Christmas 2025

 More friends from the Bath Uni 40-year Reunion:

International Man of Mystery there in the background
Nikon N80 on full-auto metering with flash.  HP5+ on Foma paper.

It's been a tough Christmas here in The Liberties.  Great to have Missy home for a few weeks but hard in other ways, notably with my mum who finally accepted that she might be better off in residential care than trying to cope in her own home.  It's a decision I wish had been taken a couple of years ago, since it's been a slow but steady decline in her mobility over that time.  And that has meant a lot more on my plate, particularly this last 12 months.  My photography has taken a back seat, as you can probably tell from the sporadic posting of anything new or interesting on this place.  Anyway, two days before Christmas we took a phone call to say a bed had become available in what is probably the best care home in the area.  What a stroke of good timing.  A couple of days after Christmas and the move was done and I'm glad to say she is (so far) settling in OK.  Part of her thinks (hopes?) that the move might be temporary and that she will be able to return home at some point in the future, but I really can't see that happening.  From what I learn from the staff in the facility that is not uncommon aspiration from residents when they first enter the facility.  I think in time, though, my mum will come to realise that she is in the best place - somewhere warm and safe, and where there are people to chat to as well as make her endless cups of tea and food more or less on demand.  Everything she didn't have in her own home, in other words.

Friends, all shook up

I missed this frame the first time I looked at the negatives from my Uni reunion but in the darkroom last Sunday it caught my eye.  Unintentional Camera Movement (not to be confused with ICM)...perhaps it was late in the evening (ahem!) or maybe someone nudged my elbow.  Either way  - I like it!

Somewhere in Bath, a couple of months ago. 
I like the ghost figure between my friend and his wife, supping her drink.

Mick

 One of my old Uni mates at our 40 year reunion a few weeks ago:

Mick, via Nikon N80, HP5+ on Foma 313 paper
Snapped in the beer garden of the Crystal Palace public house - a stone's throw from Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths.

I took the Nikon N80 with me this time, set to auto-everything as I wanted to enjoy the time with my friends as much as possible and not be worrying about exposure settings (or focus).  It worked well, I have to admit.  The built-in flash was a great help in the low light of pubs and restaurants that we found ourselves in. 

Winter

I always think of winter being December-January-February.  These are usually the coldest months for us here in Northern Ireland and this last couple of weeks we've seen some icy conditions, with snow on the hills in the distance.  We can't complain, as this autumn has been particularly dry and mild.  Not that I've been out and about much - or at all, to be honest.  My mother has been going through a tough time recently and that has meant a lot of demands on my time.  Finally, though, she has agreed to get some professional help with her personal care, and although that hasn't kicked in yet the wheels are in motion.  She's done well to stay in her own home for as long as she has, and she's still determined that's where she wants to be.  She'll be 93 later this month and unfortunately she is not longer very mobile at all.  Still sharp mentally, mind you. 

So it's a blast from the past for you today - a pinhole shot of our local Arts Centre, Flowerfield, just down the road in Portstewart.

Fomapan 200, rated at 50; Printed on MGV paper a while ago.

Franki Raffles

 I haven't been able to get near the darkroom recently, so here is something to keep y'all amused for the time being.  I mentioned visiting the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead a while back, where there was a terrific exhibition of the work of Franki Raffles.  Photography, Activism, Campaign Works explored her output over a period of 10 years (1984-94) and captured (according to the blurb) how women face life's challenges with resilience and humour.  She also focussed attention on male violence against women, on disability and on the displacement caused by migration.  Big stuff.  And my goodness was she prolific - puts the rest of us to shame.  Well, puts me to shame anyway.  Franki Raffles passed away in 1994 at the age of 39 while giving birth to twin daughters - you can read more about her, and the exhibition, by clicking here.

Here are some phone snaps of her work in the exhibition.  At least we had one thing in common, Franki Raffles and I.  Ilford HP5.  Mind you, I think that's where the commonality ends.

It's interesting looking at her work around the run-down council estates, where there are lots of kids present.  That sort of work isn't so easy to do now, I reckon.  For a start, you'd better be careful pointing a camera anywhere near children these days.  Also, a lot of run-down areas are just no longer safe places for outsiders to wander around - especially if carrying a camera.  

Caps and Heads in Grainger Market

Grainger Indoor Market in Newcastle is a very interesting place with lots of stalls: Cuban street food, speciality cheeses and a very impressive fresh fish counter, complete with a guy shucking oysters to eat on the spot, if that be your thing.  I had a great time wandering around a few weeks ago with the mju-1 for company.  Saw this:

HP5+ on Foma 313 RC paper.

The proprietor came out to talk to me about 2 seconds after I snapped this up.  A friendly chap he was, although I think he was a bit disappointed when he saw I was more interested in taking photographs than purchasing a cap. "Needs to get a bit colder", he said, when I asked how business was going.  By now, I reckon he's a happier chap.

Sweet Dreams

 I never did find out what the Sweet Dreams were in Central Station, Newcastle:

A grand old station building in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Olympus mju-1, HP5+ on Foma 313 RC paper.