That's Handy

I had a day off work today, as I intended to do some gardening and a tidy up of the garage, including sorting out a load of 45's that I want to sell. But it rained all day long, so I was stuck in the house. Even Marmalade only ventured out for a few minutes. Still it gave me the opportunity of finishing editing some of my photographs that I am having printed in a book, through Photobox. So I sorted them out and uploaded to their site. So in a few days, I should have a professional looking volume of some of my pictures.

So it is a matter of dredging the archive for today's offering. And I'm afraid it's not a very good one. One that I should have deleted from Picasa. Still I suppose it does have its charm, with the girl's hand mirroring the one on the advert.

Snowy Weather

I don't know if this window display of Tintin's dog is a prediction of some seriously bad weather to come, but they do make a cute display. I better not buy one though, as Marmalade may get a bit upset at finding a new dog in the house.

Free Advertising

found this sign behind one of the many city centre pubs that haven't been turned into trendy wine bars. Now that smokers have to light up outside, someone at the Gatehouse had the bright idea of promoting their food while they puffed away. I just hope they still employ the same chef, or one that is as good as, otherwise they could be sued for false advertising!

Oh La La

Whilst waiting to cross Maid Marian Way, I spotted this old Citroen van chugging along. Going by the number plate, it dates from 1969. And of course having my GF1 primed and ready, I pressed the shutter button a few times, as the lights were on green.

She's Got Those Bluesday Blues

I snapped this young lady outside the castle yesterday whilst I was chatting to a Flickr pal, who I happen to stumble upon in the castle grounds. He was standing under some trees and sheltering from the rain. I went with the intention of finding some more leaves for my headbanger collage. But as they were all soaking wet by this time, I didn't bother.

Forever Autumn

This week's theme courtesy of Tom, is Autumn, or Fall, as our American cousins like to call it. A relatively simple theme to capture. But I was looking for something a bit different; a bit more unique than the usual shots of brown and red tinted trees. So I thought I would take a hint from Tony Hart, and try and create something with the leaves themselves. My first attempt was poor, to say the least. Then Gail fiddled with them a bit. I was after a sort of rocky mountain, full of texture and colour. I know a blue background may have helped. But in the end I gave up, and have gone for a nude, sunlit tree instead!

This is a fantastic song from my favourite album ever; Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. Enjoy

Drinking Time

There's something rather special and decidedly English about pup signs. There's the usual ones with royal connection; the Queen Victoria, and The George. Then there's the Red Lion, and the white Hart. Not forgetting the unusual ones like The Man in Space. The Trent Navigation isn't far from the River Trent, which was one of the main water arteries in the country, with loads of working boats carrying products long before trucks were invented.

Top O'the Evening

St Mary's Church in the Lace Market taken last Friday evening, even though there's a blue sky.

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword...

...And just about as painful, as those that have been to have a tattoo done can testify. Personally it's not something I'd ever consider, and I don't think Gail would want me to have one done either. So for now I'll just continue to walk past this parlour on St James' Street. I've nattily tinted their shutter a nice blood red to continue the Halloween theme for this weekend.

Spooky!

As it's Halloween tonight, Marmalade decided to dress up for the occasion. She wanted something different and not too scary, as some of her friends are easily frightened.

A Home From Home

Nottingham is presently hosting the British Art Show at a number of locations across the city. This is the 7th show, and they are put on every five years. When the exhibition has finished here, it will go on tour and stop off at some major cities across the country.

I quickly popped in to the Contemporary the other day to see if there was anything worth looking at. Alas no. Just the usual mish-mash of bits and pieces. Nothing that I would call art. Here's one of the exhibits, which to me looks like a department store display for furniture.

It's A Gym Jim, But Not As We Know It

Gamecity, the computer and video show has returned again this week in the Old Market Square. This year the theme is a more educational, with Lego, 25 years of Mario and health, which has been mainly due to success of the Wii Fit system, whereas last year's theme if you remember was the usual "shoot em up" games.
Quite a lot of the marquee has been taken over to fitness and health. When I went to have a look, there was a gym session taking place, with a slideshow behind the instructors on staying in good condition.

Yellow Peril

I've chosen this week's Headbanger Challenge theme of "sound creation". So many possibilities to choose from. But after much deliberation, I've gone for the striking of a clock. And how we are ruled by time. Bong! Alarm goes at 7am. Bong! Catch the bus at 8. Bong! Be at work for 9. Can't be late. Bong!

But then the actual passing of time is silent. The years, months, days and hours fly by in complete silence. You can lead a noisy life, or a quiet life. The amount of sound you create is up to you. If there were no clocks, you would have no real idea of what the time actually was. Sundials can give you a rough idea. But on a cloudy day, you wouldn't know if it was morning or afternoon.


