We’re near Piccadilly Circus, there’s a big painted sea turtle sculpture on a blue plinth, part of a public art trail supported by Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett, no less, and absolutely nobody sitting on it is paying the slightest bit of attention to it. They’re all on their phones.
The star of the show for me is the person in the middle, who has gone full Union Jack: hat, bag, the works, paired with red tracksuit bottoms and a set of brightly coloured trainers that honestly deserve their own photo.
If you’ve been anywhere near Grand Parade in Cork lately, you’ll know the scene: hoarding, fencing, traffic cones, and that slightly bewildered look on everyone’s face as they try to work out which footpath is still open this week.
This is what it looked like 2 weeks ago when a sewerage pipe was laid across Nano Nagle Bridge to Sullivan’s Quay.
Uisce Éireann is commencing works in the Grand Parade area of the city to make improvements to Cork City’s wastewater infrastructure.
The works will allow access for specialist contractors to the underground Pump Station located on Grand Parade, for removal of redundant equipment, cleaning of the pumping station and removal of historical debris. It will afford further opportunities to survey and inspect the existing structure and will provide resilience for the continuation of critical wastewater infrastructure improvements within Cork City.
Works are due to commence in January 2026.
The section of works will take place on a short section of Sullivans Quay, across Nano Nagle Bridge and along Grand Parade.
The works will be carried out on behalf of Uisce Éireann by Ward and Burke Construction Ltd. and are expected to be completed by mid-March 2026.
In February 2007 the Grand Parade was a construction site too. That was when the wide pavements were laid, along with the makeover of St. Patrick Street too.
The sky was mostly clear on the morning I visited Salinas del Carmen in Fuerteventura with Finbarr. The sky grew brighter quickly and within moments what was dark was a lovely glow. It didn’t last long, and suddenly the day had begun.
A fabulous mural of Paddington Bear by artist, Gisella Stapleton, on York Street in London attracts the attention of many people who want to pose in front of it. The mural is near the London Eye, so there’s plenty of foot traffic.
It was nigh on impossible to photograph the mural without anyone standing in front of it! So I photographed the people instead. 🙂
The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia is a sight to behold, but look around and you’ll find graceful ramps and gardens nearby, and a service road for vehicles.
I was looking out the window, about to take a photo when I spotted a man carrying a suitcase. He’d probably just arrived, but he’d missed breakfast. Pretty decent breakfast too.
A glowing yellow YIELD sign cuts through the darkness like a solitary performer on stage, casting warm light across empty spaces and parked cars, and suddenly you’re thinking about cinema and loneliness and how good urban photography is basically just about finding the drama hiding in everyday places.
I love photographing car parks. Great views from the top floor, and interesting urban furniture and lighting inside.
Restaurants dot the walkway under the Galata Bridge in Istanbul. I walked by and there were people enjoying food there in what I’m guessing is one of the more expensive touristy places to eat in the city.
There’s a tradition of fishing from the bridge and I remember seeing many lines coming down from on top!
Rebel Rebel, a David Bowie tribute band, played in Cyprus Avenue last night and put on a hell of a performance.
I know all of Bowie’s famous hits and there are many, but I’m not so familiar with the rest of his music. There was a mix of the famous and lesser-known hits and I loved every moment of it. Find out more about them on their website.
Consider installing a browser extension that blocks ads and other malicious scripts in your browser to protect your privacy and security. Here are a few options.
uBlock Origin is a free, open source, ad blocker for your browser.
Use pi-hole if you have a spare Raspberry Pi on your network.
Set the private DNS settings on your phone to dns.adguard.com to block adverts and trackers.
