Bugger

Last night I volunteered to pic up a bunch of teenagers from a gig in Manchester. This isn't a great imposition for me as a) I get to buzz around town in my new jalopy, and b) it means I have an excuse to snidey into Manchester and try taking a few pics.

Last night was intermittently wet, but not so wet at any time I had to retreat. The venue for the gig was Sound Control, on the road next to the Thirsty Scholar on Oxford Road, so I parked up on Hulme Street, and wandered up Oxford Road and back. It was a quiet Monday night (apart from the two gentlemen who were holding each other up outside the old Odeon building up near St Peter's Sq - it's a Monday night guys!!). I was pleased there was been some rain as it made for some nice reflections off the streets and pavements.

I had considered using my monopod, but ended up leaving it in the car, as I didn't want to be caught in the rain with too much equipment. In the end I didn't lead to that many ruined shots due to camera shake, but I was always aware of the slow shutter speeds I was getting. Some shots at 1/6th of a second were a bit, ahem, soft.

One kind of shot I won't take is ones of homeless people. There was a guy asleep on the pavement outside the car park by Great Bridgewater Street. Someone had propped an umbrella to keep him dry, and as I went past, a diner from Pizza Express (opposite) left a doggy bag of pizza for him. Were I a photo-journalist, then I'd feel comfortable doing it, but I'm just an amateur club fotog, so it feels a bit exploitative.

Here are a few shots from last night:

From St Peter's Square. Central Ref and the Town Hall extension.

Albert Square taxi rank

Side street off Albert Square.

The Peveril of the Peak, Great Bridgewater Street.

The Cornerhouse, Whitworth Street.

No Loitering. James Leigh Street, off Oxford Road.

I dropped my camera taking it out of the car when I got home. Still works fine, but now has its first "war wound" on the top plate. It was in a (thinnish) bag so it could have been a lot worse.

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Why "Bugger"? I think I've overdone the cycling. Or (more likely) the chemo is catching up with me more than I realised. Today's ride was REALLY hard. I struggled mightily, and am now feeling really worn out.

Last time I reported on my cycle route, I promised I'd take  couple of pics on my ride. Here is the WWI wooden soldier outside the Mobberly Victory Hall.

and here's one of the first red brick churches that sparked my interest. It's St Cross, Knutsford.

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Made a simple veg soup for tea, and going to take it easy for the rest of the day. Looking mighty stormy out there just now. Best to stay warm and cosy.