Ahoy There Me Hearties

Blackbeard the pirate looking out on the canal at Beeston.
Don't think any big pirate ships came down the canal looking for treasure, as it's too narrow!

A Rather Tyred Sign

I remember seeing this sign ever since I began working in the Lace Market many moons ago. I have no idea how long the company had occupied the two floors of the building on Stoney Street. I know that the company is long gone & the building now belongs to Trent University, where one of their art departments is now situated.

A Little Bit Of London Up Here

An unusual pub sign for a local drinking club. It's called the West End Club, and is situated in Stapleford. The sign shows the famous London landmark of Piccadilly Circus and the iconic black cab. I would say going on the advertising, that the artist used a picture which dated from the late 1980's, early 90's.

Baby, You Can't Drive My Car

This is a Ford Galaxie & I was quite surprised to find it on the streets of Nottingham. I sometimes do see classic cars still being driven, but I think this is about the first time I've seen an American motor. Except at car shows of course.

Besides this blog, I also contribute to Paintbox Pictures, which is another site where bloggers publish more experimental and artistic photos. Please take a look, as I've submitted a more stylised version of this picture.

Numerical Sunday - 2

A different day & a different number - 27.
I took this down by the canal & I think it shows the hight of the water. Maybe people with more knowledge of rivers could give the full story.

The Martian's Are Coming!!

I was stunned and shocked at this headline for our local newspaper. Have the Daleks really landed and tried to kidnap someone? Will Robomen be walking the streets of Nottingham, snatching people and taking them to the mothership to be used in some diabolical way by Davros?

My heart returned to normal when I read the actual story. Apparently some idiot tried to get his ex girlfriend kidnapped & then he could turn up and rescue her & so she'd love him again. The kidnapper used one of those toy Dalek heads you can buy where you speak through it and you can sound like the pepperpot aliens.

To read the full story and the sentence they got click here.

Sky Watch Friday

This is our local power station and is coal fired. It produces electricity for all our needs. Fortunately I understand that the smoke that it produces into the atmosphere isn't too polluting, and as you can see the sky is still blue over it.

For more Sky Watch Friday photos please follow this link.

Hats To Keep Their Brains Warm

This group of students have just graduated from Trent University and were having their photos taken in the Old Market Square. Parents, friends and relations were busy snapping away with their cameras.

I bet the students are happy that their studies are over. Now comes the hard task of trying to find a job in these uncertain economic times.

Oh Eck!

I don't know what the skipper of his boat thought he was doing when he reversed his craft into this shop front. He obviously wasn't looking where he was going as he tried to moor his ship. Hopefully he'll be having some extra nautical lessons, so it doesn't happen again.

Gone Fishin' - The Next Generation

Here's another fisherman, this time a young lad down by the weir area of the canal. He was with a couple of mates, who were larking about. But he just sat there dreaming about the big one that he was going to catch.

Gone Fishin'

Yesterday was really warm & sunny, so Gail and I went for a stroll along the local canal. So it seemed had many others, as it was quite busy. Of course my camera came too & here's one of my snaps; an owner of a canal boat trying to catch his tea.

Birthday Balloons

The NHS (National Health Service) is celebrating it's 60th birthday this year, and I spotted a group of nurses having their photos taken outside a local hotel. They had all been to a celebration there.

For those that don't know, most medical treatments in the UK are free to all UK citizens, although we do pay via all the taxes that we are charged. The system is often abused by people who aren't entitled to use it and it does suffer with other problems; including underfunding in some areas. But it is the envy of the world, and long may it be so.

Numerical Saturday - 1

I've had an idea. I'm not sure if it'll work, but I'm going to give it a go. What, you may be asking? Well I plan to try and take photos of numbers 1 to 100. They may be on signs, advertising posters, shop windows. Anything really that I come across. I'll try not to be too obvious like numbers on front doors. We'll see how it goes. They of course won't be in numerical order, but I'll try and cover all 100 numbers. Does anyone want to join me in this idea?

Sky Watch Friday

This is Nottingham Castle taken from Castle Boulevard. The lookout wall was recently rebuilt, after the original one fell down in a landslide some years ago.

Enjoy Sky Watch Friday. Many bloggers are taking part. To get a full list & perhaps take part, just click on this link.

