I am here in Moscow with three colleagues and since they heard about this blog they seem all day to have been competing to be featured on it. Craig wins 🙂
Posted also for the novelty value of being taken in a place where it is still legal to smoke in bars and restaurants. Apparently a ban is due to start in Russia in a few weeks, but looking at how many people here still do smoke, I wonder how well it will take.
Let’s face it. This really is one of the world’s best buildings, isn’t it?
We had a kind of extended family gathering this evening. My Dad’s cousin Paul put together this huge scroll showing the family tree heading back several generations and at least two hundred years (very few of whom ever bothered to leave the Ashton-under-Lyne and Oldham area it seems). This young chap — name not caught — is on it somewhere. Good evening, though I had to leave early, as I’m flying to Russia early in the morning.
I do spend time in Manchester now and again you know, when I’m not being distracted by snails (see yesterday) then campus can be a reasonably attractive spot.
It’s been a good few days for wildlife shots. Believe it or not, this photo was taken at Hebden Bridge railway station — the moss here being located at the top of the wall near the place where I always stand at platform 1. No crawling around required. I love the languid way it has draped itself over the sprig of moss.
One of the cheaper places to have lunch in the centre of Hebden Bridge. Which is what I did, today, while a rather cold and unpleasant day unfolded outside.
This is the shot I meant to take, but it was still luck — I didn’t even think I’d focused it properly and a microsecond after I pushed the shutter the bird was gone. Was torn between posting this one and one of a butterfly I also got today (also something of a fluke) — had I posted last night you’d have got the butterfly but this one wins this morning, so it’s in. Yes, I’d rather the sticks weren’t there — but so be it.
The first two days of the Tour de France pass through Yorkshire this year, and on Sunday 6th July the race goes right past my front door, literally. The associated publicity campaign has already begun, with a noticeable increase in the number of bicycles to be seen on any given public holiday — as today was. There will be more, I am sure.
This was never intended to be today’s photo as it was just one of those jokey shots, but I kind of liked how it turned out. The balloon, recovered from yesterday’s celebrations at Nottingham, has been decorated in honour of Oscar Garcia, the hirsute and notably grumpy Brighton manager (see this image for instance).
Impossible to get a shot that was both photographically interesting and which captured the drama of today’s events at the City Ground, Nottingham. This picture is as good as I could manage to capture the tension that was released by Leo Ulloa’s 92nd minute goal, one already burned into the memories of all Brighton & Hove Albion fans I am sure. If you want to read more about that, go to this page. I am too drained. Seagulls!!
Being 42 