From the beginning

I'm currently immersed in Colson Whitehead's excellent Harlem trilogy. Not only a trilogy but each of the three books are also broken down into three parts and tells the story chronologically of New York hustler, Ray Carney - a very likable furniture store owner & parttime crook. Harlem Shuffle (which I've nearly finished) takes Carney from 1959 to 1964 and rolls the pitch perfectly. In a city still struggling to find its post war prosperity, we're treated to  a very hardboiled (and vey noir) New York - a metropolis awash with jazz bars, gin joints, violence and segregation. The follow-up (which I can't wait to start), Crook Manifesto, picks up Carney's story again in 1971, closing out in '76. And the concluding novel, Cool Machine (published July 2026), is set against the backdrop of the 1980s. Whitehead's narrative technique is superlative throughout (you won't be surprised to learn he's a two times Pulitzer Prize winner). It may not be a life he's lived, but his research, you can tell, is meticulous; you can see these streets in your mind's eye. These are mean streets occupied by hoodlums and chancers. Rich men and poor men. Whores and pimps. Saints and sinners. And I love it. Highly recommended.

Incoming

I went to see a delightful little film yesterday; very idiosyncratic, very quirky. Imagine Bill Forsyth had directed The Wicker Man and you'd be getting close. A brother and sister are the only occupants of a remote Scottish island where they have lived all their lives and where their patents died thirty years ago. And then an 'incomer' arrives: a council underling has been sent by his sadistic manager to evict the siblings with immediate effect. (Mild) horror ensues coupled with humour, warmth and not a little pathos. A story about storytelling. Very meta. Very uplifting. Great performances from Domnhall Gleeson as Daniel the incomer, Gayle Rankin as Isla and Grant O'Rourke as her brother, Sandy. No surprise it's already scooped an award at Sundance. More will surely follow.

The Incomer - Trailer (2026)

The road is long, with many a winding turn

Not for a long time has a work of fiction clocking in at 400+ pages carried me along quite like Beneath the Trees of Eden by Tim Binding. It follows the story of Louis and Alice, an itinerant couple: Louis is a road builder (he worked on Britain's first motorway in 1958), and Alice, his moll - and so much more) from 1967-1984 as they crisscross the country in a succession of suboptimal British cars (Zephyrs; Rovers; Cortinas; Granadas) following the work, following the roads, following the drink. Louis is 25 years older than Alice at the start of the novel; though by the end that number has easily doubled. They live off the grid and are known by name only (no bank accounts, no National Insurance numbers, no nothing). But then they have a baby and everything changes. Or does it? Chester is more man cub than child and it isn't long before he's left to his own devices. As Louis ages (rapidly) he continually seeks redemption and Alice, now demoted from lover to carer, tries to make sense of the changing landscape (literally and figuratively). It's a love story on many levels - Louis & Alice, Louis & the A1 (''the backbone of England''), and Louis & the past). By the end you too will have fallen in love with the Baldock bypass, Scammonden, Scotch Corner and all the caffs and truck stops in between). An ode to the road. And brebis.     

It dazzles, it excites

In readiness for Autumn*/Winter I've just had one of my coats relined. I can't tell you how many times I've 'lost' keys and coins thru holey pockets and into the netherworld that lived behind the, old, tired and frayed lining. I could have just had the pockets repaired or even parted company with the coat (but that was never gonna happen), however, although the garment was preloved when I liberated it from a vintage shop in Prague 10 years ago, it'll still go round the clock at least one more time.

First Aid Kit - My Silver Lining (2014)

* A timely reminder that October's Photo Challenge is all things Autumnal - get yer snaps to me by the 25th of this month, if you'd be so kind.

Megawatt Valley

I'm still kicking myself for not being able to make the pop-up exhibition on Saturday calling itself Megawatt Valley. Megawatt Valley was the name given to the region once housing 13 electricity generating stations - a geographical area (with the Trent Valley at its core) spanning Staffordshire/Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire). It's also the name given to the (one-off) newspaper/zine edited by Nottingham photographer David Severn and pals which has some amazing photographs of Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. 

