Tuesday 9th December 2025, 10.55am (day 5,220)
A senior professorial colleague once said: “you’re a Reader. Do some fucking reading.” He was right. And there’s no reason why I need to prematurely leap out of bed to do it.
Still in bed (reading)
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Tag Archives: photography
The old millpond
Monday 8th December 2025, 1.50pm (day 5,219)
Looking at the record allowed by the Nutclough Woods tag, my time in the woodland across the road has fluctuated down the years. While I know my tagging is not 100% reliable, it seems like I was not there (or, at least, not taking decent pictures) throughout the whole of 2024. On the other hand — during spring 2020 (you remember) I seem to have been there very frequently. I wonder why. I do think the old millpond up there has recovered some of its water level in the last few months, not necessarily to do with recent rainfall.
Bradford Interchange
Sunday 7th December 2025, 12.40pm (day 5,218)
341 days into Bradford’s reign as the 2025 UK City of Culture and it does, at least, seem to have a) finished the roadworks and b) decided to try to tell people why they should visit (this is one of three similar murals in the bowels of Bradford Interchange bus station). But let’s assume that it has been a useful year for them. It is a decent city, better than some.
R. I. P. Martin Parr, by the way; if there is one photographer who I suppose I might be trying to consciously emulate, it was probably him. Check out his work if you are at all interested in this medium.
Necessary protection
Saturday 6th December 2025, 4.40pm (day 5,217)
With five minutes to go in Chadderton v Burscough, the score still 0-0 and a big chunk of the Atlantic Ocean seemingly pouring from above, I am sure I was not the only one wondering why I was still there. At least this person had some protection. I notice the title of the post might also refer to the netting, which I have included mainly because it seems to enhance the rain effect. Did I mention it was raining?
Worst beer logo ever?
Friday 5th December 2025, 4.50pm (day 5,216)
This brand of beer (not mine, but the wife drinks it) has recently appeared at the Railway and the almost unanimous contention among the clientele is that its logo is quite the worst and most inappropriate piece of branding ever seen there — and it appears on the pump, too (an ugly, blocky, monstrous columnar thing that now dominates the bar). Why does a sweaty male figure who looks like a cross between Boris Yeltsin and Boris Johnson — definitely a Boris then — somehow epitomise a Spanish beer with a woman’s name? And did I really have nothing better to photograph on a Friday? Both of these things seem to have come to pass, though.
Jaco makes his point
Thursday 4th December 2025, 11.10am (day 5,215)
And most of us were listening to it — honest. (To be fair to the guy on the left, he’s keeping an eye on the Zoom room.) Golly, three days in a row in Manchester: that’s an outbreak of keenness, particularly in a week when I didn’t have any lectures to deliver.
Pampas on campus
Wednesday 3rd December 2025, 11.10am (day 5,214)
Another well-lit shot of flora on campus, taken within a few yards of yesterday’s shot. At least the sun is shining at the moment and we have not yet quite hit the usual early December gloom. And look, people! There haven’t been many of them in the last three weeks… And no I don’t care about the asymmetry.
Firethorn berries
Tuesday 2nd December 2025, 12.30pm (day 5,213)
I believe these clusters of bright and, definitely, orange berries are firethorn [genus Pyracantha] — doubtless someone will correct me if I am wrong. A whole slew of them have grown to cover the fence outside the Ellen Wilkinson Building, anyway. Valuable winter bird food, apparently.
As seen through the skylight
Monday 1st December 2025, 4.45pm (day 5,212)
Considering it was a rather dank and gloomy day it was a bit surprising to see the Moon shining so brightly through the skylight in the attic early this evening. I offer this photo as proof that, first, my camera’s long zoom still works reasonably well and that, second, the windows of our skylights are not quite as covered in cack as I thought they were: this is definitely taken through glass.
Coasters
Sunday 30th November 2025, 12.10pm (day 5,211)
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s already Christmas, certainly as far as the retailers are concerned. Hence the availability today in Hebden Bridge of coasters made from those plastic detachable bits in the middle of vinyl records. Call it ‘upcycling’ if you like. I guess I see the point: I didn’t buy one, though.
Being 42 