Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the view with the poem

Now Linda was the first contributor to the series, and carried away by the bright sunshine on Saturday, she took this picture of Cladude Road, with Reynard off in the distance.

To which Linda added a poem by A. E.Houseman, and that is really all I have to say on the matter.

Location; Chorlton

Pictures, Claude Road, 2020, from the collection of Linda Rigby and Mr. Houseman's poem

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the Goldfinch ….

Now the series enters a new phase with Bill’s picture of a goldfinch, which was in response to the gulls of Weston-super-Mare.

Bill commented, “We used to have more gulls in the park than any other bird life, but since the take-aways have all been shut down because of Covid-19 there are no food scraps left all over and as it has not rained for weeks and weeks there are no worms coming to the surface either, therefore no gulls at all....

I have never seen these goldfinches anywhere locally and here is one on my pear tree...taken from my downstairs backroom”.

Location; Stretford

Picture; Goldfinches in Bill’s garden; 2020, from the collection of Bill Sumner

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... a church with no roof, and a hill that isn’t a hill

"Here's a drawing Bari did from our sitting room window looking at old St Nicholas Church on the hill. 

It has ancient roots, but the first archaeological finds are from just after the conquest - it was supposedly built about 1080 on the site of a Saxon church, and before that there was a Roman temple. 

It's roof kept falling in so eventually it was taken off altogether and services were held at a new church in the village, but this one remains consecrated. 

Uphill by the way is not because of the hill but because of the nearby pill or wharf, which was "owned" by a Saxon lord Oppa - so it was Oppa's pill! 

The hill is right at the end of the Mendips and overlooks the Bristol Channel!"*

Location; Uphill

Picture; old St Nicholas Church, 2020, Bari Sparshot

*Lois Elsden, https://loiselsden.com/

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... no one told the gulls about social distancing

I have to to say that I thought the series on boring pictures from a backroom in a time of isolation,would have a short life, but no, it rolls on with contributions from Chortlon, Stretford, Weston-super-Mare, along with Barcelona, Lombardia, Warsaw, Porto, and Ontario.

And now we have one from Uphill which is a tiny village by the sea in Somerset.

It's from my friend Lois, who is a writer, and before Victor the Virus, regularly led writing groups and participated in a series of literary festivals.*

But now like so many of us she is pretty much confined to the home, and hence the photograph to which she has added,

"This is a picture from my writing room - I think the gulls are waiting to get me!!!"

Location; Uphill

Picture; no one told the gulls about social distancing, 2020, from the collection of Lois Elsden

*Lois Elsden, https://loiselsden.com/

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the one with a view of 1851

This  picture was contributed by Barbarella who added “this is a boutique hotel opposite my house, which is now obviously closed. Looks like it must have been a really nice house of a wealthy family”.

2020

And that was enough to set me off on a trawl of its history, which ended in 1851 when it was owned by James Watt and may well have built it.

The journey had begun with Mr. John Boyd in 1911 who lived in this 14 roomed property.

1854

He was a "cotton  yarn manager" who had lived in the house from 1891 when he rented it from a Mrs. Amelia Beckton, and she in turn was the name that led me back through the Rate Books to the first half of the 19^th century.

For anyone wanting to trace the history of a building, the Rate Books are an invaluable source of information, offering up an annual record of who owned the property, the names of the residents and the estimated rent the house commanded, as well as its rateable value.

And each name allows you to spin off down a different historical path, which by degree took me to Mrs. Amelia Beckton, and a host of other people.

But Mrs. Amelia Beckton was by far the most interesting and it will be of her I write about tomorrow.

Leaving just the slight mystery that our house does not appear on the 1854 map of Didsbury, which is a tad inconvenient for the time line, and will need investigating, but as we all know history is messy.

Location; Didsbury

Picture; the one with a view of 1851, from the collection of Barabarella Bonvento, 2020, and extract from the OS map of Lancashire, 1854, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... tea with a view

Now, with the renewed calls this weekend for people to say at home, here is Bill Sumner’s room with a view.

To which he adds,

“Well I cannot get to my backroom window for books, I kid you not, so here's my view in lockdown from the front bedroom where we take afternoon tea”.

Location; Bill’s front room




Pictures; tea with a view, 2020, from the collection of Bill Sumner

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... a welcome return

Just when you thought it was safe to look out of the backroom window during lock down .... the series returns.

