The Butchers’ Arms is a football ground, home to Droylsden FC of east Manchester, but there is no intention to class this as a football-related shot. I am pleased with this one because it was the shot I wanted to capture when I pressed the shutter — and it’s always nice when it works out that way, particularly in the evening when there’s not much light to work with. The lonely ‘Book Your Party’ sign is definitely part of the composition.
It’s been a while since I bothered going out on New Year’s Eve, and the last one spent away from home was the one at the end of 2014, but this year I did try to reawaken my dormant social animal. Anyway the in-laws were having a party: on the far right is Rachael, my sister-in-law, I think this is her debut on here (even after 11 years, four months and five days). Joe pops up in the background, too. A good time was generally had. Happy New Year to you all.
My friend Geri was one of the very first people to appear on this blog: that’s her in the foreground of the shot of Joe on day 9. In the intervening time she, like me and everyone else, has got ten years and nearly five months older, and in her case that has led, today, to a birthday with a 0 on the end — though I will spare her blushes by not specifying which one. We’re still in the same place, however: not just the same pub, but the same room. Happy birthday to her.
Is Joe the only person in the world whose most recent birthday has been a lonely affair, deprived of real contact with friends and all but his immediate family? Of course not. But that doesn’t lessen the sense of sadness that I feel, while at the same time, celebrating the anniversary. Not just any birthday this year, either. He is 18, the age of legal responsibility, official adulthood. Whether that makes him feel any different than he did yesterday is his own concern. But somehow, I feel different.
So here we are at the end of 2013. I cannot really complain about any of it, at a personal level — an excellent year, full of incident and variety. No fewer than 14 countries have featured on this blog since 1/1/13 and even if four of those are explained by airport stopovers that’s still a mighty haul. 2014 will start slowly on that front but if everything works out I know that, at least, the US, Greenland and Italy will have featured by the end of the summer, as well as returns to familiar places like Norway and Russia. But who knows for sure. That’s the fun of it. For what it’s worth I think that October 11th’s is my favourite single shot of 2013 (one of the UK ones, taken in Cumbria) — though there were several other very good candidates.Note also that if I keep this going — and I do intend to — I will reach the 1,000 day mark on 21st May 2014.
As for 31/12, photographically the year ends with three monochrome shots in a row, but it is all rather grey at the moment so seems fitting. We attended (in fact, organised) a party for our local neighbourhood last night and it went well, thanks largely to the free beer donated by a brewer friend.
The weather isn’t exactly bad at the moment but the light is consistently flat and grey, hence the prevalence of interior shots at the moment. Little to add except to explain that I don’t normally frequent baby showers, but this one was held in a pub, so that drew me in.
Two nights in a row with Clare’s family, but all the better for it – it’s been a good 48 hours. Here is Carol, Clare’s mum; her third appearance on the blog (after 24/9/11 and 26/7/12). A good shot considering I always get what lighting there is.
A happy New Year to you all. May 2013 bring fulfillment, enjoyment and love.
The feet are those of a fellow guest at the New Year’s Eve party to which we (including Joe) were invited. It wasn’t the most exciting party in the world but it was nice to be out on Dec 31st for the first time in 9 years, since Joe was born.
So ends 2011, the last 128 days of which have been documented here. All in all, it was an interesting year… 2012 is gearing up for more of the same. And I kept my 2011 New Year’s resolution: to take my photography more seriously. This blog is one manifestation of that. Happy New Year to you all, may it be a safe and fulfilling one whatever it brings.
Let’s edit out the text that originally accompanied this photo, written last night when I was too inebriated to be lucid and pithy and all those other things I’d like these texts to be. Let me instead just reiterate what a good night it was. The audience were asked not to take photos of the performance and stick them online – so I should respect that – though it’s a shame, as I got some good ones including of the wife making her own performance debut. But the audience were also a sight worth recording. Happy Halloween – a couple of days early, it is true.
Being 42 