Heaven's Above

Another religious theme today in the shape of of the city's St Barnabas' Cathedral. It is situated opposite the Playhouse. So once you've seen a show, you can go across to the church and give thanks for an enjoyable time.

Green Marks The Spot

London is famous for many things, and one of them is the blue plaque tradition, which highlights where famous people lived, worked or died. Nottingham appears to be starting one of it's own, as I saw this along Maid Marian Way. I had not spotted it before, so it could only have been up a few weeks. I'm not really that knowledgable about William Carey, so I've linked his name to a site which gives you some background to this preacher.

Can Dogs Read?

Here's a sign I've not seen before. It's one that some children from a local school have designed about making the world a better place by dog owners taking away their pets' poo. Quite right too, as getting some stuck on your shoe is one of the worst expreiences going. Not forgetting the possibility of spreading diseases. So there's another use for all those old supermarket carrier bags.

The Yellow Peril

The other day I placed a photo of a Watson Fothergil building with a row of shops underneath, that advertised themselves in a way that was in keeping with the style of the building. That cannot really be said about how this company promotes itself. Canary Yellow everywhere! I bet helicopter pilots can see this building as they fly across the city at night.

Thai Land

As you can see this restaurant is called the Pretty Orchid, but it doesn't look that inviting from the outside. One reason for this is its location. It is situated down a small lane called Pepper Street, which is basically a paved area that leads to a loading bay for some of the shops. At the side of it is a new retail development. I have no idea what the food is like, but from all accounts it's supposed to be one of the best in the city centre.

G'day

Today is Australia Day, which celebrates the founding of the great country that has bought us amongst other things Rolf Harris, Kylie, Skippy and Foster's lager. Not forgetting the most wonderful and amazing natural harbour in the world, made even more spectacular by the iconic bridge and the Opera House.
Nottingham doesn't have that many Oz references, but here's a local bar on Friar Lane with an Down Under feel. Cheers!

Another Day, Another Pub

A few weeks ago I posted the sign from the Royal Children public house on Spaniel Row. Today I'm showing you what the whole building looks like. As you can see it is quite olde worlde and full of character.

The Shopping Experience

Here's another of Watson Fothergill's creations on King Street this time. Fortunately the shop signs are not too big and loud like some are, as it would spoil the character of the facades.

Through Rose Coloured Glasses

The antiques dealer on Derby Road has changed his window display & is now promoting red glassware in all these different shapes and styles. Old glass is quite collectable, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay these sorts of prices for any.

Sign Your Name

Tagging is the name given to the act of marking property, such as this door with strange symbols or words to show that it is in a particular gangs' patch. There must be lots of fights over this particular door as it's been covered in the things. Do you notice the little spyhole near the top?
I couldn't take a better photo, as I was standing in a narrow lane, due to the fact that there was a building site behind me.

Reflections of a Bygone Age

It's been a relatively sunny, dry and quiet weekend weatherwise, although the meterologists have predicted a very cold spell this week and the possibility of snow! So before all the puddles turn to ice, I thought I would share this quiet picture of an old street light. The quiet after the storm you might say.

10 Green Bottles...

Here's an interesting window display of wine bottles from around the world. Personally I love a crisp white wine, preferably from Australia. Red is ok, but white doesn't feel as heady. Cheers!

Raindancing

Yesterday, the UK experienced high winds and torrents of rain. Some parts suffered more than others. Fortunately here in Nottingham we got off quite lightly, with only a few incidents of trees falling down & loss of electricity. It was quite sunny at lunchtime and I took this shot of a big puddle outside the Playhouse being blown in the wind.

Singing in the Rain

As we welcome in another cold, wet and windy day, I'm supplying you all with umbrellas. You have a choice of 5 colours. Personally I'd pick the blue one, just to remind myself that better days are hopefully on the way.

Spring Fever

Here's another highly decorated Nottingham buses, this time advertising a local business, a local garden centre called Floralands.
Home improvements and DIY are big business in the UK, with millions being spent every week on making ones home better. There are numerous programs on TV showing you how to do it and what sort of things can be achieved on a small or large budget.

Trainspotting

Looking at trains isn't really a hobby of mine, but I couldn't resist taking a snap of this Central Trains loco trundling along the tracks to probably Derby or Birmingham. We have another local train company called Midland Mainline which takes passengers to London and Leeds.

Skyline

Nottingham has some very interesting and stylish old buildings, but alas they are being either replaced or surrounded by newer and rather bland creations. I don't think architects have much imagination these days, as the buildings they design have no real interesting features, just plain brick, concrete and glass. Perhaps it's time they started to look at the past, rather than the future.

Take a Seat

You can tell it's winter, as no one was sitting having their lunch in the grounds of the Castle, even though it wasn't too cold or wet. A lot of the seats had names or plaques on them in memory of people that had passed on, but had enjoyed visiting the Castle and the views.

