At the rate I’m posting images from this roll there won’t be any left for an “Expiriment” post!.
Something good that happened today…
I received an email from a colleague today that might lead to roles for some of my colleagues affected by the job losses on our team. I’ll have to find out more next week, but it sounds promising, so I’m hopeful it will prove fruitful for them.
Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Kodak Elite Chrome 200 (expired 2004) . Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
I was reading a blog post yesterday afternoon on Shawn Granton’s Urban Adventure League site. In it he spoke about “The Lighthouse”, a wooden lighthouse that stood in the back yard of one of the properties he sometimes cycled past. On a recent bike ride he had a chance to go past the same location but it was no longer there. The Lighthouse was ephemeral and no more.
This triggered a memory. Not of a lighthouse, but of the Wellingborough T-Rex.
About thirty years ago I, and other members of the team I worked in, would attend meetings in London. The East Midlands Main Line between Sheffield passed through Wellingborough en-route and there, before you got to the station, the line went past a scrapyard. Nothing particularly interesting about that. Except for the T-Rex.
The T-Rex stood tall, peering over the scrapyard fence at the railway line. The dinosaur was clearly modeled on the older, tail-dragging depiction of dinosaurs that became extinct when Jurassic Park and its ilk arrived on the scene, but it was a T-Rex nonetheless.
It stood there for years until, one day on a trip to London, it had gone. I felt a bit sad at this. It was a familiar landmark and one which I hoped to always be there. But it wasn’t.
However, today, after reading Shawn’s blog post featuring The Lighthouse, I searched online for “Wellingborough dinosaur” and, lo-and-behold it was right there before my eyes. Not only did I find a picture of it in the scrapyard, but also discovered that when it had disappeared it was because it had made a new habitat for itself at The Muslo Arms, a pub in a nearby village called Finedon.
The pub has now closed and been converted into flats. I don’t expect the T-Rex lives in one of them and I have no idea where it may have gotten to now, but I hope it’s somewhere out there still.
This little trip down memory lane has made me quite happy.
Another photo of the Leeds General Infirmary building, or at least the Victorian part of the building.
While a hospital has stood on the site since the late 18th century, the part of the building shown in the picture was built a century later during the Victorian period. A number of additional hospital wings were added through the 20th century. The small section that I posted a photo of yesterday can be seen at the far right of today’s image.
Something good that happened today…
The Robin was back on our garden again this lunchtime (although, to be fair, it could be a completely different robin to the other one I’ve seen). Today it snagged itself an earthworm from the lawn and was busily gobbling it up when I spotted it. One of our cats had also seen it and kept a close eye on it from the utility-room window until it eventually noticed her and hopped sideways on to get a better view. It then began a series of loud warning chirps before making an exit.
I’m glad on these occasions that our cats are house-cats – I can only imagine the threat they would pose to the local bird population otherwise! – and it’s good to see that the robin, and the other birds that come to our garden, feel safe to do so.
Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Kodak Elite Chrome 200 (expired 2004) . Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
A little bit of the Leeds General Infirmary building is the subject of the picture shared today.
Something good that happened today…
This is something good that’s about to happen today. My in-laws are visiting from Spain and we’re all meeting up for a meal. I’m hungry and looking forward to it.
Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Kodak Elite Chrome 200 (expired 2004) . Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
A selection of shots taken inside Leeds Kirkgate Market.
These are from the same roll of Kodak Elite Chrome 200 that I will be writing an “Expiriment” post about soon (honest!).
Kirkgate Market is the largest covered market in Europe with over 800 stalls. The ornate hall at the front of the market (where these pictures were taken) is particularly nice.
Something good that happened today…
Last year I visited the doctor because I’d noticed a mark on my arm that hadn’t been there before. It wasn’t causing me any discomfort, but it was new, and as such I thought I’d best get it checked out. This led to a couple of referrals to a clinic where the lesion was photographed and the pictures sent away to be checked. The outcome from the second of these referrals was a letter informing me to make an appointment with my GP for treatment. No mention of what the issue might be was included in the letter, so I had some concern that it may be some type of skin cancer or something.
I visited the GP today and was told that they believe the mark to be an actinic (or “solar”) keratosis – effectively damage to the skin caused by exposure to the sun over time. While I’m not one for sunbathing (I actively avoid it!) my arms are often uncovered when the weather is warm and, as such, probably get more sunshine than any other part of my body, so this diagnosis is perhaps not a surprise.
Solar keratoses are non-malignant and do no real harm, although there is some chance that they can develop into skin cancer over time (though, thankfully, a less serious and treatable form). I now have to pick up some ointment from the chemist tomorrow and apply that for the next three months before returning to the doctor’s later in the year to check it is still ok.
So, while I’d rather the keratosis not be there, the knowledge of what it is and that it’s probably not something to worry about, is today’s good news.
Olympus OM-10 & G.Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 on Kodak Elite Chrome 200 (expired 2004) . Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
I had a chilled couple of hours lying on the bed watching episodes of QI while the cats snoozed beside me. It’s really nice to relax like this (especially as my legs were aching a little from yesterday’s hike) and it’s something I don’t do often enough, always being busy with other stuff that can probably wait a little while.
I’ve not had chance to write up my new “Expiriment” post today as I went out for a hike and didn’t get back home in time. Maybe tomorrow, time allowing…
Instead here’s another digital shot from December’s Barcelona trip.
Something good that happened today…
I went out into the Peak District with the intention of wandering around Baslow, one of the closest villages in the park to Sheffield. I think there are plenty of subjects there and, while I’ve driven through the village on many occasions, I’ve never actually stopped to explore.
However, when I arrived, I instead decided to walk to Chatsworth House, which stands a mile or so down the Derwent Valley from the village. I ended up hiking for miles, but the weather was bright and clear, I shot a roll and a bit of Tr-X through my Yashica Mat 124G, and had a good time doing it. It’s nice to get out and get some fresh air and exercise.
We walked past this place selling dumplings on a number of occasions while in Barcelona (although we didn’t get chance to purchase any). I thought it made for a nice picture.
Something good that happened today…
I’m still struggling to find something to put in this section on some days. I did have some good personal news, but it’s not something I want to talk about on here, so I’m clutching at straws a little otherwise. I think that the fact I tend to worry about things a lot can mean the good stuff gets obscured.
So I’m going to go with my weight. Not that it’s great – I’m overweight and at least a half-stone over what I was back in the autumn – but I’m still over a stone lighter than I was this time last year and, while my weight is not really dropping much at present (still some Christmas treats hanging around the house that need to be defeated!), it’s not increasing either, which bodes well for when I make a proper effort to get it under control soon. Hopefully I might hit my target this year!
One of the occasional pictures I post that I’ve used as an entry in the annual film photography competition I’ve taken part in for the past few years. The theme for this one was Games of Chance, and the shot was an emergency backup for another picture that didn’t work out as expected.
Something good that happened today…
I usually restrict the cats to downstairs when I’m working alone at home as they tend to make a nuisance of themselves. Today I decided to give them a chance.
They made nuisances of themselves.
Nonetheless it was nice to have them around. I might do it more often – maybe I’ll bring their beds upstairs so they can sleep in my office while I work.
Steel City Snapper photography 