Hello and welcome to November's Photo Challenge. A huge thank you to David Cooper for coming up with this month's theme; so, pick a number, any number, between zero and infinite. And that's precisely what you did. And, I didn't get a single negative number: what positive people you all are! Rol gets to throw the dice first...
''Hi John, here's an excellent throw in the game Ganz Schon Clever - recommended.''
''Not being a drinker myself I can't fully appreciate these prices.'' (I can! - JM.)
''And finally, a good old fashioned rotary dial telephone - from the Black Country Living Museum.'' Good work, Rol. I prefer the Quixx dice game, but I can see why you like Clever; hours of endless fun.
And here is the man himself, Coops: ''Thanks for choosing my suggested subject, John. There was method in my madness: I have been collating photos with the numbers 1 to 365 in them with a view to posting them one a day over a complete year. Unfortunately, I still have a few gaps so it may be a while before this project comes to fruition. My first three photos were all taken in Germany, Lubeck (the days hymns and readings), Kiel (luggage lockers) and Leipzig (Platform 24). The fourth features a number well known locally.'' Cheers, David. I still miss 0602.
Claire's the first to spell it out: ''Inside No. 9 (Haarlem, NL).''
''A fearful hotel room allocation in Porto.''
''It's a sign - Derbyshire.'' Thank you, Claire. Ah, Cromford. Home of my second favourite bookshop.
C from Sun Dried Sparrows next: ''Hi John, hope all's good with you. I was in Eastbourne at the weekend when this little gaggle of Shoprider scooters caught my eye. All the best, C x.'' Good spot, C! Looks like they're in a holding pattern till they make their final descent into Spoons.
Johnny Legs is asking me questions: ''Should I buy a single ticket?''
''Or maybe old enough for a bus pass?''
''Either way, it's the destination that matters.'' Precisely, Johnny! And thank you. I could have filled the whole of PC with buses; maybe another time.
Miss Turner's got a brand new key. A key to a shiny new set of wheels. She says: ''I like the number 5!''
''A significant birthday.'' Thank you, MT. Is Alfie allowed in the yellow peril?
Sir Harry Harrington Harris: ''I bumped into this bloke in a club.'' Nice one, Harry. A perfect ten, even if I do say so myself.
East End Ernie next: ''I'm going all political this month: the first is from a gallery in Sarajevo.''
''Next is from Gori in Georgia where they are still proud of their local boy done good.''
''And then a reproduction of an old newspaper article in the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg highlighting one of the more absurd aspects of the system.''
''Finally, a hotel corridor also in Johannesburg.''
Hucknall Tim: ''Hello John.
Getting in early yet again (bigger & better numbers may yet be forthcoming but that’s the risk you take) with my PC entries for this month.
Trying to limit to 4 again due to the sheer volume you have to sift through (Never a bother, Tim. There's no limit - JM). Also tried for numbers that might not be replicated elsewhere in PC (apart from 4 which I’m sure will crop up elsewhere.
We kick off with a 45 (as requested music wise) on a wall in Gdansk. ‘Back of the net’ some might say.
Then it’s NYC for a brace of Fire Engines with Nos. 4 & 54 reporting for duty.
948 crops up at the ‘Beyond The Streets’ exhibition at the Saatchi. This was a fantastic mix of street art & culture with a new version arriving soon.
Finally we hit the heights with 7473 in Bermondsey. Taken in 2023, not the early 70s, but loving the timeless vibe.
That’ll do for now. Cheers, Tim.'' Thank you so much, Tim. Yep, the '45' gets you a bonus point for sure. I'm guessing football street art is a whole sub genre just waiting to be mined...
The Swede is below street level: ''Going underground in NYC.'' Thank you, TS. I'd love to see more of these...
5,4,3,2,1 - Pete Zab's photos are GO! ''Hi John, hopefully these will amuse. And, obviously, need posting in descending order.'' Indeed they do, Pete. Indeed they do. Well, what can I say? Apart from ''Will Mr. Zab please make his way to the podium!'' Great work. Anda asyou said in your follow up text, it's amazing what you can do with a macro lens, a piece of black card and some Corgi models!
