Tag Archives: Manchester

Polite protest

Friday 15th September 2023, 9.10am (day 4,404)

Polite protest, 15/9/23

Protesting outside the offices of a company about to insure a large new oil pipeline in East Africa: this seems valid to me. But they were all so terribly polite about it. Walking past on my way to work I might have missed the whole thing entirely were it not for a voice through a microphone that said (I’m paraphrasing slightly): “*cough* I hope you can here us, Sir Someone, but please don’t insure that oil pipeline” and then went quiet again. And the office was on the other side of the road anyway, ‘guarded’ by three somewhat bored-looking policemen. Throwing oneself under the King’s horse this was not.

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Waiting for the meeting

Monday 11th September 2023, 10.45am (day 4,400)

In Caffe Nero, 11/9/23

Time to kill before the 11:00 meeting in the city centre. Tea needed to be drunk. Monochrome needed to be used to disguise the fact that this shot is basically out of focus, but losing the colour means I can go for the rustic 1960s bistro effect. Which I’m sure is how Caffe Nero wants to be seen (note: other corporate coffee bar providers are available).

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In the City Arms

Wednesday 6th September 2023, 3.50pm (day 4,395)

In the City Arms, 6/9/23

I am late posting and after Thursday’s and Friday’s exertions, this stopover in the City Arms after work seems like a while ago. It’s best pub I’ve found in Manchester city centre though — so I know that what was being served here was a fine pint.

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Bus crash — aftermath

Tuesday 8th August 2023, 4.50pm (day 4,366)

Bus crash aftermath, 8/8/23

Walking through Manchester city centre tonight it was impossible to not notice the activity around the corner of Oxford Road and Whitworth Street, with everything cordoned off by police tape and some major sweeping up under way. Turns out at lunchtime a bus took out a central reservation, for some reason (which I can quite believe involved swerving to save the life of some idiotic cyclopath of the kind who thinks his Deliveroo bag gives him the right to ignore red lights), a few people hurt but nothing serious. And the picture? Well, the pink scaffolding is impressive. Some might say there’s not been enough pink on the blog recently.

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Building, ever more

Friday 4th August 2023, 9.05am (day 4,362)

Another building site, 4/8/23

There seems some kind of irresistible compulsion to construct more and more tall buildings in Manchester city centre, pretty much regardless of other considerations. There were a number of blocks built around one end of Canal Street and finished just before all that lockdown rubbish kicked off in 2020, which still appear to be mostly empty; certainly none of the commercial spaces on the ground floor has ever been occupied. And yet the city has plenty of homeless people and families who I’m sure would be able to make good use of such accommodation. In the meantime, let’s just build some more: it keeps certain political interests happy, doesn’t it.

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Back to work (Victoria station)

Thursday 27th July 2023, 8.55am (day 4,354)

Victoria stairway

Back at work in Manchester for the first time since the 3rd. This is usually my first proper sight of the city on any given morning.

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Chapel Walks, Thursday morning

Thursday 29th June 2023, 9.05am (day 4,326)

Manchester milk float, 29/6/23

Just some nicely falling light, pictured on the walk to the office in Manchester. Even without looking at the time in the heading, this can be identified as an intrinsic morning shot. I know this, because of the direction I’m walking, but you know this, because that’s a milk float: they aren’t still doing the rounds when I head back home.

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Out with the lads

Wednesday 28th June 2023, 3.45pm (day 4,325)

Pigeon and NFM, 28/6/23

“Just out for a stroll, Mum. Hanging out with the lads, at the Football Museum, y’know.”

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Mural by Red Chilli

Wednesday 21st June 2023, 12.40pm (day 4,318)

Red Chilli mural, 21/6/23

Another case of Someone Else’s Art feeding this blog. I assume this face does also belong to a real person; I wonder how models do actually feel about coming (literally) face-to-face with themselves now and again. I put her to the side of this shot because I also like the conjunction with the stuff in the restaurant window, and the pedestrian timed it well too. All seen on Grosvenor Street not far from my office on campus this lunchtime.

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Not just an idea…

Monday 19th June 2023, 9.20am (day 4,316)

Billboard posting, 19/6/23

I reckon doing this kind of thing well takes a certain skill. Like many of us this guy’s doubtless hoping they’ll never train a robot to do his job; or replace this board with a digital version, that sucks up that little more of the world’s energy supplies.

While we’re on that topic, note for Absolut (other vodkas are available) — making bottles out of recyclable cardboard sounds neat, but isn’t glass recyclable too? Or maybe I’m missing something.

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