I was at a loose end on Monday so went over to Ratcliffe to have (another) look around. As I've mentioned before, the power station is now decommissioned and will soon be blown up. It'll be a tragedy; all eight cooling towers are coming down - they aren't even keeping one for posterity. And with it being next to the canal, river, M1 motorway and directly under the flightpath of East Midlands Airport, it'll be chaos when the detonators go off.

Mind your aitches

Hello and welcome to September's edition of Photo Challenge. The brief was very simple: Brought to you by the latter 'H'. I was trying to give you as much latitude as possible. And, as usual, you didn't disappoint. I've gone early due to the Bank Holiday - there's been a bumper response this month and I thought you might like to look at everyone's photos over the weekend. Rol's got the hallowed first dibs...

''Hi John - Holidays!'' And with that in mind, here's a grand sky over Helmsley, North Yorkshire.''

''Helme Junior School - happy times!''

''Honley High School - not so happy times!''

''Sam exploring Halifax Piece Hall.'' 

''And, of course, Huddersfield - from the top of Victoria Tower on Castle Hill.'' Thank you, Rol. And Sam (a frequent model in your snaps of late). Right, let's crack on. And don't worry, I'm dropping that annoying red font I started out with. I don't know what I was thinking.

David Cooper has been hither and thither: ''Three hotels from me, John: Canfranc International railway station in the Pyrenees on the French/Spanish border was restored and reopened as a hotel in 2023 and had been on my bucket list since then. I finally got to stay a night last year. And, to show I am actually a man of the people, two photos that highlight my usual kind of hotel; the Ibis in Porto and finally a hotel I’ve not stayed in, and am unlikely to, in Dharamshala, India. David.'' Cheers, Coops. I always had you down as a Clardidge's kind of guy! 

Claire: ''Hostelries at home and abroad.'' Thank you, Claire. A great interpretation of the brief. One that I can certainly raise a glass to. I definitely know the Wobbly Duck in Newcastle; bin a few times now.

C from Sun Dried Sparrows: ''Hi John, a couple of humble, hopeful, happy, harmless pics for you. Firstly a hollyhock.''

''And a hieroglyph. C x.'' Thank you, C. Can you translate the hieroglyph? Something to do with Gary Lineker?

Johnny Legs has got a fabulous quartet: ''Helios art installation at Southwell Minster.''

''It's all in the name! Oxford.'' (This is without doubt the sexiest memorial stone I've ever seen - JM.)

''Hot House at Kew Gardens.''

''And finally, Hardwick Hall.'' Nice work, Legs. The Helios alone gets you a podium finish. Thank you! 

Miss Turner and her two companions: ''High tide (featuring Alfie about to leg it from a wave); HM coastguard, a harbour, and my happy place!'' Splendid stuff, MT! Your four legged companion always steals the show.

Rich, Miss Turner's two legged companion, has been at the sauce: ''(H)apple juice in (H)amble.'' Thank you, Rich!

Ernie's playing it straight down the middle: ''Three hotels I stayed at when visiting Harmenia (the H is silent and also invisible) ten years ago. In order: the misleadingly named Nirvana Hotel on the banks of Lake Sevan; the timeless beauty of Hotel Kirovakan in Vanadzor; and the understated exterior and interior of Alexandrapol Palace Hotel in Gyumri.'' Nice one, Ernie. The Nirvana pic is giving off a Wes Anderson vibe, for sure.

Tim from Hucknall (tho' this particular H really is silent around these parts - JM): ''Hi John I’ve tried to go off grid a little, so here goes... 

Henge (at the Rescue Rooms) - barking mad also sporting headwear they come from the far corners of the galaxy (Manchester). The 808 State remix of ‘Exo’ is tremendous btw.

Hat (at YNot Festival) made me laugh. Someone was adding stickers to random people by stealth. The chap in front had no idea he was a walking advert for Dylan’s ‘Massive Head’. I didn’t call the number but assumed that due to the effort put in Dylan would indeed be graced by a huge bonce. 

Huddle at the mighty Hucknall Town another 2X Hs racked up. The H game coming in strong thus far. 

