Feeling Tyred?

I couldn't resist taking this cute little Michelin Man relaxing on a lovely black leather sofa. He seems to be very comfortable sitting there and watching the world go by. I can't remember the name of the shop, but they sell all sorts of things to make your home more individual and unique.

Sparks

This electrical business is on Canal Street, and is next to the building site which I showed a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if it is going to be knocked down as well. This would be a shame, as it's quite a well used business by both tradespeople & members of the public, and its a good example of Victorian architecture with lots of character.

Farmyard Frolics

Another market stall. This one is selling models of sheep, pigs and ducks. As you can see they were commanding a fair bit of interest from the shoppers. I wonder how many found new homes. A bit different garden feature don't you think?

Least We Forget

In honour of Remembrance Sunday, I give you these trees, with their sunlit autumnal shades. I know the normal flower is the poppy, but I thought that trees would be a more lasting reminder for those that were lost during the world's battles.

End Of The Line

Here's another of the buildings that is facing the demolition gang. I have no idea what was used for, but it is clearly sometime since it was put to any use. By the state of the brickwork, it looks like it might fall down under its own volition.

Locked Out

This old factory is empty and disused. Someone's put this big metal plate across the doors to stop people breaking in. The whole area is a bit run down and plans are afoot to do something with the land. But for now, here's a reminder of a company that doesn't exist anymore.

Think Pink!

A new designer dress shop has recently opened on King Street. They've gone for a very simple name of Pink, even though looking through the window, they don't appear to be selling any pink outfits. Never mind, I guess Barbie will have to shop elsewhere.

TV Or Not TV

There are 5 main television channels in the UK, as well as numerous satellite & cable stations, but only 2 produce local news; BBC Midlands, whose studios I've shown before & ITV for the Midlands. Central Television, as it used to be known, had quite a big studio complex on Lenton Lane & produced a number of well known programmes, like Woof!, Bullseye & Celebrity Squares. But ITV closed it down a couple of years ago & so the news team moved to a small studio in Toton. But now that's threatened with closure, so some of the journalists were promoting their cause yesterday in the Old Market Square.

The Night Closes In

Last night it became very foggy for a while. I don't know if it was due to the weather or down to the many fireworks parties that had taken place in my neighbourhood. I tried taking some photos from my front garden, but they didn't come out very well. So messing about in Picasa, I created this nighttime scene.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry

Bistro Live describes itself as a live entertainment restaurant. It's where offices parties & hen nights go for their do's. What interested me is the location. They are situated in the basement of the building where I first started my working life, back in the late 1970's. The building belonged to a lace company & they used to store all the raw materials in the basement. When it was needed, they used to bring it up, send it to be dyed & then it was put onto cards or bobbins ready to be sewn onto clothes etc.

Under One Sky

The Old Market Square yesterday hosted an Afro Caribbean market. There were various stalls selling food, clothing and gifts that represented the black community. There was also this dance troupe that were doing some routines, to prove that they do more than the things that are reported in newspapers.

Ice Rocks

I've mentioned the Ice Stadium before, but I don't think I've shown you what the building actually looks like. Well here it is. The area in front is called Bolero Square, and is named after Torvill & Dean's skating routine, which they got all sixes for at the Olympics some 20 odd years ago.
Besides skating, the Arena hosts many concerts, as you can see Meatloaf is playing next week.

November Theme Day - Mr Blue Sky

The title of a smash hit for the 1970's rock band ELO, introduces today's theme of the colour blue. I'm afraid I haven't been very creative this month, but as the sky recently has been very bright, with no clouds (unusual for England), I thought I'd show you this rare occurrence, as I know a lot of you always see clear blue skies every day.

Yes this is genuine sky & not a piece of coloured card!

Once again I couldn't find the list of all the other countries that are participating & due to time differences, some countries may not appear yet.

Give Us Our Daily Bread

Another shot from last week's European market. A close up of the French bread stall. I didn't buy any, as I thought the prices were quite expensive and you wouldn't know how fresh or stale they were until you tucked in.

And The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Here's a photo of the building that's being knocked down on Clumber Street from late last week. As you can see, it's slowly disappearing. The walls are being demolished by hand, rather than by a bulldozer, due to it's location.

Digital Wimbledon

As promised, here's one of the more striking images from last weeks' computer game fair. A Wii game of tennis, shown on a giant screen. I'm not really interested in computer games, so most of it didn't mean that much to me.

Flaming Hell!

I know I promised you a photo from the computer games event, but I decided I'd share this shot of the Italian hot dog stall instead. I wasn't near the stall, when he lit the fire. I just saw a big plume of smoke rising into the crowd. I rushed over, as I thought one of the stands had caught fire. I don't know if he is chatting on his mobile while he is cooking.