I thought there were no more people willing to offer up their own view, but then Lyn sent in this one, with the comment

"And pity the couple who live in the studio flat on the left. At least being on the 7th floor, of 8, there is a certain amount of natural light but not for those on lower floors".

This is a welcome addition to her earlier picture, looking out from her balcony.

Location; Barcelona

Picture, the view from our "study", Barcelona, 2020, Lyn Shepherd

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the most boring picture of them all

I rather think this will be the last in the series which was prmpted by our own voluntary self isolation back on March 20, which was day 10.

Since then the country has joined us in the national lockdown.

During which there have been contributions from Lombardia, Barcelona, Warsaw, and Ontario, along with Weston-super-Mare, Kent, and Chorlton.

Many of which were certainly not boring and did give a flavour of the world wide lockdown.

But this one I truly think must rank as the most boring and therefore is a fitting one to close with.

Location; Chorlton

Picture; the most boring picture, 2020, from the collection of Andrew Simpson    

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation .....snow and drizzle ..... Barrie, Ontario

Today, we are in Canada, in the town of Barrie, in Ontario.

Here lives my longtime friend Lori, who I first got to know when researching British Home Children, who were those youngsters migrated to Canada and other parts of the old British Empire.*

Lori is one of the foremost experts on British Home Children, and I turned to her for a picture of Barrie during the Age of the Virus.

Here are her two pictures, to which she added, “In Canada we are still cold, it's raining out - which is better than the snow we just had. 

Last if the fall leaves are still waiting to be picked up.

Here you go, dreary and boring.  I took this photo last Monday in, what we hope to be, our last snow fall at the Waterfront, Barrie, Ontario, and the second from my from my front deck this morning”.

Location; Barrie, Ontario, 2020














Pictures; Waterfront, Barrie, and from Lori’s front deck, 2020, from the collection of Lori Oschefski

*British Home Children, Advocacy and Research Association, https://www.britishhomechildren.com/

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation .....quiet schools ... Oporto ... Portgual

The international side of the series, rolls on with these two fine pictures from Mário Ricca, who commented,

"This is from my balcony door, in Porto, Portugal. 

The building is a closed school, usually busy and noisy.  Its roof is now covered with swallows".

Leaving me just to thank Mario, and add that Mario is a retired teacher, just like me.

Location; Porto

Pictures; my balcony door, in Porto, 2020, from the collection of Mario Ricca

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... another balcony

"A view from my balcony on 5th day of Isolation, slowly losing the will to live Lol".

Location; a balcony








Picture; a balcony, 2020, from the collection of Alan Jennings

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the sea view

I say a sea view, but as Lois says, to get to the water  “you have to keep going straight (ignoring barriers and streams) and then you hit the sea!”

From memory when we last visited Lois and Bari, that walk was just a few minutes.

I suspect it may be a we while before we take that walk again, but Lois assures me that today, when she went the picture over “at least the sun is shining!”

Location, Uphill, Weston-Super-Mare

Picture; the sea view, 2020, from the collection of Lois Elsden

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the dog walk

And the rest as they say is an empty spot.

When Kevin and Pam posted over this picture they entitled it simply "dog walk" although in an afterthought the threw in "gun club".

Location; the field, Sutton, Kent

Picture; the dog walk, 2020, courtesy of Kevin and Pam Casserly

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the view from Warsaw ...a Christmas tree, a balcony and nobody in sight

Now, our Saul lives and works in Poland, but the plans to go over and visit him have taken a bit of a back seat.

Warsaw is a very cosmopolitan city and along with the plans to visit the sites and take in some excellent vegetarian restaurants, there was the promise of going into the forest to sample the forest skills he teaches through his business.*

But like the rest of us, all is very quiet and with not a lot to do, but catch up on reading, and box sets, he took up the challenge to take a series of pictures from his balcony.

So, here is Warsaw, on a sunny Monday.

And yes they keep their Christmas tree on the balcony .......... after all, where would you decide to park it during the year?

Location; Warsaw

Pictures; view from a Warsaw balcony

*Pines Forest School, https://www.facebook.com/pinesforestschool/

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the balcony, the breakfast and a spot of opera

This is Lyn's balcony in Barcelona, where she "steps outside to have breakfast on the balcony some mornings".

But Saturday was too cold and so like all of us, Lyn was forced back inside and to other things.

