beard | Being 42

Oct 11 2025

Hair Studio?

Friday 10th October 2025, 3.40pm (day 5,160)

An uneventful day to mark the 34th anniversary of my becoming a resident of Yorkshire. I turned up to stay for a few weeks on 10/10/1991 and seem not to have left since. Anyway, that has nothing to do with today’s shot which I include as a prompt for speculation — just what is it that this guy expects to get out of his appointment in the Hair Studio? OK, there is a glimpse of a beard, but surely not one voluminous enough to make professional attention necessary. But what do I know? (Note: white post carefully placed to assist anonymisation.)

Tagged 56, bald, beard, gallery, haircut, hairdresser, photography, photos

May 01 2024

Leave a comment

Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Setting up at the Yacht Club

Wednesday 1st May 2024, 4.55pm (day 4,633)

Believe me, the St Helena Yacht Club is not as posh a place as it sounds. But it is certainly the best place in town to watch the sun set over the Atlantic, and on Wednesday nights there is a regular food night of some description. In early 2023 it was Taco Night — nowadays it has morphed into Fish Night. Either way, I was there early, and the guy with the impressively pointy beard is still setting up.

Tagged 54, Atlantic Ocean, bar, barman, beard, boats, clouds, gallery, Jamestown, photography, photos, sea, St Helena, sunset, umbrella

Sep 01 2023

Leave a comment

Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Portrait, Stranger, Transport

Boatman

Thursday 31st August 2023, 11.25am (day 4,389)

I don’t know whether the 19th century did outdoor seating and umbrellas in quite the same way as the Stubbings Wharf pub does in 2023, but otherwise this picture could well have been taken 150 years ago: man (with beard) waiting for nearby lock to fill, and trying to stop the boat floating away while he does so. It’s a slow way of life on the water, which I guess is why plenty of people like to live it.

Tagged 54, barge, beard, bridge, canal, gallery, photography, photos, Rochdale canal, Stubbings Wharf

May 22 2023

Leave a comment

Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

At the back of the Loop gig

Sunday 21st May 2023, 7.50pm (day 4,287)

Attended a gig for the first time in ages. A sign of how it has become, as I have aged: gig behaviour now is to arrive early and grab the seats (or in the case of the Deaf Institute, ‘seats’) at the back, out of the way but with a good view. The guy on the left is reading a book for heaven’s sake. But like me, perhaps he has been waiting some 32 years to see Loop play live. This is a band that last year, released their first studio album in 31 years, so they attract a patient crowd.

Tagged 53, audience, band, beard, Deaf Institute, gallery, gig, Loop, Manchester, music, photography, photos, waiting

Jun 14 2021

Leave a comment

Daily Post, Family Member, Portrait

A man of two sides

Monday 14th June 2021, 10.15am (day 3,581)

I shaved the rest off after taking this photo, rest assured.

Tagged 51, beard, black and white, gallery, monochrome, photography, photos, self-portrait, selfie, shaving

Jul 23 2019

Leave a comment

Daily Post, Interior

Quiet day on campus

Monday 22nd July 2019, 12.05pm (day 2,888)

Graduation fortnight is over, the school holidays have started, and campus was blissfully quiet today. It would be lovely if it stayed like this forever; but we have about seven weeks.