Our World Tuesday: Heaton Park Orangery

It's a lovely time of year to visit Heaton Park, just a few trams stops north of the city centre. 600 acres of meadows, gentle rolling green slopes, 18th century buildings and gardens, a boating lake, a farm, a temple and an orangery (above). The latter is seemingly undergoing renovations like the main house and the former town hall colonnade by the lake. I felt happy to see a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds availing themselves of the facilities. Taking part in Our World Tuesday.

Monday Mural: Sumo on the edge of town...

Not my favourite subject matter but good "stop and stare" artwork all the same by Akse, painted a couple of summers back on the edges of the city centre and Hulme. Taking part in the Monday Mural.

Roses and Castles #citydailyphoto

Roses & Castles is the name for the colourful art that was used to decorate working narrowboats in the 19th century, and is still carried on as a arts and craft tradition today. Photo taken on the Bridgewater Canal.

Weekend Reflection: the barber (of Seville?)

My offering to Weekend Reflection today is looking into a Spanish tapas restaurant with tables set and a ghostly waiter hovering, while across at the colourful barbers they wait for customers too. It's lunchtime on South King Street.

Skywatch: sunrise

The sun woke me up on Wednesday morning, I guess it was around 5 a.m. but all was quiet and this wonderful sight made it worth getting up early for. It was more of a Skywatch Wednesday than a Skywatch Friday.

The eve I ate at Eight at 8(15)

It was a wonderfully sunny evening on Tuesday and I was not alone at Castlefield Basin, with many of the pubs, bars and cafes spilling out onto the communal canalside spaces. 

I hadn't been to Eight cafe bar for a while, and it was good to return; it's friendly, small and cosy within but great to sit outside and indulge in some tapas and a glass of wine, admiring the boats, people watching and even purchasing some joss sticks off of one enterprising narrowboat owner. 

The building was once a giant warehouse but was tastefully converted in late 1980s to apartments and also house a radio station (Key 103) and other businesses. This is just one end of it. 

ABC Wednesday: "X" is for foXgloves

ABC Wednesday reaches what is possible the hardest letter of then all - "X". So I make no excuses for choosing a word with an "X" in it rather than starting with one. Here's an array of what are my favourite flowers, foxgloves. In full bloom all over the UK now and snapped here in Dunham Town on Sunday.

Poppies in the wheatfield...

A walk in the local fields and, carefully avoiding damaging any crops, you see pops of poppy red colour among the sheaves of what I assume is wheat? Taking part in Our World Tuesday.

Monday Mural: blast from the past #StoneRoses

Street artist D7606 treats us to two icons from history- a red (now faded orange) telephone box with the Stone Roses' Ian Brown inside...Taking part in the Monday Mural.

King St blues

Come back sunshine and blue skies, we miss you!

Behind Barca...

Behind Barca bar down at Castlefield, amidst the amazing array of industrial heritage bridges, an artist tries his hand at painting an iconic Manchester scene.

Skywatch Friday: Wheel at the end of the road

Manchester's wheel is being taken down, again. I wonder whereabouts in the city it will pitch up next, if anywhere. I think it may have reached the end of the road this time. Taking part in Skywatch Friday.

Cryptic tryptic trick

On Market Street yesterday evening, a trio of street entertainers.

ABC Wednesday: "W" is for Welcome to Woodley

Stockport Borough Council do a nice line in providing all of their towns with metal "welcome" signs, such as this one. There's nothing like this that I know of in neighbouring boroughs such as Trafford,  Manchester Central or Salford et al.

Joining in with ABC Wednesday.

Gladstone sees the light

I've no knowledge of Prime Minister Gladstone in the 19th Century but the morning light falling on him at this time of year catches my eye. A shame there aren't more statues in Manchester of more modern day notable figures. Having a woman or two immortalised in this fashion wouldn't go amiss either...what a radical idea.