Which in her case includes means "lots of opera being streamed from the Met and Vienna and Berlin".

The upside for me is the fine view down on to the patios, which Lyn says "are private although the one in the middle is the roof of a gym so is occasionally used in normal times.

The part with artificial turf is the gym. Bottom right is the playground of a nursery ( for toddlers...by 3 they are at preschool), that is actually the only part with " life" during the week".

Location; Barcelona

Picture, the Barcelona balcony and the view below, Barcelona, 2020, from Lyn Shepherd

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... two from Ann in deepest rural France

I like the way that the series has gone international and from Chorlton we have zipped across to Italy, moved on to Cyprus and and today are in France.

The added bonus is that we have two pictures, one of Ann's washing and another from her upstairs window.

Wednesday was the "first day I was able to hang out washing out this year!  

Yesterday was glorious sunshine, today it's all grey and cloudy, but lots of spring flowers".

And that is how they do self isolation in rural France.

Leaving me just to add that Ann lives in Southern  Brittany, and that they "are  about half way between Rennes and Nantes.

Our nearest neighbours are about 200 yards away, we wave occasionally!
As we are regarded as 'at risk' we are not, in theory, allowed out of the house/garden, but I do go for a walk around the fields with Sophie the dog.

The spring flowers in the hedgerows are glorious" .

Location; Brittany, France

Picture, Washing line with dog and Morris, and View from upstairs window, 2020, from the collection of Ann Love

Cometh the hour …. Cometh the people ……………. Etchells of Beech Road

It goes without saying that our medical staff, and emergency services are the heroes of the moment.

And along with these there are the staff in the supermarkets and the lorry drivers bringing the food, and many others.

More than once I have highlighted the friendly and efficient service offered by Beech Road Pharmacy, and today I will add Etchels, the newsagents and local store on Beech Road.

They have been our newsagents since the  1960s, and last week they announced their intention to deliver essential supplies of milk, bread and eggs to those who can’t get out.

And as we have been self isolating for a fortnight, Barbara and Craig, dropped off our first essential “shop”.

C & W Etchells, 44 Beech Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M21 9EL, 0161 881 1764

Location, Chorlton

Painting; C & W Etchells, 2017, Peter Topping, featured in The Quirks of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Andrew Simpson, & Peter Topping, 2017

Pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the one from Jane in Cyprus

So, the appeal for pictures has transcended Chorlton.

Yesterday Eileen, sent over one form Lombardie and today Jane, posted over this one from Cyprus adding, “from our back window patio door, with two hounds unwittingly photo bomb once again!
We have self isolated since Saturday, apart from taking my sister to the airport on Wednesday (she was lucky to get out!)& walking the dogs we have tucked ourselves away at home. 

The whole of Cyprus has been on lockdown since 6am Monday ... only pharmacies & supermarkets trading. Kids were sent home from school over a week ago. All hospitals closed (except for emergencies) postal service suspended & I think today is the last day the airports are open!" 

Location; Cyprus

Picture, the not so boring picture of “two hounds”, Cyprus, 2020, from the collection of Jane Waterland

Boring pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the one from Eileen in Italy

Now the series is well into its stride, and may have to be renamed it because the pictures I am receiving are from boring.

So here is one from Eileen, who lives “in a tiny village called Villadosia about 10 kilometres from Varese, in the very small comune of Casale Litta. Our house is actually in the middle of a large wood, on a hill, so most of the garden is essentially a wood!”

And so “I am extremely fortunate to have a large wooded garden  where I can walk and explore during my self isolation. Something I never normally do, I am ashamed to say. I discovered these 3 lovely wood anemones emerging from last year's fallen leaves”.

Location; Lombardia

Picture, the not so boring picture of wood anemones, Lombardia, 2020, from the collection of Eileen Anne Robinson

Boring pictures from a backroom, on a moment of self-isolation ..... the one from Linda Rigby

Friday .... March 20th, 8.36 am

In response to my first self isolation pictures looking out from our bedroom window, here is Linda's picture, who added "Good  morning Andrew,

I’m looking out into a magnificent magnolia tree, with a majestic ash tree behind it against a cloudless blue sky. How lucky is that?

Keep the blogs coming,

Onwards and upwards

Linda"

More to come.

Location; Chorlton

Picture; a not so boring picture from a backroom, 2020, from the collection of Linda Rigby