Howling Hops at Hackney Wick (I couldn’t finish without a nod to beer - 10 fresh craft brews poured straight from the tank. What’s not to love?) - two more Hs ticked off. (I make that three! - JM.)

Hands (& Heads) - pretty much the whole crowd reacting to The Prodigy when they rolled into town earlier this year. I’ll stick at these and head off to try and locate some more painted junction boxes! Tim.'' Great stuff, Tim. I make that at least 12X Hs!

The Swede: ''It's a hole innit - H for hole. Too tenuous? Ok, I'll elaborate, it's a hole in a Hepworth. Looking through a section of Barbara Hepworth's 'Family of Man' at Snape Maltings, with the reedbeds of the Alde Estuary beyond.'' Thank you, TS. The hole that keeps on giving! (Ooh, matron!)

Pete Zab's gone for a foursome: ''Heron Foods.'' (Now you're talking, Pete! - JM.)

''The harbour at Elizabeth Castle.''

''H Stops.'' (l won't lie to you. Pete - I had no idea what these were until I looked 'em up).

''And Nottingham High School.'' Thank you, Pete. Feel free to snap more Herons after dark - could be a new mini series!

Adam: ''H is for helipad on cross channel ferry (with my daughter, Summer 2017).

''H is for hatch.''

''H is for Haring at Tate, Liverpool.''

''H is for hot (Spain, 3 weeks ago).'' Thank you, Adam. I think the Helipad gets you and your daughter on the podium this month.

Kate: ''All a bit of a stretch, John (I'll be the judge of that! - JM): the holding cell in Barmouth - old town lock up where drunks and trouble makers could be held. Probably need a few more today! The Beresford in Glasgow used to be a hotel! Apparently apartments now. And, obviously, the very best H, Harry taking in the horizon on holiday.'' Thank you, Kate. I think we should introduce Harry and Alfie!

Alfa Dave - living up to his name. ''H in the phonetic language is Hotel. So here is Le Grand Hotel de Dinard. Avec mon Alfa devant.'' Tempted as I am to say merci beaucoup, Dave (which goes without saying btw), a part of me wants to say pas encore cette foutue voiture rouge! 

Charity Chic: ''A lazy one, John! Four Hs from my Americana shelves.''

''And Hampden Park.'' Thank you, CC. I'd have also accepted Hibs and Hearts.

Alyson: ''Hi John - the lovely art deco sign outside my brother-in-law’s hairdressing shop. He used to be the town’s celebrity hairdresser, even having Annie Lennox visit his shop for an emergency shear of her famous short locks. A lovely man now retired but still very well-known locally for his charity fund-raising and help given to amateur theatre productions. Hope it fits the H remit.'' It certainly does, Alyson. Thank you. As I said in my text, hairdressing shop names/puns is a category all of its own. I'm sure we've all got examples on our photo rolls.

K from the Kotswolds next with all new kurrent kontent: ''Hello John, a bumper batch for you this month. All taken from a trip to Bristol on Saturday 22nd August 2026!

1) A statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, sporting his legendary stovepipe hat, outside Temple Meads train station. 

2) Not just any fencing, this is Heras Fencing! It’s supposed to block access to an underpass.

3) Horseman, specifically the Cloaked Horseman statue by David Backhouse, presented to the City of Bristol in 1984. Hat optional.

4) House Of Unity summer party flyer, with the Assembly Rooms behind. Sadly, it was the previous Saturday. 

5) Hair on the Hill hair salon in Cotham. I used to live a few doors down - nearly 30 years ago. 

6) Humanities block, University of Bristol, Clifton.

7) Hippodrome theatre stage door, facing the Bunch of Goths pub that I frequented as a wasted youth. 

8) HiFi Sean & David McAlmont. Nice T-shirt, shame about the model. Cheers, K.'' What can I say, K? I think the HiFi Sean tee gets you on the podium!

Matthew: ''Harley Davidsons ready for early morning start up outside our motel room, St Helens, Tasmania; harbour and Harbour Bar at Gourdon, Aberdeenshire. And harvest on the North Sea coast.'' Cheers, Matthew. A good spread.

