Tag Archives: pub

Jax, New Year’s Eve

Wednesday 31st December 2025, 8.40pm (day 5,242)

Jax on NYE, 31/12/25

It’s just a day like any other of course but thanks to its position in the calendar there does seem a certain obligation to mark it. A modicum of sociability was thereby achieved, though we didn’t stay out until midnight. Jax becomes, probably, the person with the longest gap between first and second appearances on here — that is also her to the right of this portrait from January 2015.

Happy New Year to her and to you all. Of all the places I visited in 2025, Orkney was definitely the best — at the end of that week Clare and I were, virtually, both planning moves there. It’ll never happen though. This picture of Stromness was the last one taken there (August 2nd at 6.40am, the earliest shot of the year) and evokes the memories very well. My favourite picture of the year photographically is probably the one of the guide at the Great Tapestry of Scotland on June 8th in Galashiels — it just turned out very well and as I hoped it would. What will 2026 bring? Let’s find out.

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Re-engaging with the favourite child

Tuesday 23rd December 2025, 5.30pm (day 5,234)

Joe’s first appearance since — chainsaw in hand — 4th August. It’s Christmas. It’s time to re-engage.

Re: the title. You do understand Joe is our only child, right? Just checking.

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Trixie

Friday 28th November 2025, 4.40pm (day 5,209)

Trixie by fire, 28/11/25

Mulling over the choices for today’s photo I said to Clare, “Is this one a bit too pathetic?”, and she replied, “maybe, but it sums her up quite well, it’s Trixie’s role to look neurotic and a bit pathetic”. This is true — except when a strange dog dares to approach her, then she turns very territorial. She hogs the fire, too. But of course we know all these things about her because she’s part of the pack.

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Melancholy

Saturday 25th October 2025, 12.45pm (day 5,175)

Depressed dog, 25/10/25

“Hmmmff. Another day of having my needs ignored. Look at that couple over there. Eating sausages for heaven’s sake. Meanwhile, I just get another cold floor and the leash. And they keep expecting me to fetch their bloody balls for them as well.”

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Condiments

Wednesday 15th October 2025, 12.35pm (day 5,165)

Condiments, 15/10/25

Life remains unexciting and I doubt this is going to change in the near future. At least lunch was taken somewhere new. The rebellious spark in me wants to just swap a couple of these around. Not rearrange them totally — that would be messy. But, yin-yang style, maybe exchange one of the mayos with one of the ketchups. Doubtless someone would spoil the effect by putting it back: they wouldn’t be able to resist (not if they were anything like Clare, anyway).

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Outside the Sports & Social

Tuesday 14th October 2025, 2.50pm (day 5,164)

Sports & Social entrance, 14/10/25

A nice combination of shapes and textures on this one I think. Not that I am commenting on James’s texture. He’s just having a fag.

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Two points at cribbage

Sunday 14th September 2025, 2.15pm (day 5,134)

Cribbage, 14/9/25

Post-Sunday lunch card gaming. Clare demanded to play cribbage for the first time in a long while. Only the Brighton & Hove Albion cards could be found. Didn’t faze her – she won 2-1.

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The tapping of feet

Wednesday 10th September 2025, 4.40pm (day 5,130)

Feet tapping, Railway, 10/9/25

Another less-than-exciting day: I am spending most of this week marking dissertations. One thing about the Railway is that it’s always had a very decent juke box. I don’t remember exactly what track was on at 4.40 this Thursday afternoon but whatever it was, this person was not the only one tapping at least one of their feet to it.

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Courtyard and mural, Glasgow

Saturday 6th September 2025, 4.40pm (day 5,126)

Glasgow mural, 6/9/25

I took a picture of this mural on a visit to Glasgow a couple of years ago, but didn’t use it at the time: in fact, the one I took then was possibly better as from outside the pub courtyard we see her left hand coming down to pick up little insect-like pedestrians on the street. But from the courtyard of O’Neill’s pub the ‘Girl With a Magnifying Glass’ (look it up on Google Maps) seems to be inspecting the drinkers, somewhat scientifically…

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