Walking Commentary

Thoughts and cycling from Manchester to Rome in 2023

On Parking, Pints and Mites

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First Thoughts

We were in Paris back on this day in 2009. I was working in London and my wife was working in Paris. I was lucky enough to spend every weekend that October with her using the convenience of train travel on Eurostar.

Paris is all about art, food, architecture, culture and so much more more. Sometimes, the more interesting story is about the daily grind of city living. On street parking is such a story and it was very restricted, even then. So limited were the opportunities that I snapped several solutions with my small Sony camera. Here are two that I stumbled over earlier.

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Sea and Light

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Mariner's Church, Dun Laoghaire. Reflection in a puddle by the seaside. Sea and light.
Mariner’s Church, Dun Laoghaire.

The day started with a walk. The church spire reflected in a puddle seemed painterly. No longer a church, it is somewhat diminished if described as the maritime museum spire reflected in a puddle. A building in which we have attended civil wedding ceremonies that are enriched by the maritime icons that symbolise journeys of hope in this life rather than what many see as the cruel and debasing imagery of the supplanted Christian ethos.

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On Harvest and Blue Moons

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I will be very disappointed tonight. I already see that the Harvest Moon will not be visible at moonrise from South County Dublin at 1930 local time. The skies have clouded over and that’s it for this moon. It will rain instead.

Harvest Moon 20191015 as seen from London SW1 | 1/250s | f/10 | ISO 3200 | 1600 mm |
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Photos and Maps

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Every time I open my laptop, I see a price list of Cecil Beaton’s photographs. A bare printed list of 76 pictures that I saw in an exhibition of his photographs in April, 2017. The folded paper prevents the keyboard imprinting itself on the screen.

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On Becoming Four

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‘I read the news today, oh boy.’

One million are dead from Covid related illness and we’re going after half a million sharks for their squalene.

‘And though the news was rather sad
Well, I just had to laugh.’

Death isn’t the end in Romania. A dead man was elected as mayor in a landslide victory. Is it a coincidence that this is the country of Dracula and Frankenstein?

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