Thrills and Spills

Whilst going out at lunch time yesterday, I noticed a traffic jam and lots of flashing lights at the top of Maid Marion Way. So naturally I got my camera out and went to investigate. I found several police cars and fire engines, plus a few other vehicles and the police directing the traffic. Looking at the action, I've deduced that the white lorry's petrol tank had leaked and diesel had spilled out onto the road.

Anyway, I think it makes a good scene, with all the rescue people in action.

The Devil Rides A Volvo

I guess the driver of this car, probably called Hal, isn't that superstitious, otherwise he wouldn't have 666 as part of his number plate, which as most people know is the number of the beast.
I wonder if he calls his car Christine?

Cheers!

Castle Rock brewery is about the last remaining beer maker in Nottingham now. We used to have several big well known names; including Shipstones and Home Ales. Hardy & Hansons were taken over last year and the creation of the amber nectar has being moved to East Anglia.

Spot The Difference

As promised, here is an up to date photo of Nottingham railway station, for you to compare with Friday's offering. Not a lot has changed except the design of the train and the posters missing from the station's wall. I tried to stand in about the same place as the original photographer, but a building was in the way.

Global, Local

Although this isn't a Nottingham based photo; it was actually taken in Dubai. There is a local connection with my home town, as Paul Smith was born here. He started with a small shop in the city centre in the late 1960's, and now has branches throughout the world. Last year he opened a new flagship store in the city centre, but I haven't been inside yet, as I would feel like a fish out of water.

Train Of Thought

Nottingham Railway Station, circa 1969. As you can probably guess wasn't taken by me, but I wanted to show you what the area looked like, as I hope to take a photo of the same area very shortly, to show you the differences. I did publish a photo of the station's decorative gates a few months ago.

Protest To Survive

Here's another recent photo (December) from my archive. Another protest in front of the Council House. As you can see this one's about education cuts, but I have no idea who orchestrated it. But it's full of action and various slogans.

Sunshine On A Rainy Day

I've been on holiday this week, and every day so far has been dull, cold and wet. The perfect conditions for not taking photos. So in the absence of any new pictures, I've been searching my archives and found a pleasant autumn scene from the end of November. It's inside the castle grounds and shows the last remaining leaves to fall from the trees.

You Can Bank On It

We all know that change is happening at a very rapid rate these days. Not just with technology and lifestyles, but also with little things that we often miss, and then one day we'll say "where's that gone?".
Today's photo is such an example. On October 12, I posted a shot of a city centre pub sign with a pigeon on it. A couple of weeks ago they started refurbishing the pub, even though it wasn't that old. And now, not only has the pub had a new lick of paint, but also a new name! They chose the title after the building, which was originally a branch of the Nat West.

World Photoblog Theme Day

A new year, a new theme day. Today's picture is what I consider portrays the essence of Nottingham from the 195 I have taken this year. It's from October 6, and shows the outlaw Robin Hood; the main emblem of the city.


A number of daily photo sites from across the world are participating in this theme day, so if you have the time, please visit them all. Don't forget to leave a comment, as we all welcome feedback about our work.

1 (Porto (Portugal) ) -2 (Albuquerque, NM (USA) ) -3 (St. Paul, (USA) Kate ) -4 (Greenville,SC (USA) ) -5 (Stayton, OR (USA) ) -6 (Szentes (Hungary) ) -7 (Hyde (UK) ) -8 (London (UK) ) -9 (Dubai (UAE) ) -10 (Buenos Aires (Argentina) ) -11 (Shanghai (China) ) -12 (Nelson (New Zealand) ) -13 (Twin Cities, MN (USA) ) -14 (Joplin MO (USA) ) -15 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -16 (Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ) -17 (Not Strictly Seattle, WA (USA) ) -18 (Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -19 (Auckland (New Zealand) ) -20 (Sharon, CT (USA) ) -21 (Evry (France) ) -22 ((Aust) John ) -23 (Newcastle upon Tyne (England) ) -24 (Paris (France) ) -25 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -26 (Brussels (Belgium) ) -27 (Minneapolis MN (USA) ) -28 (Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) ) -29 (Seattle, WA (USA) ) -30 (Budapest (Hungary) ) -31 (Singapore by Zannnie (Singapore) ) -32 (Tenerife (Spain) ) -33 (Santa Clara, CA (USA) ) -34 (Houston, TX (USA) ) -35 (Sydney by Nathalie (Aust) ) -36 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -37 (Vancouver, BC (Canada) ) -38 (Singapore by KeropokMan (Singapore) ) -39 (East Lansing, MI (USA) ) -40 (Sydney by Sally (Australia) ) -41 (Tucson, AZ (USA) ) -42 (Nottingham (UK) ) -43 (Sequim, by Norma ) -44 (Hong Kong ) -45 (Vantaa, Finland ) -46 (Kyoto (Japan) ) -47 (Tokyo (Japan) ) -48 (Chattanooga ) -49 (Santiago (Chile) ) -50 (erlin (Germany) ) -51 (Trondheim (Norway) ) -52 (Delta, CO (USA)) -