The Accordion Player

Brook Street #1

Today's blip has been entirely inspired by Kendall's blip here and this associated forum post. The idea is to choose one street and try to document its life through blipping. I'm really quite taken with this concept and as I'm beginning to embrace street photography the timing is quite perfect. I've chosen Brook Street in Ilkley. It's very convenient as it's less than five minutes walk from home and just a minute from the railway station. I've had absolutely no spare time today so this was taken very quickly just before getting on the train this morning. I was in such a rush that I forgot to ask this busker's name. He was very happy for me to take his photograph, but then he did relieve me of all my loose change so it seems like a fair deal. He played a pretty mean tune too.

I'm now in the Netherlands, staying at a quite bizarre hotel in a town called Almelo. My colleagues here have described it as like a cruise ship on land. Once you're on board, so to speak, everything is included. All the food you can eat and all the alcohol you can drink. Plus free amusements (just about my worst nightmare)! I have to admit that I find this notion thoroughly unappealing. It's all somehow just a little bit tacky! But, that said, they have a large billiards room and I've just got back from a couple of games of Pool.

It feels like I've not played in years. Lost the first game, but won the second, with the cue action starting to get back in the old groove. An old feeling returned such that I could easily have played all night. I enjoyed a misspent youth which involved quite a lot of snooker. I'm rather proud of gaining an entry into the 1976 Guinness Book of Records, having played what was then the longest ever match, three of us playing two frames on and one off, lasting over 8 days! That feels like an altogether different lifetime.