Tag Archives: 45

May 15 2015
1 Comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Red kites feeding

Thursday 14th May 2015, 3.00pm (day 1,358)

Red kites, 14/5/15

For the second Thursday in a row I went off on a trip outside England and into another nation of the UK — this time Wales, its first appearance on the blog. I am visiting a colleague in Aberystwyth, a town with more books per head of population than anywhere in the world, apparently. Later in the day she took me to a place in the hills above the town, a centre devoted to maintaining the population of red kites (Milvus milvus), handsome birds of prey. The birds gather to be fed every day at 3pm. This was my best attempt at capturing the flock as they came down and feasted on the bounty, they all move damn quickly and I don’t have the equipment to freeze their movement in the way a pro would. But I like the one on the bottom left, caught looking at the camera.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
May 13 2015
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Stall at the market

Wednesday 13th May 2015, 10.35am (day 1,357)

Market stall, 13/5/15

Three stallholders, or possibly visitors, and Audrey Hepburn in a birdcage. A typical scene at Hebden Bridge’s weekly Wednesday flea market.

Tagged , , , ,
May 12 2015
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Interior

Platform 1 ramp, Hebden Bridge station

Tuesday 12th May 2015, 7.55am (day 1,356)

Scaffolding, 12/5/15

Scaffolding has come and gone and come again at Hebden Bridge station over the last few weeks — but there never seems to be anyone actually working on or around it.

Tagged , , , ,
May 11 2015
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Urban scene

Outside the library

Monday 11th May 2015, 11.45am (day 1,355)

Outside library, 11/5/15

One of those days where it threw it down with rain for my journey to work — including the walking outside bits — and then two hours later it was glorious sunshine. It’s the gap between teaching and exams so the campus is relatively chilled out. These two seem to be getting on well even if they do only have one leg between them.

Tagged , , , , ,
May 10 2015
4 Comments
Daily Post, Urban scene

Crossing the Tay

Sunday 10th May 2015, 9.30am (day 1,354)

Tay bridge, 10/5/15

Left Dundee this morning after an enjoyable stay. Anyone travelling south from there by rail will begin their journey with a crossing of the Tay Bridge, scene of one of Britain’s worst rail disasters when the original, and poorly-built, version of the bridge collapsed in high winds in 1879, taking a train and 75 people with it. (The only survivor was the locomotive, which was salvaged and remained in service for another 50 years.) Fortunately for us all, the replacement bridge was built rather more durably.

I know this photo teeters on the brink of being deliberately bad but hey, I’m feeling experimental. The rain was sheeting down outside the windows as I crossed on the 0924 Dundee – Edinburgh service, so this is the best I could do. And, of course, this photo is taken from the rail bridge — but it’s a photo of the newer road bridge (completed 1967), with the still-extant shipyard behind.

Tagged , , , , , ,
May 09 2015
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape

Loch Esk and Craig of Gowal

Saturday 9th May 2015, 1.30pm (day 1,353)

Loch Esk, 9/5/15

You didn’t think I was going to come all the way to Scotland to work and not get a walk in, did you? This is about an hour north of Dundee by road, the southern edge of the Cairngorms National Park. Here we are about 2,600 feet above sea level, at the head of Glen Clova. A good walk today.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
May 08 2015
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Milo

Friday 8th May 2015, 12.05pm (day 1,352)

Milo, 8/5/15

I am here in Dundee to finish off writing a paper with my colleague Annalisa and this task was undertaken today at her house; and this is the man of said house. The rest of us are just staff. Milo becomes the third cat in a row to feature on this blog where I’ve known its name, after Harry and Mathilda, the last two CCSs (Cheap Cat Shots).

Tagged , , , , , ,
May 07 2015
1 Comment
Landscape

Magdalene Green, Dundee

Thursday 7th May 2015, 7.00pm (day 1,351)

Magdalene green, 7/5/15

I’m not facing head-on the General Election that is taking place today. In any case nothing will be resolved until tomorrow morning at the very earliest, and probably several days after that if the opinion polls are to be believed. I left home very early this morning because of work commitments in Dundee, Scotland, a city I have never visited before, and this shot of the evening light there (plus the small plane — does it look like a blotch, or does it add to the shot?) makes this only the second Scottish location, after Edinburgh (April last year), to feature on this blog. It may be that the Scottish Nationalists hold the balance of power after today’s voting, so this could be an appropriate location to spend the next few days.

Tagged , , , , , ,
May 06 2015
1 Comment
Daily Post, Urban scene

St Thomas Centre, Ardwick

Wednesday 6th May 2015, 12.50pm (day 1,350)

Gravestones, 6/5/15

The St Thomas’ Centre, where I did some work today, is a converted church, and its front yard is paved with these grave markers. Which would have made an excellent photo had it not been hurling down with rain whenever I was outside: the wettest day in months, actually. So, bad photo alert. Sorry.

Tagged , , , , , ,
May 05 2015
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Urban scene

Crossing paths

Tuesday 5th May 2015, 8.00am (day 1,349)

Crossed paths, 5/5/15

Another trip to London. This was taken at Waterloo station — the busiest railway station in Britain by number of passengers — these two were just part of the throng, but I like the way they’ve been captured in relative isolation.

Tagged , , , ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →