Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
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ianhalst.bsky.social
Ian Halstead イアン・ハルステッド
@ianhalst.bsky.social
820 followers 520 following 2.7K posts
Retired graphic artist and web designer. History, music – bass guitarist – silversmithing, book gorger with a pile of as yet unread books taller than I am.
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ianhalst.bsky.social
Mid 80s photoshoot for a band I was in – originally ‘Agent Orange’ until we found the name already taken. Became ‘Beat the Clock’. Photographed around St. Andrew’s Dock in Hull with a large format Rollei as I remember. I may have posted these before but what the hell!
Photographed at the quayside next to the bow of a trawler with its mooring rope and anchor visible. Foremost is Grant Ardis the drummer, perched on a mooring stanchion, right leg raised with a foot on the rope. Behind anto the left is the author, Ian Halstead, bass guitar. Behind Grant to the right are Maggie Foottit, vocalist and Pete Cox, guitar. Another trawler can be seen adjacent to the far dockside, and part of the bow of one berthed further to the right on this side. A bright sunny day, accentuating the monochrome tones of the image. Grant, Maggie, myself and Pete, left to right, standing facing the camera with backs to the quay. A small section of trawler now is on the extreme left, with a side view of a trawler on the far dockside with another berthed alongside this. Maggie, myself, Grant and Pete on the superstructure of a caterpillar tracked mobile crane, used in a major raid-building programme near the docks. Maggie is perched on the large striped counterweight at the rear, with the rest behind the rail alongside the cab. Right to left, flowing diagonally from lower right to top left of the frame, are Grant, Maggie, Pete and myself. We are all sitting facing left in a raised low wall at a quayside – the camera is looking down from a standing head height. Deep shadows of us are cast on the ground in front of us as bright sunlight comes from the right onto our backs.
November 2, 2025 at 9:01 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
A cast metal sign on the side of a well within the courtyard of Doune Castle in Scotland. The close-up image shows the sign, with a white border and capitalised lettering, on a black background. The sign is mounted on stonework around the well.
October 16, 2025 at 9:13 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
A day of sunshine and rain showers. Polly is happy to just laze on the sofa.
#Sighthound #Podenco #HairyPodenco
Polly the hairy Podenco, outstretched on a sofa, her head partly resting on cushions and partly on an arm rest. Her front paws protruded over the arm rest. Polly has eyes almost closed, a white nose along with most of her face, and brown and tan shades on the rear of her head and to her body.
September 12, 2025 at 9:52 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
The empty chair. 🪑
A room at Gargunnock House near Stirling.

www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties/g...
Standing in a corridor, an internal panelled door is partially open, revealing an empty chair positioned next to a sunlit window behind it. The ceiling of the revealed room slopes down to the right above the chair. A light coloured patterned rug is in front of the chair, and one leg and a corner of a side table can be seen behind the right side of the open doorway.
September 5, 2025 at 7:28 AM
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Going through some old printed literature and found this tour guide for the Myoryuji Temple in Kanazawa – we visited in May 2017. A fascinating structure in that it looks like a temple but was a defensive fortress. Hidden rooms, trapdoors and secret tunnels etc.
The cover of the tourist guide book to Myoryuji Temple. It shows the entrance gateway with a stone column outside. Three postcards acquired with the guide. One shows an escape tunnel entrance/exit disguised as a well, the second is of a room containing staircases to the main sanctuary and the third shows the cylindrical well in a courtyard. The guidebook opened out with an explanation in the left and a photo of the subject on the right – in this case showing floor boards which can be removed to reveal hidden spaces.
September 1, 2025 at 1:37 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Instantly transported back to my student days. Gong: Expresso II.
The cover for the LP Expresso II by Gong, laid next to a Linn LP12 turntable, set next to each other on a treated and sealed marine plywood media furniture unit.
August 24, 2025 at 11:02 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
And some more images…
Lilly pads and two striking flowers with the carmine colour contrasting wonderfully with the rich green of the pads. A zig-zag walkway projects out into the pond, returning to the pond bank after roughly 30 metres or so. Small bushes and an outcrop of heather are in the foreground, on the island connecting two sides of the pond. Three people are on the walkway. The large arched bridge connecting the pond island with one side of the pond. Four sets of supports are visible under the bridge. It has been left unpainted, in its natural wood finish. An outcrop of Meripilus fungi in close-up. The platelets are mottled brown in colour on top with cream coloured undersides, and resemble a jumbled up frilly skirt.
