Doctrines...

Wise words from Krishnamurti, which arrived in my email in-tray this morning.

“Why have human beings right through the world accepted doctrines? Why have we, through the authority of the church, book or guru, accepted beliefs which may not be true at all, which may have no value, which promise but the promise is never fulfilled? We should very carefully examine this cluster of beliefs that we carry wherever we go. Any form of doctrine, either political or religious, must inevitably separate man against man and therefore bring about conflict. Conflict has become part of our nature. We accept conflict not only in personal relationship but also in ourselves. Conflict in any form must not only wear down the brain but also waste energy”.

Licensed today: a wintry view of lake Windermere...

Selby Abbey...

There’s always a surge in sales at the end of each month, as newspapers settle their accounts. Ten licences today, including this shot of Selby Abbey…

Housing...

Licensed today: a housing development near Pickering...

Rural crime...

A stock photo is mostly about illustrating someone else’s ideas, rather than being a great image in its own right. This pic, licensed today, may appear alongside an article about rural crime (the keywords, used by the buyer when searching, were ‘farm thieves’).

Locals in Asselby are concerned about rural crime; even a face they don't know can arouse suspicion (and a black face would immediately mobilise a mob of vigilantes). A man has been spotted lately, shining a torch at cars as they drive through the village. It wasn't me. I was out dogging that night...

Staveley...

I can't recall the last time a pic sold on a Sunday: the Abbey care home in Staveley, near Kendal. Hmmm... Looks OK. Wonder if they'd have a place for me?...

The Old Sunday School...

Just found this (watermarked) pic online, of the Old Sunday School, before it was renovated...

Women's cricket, part 2...

Had a beer last night at the Black Swan, with a couple of locals. We chatted about our sporting affiliations: the travails of Hull FC, Six Nations Rugby, the Premier League aspirations of Leeds United. I tossed women’s cricket into the conversational mix, though, as a subject for discussion, it didn’t last long. The guy to my right declaimed, authoritively, that women “can’t play football, can’t play cricket”. The guy to my left asked “Were they playing in the nude?” And that, in terms of conversation, was that…

Women's T20 World Cup...

India are playing Australia in Sydney today: the first game of the Women’s T20 World Cup. I hope England do well, of course, but mostly I want the competition to do well. I’m happy to see so many women playing cricket… especially when they come from countries where the rights of women are still live and problematic issues, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. Happy, too, to see so many people watching women’s cricket; the Sydney Showground was sold out, with 21,000 paying spectators.

The final, on March 8th (International Women’s Day), at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, will be watched by 91,000 people. To put that figure into perspective, it's more spectators than can fit into Wembley Stadium! If Australia want to feature in that match, they’ll have to up their game, having just lost to India by 17 runs. England start their campaign on Sunday, against South Africa.

Licensed today: The Scale Lane swing bridge in Hull...

Grafitti...

Licensed this shot today, of some Brexit-themed grafitti…

Thirsk...

Another clock-tower pic, licensed today: the market place in Thirsk, North Yorkshire...

The Family of Man...

My godfather, Mark, bought me a book, many years ago, called The Family of Man. More than 500 black & white photographs, taken in 69 countries, attempted to show the diversity of human life, and the exhibition toured the world. This is one of my favourite images: a boy playing marbles in Java, by Gotthard Schuh…

Romance...

According to the BBC website, Poundland has sold almost 40,000 engagement rings - at £1 each, of course - leading up to Valentine's Day. And they say romance is dead!

Son Chas's Iranian lodger, Sepideh...

Siemens and Goole...

If you wanted a typical run-down town in the North of England, to illustrate an article on urban blight, you might pick Goole. The town is badly in need of some TLC and - praise be - it might be getting some. Siemens is building a factory on a brownfield site next to junction 36 of the M62, which will create 700 new jobs. Goole will certainly change, and, given the state of the town, the changes will surely be for the better.

Licensed my first pic of Goole today: the clock-tower in the middle of town…

Alamy and the PA...

Alamy, my photo agency, announced yesterday that it had been bought by the PA Media Group (formerly the Press Association, whose Northern office is, coincidentally, just a couple of miles away, in Howden). Most of the correspondents in the Alamy contributors’ forum - pessimists all - are taking the view that “this is the end of the world as we know it”.

