Had things turned out differently I might have been in the Balkans today, but even though they did not, I am not bothered by this — which would not have been the case ten years ago. I guess I am more attuned to the enjoyment that can be had from the local area these days. Yes, even Rochdale railway station — like the rest of the region, bathed in cold but magnificent weather.
Why was I in the depths of Rochdale at 9pm on a Tuesday evening? Photography reasons, of course. (OK, actually it was a football match.) The substantial tower blocks in the background are locally known as the ‘Seven Sisters’, I believe. As is often the case, going monochrome disguises some dubious sodium-lighting yellowness and the odd bit of lens flare. Plus it just seems like a black-and-white kind of place, to be honest, befitting the first day of November.
7:10am on 7/10. People have their observable routines. With teaching having started and my having 9am classes here and there, I have been catching the 6:55am train at Hebden Bridge. This becomes the 7:10 at Rochdale, and each time I’ve caught it, these two have got on. Today, they almost immediately dozed off. I sympathise. They look comfortable enough together, and good luck to them.
Passengers in various states of thought and repose, as the train pulled into Rochdale on the way into work. Or, I suspect for the guy immediately opposite me, home after a rather heavy night.
The wall separating Rochdale station from the rest of the world allows only glimpses of the nearby architecture. This shot is here more to demonstrate how the evenings are already drawing out noticeably: I’m not saying it was daylight at 10pm but it was not altogether dark either, as you can see.
An abstract, really; going monochrome also disguises a main feature of the shot, the impressively blue skies, reflecting another day of pleasantly Mediterranean weather. But this one is about the shapes and the textures.
This subway under Manchester Road in Rochdale is very neglected, a real hole in the ground. But with the sunshine pouring down from outside, it’s not unattractive.
That’s a big lens. Perhaps he’s compensating for something.
I’ve not been venturing very far from home in the last two weeks and this is a state of affairs that is due to continue for a while. I offer this view from Rochdale station as today’s pic, not for any particular reason, I just like the arrangement of the various lines and slopes. And the snow’s still around, as you see.
December, and what endless delights this month is going to offer to us in the UK, beyond even just the usual encroachment of dusk into ever-earlier segments of the day. I did not find a huge amount to inspire me photographically today, but this one will do; the rule of thirds is met well enough. The floodlights illuminate Spotland, the home of Rochdale FC.
Being 42 