Swiss Adam: ''Hi John, here's some numbers...'' Thank you, Adam. I know how poignant the number 23 is to you and your family.
And with a squealing of tyres and smell of burnt rubber, it must be Alfa Dave: ''Hi John, oh no, it’s ruddy cars again. This is a 22 year old me in 1987 with a very valuable Ford Escort RS1800 rally car. The car still lives at Beaulieu Motor Museum and has aged a lot better than me.'' Thanks, AD. I don't think you could have made that picture any more 80s if you tried.
Charity Chic is a man of few words: ''Cheers!'' Cheers, CC.
Alyson's been to see a musical about the Six Wives of Henry VIII; Rick Wakeman was a no show, seemingly. Thank you, Alyson. Was the stage full of severed heads by the end of the evening?
K from the Kotswolds: ''Hello John, a number of offerings for you this month:
1/. A thermometer in Longlevens, Gloucestershire: 16 degrees celsius is the HSE-recommended minimum temperature for physical work, apparently.
2/. Gloucester High Street - where you can experience virtual reality for a fiver. Arguably a bargain, compared to the real thing.
3/. New York had Studio 54; Gloucester has Tree 54. You woodn't believe it.
4/. 39 spotted in Stroud. No sign of any steps, though.
5/. The Magnetic Fields had a triple album called 69 Love Songs. Not a single one of them about a green bin, however. 6/. Don't Walk, Boogie. Cheers!
K.''
Thank you, K. Good spots all. I looked at 39 again, it's actually 39a; which would have made a great title to the film sequel.
Matthew & Samantha have a perfect triumvirate: ''A Big Lebowski moment at the Vega rooftop bar in Glasgow.''
''Our daughter Rosie's camper 'Sunny' clocks 300,000 KM!''
''March 2022 - Matthew and JM in LA.'' Thank you both, love 'em. Would Sunny still have enough gas in the tank for a Route 66 road trip?!
Riggsby from California: ''Hi John, I took this pic on Main Street, Carlsbad, CA. It’s real; not AI. Two doors, both with the same number above them. The doors appear to be two entrances to the same historic commercial building, rather than two separate properties, although I haven’t verified the current property boundaries. The red-pill blue-pill parallel with The Matrix came to my mind. But I’ve not been able to find whether the colors were chosen deliberately. I found a computer business listed at the address around 2000, but no evidence linking it to the paint colours.''
''This is from a Hong Kong style restaurant called MOM Kitchen in Mira Mesa, San Diego. We speculate that they leave the price stickers on to take advantage of the very forgiving returns policy and exchange old plants for new on a regular basis.''
''And finally, at San Diego's Shakespeare pub and shop.'' Thank you so much, Richard. Remember the house in Help! with the four front doors?
JBC from Clarksville came back: ''The steam train at San Francisco Zoo.'' Cheers, John. And thanks for coming back!''
Neil Abdo is squeezing out sparks: ''Hi John, just framed this poster with added numbers in colour.'' Thank you, Neil. It'd make a great design for a pinball machine, don't you think?
And a few of mine to close proceedings. The 100 Club in London's swinging West End.
A seriously chilled beer somewhere on my travels.
Outside the Eurostar in Lille earlier this week. To be clear, we travelled to France by train, not on the 86 bus.
Lady Bay, West Bridfgford.
My favourite mug. Please support the RNLI (they need it right now).
My new favorite gallery - the Tripostal in Lille.
Broadmarsh Bus Station & Car Park, Nottingham
B&Q in Nottingham. Other hardware stores are available.
The New World (formerly The New European) recently celebrated its 500th edition.
A record shop in Lille 2026. Forty-nine years after 'Punk 77'.
The steelwork on what was the site of the old gasometers in Kings Cross. Now a giant slab of unaffordable (for most) real estate.
As ever, thank you to everyone for sharing their amazing photographs. Let's do it all again next month - I'll post the theme in the comments in a couple of days.