Oldham

Last year Rochdale, this year Oldham. You can't say that my work does not take me to romantic locations. I was helping friend Bev out with a management training course this week in said fair town. It went well, and was a real pleasure. Both Rochdale and Oldham nestle in the lee of the Pennines, so you get great views up to the moors - well you do when it's not raining and fogged out.

27 years

It is 27 years since I last saw friend Katy from University. Last night I stayed with Katy, husband David and one of their sons [the other is at Oxford]. It was great, really good to catch up. We went to a good vegetarian restaurant in Kingston, and I even managed to see the record shop where Danielle and first husband Steve used to live and work long ago.

Busy

I went a bike ride with David on Saturday, good to turn the legs over. Then on Sunday Bev and family came round for lunch after Meeting. At the same time I had a photo shoot for a family, so it all got a bit complicated, but fun.
The photo is another shot from Brussels.

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving Meal with John and Heather went well. Danielle had done a great nut roast and lovely root vegetables. As usual John provided good wine, so the game of Boggle that Rowan suggested went down well.
As Preston crashed to another home defeat on Saturday, I thought it was time for the photo of the Tom Finney statue again.

Netball

Tregelles have a great sport teacher, who the children really respond to. Watching Rowan's year playing Netball yesterday was great. They were well organised, knew what they were meant to do, and played for each other, and they won 11-2. In fact it was the total opposite of watching England play football. Steve Mclaren is from York, so maybe Miss Harvey should take over as the new England manager.

Mirfield

I had a meeting last week for some new work. We met in Mirfield which is not as grim as it sounds. There was a marvellous West Riding landscape of cobbles and canals. This shot is of the canal basin in the town. The meeting went well too.

Adobe

I went to Sheffield today, to an Adobe presentation on Lightroom, which is the photo software I use. Felt strange being in a room full of pro photographers, but very useful event.
Horrible cold and wet day, so here is a Comma butterfly from the garden to remind me of summer.

Dogs and Kids

I had two more clients for portraits last week. One mother asked me to photograph her daughter and her dog [you know the old adage, "never work with kids or animals"] and it went surprisingly well. Down in London today, another busy week awaits. The photo is another that sold at the weekend. It is really my first photograph, taken on a 110 camera, it appeared in a magazine long ago. Although it looks like the 1950s it was taken on Harrow Road London in 1980.

Wash Out

The third day of the show was disappointing, the weather was terrible, cold [3 degrees] non stop rain - yuk: this put people off coming, and although there was a steady trickle of people it could have been better. No matter, it is very pleasant to be forced to stay at home for a day and not go out and do things - did me good.
Rowan was off out to a roller-blade party amidst all this.
This was another photo that sold over the weekend. From the Walk, it is of the Road to Rore in Bosnia in 1984. You can make out a couple of cyclists resting by the side of the road in the middle distance

Exhibition 2

A steady stream of people came through the Exhibition today, with plenty of sales. Rowan and Danielle both helped out too. I sold a copy of this photo of Rocamador in France: it is one of those shots that some people really like.

Exhibition 1

The first session of my 3 day photography exhibition went ahead yesterday evening. A good turn out, including a couple of people from Open Studios earlier this year: the photos look great in the gallery. Right on cue I appear to be loosing my voice. This is one of the photos I sold - Trees - Interlaken in Switzerland taken in 1981

North End

It is very rare to find something intelligent written in the national press about North End, so here is a

link

to a good article about being a Preston fan and reaching 50 without ever seeing them in the top flight.
I have just been hanging the photos for this weekends exhibition, this is one I have got blown up xlarge

Quaker Quest

Danielle has been part of something called

Quaker Quest

which is the nearest Quakers ever get to saying "why don't you think of becoming a Quaker?" It went very well in York, with over 20 people following it through a number of seminars etc.
The photo is of the Quaker Meeting House at Friargate in York.

Booty

Here are the medals and the proud biathlete. I have been selected for York Open Studios 2008 - the dates are April 4th 5th 6th 2008. I went to the meeting of artists last week and friend David has also been selected.

Biathlon

Rowan was competing in a north east regional biathlon [swimming 2 lengths and running 1K] at Beverley yesterday. It was organised through school, with competitors from all over Yorkshire and beyond. She came third overall, winning her running heat. Her team also won the team competition. So a good day!

Jazz Architecture

Went to the Shed in Hovingham with Patrick and Julia to seeGwyneth Herbert . Danielle was too flue-y. It was a really good gig, I had never heard of her before but her band were great, and her performance got the whole place going.

At the start of the gig the owner, Simon Thackeray, read out a poem in memory of a local jazz fan who had died this week. It was

Ron Sims

who was the architect of our house. I spoke to Ron when we were considering buying the house, and he told me about its history and rationale. Anyway I was telling Simon this, and he pointed out some friends of Ron's on the front row, so I had a good chat with them about him and his work. Felt good.
The photo is of Beverley Minster in the East Riding of Yorkshire



V

Staying Over

I was working two days in a row in London this week, so I stayed with friends Joyce and Kwami in Wimbledon and their four [yes, four] children under 6. It was great to see them after a long while, and meet the children. The thought of Rowan x4 is pretty unimaginable.
The photo is of a real platform sign from the old Eastern Region. Readers of HP will recognise the significance

NRM

We went to the NRM on Saturday - just like old times. Rowan just about fitted on the miniature railway, she goes on her own now, so I can take this photo. It is run by volunteers who seem to enjoy the chance to play trains.

Punk

My sociology degree dissertation written in 1977 was "Punk Rock and Social Change". One of these days I will scan it and read it again. I am reading John Savage's book on punk,

England's Dreaming

which is a very scholarly overview of Punk Rock history. A bit London-centric for my taste, but definitely a good read.
The cover has some [rather naff] graffiti drawn on it in biro. When I was looking at a copy in Borders I was about to buy it when I noticed the drawing on it. Was it part of the cover, or had someone drawn on it? Did it matter? Did I want to give money to Borders for something tampered with [albeit in a punk way]? In the end I got it on-line.

Blue Tongue

Our cows on Hob Moor normally leave at Halloween. Not this year. Because of the Blue Tongue outbreak they cannot move out of the area: so they are wandering around looking a bit bemused.
Meanwhile I saw some geese flying overhead. Friend David, who knows all about birds, reckons they were either Pinkfoot geese, or , more likely, Greylag. Either way it is another bird on the list.

Family Heirlooms 2

Here is another one. A paperknife from Brown & Deighton Ltd of Preston - Oil Manufacturers. It is a lovely thing, and certainly better than a calender from the garage.

Friends

Friends Jake and Suzanne have recently moved to Richmond with their 3 year old daughter Edie. Jake and Edie came to stay in the week. Great to see them, and to be able to give them the run of the extension.
The photo is another from last week, the London Eye and Big Ben - walking by the river in London now is a fantastic experience.

Taken for Granted

I was in London two days last week. I walk along the embankment from Vauxhall to Westminster. It is a great walk, but all too easy to take things for granted. This view of the Houses of Parliament is fantastic, but I usually barely notice it.
The new piece of work is going well now.

Family Heirlooms

With Mother moving to Ro's a few of the family heir looms have passed to me. This is one of my favorites, a glass paper weight "celebrating" the opening of Britain's first motorway - the Preston Bypass. This was a s source of some civic pride at the time I believe [I was one]. Shame it just became a blocked up part of the M6.

Trick or treat

I drew the short straw and had to go on the watching brief for Rowan and friend Rhianna as they went trick and treating last night. Here is the photographic evidence.