Tuesday 16th August 2016, 8.40am (day 1,818)
A shot from Manchester prior to 9am? I must be back at work. What statement this guy is trying to make outside the ‘Burger and Lobster’ bar I don’t know, but I like it.
King Street
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: 46
Flowering heather
Monday 15th August 2016, 2.00pm (day 1,817)
Today really was the last hurrah of my summer holiday; and I still got several hours’ reading in while I made my way to and from the north-western fringes of the Lake District. That is Crummock Water in the distance, the fell behind it being Mellbreak. Meanwhile, on Whiteside, a spectacular profusion of heather; purple was definitely the dominant colour today. Or is it pink? Whatever.
Contact
Sunday 14th August 2016, 4.55pm (day 1,816)
Exactly what this biker and this pigeon were finding to talk about this afternoon by the Hebden old bridge, I have no idea — but there is clearly some communication here.
In Nutclough Woods
Saturday 13th August 2016, 2.15pm (day 1,815)
I feel I’ve shown what I wanted to show about this tree, so that gratifies me.
Big scary door
Friday 12th August 2016, 1.25pm (day 1,814)
Doubtless there is a parent just out of shot waiting to make the strategic grab if necessary, but at some point in the future these two will be going through their big scary doors all by themselves. Good luck to them. Pictured at Manchester Victoria station, as I ventured there purely for shopping purposes — the return to work can wait another 36 hours or so.
Family gathering
Thursday 11th August 2016, 5.00pm (day 1,813)
As I start back at work on Sunday, I would like to make the most of the remaining days of the holiday; hence today’s family gathering. My Dad (well, some of him) makes his fourth appearance on the blog; my Mum (somewhat shamefully, perhaps) her second, Clare and Joe, you know.
Roof with a view
Wednesday 10th August 2016, 11.45am (day 1,812)
Not a bad morning for it, though there was rain later. This is never going to be a position you ever see me in, by the way.
Joe in the Great Orme copper mine
Tuesday 9th August 2016, 10.40am (day 1,811)
The Great Orme (or Y Gogarth in Welsh) is the limestone headland which rises to the north of Llandudno and was the destination of our visit today, our last day of this mini-break. There are a few candidate photos — the view of the mountains of Snowdonia from the summit was excellent — but while this chosen one isn’t so panoramic, this represents the most interesting element of the day, our visit to the prehistoric copper mines. These were only rediscovered in 1987, at which time it was believed that no metalworking had taken place in Britain until the arrival of the Romans. Archaeologists here proved that not only was copper being smelted at the Great Orme before then — 2,000 years before in fact (4,000 years before the present) — but that this may well have been the biggest industrial complex in the whole Bronze Age world. There are miles of tunnels; our ancestors weren’t sitting in caves eating weeds, these people were engineers, they learned how to do things…. Make metal from rock? Why not?
Conwy Castle
Monday 8th August 2016, 10.55am (day 1,810)
Conwy is a few miles from Llandudno. First-ever visit there today, and what a beautiful and interesting place — there were many potential candidates for today’s photo. But in the end, had to go with the castle. This is premium castle. Built, along with its accompanying town walls, in only four years, in the 13th century by Edward I. Public engineering projects in this epoch take longer (look at Manchester city centre for instance). Then again this was a fortress of occupation: no Welsh were allowed to live within the Conwy walls.
Sunday at the seaside
Sunday 7th August 2016, 2.45pm (day 1,809)
Well, my summer holiday hasn’t finished yet, so there’s scope yet for more of this kind of thing. I could say this is a typical English seaside scene, but actually we’re in Wales — Llandudno in fact. First impressions: it’s like Aberystwyth, but bigger and with lots more Liverpudlians.
Being 42 