One big task, one small task. This last one didn't have much text in it, this one does. Let's do it!

The problem with living in a city like Manchester is that, to be quite honest, geographical features are somewhat of a rarity. But hey, problems like reality and non-existence have never been a problem for me before so here goes...

1. St Michael's Flags and Angel Meadow Park


So this park sits just behind my apartment and hides one of Manchester's most overpopulated mass graves as you can find out here...

So what makes it mine?

I pass through this park every day on the way to work. It's one of the rare places in the city where I'm not staring at walls and buildings and roads and cars and people and rubbish. I'm staring at birds and trees and grass and flowers and squirrels and I love it.

I think one of the best ways to kind of attempt to describe the place to you, bizarrely, is to talk about somewhere else...

The only place I can really think of to compare it to, albeit on a much smaller scale, is theMeiji Shrine in Tokyo. For the benefit of those who haven't been, the Meiji Shrine is nestled in the middle of Shibuya, right next to the busy Harajuku shopping district, one of Tokyo's most bustling, and noisy, areas.

The shrine is absolutely beautiful but what struck me most about it when I visited, was how very silent it was. Not simply because of the natural solemnity of the place, or the respect paid by it's patrons, but rather because of the forest that surrounds it. The shrine is literally two minutes away from one of the noisiest areas of Tokyo, but you can't hear the city for the trees. I really loved that about it.

Anyway, I'm aware that I'm starting to ramble here so, as already stated, Angel Meadow really reminds me of that place, as it's one of the only places I can go in Manchester where I'm not surrounded by the noise of the city, but of the noise of nature. I'm not particularly a massive nature guy, and for the most part I like the noise and the crowd of the city - it's good to know, however, that I've got somewhere to go to be away from that if I want to.

The park is where I go for peace - as such, it's the place I find it and, as a consequence, it's where I am. At Peace.


2. That building that no one quite knows what it is...




I know what you're thinking at this point... "it's well established that Chris Madden is an idiot, but does he genuinely think that buildings are geographical features?!? What an uncouth folly of a man!"

Whoa, hang on a minute! The above may be true but allow me to explain!

I suppose my blinkered way of thinking on this was that if no one really knew how long a building or construct had been there, and there really wasn't any proof otherwise, and the building seemed out of place and a bit totally useless, who is there to argue that it hasn't been there forever...?

Well everyone obviously.

I mean sure I could do some research, sure I could contact the planning committee on the council to find out when the building was constructed, sure I could check out HMLR (Her Majesty's Land Registry) to find out the buildings designated use - but to be honest doing any of those things would steal from the mystery of the place...

I can see the lonely building from outside my window, in fact you can see it quite clearly in my Proverb Proof Praxis in the second video. You may not really be able to tell from the picture, but it actually sits quite a little behind the car park which you can see in front of it.

There's something pretty special about this building, it's obviously been out of use for quite some time, but whereas other buildings are being torn down or regenerated left right and centre (most of the apartment buildings in the small area I live in are converted factories and warehouses - mine, unfortunately, is not) this building just kind of sits there useless and unloved.

But I love it.

It serves as a constant reminder to me that you can be alone in a crowd, but still stay strong and resilient and individual. A thought that often helps me through tough lonely times in a big city.

3. The Sky


The above picture may seem a bit confusing - it's actually what I can see outside of my window when I wake up in the morning like directly above me. If that makes sense...

I love the sky, but mostly when it's blue. I love it in the summer months when the sun rises at about five in the morning. Waking up to a clear sky instantly makes me feel better and, as such, during the summer months, I tend to sleep with my blinds and window open.

Although I tend to believe more in mind over matter and the fact that a lot of ailments are exaggerated by our silly brains (of which I'm a major sufferer) however one ailment I truly believe I suffer from is

Thus, after all that, I'm proud to say:

"Hi! I'm Christopher Michael Raphael James Twentyfourthegamewayyy Magnum of the family Madden, originally of the town of Chorley, but now of the city of Manchester - the St. Michael's Flags and Angel Meadow Park, the Lonely Building and the Sky."