Today's picture isn't a close up of a crayon, but is in fact a painted bollard that I took in a multi-storey car park. A Flickr pal has started a pool of this particular car park in town. It's ugly, crumbling away, has no aesthetic features at all, but he's managed to eke out some interesting shots. So I've been popping along to see if I could spot some hidden gem there.

Does Size Matter?

I met up with a few Flickr friends tonight to discuss our forthcoming photographic exhibition in town next month. We had a few things to go over, whilst we tucked into steaks, or in my case salmon, as it was Wetherspoons' (pub chain) steak night. Afterwards I had a stroll around a rather deserted city centre and came across this sign at a clothing store. I've seen it lots of times in the day, but of course it comes to life after dark.

The Pecking Order

As I was walking through the Old Market Square today, a flock of pigeons descended from the sky with a whoosh. I think this woman sitting in the sunshine was beginning to wonder whether she would end up like Tippi Hedren from the famous Hitchcock film.

Little Boots

Eric has been out and about again. This time he's stopped off at Highfields. He wanted to look at the ducks and around the park, which Jesse Boot paid for back in the 1930s, with his wealth he got from his chain of chemists. Here he is with the bust of Lord Trent, as he became.

All The World's The Stage

I quite enjoyed creating the sepia heading for the friendly competition we headbangers have each week. So I have created another one. This time of a local building; The Stage, a pub close to the Theatre Royal. Hence its name. Although it was called The Rat and Parrot for a short time, for some strange reason.

The Italian Job

Some banners have appeared at the cafe / home interiors store called Jass, which closed a few weeks ago, announcing that it is going to be a new restaurant run by Jamie Oliver. Alas he won't be there every night pouring over pans of pasta and pizza, but he might make some guest appearances. I will certainly try to be there for the opening night with my camera, and will follow the building work. Although I don't think they will be allowed to do very much with the outside as it is in a conservation area.

Butt Ugly

I've never been a fan of smoking. I tried it once when I was about 15 or 16 and thought it was horrible, so I have never bothered since. Imagine how much money I've saved over the past 30 years!

Now that smoking has been banned from public buildings, you always see people standing outside shop and office doorways with their fags. Then when they've finished, they will either use bins provided, or throw them on the ground. The people that stand near this drainpipe have clearly used it as an ashtray. I suppose it could been seen as a work of art in some circles.

Old From New

This weeks headbanger theme is sepia, the brown tinge you find on very old photos. It is bought to you by my pal Imac, who at this moment is away, not holidaying this time, but doing some work for his mum in law. So no doubt he'll be showing some photos of his endeavours shortly.

Most software packages include the ability to age digital photos. Some pictures can look good, whilst others rather poor. Hopefully mine and the rest of the gangs efforts are pleasing on the eye. So don't forget to visit their pages.
Both mine this week are from Bury St Edmunds, rather than Nottingham. Of course I have lots of suitable snaps that would be perfect for sepiaisation (if there is such a word) but I have just started using an Apple computer, and it shows the photos on my external hard drive as thumbnails, so trawling through them is a bit of an effort.

Light And Shade

A bit of an arty shot today. This is one of the main entrances to the Exchange Arcade, a small upmarket shopping centre under the Council House. I've shown a number of photos of fashion shows that they put on there twice a year. The next one should be coming up in a few weeks or so.

A Model Shot

Here's a model of Nottingham Castle which is on show at strangely enough Nottingham Castle. It's a good model, full of details and is very big. It must have taken the artists ages to make. Here's the main entrance to the castle, which looks very similar today. Except alas for the drawbridge.

The Hooded Man

I've just sneaked some shots of the Robin Hood costume exhibition at the castle. This is the actual Robin Hood costume that was worn by Russell Crowe in the latest film adaptation of the legend of Sherwood Forest. The exhibition finishes this month, so I thought I would pop along before it was too late.

I've not actually seen the film yet, even though it is out on DVD. I've read mixed reviews of it, but it should be good being directed by Ridley Scott, who is famous for Alien, Bladerunner and of course that Hovis advert.

Wanted!

I took Eric for a walk around the Lace Market a couple of days ago. We stopped off at the Galleries of Justice. He asked if he could have his photo taken pretending to be one of the prisoners held there that were tried, executed or deported to Australia.

Guilty or not guilty?

Mac And Walt

Not entirely sure what the connection is between Cruella DeVil, the witch from Cinderella and make up, except that the two female baddies probably wear it.
Still it makes for a colourful window display and earns Uncle Walt a few dollars.

Hiding

Eric decided to wander off on his own when we visited the castle. Being a little guy, it took a lot of hunting around to find him. I eventually found him hiding in one of the glazed arrow slits by the entrance to the castle. Naughty boy!

