Salvage

I discovered on Wednesday that I had a slow puncture, which meant a slightly tense journey, yesterday, stopping to check and top up the tyre pressure both before setting off to Kendal and returning.

First thing, this morning, then, I rang Kwik Fit and booked the car in and just before lunch I went to drop it off in Stretford. As it's the Minx's birthday on Sunday, I had already decided that I'd walk from here into Manchester and do a bit of shopping.

Now, a few years back, Dom and I went to an exhibition above a shop selling salvaged building materials and sundry items, and I'd always meant to go back but I had no idea where it was! Well, it turns out that it was on the road that I was taking into the city!

I was delighted by this because I'd intended to go to a salvage place in Ingleton to find something fitting for the new house but then of course we decamped to Salford because of Dan's self-isolation. Happily, the place I (re)discovered today had just the sort of thing I was looking for!

Having arranged to collect the item tomorrow - rather than trudge around town with it, today - I carried on into the city, heading to Fred Aldous. My route took me past the Manchester Art Gallery and it was near there that I saw the couple in my first extra.

I don't really feel comfortable taking photos of people without their permission but I have told myself it's OK: the shot is from behind (and, by some mad internal logic, I felt it was better doing it in black and white). I don't want to - and shouldn't have to - make a big deal about two guys walking around holding hands but when, as a country, we sometimes seem to be going in entirely the wrong direction culturally, it's nice to feel reassured that the regressives are a minority. On the whole, I'd like to think things are getting better and that's what I took away from seeing these guys.

Anyway, after a happy little shop at Fred's I went in search of bookshop but the cost of Bezos' gallivanting, pointless and self-aggrandising trip into space can be seen in my second extra. (It's OK, I found a Waterstones later on.)

And after that it was time for a late lunch with the Minx at El Gato Negro, before we wandered across to St Peter's Square for an after work drink with Hannah at the Anthologist.