This is not a time of the year when much seems to happen. Four years ago I was on St Helena in November but even then, 12/11/2021 was being spent in quarantine (and battling ants). There have been a couple of late November trips. But right now I’m just happy not to have been in Manchester today. Meanwhile, shot n+1 of ‘bloke(s) working on a roof’. With autumn leaves.
Platforms 4 and 5 of Manchester Victoria station, to be precise (making this, incidentally, the 900th shot taken in Manchester). The sign is meaningless in context, but the pigeon seems to be wilfully defying it anyway. On the left (4), the 12:15 to Redcar Central and on the right, the 12:15 to Blackburn, both punctual. But was I on my way into work late, or coming home early?
Time passes, we are mortal. Swifty (Derek) was only seven years older than me — but he caught pneumonia not long ago, and that was it. Today was his funeral. Too many people now who have featured on here who have died.
The second somewhat abstract shot in a row of some part of the country’s transport network — though a quite different one to yesterday’s. And I picked it before remembering that I depicted the Rochdale canal only the other day. Never mind. I like the asymmetrical scene here, as the excess water comes over the lock gates by the end of Holme Street in town.
Before embarking on its final spread into its estuary, between Widnes (on the north bank) and Runcorn, the River Mersey narrows significantly. This convenient crossing point, known as the Runcorn Gap, has been exploited for hundreds of years, but it was only in 1961 that a proper road bridge was opened, and given the ‘Silver Jubilee’ name 15 years later. And, well, here it is, seen from the Widnes side. The second longest bridge I have walked across as part of my little walking project (after the Humber Bridge). Pedestrians take a rather exposed and vertiginous walkway that dangles off the main arch to the left, by the way.
One has to admire the level of detail that has gone into this ‘Halloween’ window display, even down to the ‘Mushnik’s Flower Shop’, backwards, to the left. In the sign I have cropped to the right, the creators claim this is ‘Audrey III’, perhaps because Audrey II already passed through Hebden a few years back.
I learned only fairly recently that hummus is not only dead easy to make for oneself but it actually turns out cheaper than buying it ready made in pots. Beyond a bit of olive oil, you see here the entirety of the ingredients. Chuck the peas (rinse them first), the lemon’s juice, a tablespoon of the tahini, a teaspoon of the garlic, some salt and the oil into a food processor. Turn it on, and three minutes later, you’re dipping.
It’s good to have some sustenance while waiting for colleagues (and Peter is a Professor, a rank I will now almost certainly never attain) to offer their opinions on one’s writing. That paper might even get finished one of these days.
This is definitely a stock shot, but what the hell. The Rochdale Canal is definitely worth a regular viewing, particularly at the peak of autumn.
An early morning derailment at Shap, in Cumbria, meant the West Coast Main Line was completely closed. Fortunately we were heading south and not trying to get to Scotland, but I suspect this gentleman was one of the many people in Preston station this morning for whom that was the intended destination.
Being 42 