Back in January 2015 Ellie (left, at that time aged 8 months) and Maggie (right) appeared on the blog in consecutive days; here they are together. Hard to credit that in the intervening 18 months Ellie has grown from a baby into a little girl with an entire functioning vocabulary. Time passes, we all change…
As made of Lego and pictured at “Bricktastic 2016” in Manchester, to which Joe and I accompanied Clare for our day out today — and this was very definitely her gig (for reasons that might be obvious if you have seen her own daily photo blog). She won the star prize in the raffle, too — a £170-worth Lego kit for a £2 ticket, not bad going. I like this photo of a Lego version of Manchester Piccadilly station thanks to the two guys in the background trying to get their own shot of it. I wonder if I was in the way.
Gradually, the businesses damaged in the floods of 26th December are reopening. This is Calans, a small pub in the town centre that only opened in the first place about a month before the flood. Welcome back indeed, the beer inside is very fine (free advertising).
This frog virtually demanded that I did its close-ups….
Adding insult to the profound sense of incompetence hanging over England at the moment, the weather conforms to all the worst stereotypes about an English summer.
There were several posts I could have made today that made some kind of comment on the political situation but, y’know…. elsewhere, I’ve said enough. So I’m going with this one because I just like the juxtaposition and the composition with her red top. Also the reflections, including yr. humble photographer just to the left of the sign.
I’m trying to feel like this. It’s possible, if I just focus on my immediate locality.
Hebden Bridge’s annual festival of creativity, the Handmade Parade, has featured on this blog every June since I started, and probably will continue to do so. It’s impossible to capture the whole experience in one shot, but I feel the need to show some happiness in the world this weekend, so here’s my choice.
This weekend, Hebden Bridge marks six months since the floods of 26th December. There are various festivals and events taking place over today and tomorrow (Sunday). In Calder Holmes Park today was a ‘Fair for Youth’ which seemed to involve a lot of people sitting on the grass watching a stage on which not much was happening; but this climbing tower seemed popular.
This was Clare’s night out as though I knew of this band I didn’t really care one way or the other about them. However, having seen them, they were bloody good. And Sarah Cracknell (right) is completely gorgeous. It was 1996 all over again I’m telling you. Taking photos of gigs is like football matches though — I take lots, but very few ever work out. I don’t have the equipment and I’m usually stuck in the same vantage point. Still, it’ll do.
Perhaps there is some irony in seeing a band named after a French football team the evening after the announcement of the disastrous referendum result. I apologise to the rest of the planet for the 17 million people I happen to share an island with who seem to think that isolationism is a valid response to the world’s problems. I wasn’t the only one in the room tonight weeping for the future.
Being 42 