August 24, 2025 at 8:40 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
And yet more images…
A gravel rake – the raking section is dog-toothed rather than equipped with dowels for creating the grooves – placed on a cut grass surface next to a freshly raked circle of ripples. A raked ‘shoreline’ of a moss and stone island is in the background. A stone frog, itself placed on a stone, is positioned in a small glade surrounded by foliage. A stone Tanuki statue – a Japanese ‘raccoon dog’ complete with saki bottle – represents a mythical creature which originally shapeshifter and played tricks on people. More recently, it symbolises good luck, particularly in a business setting. Yes, this Tanuki like most, is well endowed in the testicle department. A stone lantern, shipped from Japan complete with packing and assembly instructions is placed on a tall stone column. There are several lantern in the garden. Bushes and trees are behind, with a cut grass lawn and large stones in front. Partially hidden is a wooden thatched roof structure.
August 24, 2025 at 8:28 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
More images from the visit…
A short arched bridge spans a stone-walled channel fed by water from a dam upstream. Trees flank the bridge, with a pathway is on the left side of the channel. A golden house on the banks of the pond is the information centre for the garden. The walls are a rich golden orange colour and the structure has a thatched pitched roof. A zig-zag walkway over the pond leads to an island, connected to the far side of the pond by a large arched bridge. Both the walkway and bridge symbolise the journey through life. Large stones placed in the pond are seen in the foreground. A covered wooden viewing structure projects over the pond. Four substantial poles support the roof, allowing the structure to be open on all four sides. Wooden railings with delicate bamboo infills fully cover three sides of the structure, to waist level. The large arched bridge is seen in the background.
August 24, 2025 at 7:30 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
A visit to the Japanese Gardens at Cowden, near Dollar in Scotland.

cowdengarden.com
A large artificial pond, created by a dam constructed in the valley is the central focus of the garden. An arched bridge connects one side of the garden to an island. Both the bridge and surrounding trees are reflected in the pond. A dry garden with moss and stone islands is a part of the garden. A freshly raked circular ripple pattern has been created in an open area of gravel, with the circumference of the islands also raked. A series of conjoined stones projects into the pond, with a capped stone lantern at the end. A coveted gateway leads to a path taking you further into the garden. Delicate bamboo dancing and hedges flanked by the gateway. The gateway cover is a pitched roof constructed in wood and bamboo. Japanese characters on the gateway roughly translate as ‘dew water healing’ – I think!
August 24, 2025 at 7:08 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Not Apple, but a similar aesthetic – from 1975.
A Sinclair scientific calculator bought in 1975. A white plastic casing with a black area at the bottom for the keys, coloured light grey and cyan blue. The display is at the top and consists of eight LEDs, each under a hemispherical magnifying element, inset into the black display area. The calculator used reverse Polish notation.
August 17, 2025 at 6:23 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Not that I actually need any new strings for the double bass, but someone asked me how much they cost. The low B string alone is £160. The rest as a set are £271. Just as well I don’t need any. 😬😳🤯
A double bass on a stand facing the viewer is on the right, with two bass guitars also on a stand are to the left. The double bass and the natural wood finish bass guitar face on, are five string instruments, with the black Shergold Marathon bass facing away is a four string bass. All are situated in a basement room near a n external doorway.
August 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
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The cultural equivalent of peering at everyone else’s exam paper, submitting yours as genuine and then setting fire to the ones you copied.
#AITheft #AI #IntellectualCopyright #Theft
A poster done in the style of official government information posters. It shows an illustration of a balaclava clad burglar removing a painting from an interior wall. The main headline text: It’s not theft. Sub-heading: If you say you’re using it to train your AI algorithm. Small text paragraph: Theft is now legal, so we can boost the economy by eliminating jobs. If that doesn’t make any sense, ask a chatbot to explain it to you. A UK Government crest and wording complete the poster.
August 8, 2025 at 12:06 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Saw this in the Tesco supermarket in Milngavie and had to try it – well you just have to don’t you? I will report back when opened.
#JapaneseCoffee #Coffee #Japan
A pack of Ueshima brand coffee beans resting on an oak work surface. The pack is white with bronze coloured sides and features a wide black zigzag brush stroke partially obscuring a red circle. Above this are details of the roast strength and above that the brand name in capitals in a medium weight sans serif typeface.
August 8, 2025 at 9:02 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
One of this morning’s jobs that cannot wait. It won’t take long to get them absolutely lethal again.
