The Wheel of Manchester is 60m high, air-conditioned and, more to the point in this weather, heated. It’s also really beautiful lit up pinkly against a deep blue evening sky. That’s it reflected in Selfridges on the left hand side.  I wonder if it’s pink because this is Valentine’s week?

It can be such a great start to the day to get up at sunrise and go for a wander somewhere in the city with the camera. Yesterday I went down to Castlefield and had a very productive couple of hours before the reward of scrambled eggs and a HUGE cup of tea. This picture shows the 47 storeys of the Beetham Tower (well, most of them) reflected in the canal alongside some (occupied) barges. A little tweaking has taken place - I was after an 'old postcard' effect...

A family photoshoot in Manchester City Centre - a sunny day, with lots to see and climb on - great fun. And when you're a kid having fun, you haven't got time to be distracted by a woman with a camera - you just get on with the fun!  Having meandered through Castlefield and along the canals around Deansgate, we popped up by the Bridgewater Hall, where there's  a great big marble stone. Quite a challenge for a 10 year old to get onto - and then to stay on - given that it's as smooth as glass, and your brother is literally pulling your leg!

Well, perspective is indeed a wonderful thing... Was up on 47th floor of the Beetham Tower tonight, photographing an event for the local charity Forever Manchester - who are just SO amazing. It's a buzzy, down-to-earth, local, and exceedingly practical outfit that recognises reality, connects with human beings, rolls up its sleeves and gets on with it. Refreshing? Just downloading the pictures now - this is an odd one I took for me - I liked this goods train snaking through Castlefield. More to follow, in due course.

In London this weekend. Saturday's shoot done, I had today to drift a little and enjoy the city... In Holborn I had a look at the new development at St Giles, designed by Renzo Piano for Legal and General, which I'd looked down at from Centre Point a few years ago as construction began. It is quite something, covering an entire city block. While the inner courtyard elevations are clad in a quiet, very pale grey, the external faces are bright orange, yellow and green - absolutely glowing in the sun today. 

Just spent some time walking and talking with cameras: a photowalk - my favourite way to see my favourite (and home) city, and a very mellow way to share enthusiasm, looking for light and shape in the cityscape. Buildings, bits of buildings, strange juxtapositions, water (the cascade picture below was at one of the Castlefield locks), graffiti - there's so much to catch the attention.  Jo, pictured here,  is a trained fine artist who produces stunning oil paintings, a few of which I'm lucky enough to own, and it's fascinating to see how her eye turns to photography.

I'm organising a photowalk in Manchester's offbeat and interesting Northern Quarter for Sunday 22 April, starting at 1pm, and ending at 4/4.30pm after a drink and chat.  It will be a relaxed, sociable event, for photographers of all levels of ability to walk, talk and shoot together. While I'm organising it with The Guild of Photographers, everyone is welcome - and it's free. I'll sort out the route nearer the time, as well as starting and finishing places, and would welcome any ideas/thoughts.