Walter from the Fatherland: ''Hi John, the Hillgrove pub in Bristol from BlogCon25; an historic traktor at a local show near my home, and Hamburg Harbour.'' Danke, Walt!

Riggsby, currently on vacation in Lake Tahoe (well, last time I looked it was still calledLake Tahoe): ''Hi John, Jingyi's hand-made human figures. Her pottery ideas and skills have developed tremendously.''

''Linking to last month's animal theme: high on a horse at Richardson's Ranch, Lake Tahoe.''

''Holz Horse, Heavenly Village, Lake Tahoe.''

''Ham (hidden underneath) corned beef hash, huevos, hollandaise, hot sauce and Heinz! Aitches, and a 'Hi' from the bears at Heidi's Pancake House, Lake Tahoe. The most Hs in a single entry?'' (I'd say so! It's between you and Tim, that's for sure - JM.)

''Since you mentioned hydrants, John, I've done a bit of a study of fire hydrants here in California! Around where we live they are a, boringly, sun-bleached yellow.''

''However, around South Lake Tahoe they are mostly the classic red colour, or red with tops painted various colours.''

''One of the shops in the town even had a red sequined hydrant, tempting at $49.99!''

''I've also spotted some hydrants in different colours too, including a snazzy silver in South Lake Tahoe; blue in Sand Harbor Beach, and white in Fairfield, CA. Not to mention the different fire hydrant configurations! Don't get me started!''

And signing off with a hydrant in Truckee, CA. (All ready for the snow.) Thank you so much, Richard! You really have gone above and beyond this month. Your theory that the different colour hydrants maybe linked to the water temperature is an interesting one. Maybe someone reading this can confirm or deny.

 

And finally a few of mine to close this part of Photo Challenge. Did someone mention fire hydrants?! Here's a brace I stumbled upon in Los Angeles in 2022.

Hi-Press - a brand new record and coffee shop opened in Carlton, Nottingham last week. My good friend Vaughan and I went along to scope it out.

Hexagonal tiles in a Nottingham kebab shop.

The Hiway House Motel - somewhere in America. (Matthew can probably tell you where it is.)

''It's not the despair, I can take the despair. It's the hope.'' (John Cleese). 

The Hives at Rock City, December 2021: the first band I saw after Covid.

Hugo's - a short lived bar in Sherwood, Nottingham.

One of my first ever football matches from when we lived in Hull. Dad took me to Boothferry Park to see Rodney Marsh turn out for QPR. I kept the programme and the ticket stub; of course I did.

In addition to the many framed postage stamps dotted around the house of London buses, Captain Scarlet, Dennis the Menace etc., this one of George Harrison is a personal favourite and hangs on the wall in my office.

University of Evansville, Harlaxton in Lincolnshire.

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People Pics

Of the two sidebars we've got running alongside Photo Challenge, this is the one I was hoping could lead to a veritable rogues gallery. Alas, it wasn't to be. I think I'll pull stumps on this one, but not before I share this picture I took of a regular at one of my drinking dens. I took Tom's pic with my new little toy.

...

Sunrise/Sunset reprise

No such fate for this little corner of PC, thank you so much for sending me your sunrises and sunsets; you're most kind. (A reminder of the original challenge I set way back in December 2024). Rol has sent me this one from Pickering Castle (a part of the world I know very well). Thank you, Rol. 

A couple more beautiful examples from Alfa Dave. Not sure where they are, I'm sure he'll tell us in the comments (if he's still speaking to me!). 

This next three are a bit special. They're from Jo in Cornwall - Jo is the only person I still follow on Twitter and these are of the recent solar eclipse taken whilst on holiday in Ibitha with her daughter. ''It was an amazing experience, almost missed by naughty clouds x.'' Thank you so much, Jo. Amazing! Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a winner.

As ever, a huge thank you to everyone who takes part. In the words of young Mr. Grace - ''You've all done very well!'' I'll post October's challenge in the comments in a couple of days. Until next time...