Monday Mural: Festival season detox at 8th Day

I had a brief chat with the talented in-house artist at the 8th Day last week as she was preparing the latest of their striking window murals. This one is aimed at summer festival-goers, to ensure they take products to detox, energise and revitalise. The finished work above (sorry for the reflections) with last week in progress below. My contribution to this week's Monday Mural. 

Manchester tart...

A Manchester tart is a traditional baked tart consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell, spread with raspberry jam, covered with a custard filling and topped with flakes of coconut and a Maraschino cherry. There are seven in a row in the middle of the photo below. A Manchester tart recipe by Marcus Wareing but I prefer the Vegan Womble's version.

Reflections on Great Marlborough Street

Newish buildings on Marlborough Street kindly providing me with a weekend reflection.

Skywatch from Bottoms Reservoir

At Bottoms Reservoir in Langley, Cheshire last weekend, at the start of an enjoyable walk through Macclesfield Forest and heading up towards Shutlingsloe. Skywatch Friday.

A warm spring evening with Thomas and Ann...

The post-work crowd have earned their drinks and I was tempted to join them when I passed St Ann's Church and Mr Thomas' Chop House beer garden last night.

ABC Wednesday: "V" is for vinyl

While vinyl never went away for some people, it has become hip again. Either way it's motivated  me to dust off my record collection from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, just as I had been thinking of finally getting around to selling it. The Vinyl Frontier is the best pun I have heard in a while and a vinyl-only club night sounds promising.

ABC Wednesday.

Promoting the city: Castlefield

Another lovely day in the city, just the right temperature, bright and sunny. This is a photo of Castlefield that I will use in my attempt to sell Manchester as a host city for a small radio conference I am involved in. There is a hotel nearby and the city centre is a 5-10 minute walk away. Taking part in Our World Tuesday.

Monday Mural: We all love Home

My contributions to today's Monday Mural - advertising Home,  the former Cornerhouse and Library theatre arts centre I posted about on Saturday.

A drink at the Smithy

After a walk yesterday around and beyond Ridgegate, Teggs Nose and Bottoms reservoirs, up into the hills above Macclesfield Forest, it was nice to get back down to earth at the Leather's Smithy pub. 

Home reflections

I finally got along to the new arts complex, Home, this week. Even then, it was only to sit outside as the lunchtime sunshine was too inviting. I am sure I will experience the delights of arthouse cineman and theatre at some point, on a rainy springt or summer's day. The glass building opposite provided a useful chance for a weekend reflections photo.

Powerful pink tree...

A huge shot of colour in a well kept varied suburban garden that lifts my spirits every time I pass by. Hope it does the same for you.

Victorian noodle bar

I imagine that this Victorian gentleman (see small bust above the red chopsticks and bowl symbol), when carved out of stone in the late 19th century would never have suspected that one day he would be presiding over a noodle bar...

"U" is for underpaid, unsung heroines. #citydailyphoto

The cleaning staff often get a rough deal in the workplace: anti-social hours for low pay, often keeping offices clean for high flying corporate types, such as those who work in this legal office. 

An interesting Comment is Free article from The Guardian: There's no single, simple solution to low pay. "The minimum wage works, but is only part of the puzzle. We need to be more ambitious about wider economic reform." It seems the case is similar throughout the the western world, sadly.

Linked to "U" at ABC Wednesday.

Atmosfield Fest henna stall

The henna stall at the Atmosfield Festival run by Salford University Students' Union took place in Peel Park at the weekend. Good atmopshere, music, stalls, food and drink, What's not to like? Photo taken by Holly Sutton-Brand. 

Sharing images around the home planet with Our World Tuesday.

City Daily Photo: Stylish

Grace at the Perth Daily Photo blog has chosen this month's theme day for the City Daily Photo blogging community, and Stylish it is. Or rather, in my case, Styalish, as the photo is one of the handful of ancient cottages in the Cheshire village of Styal. 

A certain style of its own, quaintness and, perhaps, a typical tourists' idea of what gentile Cheshire- and English villages- might look like?