Food For Thought

Yesterday, it was very busy in the Old Market Square. Besides a computer game exhibition (tomorrow's post) there was a European market. Quite a number of stalls were selling all sorts of foods, handicrafts and gifts. As you can see from my photo, lots of people were attracted to the food smells and the opportunity of buying some different Christmas presents.

Don't Pull That Face At Me

Here's another one of those gargoyles that seem to feature quite a lot on some of the older buildings in the city. A shame they don't still do similar things with todays architecture.
Alas it's not my best picture, as it was quite some way up, and I only have a 4x optical zoom lens.

Blowin In The Wind

Autumn's here & so too is the colder weather, dark mornings & of course leaves. Lots & lots of leaves. There's so many trees in the grounds of the castle, that the gardeners there have to use blowers to round up all the leaves.

Have You Forgotten Something?

One's memory is an important thing to a person. Thinking about all those events that happened in ones life. Old Man Lincoln's stories are a prime example. So it's very sad when people start to lose their memory. I have a friend who's like that. We went to see him a while ago & he asked me about a dozen times where and when we first met. So I welcome the opportunity of publicising this roadshow, which is in the Market Square this week.

Identity Crisis

Here's something you don't see everyday, a group of Santas. I'm not sure what you would call then; flock, gaggle, blaze?
They were all in the Market Square yesterday to promote the 'Wish Upon A Star' charity.

Moving House?

Here's another in the series of decorative buses. This one is advertising a local estate agents. Here's the link to their website, should you be thinking of moving to Nottingham, or want to know what sort of property is on offer.

Face From The Past

This gargoyle or statuette is on a building on Market Street. I have walked up that road a thousand times & have never noticed it before and if it wasn't for my blogging, I might never know it was there. Besides the long distance friendship that we gain from doing this hobby, it also gives us an opportunity of looking at our hometowns differently and spotting things that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Let There Be Light

We've all been told to reduce our consumption of electricity to counteract the rise in global warming and the threat to the planet. So why were these street lights on St James' Terrace allowed to burn all day long on a sunny day? Couldn't the timer be changed so they only came on when it got dark?
Have you got similar evidence of waste?

Not Long Now..

It may be only 66 days away, but anyone would think Christmas is just a few days away with trees, decorations & of course calendars on sale. This calendar stall in Broad Marsh just seemed to appear one day & then it will vanish around the middle of Jan, when they usually sell any remaining ones off for a quid. Everyone whose ever done anything remotely famous seems to have a calendar this year.

Whose up for doing a bloggers calendar?

The Girl, The Place, The Book

I've actually read this very interesting & amusing comic book after seeing it on a recent television programme. It is a potted history of Sunderland and it's connection with Lewis Carroll and his Alice in Wonderland story. The drawings are in many different styles; from Tintin to Boys Own adventures. It took about 4 years to complete. So I had to take this photo of some advertising for it in a comic bookshop on Market Street and recommend that you all borrow copy from your library. It costs £14.99 to buy. For more info about Sunderland, I recommend Curly's DP site.

My Life In Your Hands

I was in my local branch of WHSmiths yesterday, when I saw this long queue of people. I wondered why and then saw former England cricketer Ian Botham signing copies of his autobiography. Not one for missing a blogging opportunity, I managed to get this candid shot from the side of a bookshelf.

Another One Bites The Dust

Here's the latest victim of the demolition gang. Scheduled to be flattened sometime next week. It's located on the corner of Lincoln and Clumber Street and has been empty for some time. I don't know what will be going up in its place, but I'm sure with a bit of TLC and a lick of paint, this building would look better than anything they decide to put in its place.

Light And Lace

You might not think this row of buildings was of anything particular, other than being old and slightly run down. Well the secret lies in the shape of the windows. They are specially designed to let in the most light. This was needed because lace knitting machines were being used on the top floor and the operators needed lots of light to see what they were doing and the lace was coming out right.

Dead And Gone

Following on from some of the comments about my posting yesterday, I've managed to find a photo of the old Evening Post building in one of my reference books, where the Cornerhouse now stands. It was built in 1897 and has that typical Victorian Gothic look. It was quite a big building and lots of people worked there. I've shown you the building where the newspaper is now produced. Such a difference.

Night On The Town

Nottingham is quite well known for having a very active nightlife. There are many bars, clubs and pubs across the city to keep most people happy. This is the Cornerhouse, which houses a cinema, many different eateries, and a casino has recently opened. The Evening Post had their offices on the site, which was unfortunately demolished several years ago now. This was a shame as it was quite a Gothic looking building with lots of character.