Autumn Gold

Well the colder, darker days have started, which of course heralds the start of winter. And with this change of season comes the falling of leaves. Golden flakes silently dropping to the ground. I snapped this collection in the grounds of the castle.

Wednesday also heralds the Headbanger Challenge, the usual suspects' battle of the photos. Cameras at dawn and all that. This weeks theme, set by Dave is "celebrations". The best celebration that I've been to was my own wedding. My first and only I hope. A very special day in more ways than one. Besides the wedding, it was my birthday, and Gail has been the best present that I have ever received. We had a lovely day at the Chinese Gardens in Sydney, surrounded by my family who live there, and Gail's ex husband who came along to be a witness. We had a great holiday there too and would love to go back one day.

Saved From The Jaws Of Death

Eric said to me that he was feeling quite brave, so I took him to the castle where he could have his photo taken with one of the lions that guard the steps to the castle. These lions used to belong to the Black Boy Hotel, and were fortunately saved from the wreckers ball when the hotel was shamelessly knocked down in the late 1960s.

Back On The Chain Gang

Beeston came almost to a standstill on Saturday, as the main crossroads through the town was being relaid with Tarmac. The whole area had been altered and widened now that the dreaded Tesco supermarket had finished being built. Temporary lights had been put in place, which were only a few yards away from the proper traffic lights. So the traffic had a slow crawl through. I quite like watching this machine chipping up the old surface and spitting it out into the waiting tipper. It reminds me of the episode of Thunderbirds where this giant road laying machine runs amuck after the crew get food poisoning. This particular machine even pulled up trees in its path and included painted white lines on the fresh road surface.

Going Global

Some of you may have heard of, and even contributed photos to a website called "Worldwide Moment". Today is of course the 10th of the 10th. At 10 minutes past 10 this morning I was busy taking photos of Marmalade for Worldwide Moment's special event.
I've had a look, but it's not appeared yet. Mind you, hundreds, if not thousands of pictures are being uploaded to the site, so it may take some time. The picture I've uploaded is different to this as it wan't taken at the right time. But I thought I'd share it with you all as it made me smile.

Robin's New Merry Man

Here's 'Eric' saying hello to the Robin Hood statue, located near the castle. It's quite uncanny that they both share similar hairstyles. Maybe Eric is a descendant of the famous outlaw.

The Milky Bars Are On Me

A once familiar strapline to an TV advert of my youth for a bar of white chocolate. You may remember them. Small boy dressed as a cowboy, does a Clint Eastwood and rescues all the Milky Bars from the baddies. Well I happen to be rummaging through a box at a jumble sale the other week, and pulled out this little fella. A Milky Bar Kid Weeble. So I decided to take a photo of him in various locations across Nottingham. So stay tuned for his appearances.

Feeling Blue

You've probably noticed shops with some strange names on your travels. I spotted one yesterday called Blue Banana. It sells a range of mens and women's clothing, for that individual look. The bag with the dead bird on it is a very intriguing, if not disturbing image.

Up For Sale

This former vicarage directly opposite the castle is now up for sale. It's asking price, £1.2 million. If I had the money, I would snap it up, as it's a huge property, full of character, with a great garden and fantastic views across the city. And also it wouldn't be too far to travel to work. I expect some property developer will buy it and turn it in to luxury flats. I just hope they won't spoil it too much.

The Headbanger theme this week courtesy of Lammy is 'harvest'. Certainly one for my thinking cap, as I live in a town, and miles away from any fields. Of course there's plenty of scope for interpretation, I took some photos of a stall selling fruit and veg yesterday, but wasn't too happy with the results. So dipping in my archive, I came across this freshly cultivated field of straw, where the farmer had created these giant round bales.

Don't forget to visit the rest of the gang's sites, to see what they have come up with.

Peter Parker With Knitting Needles!

If you're wondering who Peter Parker is, well he's the guy that dressed up as Spiderman. And he must have knitted this web, rather than spun it, as it's the strangest one that I've ever seen. The poor spider must have spent hours creating this piece of art. A shame then this morning that it, and many others had disappeared.

It's A Spider Man

It practically rained all day yesterday, so I wasn't expecting much when I unlocked this morning. Marmalade was waiting outside, ready to come in for her breakfast. But no rain. Just damp and a little misty. The mist had done something amazing though. It had highlighted all the spiders webs in the garden. So I got out my camera and snapped a few. Marmalade was mewing at my feet, saying "forget your photography, feed me"!
I took a number of shots with different lenses, but like this one the most.

