Just another wet day...

Started raining about 10pm last night and hasn't stopped since. Pity we can't sell the stuff, we'd be the wealthiest nation on the planet.

Plan had been to head into town today to pick up a couple of games for the son's new PS3. Decided to go it alone as there was no point in both of us getting soaked. Took the camera with me in the vain hope of picking up the odd umbrella shot here and there. Snapped a picture of St Mary's tower from inside the warm shopping centre (top left) before heading out into the rain. Dundee is very good at publicising the relative affluence of places like this. In fact, they've been crowing very loudly over the past few months because the V and A has decided to take up residence in the city.

Outside, however, a very different story could be seen. The guy selling the Big Issue (bottom right) looked absolutely miserable. You might ask, why not go inside the shopping centre to sell? Well the answer to that one is very simple. A job selling the Issue is quite hard to come by and the pitches are also hard to get. So once you get one, you defend it to the best of your ability. Usually that means that you are there on your spot, from early in the morning until late at night whatever the weather and however you are feeling. (Earlier this year Lisa McDade, died of pneumonia after refusing to give up her pitch outside Dundee railway station). Besides, the security in the shopping centres would move them on. Have you ever seen anyone selling the BI inside one of these places?

The next photo I planned to take was the one I had set out to get, the colourful umbrella. Having just stood inside a covered doorway, I watched the brolly make it's way up the street and it was just about in position under this roof top graffiti when a reasonably affluent looking, young guy whizzed past me on his bike shouting the odds. I was a bit confused to begin with and then I realised he was having a go at me. Basically it went something like "you, you take my photo and I'll f'n kill you...DEAD... I mean DEAD!". Now I'm not one to back down quickly when smebody has a pop, but I realised this guy was bonkers. He must have spotted me from further back and he must have been prepared to have a go no matter what I was about to do.

However, nothing daunted, I caught the pair of beauties on the bottom left having a fag before they caught the bus to goodness only knows where. A far cry from the poor sod selling the BI.