SPRINGTIME BLOSSOMS AND FLOWERS were everywhere to be seen in and around Manchester during May 2001. I stopped the car to photograph this remarkable assemblage of colours at Long Lane, on the old A34 between Cheadle and Heald Green.

These photographs were taken in and around the war memorial just south of the junction with Finney Lane and Turves Road.

The pink cherry blossoms and multicoloured tulips made a spectacular sight, and with the war memorial and telephone box it looks quintessentially British.

THERE WASA FIRE on a building site off Anson Road in Victoria Park in the early hours of Monday 14th of May. It started at around midnight and was put out by the Greater Manchester Fire Service within a few hours.

The fire drew many onlookers, mostly students from surrounding halls of residence. Embers rose high into the sky and fell to the ground over a distance of about half a mile. At one point it looked as if the fire was going to engulf the house in front. The firefighters seemed to treat this as a routine job and and had the flames under control fairly quickly.

As for the cause of the fire, a police officer speculated possible arson. Thank goodness no-one was hurt.

STOCKPORT TOWN HALL is emerging from behind the scaffolding which was put up around it for renovation work during 2001.

After nearly 100 years, the tower was in urgent need of restoration. The white stone now looks pristine and hopefully will stay like that for another hundred years.

Stockport Town Hall is situated on Wellington Road South and is built in the neo-baroque style. It originally housed the offices and official chambers of the County Borough of Stockport. In the 1970's, local government reorganisation led to the creation of the much bigger Stockport Metropolitan Borough, part of Greater Manchester. More offices of Stockport MBC are housed in newer buildings to the rear of the original town hall.

Eyewitness says: Thank you Stockport MBC for providing me with a grant to pay for my university fees and living expenses!

WE ARE IN THE ARNDALE CENTRE FOOD COURT looking down St Mary's Gate towards Blackfriars Bridge and Salford.

The new M&S building is just visible on the right. The large concrete building is the Ramada Renaissance Hotel, situated on Deansgate.

In front of it, work proceeds on Manchester's latest prestige office and residential development, No 1 Deansgate.

The main part of the development is a dramatic glass and steel building with a wedge-shaped roof which will sit on top of a set of triangular support struts. Number One Deansgate is designed by leading Manchester-based architects Ian Simpson.

As I've pointed out, the building is striking, but the hotel behind it will unfortunately act as a curtain, blocking views west over Salford for people on the Deansgate side of the building.

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