Three black handled knives laid flat on a kitchen draining board next to a dual sided whetstone, soaked and wetted ready to receive the knives in turn. One side will remove material, the other side is finer and polishes the edge. Two of the knives are conventional chef’s knives and one is a larger and similar to a Japanese Santoku bladed knife.
August 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
I like Balfron more and more.
A circular blue plaque attached to a fence reads: Balfron Radicals 1820 Insurrection 200 Weaver Radicals marched here ready to fight for Justice, Truth and Liberty.
August 3, 2025 at 8:39 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
One plum crumble in a state of potential. It will be made manifest this morning. Lithuanian honey will be the sweetener – kindly given to us by a Lithuanian friend, Sigita.
A large orange, Halloween themed bowl full of freshly picked plums. The plum tree is just the other side of a boundary fence on a communal grass strip.
July 21, 2025 at 9:11 AM
ianhalst.bsky.social
And the result!
Looking at the seven o’clock position of the head of a female sporting newly dyed hair – a rich Titian colour.
July 18, 2025 at 6:33 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Indulging in a little indoor culture this afternoon. 27 degrees outside is too hot for me, although my friends from Japan and elsewhere will be saying “A mere 27 degrees? That’s nothing!”
An oiled birch plywood top forming part of a cabinet containing audio equipment, LPs and CDs, with a Linn LP12 turntable and Bach’s St John Passion – John Eliot Gardiner – on the Archiv label, in twin LP box set form alongside, and being played.
July 12, 2025 at 1:27 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
26 here and that’s more than enough for me! Lucky enough to have a basement man cave thing. Nice and cool down in the dungeon where I’ve been doing some recording. The bats in the doorway aren’t real unfortunately!
Basement music room containing two bass guitars, a double bass, amplification and monitoring, as well as microphones and recording software.
July 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
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Bought in Kanazawa at the Moroeya Kutaniware shop back in 2017, this bowl and a similar one with red and yellow dragonflies have both been in almost daily use since. Love the simplicity.
#Kanazawa #Ceramics #Bowl #Dragonfly
A slightly blue tinted white ceramic bowl with a narrow circular base and slightly flared rim, is decorated internally with three dark blue lines a little away from the rim and dragonflies in shades of blue. The outside is unlined apart from a single line on the base support, and also has dragonflies in blue.
July 11, 2025 at 2:05 PM
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Morning stroll along part of the West Highland Way near Drymen. Loch Lomond is visible in the distance, but clouds are not. Clear blue sky.
A view to the west, in roughly the direction of Balmaha, from the West Highland Way and not far from the Craigievern Trail car park. The foreground is in shadow, and consists of two felled pine trees on the left side of the image, with tangled undergrowth increasing in height as you look further to the right. A small scattering of immature pines is beyond the undergrowth, with land descending down to the loch, beyond the trees. The shoreline is hidden behind higher ground. No clouds are visible.
July 11, 2025 at 1:54 PM
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Tongue peek. Raven relaxing on a chair back.
Raven, a black female cat, reclinjng on a chair back, with one paw over the edge and a slightly protruding tongue.
June 29, 2025 at 5:23 PM
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Walking the dogs on part of the West Highland Way, near Drymen.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #WestHighlandWay #Drymen #Scotland
The view looking south west to Drymen, not far from the Craigievern Trail car park. An immature tree and ferns dominate the foreground, with a bank of trees a few hundred metres away giving way to a shallow valley and rising hills on the far side. The sky is 7/10 cloudy, but the scene is mostly sunlit. A zoomed in image looking south from the same path as the previous image. Hedgerow foliage and ferns are in the foreground, wooded areas in the mid-ground, with low hills beyond in the distance. A path winding through a forested area. The floor is moss carpeted, with dappled sunlight filtering through the pine trees. Looking upwards beside a tall pine tree which is adjacent to others behind. The sky is partially clouded with cirrocumulus(?) clouds.
June 28, 2025 at 2:04 PM
ianhalst.bsky.social
Tim Minchin at the Armadillo venue in Glasgow.
In the queue waiting to get in. The side of the Armadillo building is on the right with three of the sections partially visible. In the distance is the massive Finnieston crane, once used for loading steam engines onto ships for exporting. Awaiting Tim Minchin and his band to appear. The stage is seen with backdrop and screen, with a full lighting gantry above. A mainly seated crowd waits for the lights to dim. Unfortunately, the lights did dim, but the gantry lights and spotlight didn’t work, leading to a delay whilst the controller system was rebooted and tested.
June 21, 2025 at 11:24 PM