One of the 'then and now' shots I took during my UK trip was this one at the corner of Liverpool Road and Alexandra Road in Eccles, where I photographed my Dad over forty-five years ago. I put my shadow into the spot he'd have been standing, just to connect ..
I also went into The Grapes, the pub that was my Dad's 'local' for many a year. It's been done up with a nice bit of leather upholstery now, but this was his seat when he wasn't in the 'snug' with his mates. I can still see him sitting there, half a Guinness and a whiskey and lemonade on either side of an overflowing ash-tray. (Nice) ..
Writing this, it occurs to me that forty-five was also my Dad's age in this shot. (People looked a lot older in 'those days', didn't they?) He was a hard-working, hard-drinking Irishman and you'll have read many times in this blog how much I thought of him. Incidentally, there's a character quite like my Dad in a book I wrote .. 'Page 99, by Joe Bancroft'. Gives a little insight into the pre-mobile phone world of a man that finds himself alone after years of happy marriage ..