Satisfied Customers

I hope these two ladies enjoyed their visit to the castle the other day. Although I do think some visitors are rather disappointed that Nottingham Castle actually resembles a large country house than the traditional idea of what a castle should look like, namely turrets, a moat, a drawbridge and a dungeon. Alas the original castle was knocked down in 1674, when the Duke of Newcastle decided to build his new home there. In 1878, the then empty building became a museum and art gallery.

Robin Needs A Hood

Continuing my autumnal, widescreen and moody theme, here's the Robin Hood statue taken from the castle entrance, as I stopped off on my way into work. There are usually tourists posing by the statue even at 9:20am, but the weather clearly kept them away.

Forever Autumn

Another sign of the changing seasons is the falling of leaves from the trees. This gardener at the castle is finding life a lot easier with the motorised blower, rather than using an old fashioned broom.

Smoke On The Water

Today marks my 1500th post. No balloons, banners or fireworks this time, but a very misty Highfields Lake. It was very foggy this morning, an obvious sign that winter is on its way. Shot in black and white for added atmosphere,

Street Life

Headbanger Wednesday again, and Tom's choice this week is of a reflected image in water. An interesting subject matter, and open to all sorts of interpretations. I have quite a few possibilities in my archive, but chose this one, as I like the colour of the brickwork against the black of the wet road.

Please visit the rest of the gang to see their choices.

As promised yesterday, here's another 'now and then' photograph. This is Theatre Square, named naturally because of the presence of the Theatre Royal, a fine Victorian building of great note. In the undated original, but going on the fashions I'd say the 1910s, the County Hotel adjoined it, but shamelessly knocked down many years ago. The Royal Centre now stands in its place. The road layout has clearly changed, mainly thanks to the tram. Alas I do not know what happened to the statue, or who it is of.

What A Difference A Century Makes

I was looking at some old photos of Nottingham the other day, partly for inspiration and partly for pleasure. Seeing quite a few familiar streets, I wondered how many, or how few differences there might be. I did something similar earlier in the year with the locations used in Saturday Night Sunday Morning.

So to begin with here is Bridalsmith Gate. The photo on left was taken during 1899, the one on the right was taken today. I think I managed to stand in just about the same spot. On the whole, the street has hardly changed. The buildings have obviously been modernised, or in one case, rebuilt. Not exactly sure when though, but probably in the 1920s.

Shoot To Thrill

Here's a fellow photographer shooting the deer in Wollaton Park. Fortunately not with a rifle or shotgun but with a Nikon or Canon.

No Train No Strain

Beeston has had a railway station since Victorian times, but this sign has nothing to do with trains, but a small health spa in Chilwell. It follows the same design as the old British Railways logo which was used before it was broken up in the late 1960s.

Halfway Up The Stairs

Marmalade has a number of places where she likes to fall asleep. On our bed, on the settee, a seat in the upstairs office and on the stairs for some reason. It is usually the seventh step from the top. Here's a close up of her after just waking up.

For The Chop

For various reasons I've never really been a fan of going to the barber. Fortunately, since meeting Gail, she's done it, as she did a course some years ago. It seems many children don't like going either, going on the way this Beeston hairdressers have tried to make the experience more enjoyable.

You may have heard the old joke before about this man goes for a haircut. The barber says "how would you like it sir?". The customer replies "in silence!".

Flower Power

It was curry night tonight at The Last Post; our local Wetherspoon's pub. Just over a fiver for a curry and a pint of real ale, is a great deal, and it makes a nice treat for a Thursday night. I tend to go for a chicken jalfrazi, while Gail switches between a korma and a lamb rogan josh.
Naturally I had my camera with me, and so I tried taking a photo or two of this flower that was on our table while we were waiting for the food. I used a floating candle, which was also on the table for a bit of ambient lighting.

Night Of The Living Dead

The carnival went on for quite some time, and it was dark by the time they returned to the Old Market Square. They were following a truck that had musicians on it. There were also some spotlights on the back which helped to keep the party atmosphere going.

This week it's my turn to choose the theme for the Headbanger Challenge. And to tie in with my theatricals last week, I've suggested 'All The world's A Stage'. To bring my series about Friday's Latin carnival, I've done a montage of some scenes I took. Have a look at the gang's interpretations through the links above.

Hold Your Head Up

This puppet of a giant certainly kept the crowds entertained with its antics. I don't know if it is a Latin version of the Wicker Man, but it is certainly a lot more colourful than the one from the remote Scottish Island.

Photography On Photography

This is my pal Lewis who is also a keen photographer and fellow Flickrite. He is presently doing an arts course at Trent University. Although he lives on the same street as me, we have a tendency to bump into each other at events around town. Somehow he always manages to find his way up on top of things for that different angle. I took this shot outside the Contemporary, which is presently showing a number of photographs by Diane Arbus.