We All Stand Together

Yesterday & today many local council & government workers across the country went on strike over low pay (or non pay) rises. The strike has affected all sorts of areas, libraries, bin collections, markets etc. I try to keep politics out of blogging, but I do think they have a point when they are asked to accept a pay rise which is less than than the inflation rate; making it effectively a pay cut.

My photo here shows a rally in the Market Square and a union person telling everyone why they are striking.

My Little Pony

Well in this case two. A local charity was raising funds for disabled riders, and what better method than getting people to pet the animals before parting with their money.

Country Music

Ribena, the blackcurrant drink maker had a display in the Square yesterday, with a country theme. Besides free tasting of their new drink, there were a number of stalls connected with the English countryside. Coconut shy, fudge and these musicians playing some old folk tunes. There was even the opportunity of trying to eat a pie in less than 7 seconds!

Take Three Girls

These friends are watching a street entertainer, but I'm not too sure how interested they are in him.

Balls Up

As promised, here are the close up photos of the weather vane in the shape of Albert Balls' fighter plane and the dedication from his parents.

Flying Home

This building is close to the Queens Medical Centre, but is in a quiet area and feels like you are in the country. It is called the Albert Ball Memorial Homes, and was named after the WW1 fighter ace. Ordinary people live there and if someone were to leave, then they advertise the vacancy locally, but anyone wanting to live there has had to have lived in the locality for 10 years to qualify as an occupant. Tomorrow I'll show you a close up of the weather vane & the inscription above the entrance.

The Devil Rides Out

Imac's Sky Watch Friday photo is possibly of God, so it's only natural to show the opposing side. So here's my interpretation of Satan. It is a genuine photo of clouds. All I've done is changed the light and colour balance to make "him" look more demonic.

Mystery Object

Here's an interesting piece of metalwork. What do you think it is? An art installation; a mobile phone mast; a satellite dish?

Well the answer is that it is one of the lighting gantries that is used to illuminate the cricket ground at Trent Bridge.

Beating Drums

These Caribbean drummers are musically announcing the fact that this is my 700th blog entry.

Greetings to all those visitors over the past two years who have left welcome comments. It is appreciated, and makes the whole exercise worthwhile.

Here's to the 1000th.

Wheels In Love

Every bride and groom needs a great getaway car, and what could be better than this old Bentley? I bet someone spends ages cleaning and polishing it before every wedding. Just to make it look extra grand and extra special.

Say Cheese!

Jilly has been showing a series of photos about a big wedding in Menton. I watched a wedding the other day. Alas not on the scale of Jilly's, but still interesting to look at. Here one of the bridesmaid's is having her photo taken, possibly because she's holding the bouquet, which makes her the next one up the aisle.

A Walk By Wardrobe

Cycling home from work the other night, I came across this rather surreal sight. A load of clothes; mostly womens & children's were laid out on the side of the cycle track, like they were for sale. But nobody was about & there weren't any indication of prices.
I wonder who did it and why?

Sky Watch Saturday

How many triangles can you see in this photo of the sunny Nottingham sky?
I quite like the way the telephone lines split up the photo into pieces like a jigsaw puzzle.

To view further photos of the sky, take a look at Wigger's World, as there's a link to other sky watching participants. Which incidentally usually take place on a Friday.

Have a happy weekend.

Reach For The Sky

This piece of art is called "Aspire" and has recently been erected in the university's Jubilee Campus. A mystery donor paid the £800k for it. Someone who obviously has more money than sense, as I don't think it looks particularly striking, and I'm sure the money could be better spent on something more exciting and useful. You can find out more about it here.
Locals have nicknamed it the egg whisk!

Silver Lining

One silver man, not very loud,
standing still, amusing the crowd.
Looking for coins, there's my dish,
enough to eat, that's his wish.

The Pecking Order

The common pigeon. Every town, city and village has them. Some see them as a friend, some as a pest. We have notices here requesting that people don't feed them. I must admit, I'm not too fond of them, especially as I've been pood on a few times in the past few years!

One The Juggler

I've tried juggling a few times, but found it almost impossible to do properly. This guy made it look so easy. Although now and again he did drop one of his clubs.
He was there to help promote the Alzheimer's Society, who were campaigning for better funding for the illness and tax relief for the sufferers.