An abstract, though it does represent the fact that the two trains I caught today were punctual to the minute: a good start for 2026. Let’s see how long it takes before this perfect record is broken; I predict Sunday.
The Nightjar bar sits under the Picture House so is a logical place to go for a pre-movie drink, as was the case this Friday night. And a word out to the movie, too — Spinal Tap 2, which, pleasingly, was extremely funny and in no way diminishes the original, something definitely not always the case for many such sequels.
Whatever event was going on in Hebden Bridge Town Hall this afternoon it involved a few dozen identically-dressed elderly gentlemen, weighed down with various medals. By no means all of them had their mobility scooters, but quite a few of them did. Well, good luck to them. I use the shot because I am reminded of the cover of the Dead Kennedy’s Frankenchrist album — it is not to mock.
A day riddled with negativity in at least two ways, each related to totally different aspects of my life. I was glad when 20/8/25 was over, but it lasted until later than most of my days do at this time. Negativity doesn’t do much for creativity, so here’s a picture of a car park. But I suppose I like the redness and seeming randomness of the pillars, and it’s the second-latest shot of 2025 so far (beaten only by the turtle on Ascension Island in April).
Another day with very little to see, but as the sun was shining the garden once again obliges. These little red flowers are due to become green beans, and I believe that’s a junior version already curving itself attractively down towards the bottom of the picture. Vegetables and fruits of all kinds have done very well this year, even for a black-fingered (opposite of green-fingered) doofus like me.
Roadworks on Keighley Road continue to increase in both volume and density. Soon the entire street may disappear, collapsing in on itself to form a kind of roadwork singularity, or possibly a new form of matter, which will, while largely inert, occasionally flare up into frenzied and noisy activity at, like, 7 in the morning. Having thereby woken up any sleepers in the vicinity it will then return to its inactive state for the rest of the day.
Rotherham, South Yorkshire, is one of those places where a high proportion of its casual visitors surely come because it has a League football team and for no other reason. This is not to knock the place. I did have a decent day out here today (at the football) and it certainly has a big and impressive church, as depicted.
This shot breaks plenty of rules, including being taken from inside the café over the road, and my leaving in the lights that surrounded its window. But the woman in the red coat helps. And anyway, I don’t care about the formalities because today I have stretched this blog out far enough to reach day 5,000. 13 years, 8 months and 7 days of daily photography has brought me to this point. I suppose I occasionally think about winding it all up but it hasn’t happened yet, there always seems to be something coming up which encourages me to continue, whether it’s an interesting trip away, or a numerical target like today’s. The next one should be that I ensure I make it to my birthday this year: because on the day I turn 56, I will have documented exactly one-quarter of my life on here. Seems a reasonable (next) goal to me…
Or should it be, the parked red car? I know there is supposed to be some kind of innate order to English adjectives, but here I am unsure. Anyway it is often seen in this position — this was not a lucky capture. And yes, it tilts to a noticeable degree: otherwise, this shot is faithful enough to the perpendicular.
The University of Gibraltar is why I am here, indirectly anyway. It is one of Europe’s newest, founded in 2016 and built into a converted old barracks. It’s also one of Europe’s smallest: what you see here is a considerable proportion of the whole. Something about it reminds me of the atrium where Heywood Floyd and the Russian scientists have a conversation in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s the red-and-white theme that does it. And no, there didn’t seem to be any students around. They’re all ‘on placement’, apparently.
One of those seasonal themes, coming a little late this year — Chinese New Year celebrations have yet to make it to St Helena. Manchester always sprouts a healthy crop, though.
Being 42 