A Watery Week for Sale Photographic Society
A Watery week for Sale Photographic Society.Well done, Dave, for organising a group from the club to join this interesting Sunday afternoon walk along the towpath, under the streets of Manchester.
Our guide was interesting, and full of information about the building of the first canals in this area, and about the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in Manchester. He was proud of the important part played by Manchester, and Lancashire, in the development of the canal system. As he described the process, we were made aware of the forward thinking, engineering knowledge and ingenuity of Brindley and his colleagues. (Where are they now!)
The walk along the tow path took in various aspects of the many buildings along the canal, some dating back to the late eighteenth century, through to the more modern structures, including many bars, and clubs. It seems a pity that, having done such a good job in making the area more accessible, with the landscaping, renovated towpath and interesting venues along the canal banks, no general maintenance is going on. The whole area needs a good clean up. If people will insist on leaving litter around, then the least Manchester city council can do is to have some sort of regular clean up service. What a shame that all the original good work is allowed to go to waste.
The walk along Canal Street gave us an entertaining view of a group of gay men practising their line dancing routines. The music was worth a listen, but the grim determination on the faces of the dancers did not make line dancing seem a relaxing pastime, although some of their outfits were interesting. I wonder whether anyone was bold enough to take photos in the face of this curiously scary group. I certainly wasn’t.
We were lucky to have a warm, sunny afternoon for our trip, with good light on the many potential photographic subjects. We should be seeing some interesting entries in our future competitions.
I understand that our guide also does lectures on many aspects of the history of the North West, and Lancashire in particular. He might be a good addition to the syllabus for the future.
Thanks for organising the trip, Dave. Keep up the good work.
Another watery treat was organised on Thursday evening by Cy for President’s Evening. This time it was actually on the water. Our trip on the Judith Mary, a narrow boat (certainly not a barge!) started from Whaley Bridge, and took us along very attractive sections of the Peak Forest canal. Once again, the weather was on our side, as the evening turned out sunny, giving us lovely light on the surrounding countryside, and a rainbow, too!.
There were plenty of photo opportunities. We saw many interesting wild flowers and plants along the tow path, and the ‘aahh!’ factor was provided by two families of Canada Geese with their goslings, as they settled down on the bank for the night.
The tiny galley managed to turn out a very tasty supper, which I am sure we all enjoyed. Will someone please make a desert that Liz likes sometime soon! Never mind, Dave and John were happy to consume Liz’s apple pie for her. The staff did an excellent job of preparing and serving the meal.
We were little alarmed on our return, to see the fire brigade putting out a fire, luckily it wasn’t anybody’s car.
Thanks to Cy, our President, for organising the trip. I am sure everyone enjoyed the social side, as well as the food, although it was a little difficult to circulate, as the gangway was usually full of the caterers with armfuls of food, a small price to pay for a very pleasant evening. It was great to see such a good turnout of members and their guests, obviously a popular choice for an evening out. Your efforts are much appreciated, Cy. Thanks again.
Joyce Hollows June21st 2008
posted by joyceh @ 9:08 pm
Comments: 1
