I recall a time when I imposed a block on further pictures of building sites in Manchester, but needs must. The Town Hall is still undergoing its years-long renovation — first pictured back in January 2018, for heaven’s sake. On this picture, no endorsement is intended: other weather defence options are available. I presume.
I’m not the only one who does this random non-league football thing, you know. In fact this was a pleasant evening, and there are certainly worse things to do on a Tuesday. Taken at Hurst Cross, home of Ashton United FC, during tonight’s game against local rivals Curzon Ashton. This ground has been in continuous use since September 1884, making it one of the oldest football grounds in the world.
After five interior shots I had to get outside, the day being of the pleasant sort that might not recur too often before winter really hits. No trains, however — blame the government — so I had to conduct my wanderings somewhere nearer to home. Between Walsden and Bacup there lies a chunk of moorland that was previously unexplored, so I duly explored it. This shot is taken from very close to the Yorkshire/Lancashire border, but still just on the Yorkshire side.
7:10am on 7/10. People have their observable routines. With teaching having started and my having 9am classes here and there, I have been catching the 6:55am train at Hebden Bridge. This becomes the 7:10 at Rochdale, and each time I’ve caught it, these two have got on. Today, they almost immediately dozed off. I sympathise. They look comfortable enough together, and good luck to them.
On 6th October last year I was hauling myself up Yewbarrow in the Lake District and about to go to Canada for a week, but no similar adventures are taking place at the moment: this is the sixth shot out of seven to be taken in Hebden Bridge and the fourth in a row indoors. But at least the garden is producing. The monster fruits to the right may or may not be a function of these being pictured in a silver bowl.
There are, by now, a number of ‘digital ghosts’ that haunt this blog. I know of, for sure, seven people who have appeared on here who have since died: both of Clare’s grans, our former neighbour Richard, a professorial colleague at work, and three friends, of which Lynn was the most recent, passing away last month. Her last appearance on here was on 30th May. It’s possibly the only one, although I would be surprised if she didn’t also turn up in the background of some other shots: as, technically, she does here.
So what do the rest of us do….. A wake is the party that they hold for you, the one time they know you can’t come. And then we move on. Eventually everyone depicted on here will be dust, including me: I’m only two years younger than Lynn. Whether I will get the chance to let you know I’m on the way out, is as yet undetermined.
This is so 20th century, somehow. But perhaps more recent than that — I know Pauline has had a name change in the last 10 years, but not that much longer. Still, it’s been a long time since this was a communications medium to which anyone pays attention.
I’ve had my eye on Joe’s room for 15 years or more….. and now he’s moved out, it’s mine. Let’s start the necessary conversion work with this nice shade of blue, shall we?