Was still functioning at about 25% of normal power today, but this was an improvement. Dragged myself out in the afternoon and then immediately faced another sign of my deteriorating capacities — a fitting for my first pair of reading glasses. Well, it comes to us all.
Well, today was a photographic challenge — because since shortly after taking yesterday’s shot I have been feeling ill and spent almost the whole of today in bed. This burst of sunlight onto the back of the bedroom door is therefore the best you get today. You may yet get the same tomorrow. And why does the door have two handles? A legacy of when this was Joe’s room and he was still just a toddler.
Not that I typically do this retail therapy crap. But sometimes, needs must. Joe tries to make out he’s taking an interest.
Chris Neal, goalkeeper of Port Vale FC (with the rest of his team in white and black) tips a shot over the bar while assorted players of my beloved Brighton & Hove Albion FC look on, in today’s FA Cup 4th round match between the clubs. Brighton were 2-1 up at this point, and went on to win 3-1. Which is nice. In fact since the beginning of November (Doncaster) I have been to five games and seen five wins. And there’s another match coming up on Tuesday night.
Very useful on some Friday nights, after you celebrate the end of the week at the pub, or possibly at the Moshi Monsters movie at the cinema next door.
This place is a godsend early in the morning, and rarely empty. I’m not normally round this corner, but for once I had my cup of tea sat down at the tables inside instead of on the train. Earliest shot for a while, since late November in fact (and only the fourth shot before 7.30 in the last 12 months). It’s still dark outside at this time.
A reasonable proportion of the population of Hebden Bridge live on the water, specifically, the Rochdale Canal. These private moorings spread along the canal for a few hundred yards in the direction of Mytholmroyd (to where I was walking this morning, dodging the muddy puddles on the towpath).
Yet another beautiful morning. What a difference a year makes — on 21st January 2013, Hebden Bridge was under several inches of snow. This is Manchester, and customers of the Co-Operative Bank who have long seen ‘1 Balloon Street’ as the corporate address on their correspondence may be vaguely interested to see that this is, indeed, Balloon Street itself. Part of Co-op HQ on the left and (I think) right, the Shudehill bus station straight ahead, and the morning sun doing its best to reach around the corner (the patch to lower right being a reflection). No cars run along this street now but yes, I did check that no trams were coming before I got the shot.
Another very pleasant day, though I was stuck inside grading papers most of the day. But the view is compensation. I’d say I was lucky to have it, but you know, I’m not a total idiot. I mean, we did buy the place.
I know this is rather over-exposed and otherwise suspect technically and in terms of composition (you can’t see the bridge properly) — but I still think it’s OK. Taken on Old Gate, Hebden Bridge, this afternoon.
Being 42 