At age 16 Joe has his first, but doubtless not last, bout of major school examinations — the GCSEs. The first week is done — the whole show lasts about another month yet, though. Today’s revision schedule: Physics. But we did let him out to go to the cinema later.
The liquid refreshment has arrived, at least. A slightly late lunch…. but it’s nice to be on a weekend away. These two factors explain C’s look of contentment.
The post-dinner Christmas Food Babies were walked off beside the melancholy greyness of Morecambe Bay. Clare serves as the model for the second time in a week. I hope you had a happy day, wherever you are, whatever you were doing.
It’s been a while since a post-midnight shot made it onto the blog; my Saturday was otherwise entertaining enough but rather than display more football, here is Clare coming home from our Friday night out (also undepicted). A night out on the cobbles, rather than the tiles? Either way, Christmas is upon us, more or less.
I started this blog on 26th August 2011, my 42nd birthday — hence its name. We can now demonstrate that I am 2,619 days old than Clare, who reached that same milestone today. It is right and proper therefore that for this one day she can be both the subject of, and co-contributor, to the blog: as she is, today, “Being 42”.
As subject — above, Clare on the phone to Joe, who has been whisked off to Berlin for the weekend with 25 other 15- and 16-year olds on a school trip (no, I don’t really want to think about it either). We took advantage of this opportunity to bugger off down to London for a couple of days, but this shot is taken in Manchester’s Piccadilly Tavern before we got on the train. And no, it wasn’t deliberately taken at 4.20pm either. Honestly.
And as special guest contributor to the blog — we decided that as I was always going to offer one of her today, she would offer one of me. Here’s me descending to Euston tube station in London, later in the journey… being 42 years + 2,619 days old.
Happy 42nd birthday darling xxx…
Hopefully the ‘autumn colours’ theme isn’t stale yet. Hard to avoid at the moment, really. Clare indulged me today by coming along for the usual Saturday non-league football fetish, here at Todmorden Borough FC in the wild uppermost reaches of the Calder valley. There haven’t been many portraits of the family on here lately, but let’s change that today. Her blue top against the background is a good contrast. And I like the way the railing stops halfway along.
Clare proves she is the person around the house to ask when anything resembling manual labour is required. Cooking? That’s usually me.
Quite like the focus and depth of field on this shot, better than usual but achieved by doing nothing more than having a camera with a better lens, as of Tuesday morning. This is the first shot where there is a noticeable difference.
On the way back from Bricktastic yesterday Clare made what I’m sure she will agree was a rather poor attempt at negotiating a particular kerb in Manchester, and as a result spent the day in this position, more-or-less. I did my best to nurse. I’m not very good at it (my sister got the nursing allocation in my family, believe me) but today was our 19th wedding anniversary, so I owe more than a few by now.
Saturday morning…. but still Friday night, in practical terms. Clare makes her way back from the party through the streets of Walthamstow. Two notable things about this picture, if we’re being statistically geeky about it: the first time London has made it onto this blog five days in a row; and the latest ‘true night’ shot, in other words, the end of an evening out, beating the previous record holder by five minutes.
The film we saw took ninety minutes out of my life that I’m never getting back, but at least the exit provided an opportunity for a picture that doesn’t depict more snow (though the weather does explain the yellow warning sign, because of course we need telling that winter may have made the steps wet). This aside, the red of the coat and of the old ticket booth in the background make a pleasing contrast.
