Cold weather here and there. The risks of cold weather camping. Photo exhibitions. Ceasefire?

It’s very cold here today. One of the millponds on my regular running route has a thin skin of ice. The geese and seagulls were hard pressed to find open water. No ducks today. The other millpond remained ice-free, just reflecting the bright, crisp day nicely.

On days like this I can understand the appeal of going out for a long walk in the countryside. However, I still don’t understand why anyone would want to go camping at this time of year, even in such fine weather. Here’s a link to the story of a young man who was feared lost for good in Redfern-Keily provincial park in Canada – 80,000 hectare swathe of “lush alpine meadows, forested valley bottoms, serrated peaks, glaciers, waterfalls and large valley lakes” in the northern reaches of the Rocky mountains. Fortunately he was able to get to a road and was rescued by lorry drivers. 

I love being out and about in the great outdoors, but there are limits!

Apparently Steve McQueen’s latest film is all about the blitz, but seen from the point of view of what they describe as “ordinary people”. Here’s what one report says about the film: 

“It’s grimy and chaotic: people pick over dead bodies for valuables, fire crews wrestle with out-of-control hoses, while others find sexual freedom in the fog of war – it all happens during a story that focuses on a child’s attempt to make his way back to his mother after being evacuated.”

And now I read that his latest project is an alternative photographic history of protest and campaigning in Britain, spanning a century from the suffragettes to the Iraq war protests.her are a couple of sample photos:

 A demonstrator is taken away by police officers during the Battle of Cable street, in east London when Jewish and anti-fascist protesters clashed with fascists in 1936. 

And the arrest of Annie Kenney, our very own Oldham suffragette.

Her statue stands outside the old town hall, a fine building now converted into a cinema. 

At the moment her statue is rather overshadowed by work that’s going on to try to improve the rather sad and dingy town centre.

Out in the conflict zones, people are trying to return to their homes homes in South Lebanon and yet I saw this in todays newspaper: 

“Israeli tanks fire on southern Lebanon as officials says ceasefire with Hezbollah violated

Israeli tank fire hit six areas in southern Lebanon on Thursday and the Israeli military said its ceasefire with Hezbollah was breached after what it called suspects, some in vehicles, arrived at several areas in the southern zone, reports Reuters.”

It doesn’t bode well.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!