving very quickly (some 30-35 knots), and thus being out on deck was a bracing experience to put it mildly – and focusing was difficult as a result. Or, we were behind glass on the bus home. And how can one choose just one shot to encapsulate this amazing natural architecture. I know, then, that here I do resort to cliché. But what the hell.
Being 42 