A Grand Place

 

I started the week in Anglesey, and today's picture is from that time. So many things seemed to come together, to merge together and to mix together: winter and spring, sun and storms, the wild hedgerows and the concrete highway. It's a grand place, and it has left me with a strong desire to return.

Albert And Gladys

 

This is a photograph of my parents, Albert and Gladys Burnett, which must have been taken just under a century ago (it makes me feel old just writing that!). In his 20s, my father was a keen cyclist, whilst my mother was more of a reluctant one. By his 30s, he had graduated to motorbikes, and by his 40s it was motor cars. Whatever his age, when the sun came out, he would want to be out on the roads of his native Yorkshire. The sun has come out, and I'm thinking of him.

The Birth Of Aphrodite In Cleethorpes

 

There is something about the arrangement of the bodies - the way they stand, the way they interact. You almost feel that if Botticelli were seeking the birthplace of Aphrodite today, he would abandon the seashell in favour of a one-armed bandit. You suspect that Leonardo might seek out The Last Supper in an amusement arcade in Cleethorpes.

The Good Old Days

Ah, the good old days - before they dug up the cobbles. Back when Halifax’s Piece Hall was full of folk, with shops and stalls a-plenty. And, of course, the sun always shone.

Bank Holiday Monday

 

The wind and the rain have finally cleared, so I no longer have to rely on old photographs for my daily calendar. Happy Easter, everyone.

Wind In The Straits

 

Visited the Menai Straits and wanted to take a photograph, but the wind was so strong it blew my tripod over. So here is one I took earlier - eleven years earlier to be exact.

Earlier In Beaumaris

 

Went to Beaumaris. It was raining so I couldn’t manage a photograph. Here’s one I took earlier.

Here's One I Took Earlier

 

Gone to Wales. Not got there yet. So here's a picture I took earlier. Fifty-nine years earlier in fact.

Albert And The Machine

 

The photograph was taken 70 years ago at Mackintosh's factory in Halifax. It shows a group of mechanics and engineers proudly gathered around the latest wrapping machine they have installed. My father, Albert, appears to be the proudest of the lot (seated just to the left of centre). The machine looks like it could launch a rocket; in fact it could wrap a strawberry delight or a toffee finger.

Cathedral Of Commerce

 

An early colour photograph of mine (note the pre-decimal currency) and one where the exposure left a lot to be desired. What it lacks in technique, it makes up a little for in atmosphere and in the light from the windows of that cathedral of commerce, Halifax's Borough Market.

The Valley

 

I half painted this picture, which I am calling "The Valley." It was an exercise I undertook with the grandchildren to try and avoid the dreaded screen-time, and their paintings - even the two-year-old's - were far better than mine. So I cheated: I photographed the pre-primitive "Art Brut" and set to work with some Photoshop filters. The result will see out March, if nothing else.