Saturday 15 January 2011

Black & White Photo 3

Or rather - the story of my day told through black and white photos!

We took our son back to Sheffield today for his final semester at University of Sheffield.  I hate the drive back after dropping him off, the husband and I are both subdued and it just seems too quiet in the car.
We've been going up to Sheffield now for about 7 years!  Our daughter went to Sheffield Hallam university and as soon as she graduated, our son decided that Sheffield was the place for him too although he rang the changes by choosing the other university there.  So that 150 mile journey is becoming quite familiar now.
Before our daughter went to university I had never ventured much 'up north' apart from a long weekend in the Lake District back in the early 80s.  I guess most people have seen or heard of the film 'The Full Monty', well that was set in Sheffield.  It's a town of great contrasts, from the very old to the very new.  Certain areas are dominated by the two Universities and a lot of the housing there is student accommodation. I can't imagine what the town is like when the universities finish for the summer and it is left to just the local people.
Sheffield has a long and varied history - if you are interested, you can read about it here, it has been very prosperous when it was the centre of the British steel industry but that has long gone. The photos I have included in the collage are left to right,
Top row first - modern sculpture in the Crookes area town,  modern university building, the house that is where my son is living
2nd row Peterborough Services - an odd choice to include but we always stop here on the way as not only do I always need a 'comfort break' when we have been on the road an hour (and yet I can make the 3 hour journey back home non stop - curious!) but they have an M&S Express there and we buy our sandwiches for lunch, next two pictures are an example of a couple of church buildings in the older area of the city,
3rd row A signpost that shows we are nearly at our destination, the jumble of possessions on the bookcase in my son's room ranging from beer and wine on the top shelf, a huge variety of reading matter, a collection of DVDs and his trusty guitar, then finally a set of traffic lights.  You certainly see enough of those once you enter 'Steel City'!

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8 comments:

Sian said...

I've maybe told you before that i have a school friend who went to university in Sheffield and liked it so much she stayed and is still there over 20 years later

Your book went off in the post today so keep an eye out!

Jennifer Grace said...

Love the beer and wine on the top shelf of the bookcase. Very important university supplies! x

Jane Mickleburgh said...

I stop at Peterborough too, on the way to Nottingham - and like you, I don't stop on the way home!!
Hope you are feeling much better than when I last saw you. Jane x

Cheri said...

Somehow, it seems appropriate that you told this story in black and white. Or maybe it's just a little emotional transferance on my part. Either way, I totally understand the "subdued" feeling.

alexa said...

Hope the quiet and subdued feeling doesn't last too long... And good luck to your DS for the final push!

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

This is a great post with some interesting info on Sheffield.

I saw "The Full Monty" years ago and to this date I still remember the laugh I got when the men are standing in line at the unemployment counter and Donna Summers' "Hot Stuff" starts playing. One of the best movie laughs ever. Thanks for reminding me...now I have that song stuck in my head!

Maria Ontiveros said...

What a nice post today - loved learning a bit more about a part of England I've never visited (okay, London is the only part of England I've visited, but hope to visit more soon).
Rinda

humel said...

Love your little splashes of colour! And I hope you're feeling noisier and less subdued now xx