The first day of spring “officially” and its cold as hell, (sorry that’s a rather naff oxymoron courtesy of Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’) but it is bloody cold tonight. Of course, the main consolation is a pin sharp clear sky and a wonderful tapestry of infinite celestial curiosities—the joy!
A couple of weeks ago Gill and I decided to spend part of our usual weekend together cycling around Manchester and then riding back to Heaton Chapel along the Ashton Canal. This was a curious trip for the Cheshire lad now more at home with the peaks and plains but never the less an interesting adventure. We joined a cycleway, part of the Transpennine Trail that runs around the back end of Levenshulme. A vaguely familiar route though this time I was not lost, caught in pouring rain (and mud), and generally feeling miserable.
Just as we started the final leg of the trip home we came across this place (Debdale Reservoir ) it is amazing how deceptive (and different) the Mancunian suburbs can be at times. One minute a dense urban sprawl then a wonderful vista that reminded us that we are just within touching distance of the Peak District. Of course, the city is always an interesting place to visit even for us two country folks with roots in Cheshire and Wiltshire respectively.
Vegetarian and radical leanings were indulged at the Earth Café and The Basement complete with its radical book shop sporting ALF T-shirts and ‘Burn the Rich’ cigarette lighters. We went and sold out, or rather went and had a quick half in the now much more bourgeois setting of the never changing Dukes 92 in Castlefield, though in my day it was full of stylish ‘scallies’ and the lovedup generation on a pre/post Hac chill out. Manchester is continuing to re-invent itself and yet more new development or revamping of existing structures is taking place, the city is once again a jungle of tower cranes and some very innovative architecture.
One of the most exciting aspects of all of this (for me) is the prospect of Tony Wilson having some sort of design (conceptual) input which according to a recent edition of ‘Building’ magazine is the case. I think he has been appointed (self-appointed?) as some sort of overseer or guru for Manchester’s vision of the future. This could go either way; a landscape of inspired design and living, or a transient over trendy burst with built in obsolescence—see ‘Madchester’ though the master mind behind Factory and ‘In the City’ is a good choice for keeping old Manc on the map—I suppose. Don’t really care—we are going to be agrarian radicals. Its back to my second home in Heaton Chapel for a long weekend on Friday; warmth and love and the rest of it ahhhh.