Tag Archives: Manchester

Jul 03 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Working on the new ‘Learning Commons’

Tuesday 3rd July 2012, 3.45pm (day 313)

Learning commons, 3/7/12

Today was a dull day in every respect. The grey skies and rain are now a permanent feature of existence. Back in Manchester for the first time in 10 days but I spent most of it in my office, which isn’t a particularly great photographic subject (which is why there have been, to date, precisely no photos of it on this blog). This is the university’s new ‘learning commons’, due to open in time for the next academic year, and doubtless full of all sorts of exciting new devices that someone has decided will ‘enhance the learning experience’. Not that they ever asked any of the academics around Manchester who specialise in educational technology their opinion as to how it should be built. I know this, because I am one of them. I am sure it will be just perfect.

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Jun 13 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Dry patch, Urbis

Wednesday 13th June 2012, 9.30am (day 293)

Dry patch, 13/6/12

Urbis has already appeared on this blog more than once; but seeing as it’s right outside Manchester Victoria station, I walk past it an awful lot, so it has plenty of chances. And I think it’s a relatively handsome building. This shot came about because just as I walked up the ramp, on another drizzly day, a truck drove off and left this perfectly rectangular dry patch. My in-camera shot had the wrong white balance setting on it and was a bit fuzzy, but a fiddle in iPhoto and here we have this abstract. Not bad.

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Jun 07 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Leftover flags, Canal Street, Manchester

Thursday 7th June 2012, 2.25pm (day 287)

Canal Street flags, 7/6/12

Back in the UK, where there are occasional bursts of paraphernalia left over from the Jubilee celebrations last weekend, missed due to my being in Norway. So here’s a belated reference to all the pro patria stuff.

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May 31 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Working on the Summer House

Thursday 31st May 2012, 4.10pm (day 280)

Summer house, 31/5/12

“Ere, mate. Dontcha think it’s ironic, like, that the day we put up this ‘summer house’ in the city centre, it’s the first rainy day in a fortnight?”

“Yeh, it’s all part of the comedy of life innit. Or maybe because it’s a Bank Holiday weekend. Anyway, sod that. I want to know why Jack ever thought that those shorts were a good idea.”

I’m off to Norway tomorrow – most likely there won’t be posts on here for a few days but you’ll get a big lump of them all at once when I get back. Including one of a fjord. If it kills me, there’ll be one of a fjord this time.

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May 30 2012
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna

The morning dip

Wednesday 30th May 2012, 9.30am (day 279)

Morning dip, 30/5/12

Phew! What a Scorcher, blah blah… actually it was rather cooler today than it has been. I bet this pigeon frequently takes a dip in the fountain, either way. It was certainly quite civilised about it, going about it like some old geezer who still insists on swimming in the Serpentine every morning.

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May 25 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Bollards, Manchester

Friday 25th May 2012, 7.40am (day 274)

Bollards, 25/5/12

This is rather boring and abstract. Then again, so was my day.

It’s definitely a dull one to mark the 9-month anniversary of this blog. Three-quarters of a year done: one quarter to go.

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May 16 2012
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Gymnastic display, Exchange Square

Wednesday 16th May 2012, 3.30pm (day 265)

Gymnasts, 16/5/12

Where, a month ago, the Wheel of Manchester still stood, there was today this gymnastic display by a group of energetic ten year-olds. This’ll all be some Olympic games run-up thing. I snapped this one as I went past on my way to the station: luck more than judgment, I can assure you.

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May 15 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

‘Champions’ banner, Manchester Town Hall

Tuesday 15th May 2012, 7.50am (day 264)

Manchester City banner, 15/5/12

Posted purely to wind up any Manchester United fans in the audience. I dislike Manchester United because of:

  1. the fact my Dad is a City fan of nearly 60 years’ standing
  2. the general arrogance
  3. (most of all) the 1983 FA Cup Final (look it up if you don’t get this reference).

Anyway the drama of Sunday’s game (which I missed altogether, being on a plane back from Copenhagen at the time) was too good for it to end any other way. Well done, City.

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Apr 30 2012
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Cathedral and Carbuncle

Monday 30th April 2012, 7.50am (day 249)

Manchester cathedral, 30/4/12

I put up this photo today for two reasons. The first is that I have been starved of sunlight for a week but here is evidence that the morning was a beautiful sunny one, and the whole day stayed reasonable. The last time I had a photo on this blog illuminated by sunshine was 21st April, and even that had just been a momentary break of sun in an otherwise rainy day.

The other thing is that I see this view of Manchester Cathedral every time I leave Victoria station, and keep thinking, OK, it’s not a particularly impressive church (the parish church in the Sussex village where I grew up is larger); but it is a cathedral, thus the centre of a bishopric, the ecclesiastical centre of this, a very large city, God’s house, all that jazz. And in 1974 or so someone went, ‘I’ve got an idea. Let’s build a sodding great white concrete thing right beind it.’

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Apr 23 2012
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Daily Post, Flora/Fauna, Portrait, Stranger

Pigeon feeding, Manchester

Monday 23rd April 2012, 4.45pm (day 242)

Pigeon feeding, 23/4/12

I’m in the middle of what is, for me, quite a long run of days without going anywhere in particular. So I have to find photographic succour in Hebden Bridge and Manchester, familiar territory but there’s plenty to see if you look around.

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