Monday Murals: West African art, last chance to see...

While there is rebuilding this space at the town hall extension is being used for murals or hoardings to advertise cultural events.  A good use, for this excellent exhibition (We Face Forward) with its promo banner of stretched West African nations' flags. It closes on Sunday 16th so you'll have to move quickly to catch it... Head for the City Art Gallery, Platt Fields costume Museum and the Whitworth Gallery. 

You can watch footage of some of the Whitworth Art Gallery’s We Face Forward activities. There's also Lamine Cissé & Sidiki Dembélé and their lively drumming at the Band on the Wall's We Face Forward party.

Every Thursday night the City Art Gallery is open until 9 p.m. which is a real boon for those who work regular hours.
Linked to Monday Murals at the Oakland Daily Photo blog and also making my debut at Mellow Yellow Monday.

Evensong and even chat at t'Cathedral

A sunny evening and where better to sit and chat than outside Manchester Cathedral? Or to give it its correct name, the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Mary, St Denys and St George. By any name, it can be a peaceful setting.

Although extensively changed in the 19th century, as were so many churches, a Saxon stone with angel carving dating from 700 AD is evidence of the longevity of worship at this site.

Weekend Reflections: Fashion getting the bird @hattershostel

Getting the bird is an old phrase means being critical of something. It's used merely as a title here as I couldn't be critical of the wonderful street art on the side of Hatters Hostel on Newton Street (which I featured in its own right in April  as a Monday Mural post). One of the many fashion wholesalers in the area provides a reflective surface. 

There are two Hatters hostels in the city offering great and comfortable budget, self-catering accommodation. This unofficial video is also really informative.

Here are the rest of the current Weekend Reflections from around the world.

Skywatch Friday: MOSI on sundown

The late summer western sky at dusk with a silhouetted MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry).  Have a look at this week's other Skywatch Friday posts and then have a good weekend everyone.

Rural Thursdays: Mi Amigo

The narrow boat (barge) Mi Amigo is often moored on the Macclesfield Canal near Bollington, not far from Canalside Community Radio in Clarence Mill. It's named after the Mi Amigo ship which was used for pirate radio stations, most notably Radio Caroline, in the 1960s and 1970s. Linked to the Rural Thursday blog.

ABC Wednesday: H is for Harry Hall cycles

Another ABC Wednesday and it's "H" for Harry Hall cycles. Harry first set up in business with his cycle shop way back in 1955. It's located in one of the many railway arches on the stretch between Oxford Road and Deansgate stations. 

Harry Hall remains a family-run business to this day which is wonderful to see in an age where chains of large out of town cycle and sports shops dominate the market. Go team Harry!

Linking, of course, to ABC Wednesday .

Bye-bye BBC NBH

With the BBC all long since moved out to Media City, their former home of BBC New Broadcasting House on Oxford Road is being demolished. This brown and grey building going under the hammer (literally) was only completed in 1975 but is now being demolished, rather than reused - a dreadful waste.

In the 1980s my first BBC job was at the equipment department in west London. We used to send out stock (from capacitors to mixing desks) to engineers at all the BBC sites, from Ascension Island to Aberdeen. NBH was the code for New Broadcasting House in Manchester, home to BBC local radio and tv.  A few years later I was enjoying recordings of concerts and sitcoms here. I was last inside when we were on a fascinating tour of the building and its facilities during its latter days.

It was then sold for £10 million in 2011. A complex of hotel, shops, and apartments is due to be built here but of most interest to me is that there will also be a public space for broadcasts and exhibitions.

A lesson to be learned by namers of buildings everywhere is that what may be new at the time it is built, is not so new when it comes to demolition time, however many decades later.

Linked to the Our World Tuesday blog.

Caught in the act on Stevenson Square

The latest set of wonderful artwork at Stevenson Square was started last week.  Here is one of the talented artists putting the finishing touches to what I interpret as an anti arms race statement. The latest artworks are replacing the white, red and black theme that you can see on the right and which featured here on Mancunian Wave earlier in the summer. 

You can read all about the murals past and present at Outhouse Manchester . As ever the murals are sponsored by arts and crafts shop Fred Aldous, one of a couple of art shops on the vibrant and gritty square.

Linked to Monday Murals at the Oakland Daily Photo blog.

Race for life 10km at Tatton Park today

The annual 10 Km Race for Life at Tatton Park took place this morning. It's a big fund raiser for Cancer Research UK with hundreds of thousands of women taking part across the UK each year. 

My congratulations to all that took part today, especially Susie (runner no. 10342, turquoise vest on left shoulder of woman all in black!) who was competing for the third successive year and came in in 61 mins 35 secs and was in the top 80 by my reckoning (and second in her age category).

For those that still have energy after the run there are afternoon events aplenty planned. You can chill out in the picnic area for family entertainment including crazy golf, inflatable volleyball and live music.

City Daily Photo theme day: people watching

An everyday street snap shows marked contrasts of two women in the city centre. Taken for September's City Daily Photo theme day which is people-watching. See the other contributions at: http://cdpbthemeday.blogspot.com.au and also at the City Daily Photo Facebook group.