The future is uncertain. Though the fees for stock photography have been declining over the last few years, they seem to have stabilised. If photographers aren’t sufficiently rewarded for their work, they won’t be able to invest time, effort and hard cash in taking the kind of pix that sell best. Nevertheless, the demand for images has never been higher. I will watch developments, rather than make assumptions.

Licensed this pic today, of a man delivering the takeover documents to the PA (unless it's a flat-screen TV for Mrs Jones at number 8)…

Storm Ciara...

Asselby seems to have survived Storm Ciara OK. According to the BBC website, the wind will die down tonight, and tomorrow will see the year’s first flurries of snow. Licensed today: a shot of Revieulx Abbey in North Yorkshire…

Oundle School...

Oundle School - pic licensed today - doesn’t hold any reunions for old boys who suffered sexual abuse from the very people whose job it was to keep them safe from harm. So I don’t walk these streets very often…

Print on the wall...

The old man in the picture, which now has pride of place on my wall, is Douglas Harrison. When I took the shot - four years ago, at the Fleece Inn, Bretforton - he was celebrating his 97th birthday with his family. I emailed a couple of pix to them, which meant that I still have their email address... and I’m very happy to report that Douglas celebrated his 101st birthday in December…

Coming out...

How long will it be before people no longer have to ‘come out’ to family and friends (and TV audiences) like Philip Schofield? They will be able to acknowledge their sexual nature, as soon as they themselves are aware of it, without feeling the need to hide it (or to create the smokescreen of a ‘conventional’ marriage).

Public perceptions have changed since 1985, when the Sun newspaper reported that a Liverpool publican had banned gay people from his establishment. “A lot of ordinary people are going to catch something from the glasses,” he told the Sun. “We don’t want gays on the premises”. Nevertheless, I don’t have to go far to hear homophobic views being expressed (along with casual racism and misogyny).

While Christians are conflicted over the issue, as demonstrated by recent statements from the Church of England, Muslims suffer no such crises of faith (and very few gay Muslims ‘come out’, for a very rational fear of what might happen if they did). Both religious traditions are in agreement that they have the right - and the responsibility - to judge others for their sexual proclivities…

Angel Lane...

Grace Dent, the Guardian’s restaurant critic, has just written a glowing review of the Angel Lane Chippie in Penrith. It’s one of my favourite chip-shops too, though my order is always the same: a portion of home-made mince pie, chips and extra gravy. I can taste it now! Most of my favourite chip-shops are in West Yorkshire, though the old-fashioned back-street chippie hasn’t fared well against all the competition from piizzas, kebabs, burgers and fried chicken. And I can’t think of too many other fish & chip shops in Cumbria which are worth a detour. I just hope the Angel Lane Chippie will be able to cope with the extra business the review will bring…

To let...

Licensed today: not much of a picture... but it does a job...

Slapper...

Labour MP Tracy Brabin has been upbraided in the Twitterverse for revealing a bit of shoulder as she spoke at the despatch box. I can’t fault her tweet in response. “Hello. Sorry I don’t have time to reply to all of you commenting on this but I can confirm I’m not a slag, hungover, a tart, about to breastfeed, a slapper, drunk or just been banged over a wheelie bin."

I'm in Coventry today, so it seems appropriate to have licensed this pic of Coventry Building Society...

Blackwell...

Licensed today: a fireplace at Blackwell, the arts & crafts house overlooking Lake Windermere...

The prospect of paradise...

Sudesh Amman, the man who was shot and killed in Streatham yesterday, after stabbing three people, was already well-known to the police and security services. In a notebook he had written a list of his ‘life goals’. At the top of the list, above family activities, was "dying a martyr and going to Jannah" (paradise). Those of us who live secular lives, in a basically secular society, should sit up and take note… that some people really do believe what they say they believe...

Appleby...

Licensed last week: the Crown and Cushion pub in Appleby...

Leaving the EU...

As with Christmas and New Year, the night we left the EU came and went without any involvement from me. I’m not even sure what I think - or feel - about it all; our disengagement from Europe has taken way too long… and the process has only just begun. I hope for the best while expecting the worst. Those who voted ‘remain’ don’t want everything to go tits-up… just so they can be proved right and say “I told you so”.

Licensed yesterday: Windermere at Waterhead...