Tag Archives: 52

Jul 31 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape

The summit of Wandope

Friday 29th July 2022, 12.45pm (day 3,991)

Wandope summit, 29/7/22

On 29th July 2012, ten years ago, I was obliged to leave the rustic yet comfortable surroundings of the Black Sail hut and haul myself over Great Gable, a substantial lump of rock, in what remains the grimmest weather conditions I have encountered on any of my Lakeland walks. As today’s trip was the 200th of those — a pleasing milestone to reach — it was also pleasing that the weather was a damn sight better. (See my other blog for the full details.)

Wandope wasn’t one of the two Wainwrights bagged on the day, but this long-distance shot of its summit was the picture that pleased me the most: a case of it turning out just as was intended. The slopes in the background are those of the High Stile range, over Buttermere.

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Jul 31 2022
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Underpass still life

Thursday 28th July 2022, 9.50am (day 3,990)

Underpass scene, 28/7/22

The underbelly of the Mancunian Way isn’t the most glamorous spot in the city, but somehow this combination of graffiti and beer bottles looks relaxing.

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Jul 28 2022
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Ben gets some attention

Wednesday 27th July 2022, 4.20pm (day 3,989)

Ben the dog, 27/7/22

Ben gets some Him Time, and seems thoroughly contented by the experience. As the amount of white around his muzzle attests, he’s an old man, and at some later point in our own lives I guess we’ll all crave this kind of attention.

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Jul 27 2022
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Daily Post, Interior

Work going on, ground floor

Tuesday 26th July 2022, 12.30pm (day 3,988)

EWB stairwell, 26/7/22

Summer at uni, a time to get renovations done to buildings (like the Ellen Wilkinson) which sorely need it. A scaffold and a red tool box set off the view from up on the third floor landing. It would be nice if I was on a proper summer break by now, but not yet: ten days to go.

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Jul 26 2022
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Trapped

Monday 25th July 2022, 5.15pm (day 3,987)

Wasp in glass, 25/7/22

Perhaps, like this wasp, we are all trapped, aware of the world beyond the glass but frustratingly unable to reach it. But perhaps, again like this particular insect, there is a way out (undepicted here) at the bottom that we just haven’t found yet, we just need to change direction.

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Jul 25 2022
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Daily Post, Interior

House deeds

Sunday 24th July 2022, 4.45pm (day 3,986)

House deeds, 24/7/22

Property is on the mind at the moment. It’s nice to have an excuse to pull out the collection of deeds to the house; when we moved in here 21 years ago we inherited this huge envelope full of documents, the oldest of which (the one at the bottom of this shot) dates back 210 years, to 1812 — although our house was built around 1890, the plot of land on which it stands was first enclosed and sold in that year. Anyway, I love these deeds, their copperplate handwriting and archaic terminology (‘messuages’, ‘indenture’). Should we ever sell this place I’m going to pretend these don’t exist, and keep them.

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Jul 23 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

British weather

Friday 22nd July 2022, 3.10pm (day 3,984)

Rain on benches, 22/7/22

Monday saw probably the highest temperatures in recorded British history, at least in some places. Today, it was chucking it down, and cool enough to need a jacket when out in the afternoon. The weather in Britain explains a great deal about the country’s psyche. “What comes, will come. Live with it.”

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Jul 22 2022
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Daily Post, Interior

View from seat C8 (decadent timing)

Thursday 21st July 2022, 11.20am (day 3,983)

Cinema, Elevenses, 21/7/22

Every Thursday, for years (floods and other arbitrary closures allowing), the Hebden Bridge Picture House has had a weekly Thursday morning showing known as ‘Elevenses’. Attendees get complimentary tea and biscuits. I think in all this time I have only made one of them, but today was the second (the film being Brian and Charles). There was something quite decadent about going to the movies and being out before lunch.

And seat C8 is MINE. It has my name on it, literally — with Clare’s on C7. If you ever get there before me and sit there, believe me I will be looking evilly at you throughout the picture.

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Jul 21 2022
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Art and architecture, Daily Post, Interior

Traherne Windows, Hereford Cathedral

Wednesday 20th July 2022, 12.10pm (day 3,982)

Traherne Windows, Hereford, 20/7/22

File this under the ‘Someone Else’s Art’ category — specifically, these stained glass windows (of which there are four in total) were created by Tom Denny in 2007. They celebrate the life and work of poet Thomas Traherne, who wrote in the 17th century but was not discovered and properly published until the early 20th century, when it was decided by those who decide these things that he had anticipated Romanticism by about 150 years. I’ve never read the guy, but the windows are worth seeing.

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Jul 20 2022
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Daily Post, Interior

Marginal notes

Tuesday 19th July 2022, 11.10am (day 3,981)

Marginalia, 19/7/22

I am in Oxford to consult an archive of material relevant to St. Helena, collected by the late Trevor Hearl, who, it appears, knew absolutely everything there was to know about the island — and as you see here, was prepared to offer his opinions to civil servants on their ‘Efficiency Reports’.

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