Christmas Party

Few of the family at our Christmas party
James, Lucy, Gavin, Lauren, Mike

Lynette, Ashley, Gordon

Manchester, The Britons Protection

Out for drinks before Christmas in The Britons Protection.

Steve John Jacqui Damo Calvers

Annie, Steve

Damo, Calvers

Denmark, Aarhus

Lights at the start of the main Aarhus shopping area.

Denmark, Jutlandic Racecourse

A day at the races. Well actually a Friday evening.
I did take some pictures of the horses racing. These were the type that pull little carts with the jockey sitting in the cart. But as you can see it was a bit dark.
So this is the only half decent picture to come out and Annie took it. Me with beers. Sorry.

Denmark, Aarhus

Statue at the side of the Cathedral. Aarhus Theatre in the background.

Denmark, Aarhus

Cathedral square. Carefully photographed to exclude the MacDonald’s just off to the right!

Denmark, Aarhus

The picture does not show it, but there were people walking along the boulevard this Saturday night. As it was a long exposure picture, around eight seconds, they’ve blurred into nothing.
You can see a headlight trace as a car cruises slowly along the boulevard and out of the picture on the left.

Denmark, Aarhus

Lady and hen (spitting water). I’m sure this statue has some significance. No idea what.

Ah, I’m told by my Danish friends that it was given by a cloths shop to commemorate 25 years of trading on this street. So now we know.

Thanks Ulrik.

Denmark, Aarhus

Cross roads outside Aarhus train station. Looking down Park Alle.
The building lit up is the City Hall, looks very modern but was built in the 1960’s. It’s shiny because it’s covered with marble.

Denmark, Aarhus, bike

Bike park outside Aarhus train station. The only way you can actually put a bike in here is to start shifting the other bikes around. But be careful, once one falls over... as I know to my cost!

Denmark, Aarhus

Main train station in Aarhus.
Taken late one Saturday night, from the bridge over the railway, on Frederiks Alle.

Denmark, Aarhus

There is a tourist attraction in Aarhus called ‘Den Gamle By’ or in English, The Old Town.
They have brought in and re-assembled old houses and workshops, even a brewery, from different towns across Denmark. They retain the crooked slant as the wooden beams warp.
You can wander through these buildings that have been restored to how they used to be 2, 3 or 4 hundred years ago.
Some of the people are dressed in the old style. Horse drawn carriages trundle heavily through the cobbled streets. Girls in old clothing and head scarves use brooms to sweep water along the gullies in the centre of the ally. Houses contain furniture and cutlery of owners from centuries ago. Boats are waiting forever on the dockside to be repaired by long gone craftsmen. Workshops are just as they were the day labourer finished his last shift.
There are stalls selling old style Danish food plus some inevitably selling tacky tourist junk.
Worryingly for me, there is a section showing much more recent history. They appear to think that 1967 is in the distant past and are displaying radiograms and Jimi Hendrix albums as if they were antiques! Well really!

Denmark, Aarhus

Pleasure boat harbour and hotel at Aarhus

Denmark, Aarhus

The big tree in my back garden

Denmark, Aarhus

Molestine, Aarhus centre. I stayed in the red house for a while. Best described as extremely quaint! Bathroom in a cupboard under the stairs, with a hole cut in the stairs for a window. Yes really. Bouncy floors. No door much higher than five foot. Of course I banged my head. Stairs up to the bedroom were the same as a climbing frame on the wall of a school gym. The owner is an excentric English musician who wont let you go without first sharing a bottle of beer. Not a problem!

Denmark, Aarhus

The Danes have as many rules as the Germans. It’s just that the Danes ignore theirs!
Cykler fjernes uden ansvar - Cycles removed without liability

Denmark, Aarhus

This canal runs through the centre of Aarhus. There are many cafes along the side and it gets quite busy, but this was taken early one Sunday morning. The cafe owners put out blankets in the evenings and customers wrap themselves up in them while drinking coffee.

Denmark, Aarhus

Aarhus centre

Denmark, Aarhus

Aarhus does have a long thin beach, bit chilly in October! You can see the port in the background.

Denmark, Aarhus

Aarhus harbour

Denmark, Aarhus, war ships

Old Danish war ships tied up and rusting in the harbour.

Denmark, Aarhus

Two chairs dragged out of Aarhus harbour, covered in limpits.

Denmark, Aarhus

The view by night from my apartment.

Denmark, Aarhus

the back garden

Denmark, Aarhus

The Bedroom

Denmark, Aarhus

The Lounge

Denmark, Aarhus

The lounge

Denmark, Aarhus

The lounge.

In case you're wondering, those things on the wall are just stuck on twigs.

Denmark, Aarhus

This is my block. Mine is second from the top, above the red car.

Denmark, Aarhus

My alarm clock!

Denmark, Aarhus

This is the road I live on, Stadion Alle. At the end on the road is the local church. I don’t need an alarm clock as the bells ring out at 7:00 every morning! At the other end of the road is the AGF football stadium. I can hear the roar of the crowd on match days

Denmark, Aarhus

In September 2007, I came to Denmark to work for Danske Bank.
The city is called Aarhus on Jutland, the Danish mainland.
This is Aarhus Cathedral in the city centre.

Farm Yard

Found these while out on my bike.

Manchester, The Station pub

The roof of The Station pub in Manchester Victoria. I messed with it, a bit.

Manchester, Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria sat quietly in Piccadilly, Manchester.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, The Station

The Station.
Once there was actually a railway station near by. Long gone now.

Ashton-under-Lyne, The Witchwood

My favourite booza. The Witchwood.
This pub, famous as a venue for small rock bands, was due to be demolished as it’s smack in the middle of a redevelopment area. A petition was raised to save it, which I duly signed, and it was saved. For now!
For a while it stood on it’s own in a desolate landscape of derelict shops and houses with smashed windows, with a rather hopeful ‘Open as usual’ sign on it.
Now it’s getting hidden again in a swarm of glittering new office buildings.
Hope the office staff are into Pink Floyd tribute bands!

Ashton-under-Lyne, Stamford Street Central

Some views around Ashton where I live.

Ashton-under-Lyne, crane

Ashton market burnt down, early morning, 25th May 2004
Cranes now move in to rebuild.

Cycling over the Pennines

Rocks high above Greenfield Reservoir

Left my old job as I’d the promise of a new contract, better paid. They broke their promise and I didn’t get the job. So now I’ve got plenty time go to cycling.
Great :-(