Arrested By The Rain

A friend at work told me today, that there would be some live archeology work going on at the castle today.

So being a fan of Time Team, I decided to pop up and take a look. Sadly there wasn't any activity at the dig. Possibly because it was lunchtime. Anyway there was no sign of life, so I took a walk up to the castle itself to see some more of the artworks on display.

There are two main exhibitions on at the moment, one of digital works by Gordon Cheung, and well drawn etching by famed painter Evelyn Gibbs.

I then went outside and noticed how dark and misty it was getting. There's a storm brewing. How right I was, as the heavens opened, and so I dived inside the castle again, as I didn't have a coat with me, as it was very warm.

Not missing a photo opportunity, I snapped this couple who were doing the same thing. They make nice silhouettes I think. The rain then stopped a bit, so I made my way down to the entrance, but had to stop there, as the clouds hadn't quite finished emptying their contents.

Skyline

Here's a shot from the roof of the multi-storey car park near the railway station, which shows the new tram bridge over Queens Road.

In the background you can see the Newton Building belonging to Nottingham Trent University, the spire of the former church in the Lace Market which is now the Pitcher & Piano wine bar and of course the dome which is part of the Council House.

Day And Night

I did some market research tonight about mortgages and the location was the top floor of the Britannia Hotel on Maid Marian Way.

I arrived there at around 6pm, and finished just after 7.30, and you can tell that the nights are really drawing in now, as you can see the lights of the building glowing in the dark.

Shame about the bit of reflection in the bottom picture. I tried to block all the light out from the room, but it was quite difficult, as there were no curtains available, only a picture frame.

Tower Of London

I had to attend a meeting in London today, as part of my job. The building I went to is on the Euston Road, not far from St Pancras Station.

The meeting room we were in was on the 14th floor, and you got some great views of the London skyline.

I really wanted to get a shot of the Post Office Tower, or the BT Tower as it is now known, as I have never taken a photo of it before, despite visiting London many times. And what a super view I got from the 14th floor.

The tower was opened in 1965, and used to have a revolving restaurant at the top, which oddly was run by Butlins; the holiday camp company. A bomb exploded there in October 1971, and the restaurant was closed. In fact no members of the general public are allowed inside the building at all now. In fact strangely  enough the tower was classed as an official secret until recently, even though its 189 metres tall.

The tower has been featured in many TV shows and films since the 1960s. The most famous being by the Goodies, where a giant white Persian cat climbed up the side of it and pushed it over.

Sunny Skyline

Well surprise, surprise, we had some sun today. It was colder than yesterday, but a lot brighter.

As there didn't seem to be anything happening in the city centre, I decided to go to the top of one of the many multi-storey car parks to see what the city's skyline looked like on this bright winter's day.

I chose the one near the castle, as it is the one closest to where I work.

I went in the lift, to the top floor. It was empty except for one van that had a fair few bird poos on it.

The shot above shows towards the east of the city and out into the farmland around Ruddington. While below is the castle and grounds. Half in sun, half in shadow.

View From The Top

I've missed signing up for this month's theme day, so today's picture is connected to the theme of churchyards, as this photo of part of the Beeston skyline, is taken from the bell tower of my local church. You may remember the old stone staircase photo from a couple of weeks ago, well this is what you see when you get to the top.

Was That It??

Summer seems to have disappeared behind black rain filled clouds. Hopefully the sun will return shortly, and last until at least October. But for now here's a sun drenched Nottingham skyline, taken from the Castle.

Eye In The Sky

This crane looks brand new and of the latest design, as the cab is rounded, rather than the usual square box.

I'm not very good with heights, but it must be great sitting up there and looking down over the whole city. To quote an old Who song; "I can see for miles and miles".