Taxi .....

..... rank.

Firstly, thank you all for your response to yesterday's portrait of Jeff. It was just a quick snap and I wasn't expecting the hearts and stars it recieved. Also it's good to hear that a few of you have successfully cleaned the sensors on your DSLRs, I'm a bit less worried about having a go myself now ( but will still be treating it like brain surgery ).

This evening after work I had a bit of a tidy up around the house, Mr P called around for a drink, I had my tea then thought about taking a photo for blip. By the time I set off out it was 8pm, the full moon was out and there was a biting wind.

I walked down by the river which is high from all the melted snow and rain we had here last night. I took a few long exposures from the meter of beach still above water under the suspension bridge and then took a quick photo of the moon reflecting in the fast flowing river, from the bridge.

Once I'd finished taking my photos I had a walk down to the Morrisons local at the opposite end of town to buy a loaf of bread, also in there was the older of the two homeless men that live in Ilkley, who was buying a few bottles of wine. We both left the shop at the same time and he got chatting to me, he's an interesting and very articulate chap. We must have chatted for about 15 minutes about the local council, the differences between Yorkshire and London and how the river path is 'the dog sh*t capitol of the UK ' ( his words ). I asked if he'd be warm enough this evening to which he replied ' this is mild, I know all the best places to keep out of the cold'. We said our goodbyes and he asked me to stop and chat with him again next I see him ( which I will ).

On my way back home I stopped to take one last photo of the taxis parked up on Railway Rd waiting to pick up fares from the pubs and restauraunts in town. Just as I was setting up the camera on top of a telephone exchange box a bus was coming down the road, so I quickly pressed the shutter.

It's been an interesting evening, I'm now back home in the warm with a cuppa, I hope the chap I was chatting to earlier is settled down somewhere out of the wind. I'm not sure what I would have done if he had said he didn't have somewhere warm and dry to stay tonight. It's given me something to think about, as it was the last photo taken on my hour out this evening, today's blip is the .....


..... Taxi rank.