Tag Archives: pub

Women in my life

Tuesday 25th August 2026, 12.35pm (day 5,479)

Vicki and Clare, 25/8/26

Sister on the left, wife on the right. Between them, Vicki and Clare sort out as much of my life as anyone else these days. I think both of them have my interests to heart.

With this picture I have reached 15 full years of blogging — 15 x 365 = 5,475 and there have been four February 29ths. I started on 26th August 2011, my 42nd birthday (hence the title of this blog, in case you’d forgotten), and tomorrow, well, you do the maths. I suppose there have been some occasions when I have considered bringing it to an end, particularly on some days where, working at home or stuck in the office, I really have struggled to find anything particularly worth photographing. On the other hand, as I have no intention of ceasing to document things like walks, football matches and periods of travel, I imagine that deliberately leaving gaps in the record would immediately feel like I was letting myself down. So on I go. One of these days I may simply have a camera breakdown, but que sera, sera.

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Battered but still brilliant

Thursday 13th August 2026, 3.15pm (day 5,467)

Shogun, 13/8/26

I am not saying that I think James Clavell’s Shōgun is the greatest piece of literature ever written, but I will happily, and, I believe, consistently claim that it is my favourite novel. It’s a rollicking good story and despite 1,243 pages there’s not a dull moment in it. It singlehandedly turned me into a Japanophile and I’ve read it at least ten times down the years. However, as you can see, I think it’s time I picked up a new copy. If anyone’s got a first edition…. let me know and suggest a price.

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Crashed out, once more

Sunday 26th July 2026, 2.45pm (day 5,449)

Crashed out dog, 26/7/26

The second canine in a row, though this one is attending to the world far less than yesterday’s specimen. In fact this is the second photo in a week to imply that this is somewhat like I feel — looks like that weekend did a lot for the energy levels, huh?

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Random contents of scavenger bag

Sunday 12th July 2026, 5.40pm (day 5,435)

Puzzle pieces, 12/7/26

Our acquaintance Toby is something of a scavenger, the sort of person who will go through the skip outside your house and in five minutes retrieve from it a range of interesting items that you had no idea could be found within. What he has in mind for these various 3-D puzzles, who knows — but I do not think it involves simply putting this one back together.

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The pipework

Sunday 5th July 2026, 3.40pm (day 5,428)

White Swan drains, 5/7/26

Some Sundays are eventful and interesting days. This was not one of them, although neither was it unpleasant. But photographically there wasn’t much to look at, so 5/7/26 will have to be marked by a study of drainage. Important stuff, though — you try living without it for a while.

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Collection point

Saturday 4th July 2026, 1.15pm (day 5,427)

Wrexham Wetherspoons, 4/7/26

Having celebrated Hebden’s attractive qualities yesterday I am also permitted to be relieved that the football season has restarted so I have excuses to leave it on Saturdays, when it becomes too full for its own good — and go drink in some other town’s pubs instead. Like Wrexham in North Wales, for example. Which, this being taken in a Wetherspoons (if you have ever drunk in the UK surely you know of these places), looks much the same as anywhere else, of course. But I don’t mind them.

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Fifteen two, fifteen four

Sunday 7th June 2026, 3.55pm (day 5,400)

Cribbage hand, 8/6/26

If you’ve no idea what the title of this post is referring to then obviously you do not play cribbage.  But you might be able to work it out. I get two for a pair as well. No, I am not playing solitaire — the wife has just slipped away for a moment. She won this particular game, 3-2 (we know each other’s strategies so well now that basically it all comes down to the luck of the deal — that’s my excuse anyway).

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White Swan garden reflection

Wednesday 3rd June 2026, 3.30pm (day 5,396)

Swan garden reflection, 3/6/26

This is a self-portrait — logically I will be on it somewhere, and you may discern me under the red umbrella nearest to this shiny ball thing. I’m in the garden early — but then again I started work early (7:45) and sat upstairs marking for several hours. Semester 2 is now officially done, though, as far as I am concerned.

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I’m fine

Friday 15th May 2026, 4.30pm (day 5,377)

One of those occasions where it’s a case of — yes, I’ll go with that. There is nothing more to be said.

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Chester’s station pubs

Saturday 9th May 2026, 12.10pm (day 5,371)

Chester station pubs, 9/5/26

Chester is a city that has maintained its pre-WW2 architecture better than most, and going black-and-white seems appropriate today. It also hides the anomaly that is the bright blue of the sign for bus stop S3. Yes, I was in the beer garden of the Town Crier at this point, but at least it was after noon. Just.

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