Tag Archives: 43

Dec 11 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger, Transport

Platform 4, London Bridge

Tuesday 11th December 2012, 11.10am (day 474)

Platform 4, London Bridge, 11/11/12

I seem at the moment to be spending most of my life on the move. Just as well that I don’t mind taking photos of railway stations, then, even if it does sometimes make me look like a trainspotter. I got quite a few photos today that were nearly very good, and even though there’s nothing spectacular about this one, I quite like it; this gentleman just looks very chilled out. All in all it does encapsulate what was another very beautiful day with great light, one on which it was far more pleasant to be hanging around outside than one has a right to expect in mid-December.

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Dec 10 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Oxford Road

Monday 10th December 2012, 9.20am (day 473)

Oxford Road. 10/12/12

At least, after the crappy event of yesterday (the loss of my personal diary), and the tiring nature of this passage of time – which I’m only halfway through – today had the decency to be a truly glorious day. Even Oxford Road looked spectacular on this last Monday morning of the teaching term. Note the large crowd in the background – the queue for the first graduation ceremony of the season.

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Dec 10 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Mad Georgian Restaurant

Sunday 9th December 2012, 11.10am (day 472)

Mad Georgian restaurant, 9/12/12

This place is located near the Arbat in Moscow. I have eaten here once in the past and the food is very good, they do say that the Georgians do the best cuisine of all the former Soviet republics. What is more apparent about the place is the crazy nature of the building, it’s impossible to capture in one shot, really, but the fact that you enter it through a gigantic clay urn gives you some sense of what we’re talking about here. Inside it is full of bridges and little cubbyholes, it’s very surreal.

Last day in Moscow, and I won’t now be back until June. Unfortunately I have also to report the loss of my personal diary, the whole of 2012 disappeared last night somewhere in Domodedovo airport. I have kept a diary for 29 years now; but the year’s just gone. I have been trying to track it down, to see if anyone might have handed it in (as it can have no value to anyone else other than me – for whom it is irreplaceable), but no luck.

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Dec 08 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Moscow graduation

Saturday 8th December 2012, 5.00pm (day 471)

Moscow graduation, 8/12/12

Here we are at another of the repeating events of my year; this took place on 10th December 2011, but it’s the same day, in essence. And I say the same things I said back then regarding wishing these people well and admiring their achievement.

Incidentally the woman on the left here is from the Russian high Arctic, where they still literally live in yurts and herd reindeer: the very fact that I can somehow, however indirectly, be responsible for someone like her getting a Masters’ degree (in Cultural Management) makes me feel at least partly positive about what I do for a living. Hell, that’s education for ya. One reason, perhaps, why moronocracies across the world claim to be in favour of education but actually aren’t. Good for her.

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Dec 07 2012
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Daily Post, Friend, Portrait

Sasha, in someone else’s office

Friday 7th December 2012, 2.00pm (day 470)

Alexander, 7/12/12

This is Alexander, stood in an office that he is making look his own – but is not his own.

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Dec 06 2012
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Daily Post, Interior

Stairwell, Academy of National Economy

Thursday 6th December 2012, 1.50pm (day 469)

Stairwell, ANE, 6/12/12

Not an inspiring day in any way but this shot isn’t bad. I like the red of the carpet and the enigmatic figure in the background framed by the near-monochrome of the stairwell itself. (The white balance could do with attention, however.) The ANE is the host of my hosts, the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, and incidentally is one of the largest higher education institutions in Europe, ranked by number of students.

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Dec 05 2012
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Daily Post, Landscape

Coming into land at Domodedovo

Wednesday 5th December 2012, 4.00pm (day 468)

Quarry, Domodedovo, 5/12/12

So far, Hebden Bridge has avoided any snow, but the same is not true of Russia, as you see here. Still, I suppose that’s how it should be in December.

This is – I think – a quarry, pleasantly lit by the setting sun; but then again it doesn’t really matter what it is. I just like the shape, and the further evidence that we get a whole different perspective on the world from several thousand feet up. A lot of photos on this blog have been taken from planes for that reason – I should count them.

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Dec 04 2012
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Working in the river

Tuesday 4th December 2012, 9.45am (day 467)

Working in river, 4/12/12

This has been going on down by the weir for a few weeks – work being done to install a water turbine to power the nearby shops in the old mill. A highly positive step that surely only the most reactionary old duffer could object to (but we have some of those, round here, believe me). The cloud on this shot has been caused a few seconds earlier by the guy in the yellow jacket wielding his angle-grinder.

Moscow again tomorrow… By the way, don’t ask me why I suddenly decided to start putting the day number at the top – but I have. So now you can see how long I have been going on this. (I retrospectively added the day number to earlier posts.)

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Dec 03 2012
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Daily Post, Interior

Making a phone call

Monday 3rd December 2012, 1.30pm (day 466)

Making a phone call, 3/12/12

Lucky for me that she was, because like most Mondays, this was a difficult to day to find a) inspiration b) the time to actually take a photo.

Mind you, she might look sort of serene here, but whatever she was on the phone to someone about was really pissing her off. I think that was why she was sat out here on the stairwell, instead of making the call in an office somewhere.

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Dec 02 2012
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Frosty morning

Sunday 2nd December 2012, 11.30am (day 465)

Frosty morning, 2/12/12

Stayed below freezing all day today, the coldest day since Moscow back in March. Beautiful weather however, a glorious winter’s day. These brambles have made a break for freedom above a stone wall up the road from our house.

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