Tag Archives: gallery

Jul 30 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Interior

St Magnus’s Cathedral

Wednesday 30th July 2025, 11.05am (day 5,088)

St Magnus's Cathedral, 30/7/25

St Magnus — originally Magnus Erlendssen — was one of the Norse Earls of Orkney. Apparently someone thought it was a good idea at the time to set up a kind of power-sharing agreement with his cousin Håkon, which lasted only as long as it took Håkon to capture Magnus and stick an axe into his parietal lobe. However, as Magnus was considered something of a pious dude and all-round good sort, after his nephew Rognvald subsequently deposed the usurper, he built this cathedral in tribute. This is pretty good going, as most of us these days will get a post mortem on Facebook and a few ‘likes’. I dunno, progress, eh?

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jul 30 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape, Sport

Stromness and Ward Hill: a combination of pleasures

Tuesday 29th July 2025, 7.05pm (day 5,087)

Stromness FC and Ward Hill, 29/7/25

The first part of my day was spent up the hill in the background, Ward Hill: not an easy lump of sandstone to get up or down, thanks to its steep sides (evident in this shot), but worth the bother. The second part of my day was spent at the easier-to-reach environs of Stromness FC, members of the Orkney ‘A’ League, and their match against Dounby (here in blue). I couldn’t decide which one was worth making Pic of the Day so let’s just choose one that accommdates both these pleasures.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,
Jul 30 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Transport

Blockship

Monday 28th July 2025, 3.05pm (day 5,086)

Blockship, 28/7/25

At the start of World War 2, a good portion of the British Navy was berthed in the immense natural harbour of Scapa Flow, the entrances of which were defended by a range of methods including the sinking of obsolete ships in the channels. That these defenses were inadequate was proven when a U-Boat snuck in anyway and sunk HMS Royal Oak with the loss of hundreds of lives. As a result, Churchill ordered the building of the barriers that now bear his name and block off all entrance to Scapa Flow on its western side — though, in a move typical of many public works projects, these were not in fact finished until literally four days after the war had ended. Anyway, the Barriers now act as causeways linking Orkney’s south-eastern group of islands to the Mainland, and the blockships still sit there, rusting away and playing home to the occasional lobster pot.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Jul 28 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape, Transport

Speed up, to the cemetery

Sunday 27th July 2025, 1.05pm (day 5,085)

Speed signs and cemetery, 27/7/25

For those that don’t know, signs like these on British roads indicate one can drive at the ‘national speed limit’, which is no less than 60mph. Anyone doing so on this road, however, may as well presume to end up in the cemetery to which it leads, visible over there on the sea shore. Perhaps the road traffic planners of Stromness, Orkney, have a morbid sense of humour. Or perhaps my using of this photo suggests that it’s just me.

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,
Jul 27 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Landscape

The Old Man of Hoy

Saturday 26th July 2025, 2.20pm (day 5,084)

The Old Man of Hoy is around 450 feet high and probably Britain’s most well-known pillar of rock, thanks in large part to a famous televised climbing of it in the late 1960s. Plenty more people have subsequently made it to the top, including an 8-year-old, who thereby demonstrated more desire and ability to propel themselves up sheer rock faces than I ever will. But the Old Man is not some durable phenomenon. A map drawn in 1750 shows a headland here but no stack. The first known painting of it was completed in 1819 and shows him with two legs, and looking much bulkier. And when he’s seen now — as from the Scrabster to Stromness ferry this afternoon — it does look like the next really big storm will take him down. Will the Old Man last longer than the Old(ish) Man now blogging about him? We’ll take bets…. after all, if I lose, I won’t be around to collect.

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Jul 26 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Transport

Lybster harbour

Friday 25th July 2025, 5.05pm (day 5,083)

Lybster harbour, 25/7/25

Ever further northward we travel. Only one shot in the near-14 years of this blog has been taken from further north and still been in the UK — that being the one in Thurso on 13/7/25 — but this is a status it will keep only 24 hours. Who cares anyway, Lybster harbour was a tranquil spot on a beautiful evening. Impossible to believe that 150 years ago the herring industry meant this was one of the busiest ports in the country. It isn’t now, for sure.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jul 25 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Urban scene

Remnants (of The Vivienne?)

Thursday 24th July 2025, 7.15pm (day 5,082)

Poster remnants, 24/7/25

Stop one on a journey to the far north — Dundee. Seen a lot in recent years but with an apartment to use as a stopover, a sensible place to break the journey. I asked Clare about the possible identity of this face and she reckons maybe drag artist The Vivienne; it’s possible. I just liked the image.

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Jul 23 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Local jungle

Wednesday 23rd July 2025, 2.10pm (day 5,081)

Nutclough woods, 23/7/25

“Green” is definitely the dominant theme on this shot, and the general soft-focus vibe also in evidence has been applying to all shots taken since my most recent attempt to stop the zoom lens from conking out saw me bring some WD-40 to bear on it two days ago. It’ll dry out eventually. The combination seems to work for this shot; the whole place feels very lush at the moment, alternating bouts of sun and shower are making everything grow most enthusiastically. Which is a good thing, I guess.

Anyway that’s enough Hebden Bridge, for now. Time to go somewhere else.

Tagged , , , , , , ,
Jul 23 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

Get out of my way

Tuesday 22nd July 2025, 11.10am (day 5,080)

Ladybird, 22/7/25

This little creature definitely wanted to continue its forward trajectory, only at this point the lens of my camera was less than an inch from its nose (do insects have noses? Anyway you know what I mean). Doesn’t it look just that tiny bit annoyed about the situation? On the other hand, I am satisfied that the focus is correct.

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Jul 22 2025
Leave a comment
Daily Post, Interior

Afternoon in the Picture House

Monday 21st July 2025, 12.55pm (day 5,079)

HB Picture House, 21/7/25

Seeing as I am off work, no reason at all to avoid an afternoon (and free) showing of Some Like It Hot at the Picture House — one of my favourite movies, and surely everyone likes that one. Unexciting photography of a very familiar place, but as the week develops, these things should change.

Tagged , , , , , ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →