View allAll Photos Tagged androidography
Handelsbanken plc is a UK-based bank that appears to be a subsidiary of the better-known Swedish bank. It was interesting to see a branch here in Lancaster. It has the air of a 'private bank' similar to Coutts, but I believe that is not so.
They have a nice building.
The shocking state of the paving slabs is common across the rest of the city, regretably. Here, being on a hill, rainwater tends to run under the slabs, washing away the supporting sand. This leads to general weakening of the pavement/sidewalk and breakage.
A friend has offered to make a bookshelf to replace this little shoe rack. I will fill it with my poetry books, I think.
I had left my afternoon tea a little late, and there were no more scones. "You can have an Empire Biscuit," suggested the waitress. I was non-plussed. What can such a thing be?
Well, this arrived. It was a sandwich of shortbread and jam with almond paste, topped with icing and a glace cherry. Super - a rapid sugar hit!
It transpires that the original biscuit was a Linzer (think of a Jammy Dodger, filled with almond paste, dusted with icing sugar) and was re-named in 1914 to 'Empire Biscuit' for patriotic reasons.
I found that amusing, especially when the ruling Saxe-Coburg Gothas took until 1917 to change their name to Windsor.
This is why I walk everywhere now.
This ancient right of way has been in use since Roman times at least. The birds' singing encourages my ascent.
About 50% of stations and branch lines were closed in the early 1960s "for efficiency".
I'm on a branch line now heading out into the countryside.
Trains are sometimes controversial but they provide mobility for millions each year.
Happy 200th birthday, railways 🎉🎂
I just noticed the clock and it's time for lunch.
Here is a very traditional English sandwich - a ploughman's, or cheese and pickle. Again, I was surprised to get a salad and some chips on the side. But it was a pleasant surprise.
Brucciani's is one of my 'happy places', being staffed by friendly and competent people, in a charming Grade II cafe which has changed little over the decades.
Mahlzeit, friends.
I lost my spectacles the other day. Navigation was even more of a challenge than usual.
This is a fair representation of my uncorrected vision.
Rootling around on my Chromebook, I found this picture that I took some years ago.
I haven't used the Flickr app on this thing before, prefering to use Chrome. But let's see what happens!
There's a cafe on platform 4 run by Costa. It does a brisk trade. People come in empty handed and leave with one of those paper take out cups. I won't contemplate the horror of drinking coffee out of such a receptacle.
At the back of the cafe I found this deserted haven. Even the station Tannoy can barely be heard here.
Karl Lagerfeld said, "Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants."
The fashion at the moment seems to be for electric bikes that have been modded to go up to 60 mph (100 kmh) and to ride them on the pavement and pedestrian areas.
Riders are usually equipped with balaclavas or face masks, as shown here. I guess the wind chill is too awful to bear at those speeds.
I have nothing against e-bikes, per se. Just stay off the pavement/sidewalk, please.
Another benchmark. This on the side of St John's Church, Lancaster.
Part of the survey and census of 1840.
I may get this as a tattoo sometime.
Roughly chop, make the base, add the rest, cover and sweat, add stock, bring to boil then simmer.
Today I drew off 1/3 just before cooked, blitzed it and returned to the main. Added thickness, I wanted the soup to have some body, but I also wanted it to have plenty of bits on show.
It's Friday, so that means making soup for a crowd again.
With a glut of cheap mushrooms, we're having mushroom soup today. Here's how:
In a big pan
Soften a load of garlic in some oil
Add finely chopped celery to cover the base and soften
Add some finely chopped carrot
Add finely chopped broccoli (it was cheap, and will add some body)
Cover and sweat for a few minutes
Add chicken stock
Bring to the boil for a couple of minutes
Uncover and simmer - let the soup reduce
Taste and add salt and black pepper as required
Add a load of Greek yogurt in the last 5 minutes before serving
Add some sherry (if you have it; I didn't) or some balsamic vinegar - it 'picks up' the general flavor
Serve
With croutons (I had some)
With grated or shaved cheese (because most people like it)
And some bread
Notably, I almost ran out today, which doesn't happen often. This recipe seemed to be a bit of a crowd-pleaser.
A pretty little Daisy on my walk yesterday. This is a 1.7X zoom from the main sensor on the X90 Pro.
Seen on High Street, Lancaster.
Poorer families, if they could even afford to buy coal, would often have to take it from the front door through the house and put it in a heap or bunker in the back yard.
Middle class households had coal delivered directly to the cellar, via a coal hole in the pavement, like this one.
Coal cellars were often damp, leading to coal becoming damp and difficult to light and keep going. Thus, we see here a ventilated cover to help moisture to be vented to the outside.
A bold robin scurries past. A grab shot is the best I can hope for. He didn't go far away and was intent on finding some lunch.
It's been a bit of a day, to be frank. But I forced myself to go out, and i found this string of mains-powered lights for a quid. So here they are, strung out temporarily to see if they work.
An agapanthus seed head.
The Dutch East India Company imported this plant to the Netherlands in the 17th century.
They are pretty, but can be thugs in your herbaceous border - keep those rhizomes under control!
youtu.be/p3afGi3REu8?si=5DN-GAdhoqnuYN75
Excellent lozenges made in Fleetwood. Originally in linctus form, the fisherman asked for something more easily carried on ship. Hence these were invented.
They are exported globally and especially popular in Japan.
The band by the same name is not related but they are too good to ignore!