I missed the moon

Every month seems to bring a different moon thing these days. Sturgeon Moon, Blood Moon, Super Blood Moon, Super Blood Super Moon, Blood Blood Super Blood Strawberry Moon, Buck Moon, Flower Moon, Wolf Moon etc. usw. ens.

We never had those names when I were a lad, and I don’t care if they are the traditional American First Nation nomenclature for them, I don’t want them now either.

As it happens, we got none of this month’s Nonsense Moon down here. The weather was overcast and grey and the moon was merely a bit full when we did catch sight of it through the clouds. But thanks to the power of Facebook and the ubiquity of mobile phone cameras in the Northern Hemisphere, I don’t feel like we missed out at all. Here are some examples from groups in Sheffield, Bergen and the Isle of Man. Special moments, captured specially.

To begin: Deliciously dreamy soft focus over industrial Attercliffe:

“That’s no moon!”. Orange blob over unnamed warehouses:

They’ve #RBOSSed the moon:

Twice. Seriously, this looks like the Teletubbies sun has got the bad jaundice:

I call this one “thanks for sharing”. It could be a streetlight for all we know. Try taking the phone right out of your pocket before grabbing the shot next time:

This is better. It’s like you were actually there. But you forgot to bring your glasses:

Bergen. Norway’s most beautiful city. Home to this 1.3MP potato camera:

And then finally, my favourite. Where the ‘tog has got all the elements (the moon, the shimmering water, the fairytale castle) he or she was after, but feels that it just needs a touch of editing to bring out the best bits – then slips on the dehaze slider and in the process somehow manages to tear through the fabric of time:

Seriously, what on earth happened there?!?

Given the number of images on social media, it’s clear that this month’s full moon was something rather special. It’s also clear that a lot of mobile phone photography has a long way to go before we can reasonably say that it’s worth sharing on social media – or anywhere else.

Day 613 – Escape to Norway

Except, you can’t, obviously. Because we’re not allowed to go there, just like we’re not allowed to go to Oman or Guatemala or… er… Angola or Rwanda. They’re so obviously racist.

#awkward

Anyway, I went to Mauritius in 2016, but we can’t go to there either, so I’ve been reliving another 2016 trip: Norway. And I’ve mostly been doing it by chilling out in my office chair while taking a train from Bergen to Flåm (via Myrdal, obviously).

Like this:

Bang it up to 4K, sit back and let someone else do the driving.

It’s actually quite accurate for the live weather today as it leaves Bergen: cold and grey. And I know that because I had a wander onto the live webcam overlooking the city this morning. Sadly, as I write, it being winter and Bergen being quite far Norf, it’s already going dark there.

All the little lights. Very pretty. Decent vaccination numbers too.

Day 161, part 2 – Hidden scaffolding

I spotted this image on Brian Micklethwait’s (new) blog – a photo he describes thus:

I mentioned the relatively recent phenomenon of buildings covered in scaffolding, and the scaffolding then being covered with a picture of the building.
Last night, I came across an example of this in the photo-archives, dating from 2013

And here it is:

This isn’t something that I’ve seen much (any?) of in South Africa. It could be that I haven’t been in the right place at the right time, of course. Or it could be that we just don’t do that when historic buildings are being repaired.

Norway, though – definitely. I remember being fooled (from a distance at least) when visiting Bryggen – the old wharf in Bergen – part of which was being renovated.

I mean, now you know it’s there, you can zoom in and have a closer look and yes, there is the temporary false facade. Bingo.
But if I’d shared this image without context, you’d surely never have known that two of those seventeen colourful buildings weren’t genuine.

Go closer (by walking around the harbour to the end of the row) and the requirements of sheer functionality make it rather more obvious:

Somewhere out there, there is a company (in fact, possibly more than one) that manufactures bespoke scaffolding covers like this. They’re probably the same ones who have been making the massive decorative tarpaulins that have been covering the empty seats in football stadiums during lockdown.

It does seem an awfully specific product though. Presumably, when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic or repairing historic buildings once every 100 years, there must be some other use for huge specifically-printed pieces of fabric.

But right now, I can’t think what that might be.

Day 40 – 4 years ago

It was a different world.

We were travelling to Norway on this day 4 years ago. Overnight flights being the vehicle of choice, we arrived tomorrow.

It was an amazing three days. And one day – some way, somehow – we will go back.

It’s unlikely to be today though. And so these photos will have to serve as a gorgeous reminder of those halcyon times.
Please click through and live vicariously through 2016 me.

Bergen by night

My distant love affair with Bergen continues. This time vicariously through one Åse Solvi, who has kindly given me permission to share her image of historic Bryggen and the harbour in the city. 

Beautiful light, beautiful colours, beautiful city (and yes, i know that I live in one of those too).

We had pre-concert drinks in that building front and (almost) centre, which means that this image was taken from high up in the hotel outside which I took this image:

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And the concert itself (now almost four years ago) (argh!) took place just back and left in the castle.

See my photos from that trip here.

Tusen takk, Åse!