the streets again. Friday evening, I found these great characters on St. Mary's Parade and Dallas Road.
Short photo narratives:
LARRY: I said hello as I passed. Returning later, he was still outside his flat in the morning sun. "Ah, you're still here then?" Twenty minutes later, I knew a lot more about Larry's life. I liked how quickly and easily he agreed to have his photo taken, and much else about things he told me. Thank you Larry.
YOUNG FAMILY: "Excuse me, are you from the paper?" he shouted across the path. It maybe looked that way, me with my hat and my camera, shooting photos of the Ashton Memorial. "Will you take our photo?" It was only as I got closer that I noticed the baby - five weeks old they told me. * Look at the pride writ large on the new father's face and the gentle happiness on the mother's. * To both of you - if you remembered the address of this site and are viewing this - congratulations and good luck in the years ahead. You make a beautiful young family; I'm sure you'll look after her well.
SNOOZING: And finally, to minimise the human bias, here is Snowflake, a neighbour's cat who sleeps in our garden bushes on warm nights. She emerged yawning again this morning, and after ten minutes of petting, stretched out on the table and dozed in the morning sun while we drank coffee. She's one cool cat!
Lancaster Girls Grammar School on Regent Street. It may look somewhat gloomy, and the young ladies inside its walls may be a relatively studious bunch, but we experienced a hearty, healthy buzz of activity on the occasions we visited. Our daughter starts in September, so we expect to get to know LGGS much better over the years ahead.
Here's to old buildings with serious reputations - and lashings of ginger beer to take the edge off.
[ Here is my Flickr page with these and other photos - or click on most images to get there ]
A little boring to present shots from Lancaster Canal two days in a row, but it's only a minute's walk from the house and I've been busy doing nothing...
Anyway, meet one of the canal regulars. Ain't she a beauty? Her hissing partner and their grey cygnet were there too, but I only had eyes for her. (At this point, I'm feeling slightly concerned a swan expert will tell me this is a cob rather than a pen. Just like with the cat on a hot tin roof, my gender-distinguishing skills are built on guesswork.)
...and below is one from last week to balance night with day. May I present one of Lancaster canal's latest residents. For those of you who thrive on detail, s/he has seven siblings.
Lancaster canal has cut through the city since the 1790's and boasts some fine scenery along its tow-paths: For now you'll have to make do with shots of a couple of its moored residents: a butterfly and a kingfisher.
To be fair, the gender is guesswork. This may well be the Queen of Portland Street. If so, my apologies to Her Highness.
Words on a red icon. A 'postie' collecting from a pillar box in a later post if I can capture it: Elusive creatures these Royal Mail employees.
Two Lancastrians reading the city centre after the shops have closed on a Sunday. The young boy I know but not the seated man. Whilst I was 'reading' them through my lens, I wondered whether either was aware he was sharing the activity with the other, let alone with the third participant.
