Thursday 13th July 2017, 9.00am (day 2,149)
It’s that time of year again. It crossed my mind today that it’s now twenty years since I first graduated, in July 1997. Gosh…
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: Manchester
Building site #4
Wednesday 12th July 2017, 9.30am (day 2,148)
I did a survey today and established there are presently ten building sites somehow or other getting in the way of my walk from Manchester Victoria to my office, as follows:
1) right outside the station; 2) the northern corner of the Arndale Centre is being redone; 3) on the corner of Chapel Walks and Cheapside 4) the corner of Mosley Street and Nicholas Street (the one pictured); 5) the building opposite the Chinese Arch that burned down last year; 6) big development blocking Abingdon Street at Major Street 7) the old BBC site, which has spread out to block the cycle path under the Mancunian Way at Brook Street; 8) the Engineering Campus Development at university; 9) the Brunswick Street ‘landscaping’ at same; 10) the Students’ Union redevelopment at same.
Manchester!! give this creative destruction a rest please!
Friday morning, Exchange Square
Friday 7th July 2017, 9.10am (day 2,143)
It is approaching 12 years since I started work in Manchester. In that time I have only rarely been in the city every day of a five day working week (indicated by the fact that there has only been one five-day run of Manchester pictures on here, which happened to be in March 2014). I have managed four this week, however. Anyway — the city might not be photographed as often as it could be, but this shot marks a nice round number — the 400th Manchester picture to appear on here.
Incidentally the blue plaque to the top left marks the founding of the Northern Rugby Football Union, later the Rugby League, in a hotel that once stood at this spot.
Underpass
Wednesday 5th July 2017, 3.50pm (day 2,141)
So scabbed has my walk to work become by various building sites of one form or another that each day I go into Manchester I find myself driven down further obscure corners of the urban architecture. And who is Gurn? Who knows what claims are made here?
Waiting for my interview
Monday 26th June 2017, 10.30am (day 2,132)
How many generations of students have spent their time waiting around in corridors, until the time they are called into the room? It doesn’t change. Did I get the job? Not this time.
The bolt of stone
Thursday 22nd June 2017, 3.55pm (day 2,128)
Now that’s a big…. large concrete thing. Actually I have no idea what function this could serve. It just continues the trend for Manchester city centre to be devoured by increasingly voracious machines. It’s like The Terminator meets War of the Worlds sometimes — which is where I came in with this shot.
First sunset since Friday
Wednesday 21st June 2017, 8.55pm (day 2,127)
Today was the summer solstice, the Northern Hemisphere’s longest day. But seeing as I’ve been north of the Arctic Circle since Saturday morning this was a regression, in daylight terms. No problem with that however. The 24-hour daylight was nice in some ways but it could become monotonous after a while. Shot taken from above Manchester on the final flight home: the city centre is just visible down there in the haze.
Exchange Square
Thursday 18th May 2017, 7.40am (day 2,093)
Now that Manchester’s new Exchange Square tram stop is finished it gives you a whole new place to sit and feel depressed about the day to come. I am sure we have all felt like this on occasion at 7.40am on a Thursday.
Alleyway
Wednesday 17th May 2017, 9.35am (day 2,092)
I do like a good alleyway. They are the capillaries of the road network, the little incipient runnels in the tops of hillsides that then broaden out into streams and rivers.
Lego workshop
Tuesday 16th May 2017, 1.00pm (day 2,091)
It was time today for the monthly staff development workshop that I organise. Why the Lego? Well, ask the speaker… but the talk was about creative innovation, so always good to have some toys to spark interest. I always try to do something creative each day — the proof has played out over the last five-and-three-quarter years on here.
Being 42 