Make It A Good Start To 2023

A new year is here and it’s important to start it well.

First, make sure you’re going in the right direction.

And two, take a bold leap.

Happy new year!

It’s been so cold and I’ve not been taking pictures

I took some shots from the window earlier in the month. The top two with camera, the last one with smartphone. (It’s not snow, it’s frost.)

Temperatures plummeted to, like, minus eight degrees Celsius, and I was legit worried it would never get warmer. Cold snaps like this tend to last two to three days; this one went for longer than a week. It was awful. I still went for my usual walk in the park on my lunchbreak, but I had to keep my hands in my pockets. There was nothing to photograph anyway.

Luckily it got better, now it’s back to the normal Manchester weather of grey skies and rain, and much warmer temperature.

I’ve not taken any pictures since 9 December, apart from this one of Pepper chilling on the kitchen radiator:

Although “chilling” is probably not the right term here. More like “warming”.

Depressing post is depressing, but it explains why there was no content on the blog. I’m not depressed, in fact I’ve been reflecting that 2022 has been a quite good year for me.

I don’t have any concrete plans for any Christmas-themed post, but I’ll probably slip something in, because I usually do.

I hope you’re keeping warm.

Danube River, Bratislava

Here are some shots of River Danube I took on my visit to my home town of Bratislava.

This is the Bridge of Slovak National Uprising, also known as the UFO Bridge.

The bridge featured on Some Photoblog before, where I talked about the controversy surrounding its construction. (Some parts of the Old Town, including a synagogue, were demolished so that the bridge could be built. It Was The Communists.)

UFO Bridge photographed from the Castle.

Also from the Castle; the opposite bank is Austria. Bratislava lies right on the border of not one but two countries (the second one is Hungary). They all used to be a part of one Habsburg empire once.

Sunset, the best thing anywhere in the world. This bridge is called the Old Bridge.

Danube is the second longest river in Europe and flows through nine countries. Aside from Bratislava, three other capitals are located on it: Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade.

Sunset In Early Spring

I went to my favourite place, Heaton Park, for the first time this year. The pictures I took there turned out so well, I will probably make multiple posts out of them. Here’s the sunset ones–because you can never go wrong with a sunset.

It does look like spring has come, although I’m far too cautious to trust the weather.

Overthinking

This week’s Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge is my middle name–Overthink. This is my contribution.

I overthink if this picture is worth posting on blog

I overthink when there is nothing to overthink. I overthink when there is nothing to think.

I overthink in the morning, in the evening and all the time in between. I overthink when I’m eating and when I’m not eating.

I overthink.

I made this three years ago:

I have always been an overthinker.

Top photo taken with Canon DSLR, bottom with smartphone.

Welcome To 2022

It’s important to make a new post in a new year.

So here it is.

Pink clouds and trees in my park.

Hopefully 2022 has some good things in store for us. I expect to reach 500 posts on Some Photoblog, I’m guessing sometime in the spring. That is, if I don’t run out of ideas, last year I covered all of my favourite things.

Also am looking forward to the Death on the Nile film, gods know it’s been delayed enough.

Happy 2022, to everyone who’s reading this.

Skies in November

I’m pleased about today’s post for two reasons: 1. photos taken with camera, not smartphone (that’s the second post in a row with camera pictures–it’s getting better) and 2. skies!

Sunrise above, sunset below.

It was November— the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind—songs in the pines.
L.M. Montgomery – Anne of the Island

Setting Sun

Not had one of these on Some Photoblog for a while! I snapped this on a walk in my local park during the recent heatwave (and how glad I am the it’s cooled down since, this city is not made for heat).

Sun through the trees, aka one of my favourite things to photograph. Also nicely trimmed grass and, alas, litter.

Early January Sunset

Title of this post refers to a sunset on a day in early January, as well as the fact that, because it is January in the northern hemisphere, sunsets come early.

Taken on my way to the supermarket–much like with the Caw It Form The Rooftops post, an opportunity for a nice shot came from doing the most mundane activity. Which is the only way these days, really, when we can’t go anywhere.

The Commute

We’re right in the middle of winter, the season of short days and long nights–at least where I live. My working pattern means I get to see the rising and setting sun on my daily commute.

Sunrise photographed through the tram window, on the way to work, above. Sunset photographed from the tram window on the way home, below.

The tramline has some marvellous views in this section, inaccessible by any other means. It makes the sardine-like conditions of the rush hour much more pleasant.