Seal of Approval

This frieze depicts Queen Victoria's jubilee and lists all the countries that Great Britain ruled over. It is situated over a bar on High Pavement in the Lace Market. I don't know what the building was first used as, but the moulding still looks very clean, considering it's been there for over a hundred years.

A Wall Too Long

How would you like to repair this rather long & tall wall? I thought not. But this team of workmen are doing exactly this along Hollowstone, which is in the Lace Market. They are also putting new railings up as well, just to make it look better.

Red Sky At Night

Yesterday the weather wasn't very good. Rainy, dark and grey. The nights are drawing in too, so I was pleased to see tinges of red in the sky last night. This means it should be a nice day today. Although at the moment it is still rather overcast. But we shall see if the old adage comes true.

Bright Lights, Big City

Gail & I went to see a concert last night. A Scottish folk/rock band by the name of Runrig. I didn't attempt to take any photos, as they never come out very well, unless you're on the first few rows. Anyway as we were leaving, I took a photo of the Elite building. A nightclub called Gatecrasher have opened there recently and they have installed these lights that change colour.

Acting Up

The Arts Theatre on George Street in Hockley is threatened with closure, due to funding problems. It has been going many years, and used to be known as the Co-op Arts Theatre. It is a stage for amateur actors, with one or two having turned professional. No one knows yet what its going to happen to it.

Peace In The Heart Of The City

This is another part of St Mary's church, looking towards Kayes Walk. The buildings are all smart offices. I used to collect the mail from a couple of them a few years ago, when I did a stint as a Postie.

Lunchtime Rush

I may have mentioned before that my first job was working in the Lace Market. It was quite a bustling place in 1979, with vans going up and down the street, collecting or delivering goods and people leaving their place of work and going out to lunch. The Lace Market was the most busiest during the 1960's. This photo shows Stoney Street around 12:30 on Thursday, and the building on the right is where I used to work. As you can see, it's practically deserted. My old building has now been turned into offices & a snooker club.

I Can See You

This acrobatic squirrel in the grounds of St Mary's church just sat still long enough for me to take his photo. Then with a swish of his tail, he hopped off and scurried up a nearby tree in about 3 seconds flat. Wish I was that agile.

I'm Just A Jeep'ster For Your Love

For some reason there were these three American army Jeeps parked in the Market Square. There were no banners explaining why they were there, and they didn't seem to be attracting much attention from the passers by. But they make for an interesting photograph.

Make A Wish

This pond is in the grounds of of the castle. Considering the number of visitors the castle gets every day, I wasn't surprised to see so many coins, thrown in by people hoping for a change in their fortunes.

I wonder how many wishes have come true?

Open For Business

A few days ago I showed you a shop that was being prepared for new tenants. Well yesterday I walked by, and it was open. Another travel agents. It joins the several that are on Wheelergate already, including the Flight Centre, Trailfinders and the Co-op.
Where's my suitcase?

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.

New Lease Of Life

This shop has been empty for several months now & then suddenly the other day, things were happening inside. Workmen were building, painting and generally working towards creating a new store. I have no idea as to what they will sell. But when it opens, I will of course take a photo for the record.

A Bridge Too Far

At the moment, the bridge on Carrington Street outside the railway station is being reinforced with lots of steel and concrete. The work is causing a fair amount of congestion for the traffic going over it. I took this photo while they were pumping concrete over the steel gridwork.

Reading Between The Lines

These two highlighted headlines from our local evening paper are completely unrelated, but the fact that they both mention £1.5m, gives it a possible connection. The station in question is the local railway station & the tennis ace isn't that well known, but it looks like he might be paying for the improvements.

Heads or Tails?

This display is at clothing store Limeys. I wasn't really drawn to the clothes, as they don't look anything special. What interested me was the photographic heads of the manikins. The middle one is especially clever, as he can rotate his 180 degrees!

As an historical aside, this store on Wheelergate used to be a Waterstones book shop, and before that it was a well known stationers & book shop called Sisson & Parkers, which had been on the site for years.

They've Got A Ticket To Ride

Another corrupted Beatles song I know, but it seems so apt for this photo. Believe it or not, this bus is carrying passengers. I don't know how they can see out of the windows, as they have all been covered up by this giant advertisement for a finance company. It must have cost the company a lot of money to completely cover the bus, both in having the transfer created and renting the ad space.
I wonder if it was a deal on wheels?

Baby, I Can't Drive My Car

Whilst walking over the bridge from the Victoria Centre, I spied this scene of these policemen who'd stopped this young motorist. There was obviously something wrong with his vehicle. But what? The tyres, the bodywork? Whatever it was they were causing some congestion down Lower Parliament Street.