ABC Wednesday: B is forBoulton's Bowlder

(Click on image to view full-size version)
A memorial in St Peter's churchyard, Ashton under Lyne.

The inscription reads:

This Bowlder
was placed here by
Alderman Issac Watt Boulton MP
of Stamford House Ashton under Lyme
in affectionate remembrance of
his eldest son
Thomas Boulton
who was for 9 years warden of this church
Born November 5th 1841
and died at sea February 5th 1880
on board the R.M.S.S Kinpauns Castle
wherest on a voyage to the Cape of Good Hope
to recruit his health
his remains were committed to the deep
in Lat.11.30 South Long.2.30 West, February 8th 1880
Lord have mercy on my soul
and take me to thee

Note the spelling Ashton under Lyme (not Lyne) was common in the 19th century.

For ABC Wednesday.

Port Street Mural

(Click on image to view full-size version)
En route to find last week's street art in Stevenson Square I came across this mural on the rear of the Hatter's Hotel on Port Street.

It was completed in November 2011. See David Seale's photograph on Geograph showing the artists putting the finishing touches to the work.

Chrissy Brand posted her own photo of the artwork on Mancunian Wave in April.

For Monday Murals

ABC Wednesday: A is for Archimedes under an arch through an arch

(Click on image to view full-size version)
Under an arch of the railway from Piccadilly to Oxford Road is a stone statue which shows a life sized Archimedes leaping naked from his bath whilst experiencing his "eureka moment". It was created by the artist Thomas W Dagnall and unveiled in September 1990.

The view here is through the Technology Arch, a sculpture by Axel Wolkenhauer. It consists of thick metal ropes set into a mobius strip, and passing upwards into an arch. It is set on a circular metal base. The work refers to spiral forms in time and space. The mobius or endless loop and the materials used create a dialogue between science and nature. A base plaque states "Made possible by North West Arts and British Ropes Ltd, 1989".

Early commentators have been asking for a front view of Archimedes so here it is

  © Copyright David Dixon and
licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

These sculptures are just a few of the interesting things I found on a walk following the railway arches from Piccadilly to Oxford Road. The whole walk can be visited on the Geograph blog.

Further A posts can be discovered at ABC Wednesday.

Monday Murals: Stevenson Square, Manchester

(Click on image to see the bigger picture)
Last week I thought it was time I ventured into Stevenson Square in Manchester to see the regularly changing street art there having heard of it via Chrissy Brand at Mancunian Wave. Her post this week shows one side of the latest artwork and a close-up of part thereof.

My photo shows one end which seems to compliment the advertisement on the back of the nearby bus. The street art is set around some closed underground toilets.

I found some other murals in the vicinity which I'll share in future posts.

A contribution to Monday Murals.

Monday Murals/Doorways: The Thirsty Scholar

The Thirsty Scholar is a bar and night club situated under one of the railway arches by Oxford Road station. The area around New Wakefield Street has a lot of graffiti/street art. The council are threatening to remove it, hence the "Save our Street Art" posters.

Chrissy Brand featured one of the New Wakefield Street murals last Monday on Mancunian Wave.

This is one of a series of photographs I took on a walk last Monday around the route of the viaduct linking Piccadilly to Oxford Road making some interesting discoveries along the way. An illustrated account of that walk can be found on the Geograph blog.

A contribution to Monday Murals.

Weekend in Black & White: Arch #42

(click on image for a larger view)
A look alongside the viaduct that carries the railway line from Oxford Road to Piccadilly in Manchester.

Arch 42 near Princess Street is roughly halfway between the two stations.

This is one of a series of photographs I took on a walk around the route of the viaduct making some interesting discoveries along the way. An illustrated account of that walk can be found on the Geograph blog.

This is a contribution to The Weekend in Black and White and Sunday Bridges at San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.

International Olympicosmpoetriada

EARTH AND SKY

This astro-photo-art-poem by Arlene Carol (USA, residing in Turkey) precedes my astrohaiku in the latest web production by SARM MASTER FESTIVAL (PART II OF MASTER OLYMPICOSMOPOETRIADA)

***

across light years
googols of radio waves
oscillate

Gerald England

The anthology of super photographs and poetry also includes

ESCAPING QUESTION

Whispers her dream snake
tongue licked up from pyramid
peak caught fly wise fall
of meteor swallowed spark
reawake mummy's goodbye smile

by Steve Sneyd

SIGNALS, DEDICATED FROM THE SKY

In the picture above, on the bottom left, you see the lunar disk. Ufo Analyzer software has classified the fireball as belonging to the class "J5_And" Andromenidi with estimated magnitude, but perhaps underestimated: - (minus) 4.5!
Latitude and Longitude of observing station:
Lat 46.933300 North
Long 26.366600 East
Date of sighting: 19th November 2011

image © Alfredo Caronia (Italy,
co-discoverer of 5 asteroids, established in Romania)

is followed by

3.3.12

I missed the fireball streak across the sky
That set alarm calls ringing across the land
As people thought a plane was crashing, or
A UFO had brought aliens from on high
(Their mission to invade had long been planned)
But, most likely it was just a meteor.

by John Francis Haines

Another contribution by Steve Sneyd is

TANKA

Twin suns death dancing
tear gobbets of hot flesh : shared
world pretends nothing
much just presents a gain who
hurl harmless lost meteor dreams


Valentin Grigore's VENUS AND JUPITER OVER TARGOVISTE, 15th March 2012

is followed by

twilight
an incoming jet flies by
Venus twinkles

Gerald England

All of this is just a minute part of the International Olympicosmpoetriada coordinated by Andrei Dorian Gheorghe and Valentin Grigore of the Romanian Society for Meteors and Astronomy.