To recommend the website Geograph to help cope with lockdown?

[Settle59]

I've been on a strict diet exercise program for the past 5 weeks and having been obese for 3 years and have been ABSOLUTELY desperate to lose weight -I'm now merely overweight and no longer obese!! (champagne emoji needed). However, I've needed a distraction to keep me out of the fridge. I stumbled on a website called geograph which has photos of practically every where in the UK from about 2008. So for example you can see what the shopping centre in your town looked like 12 years ago and see the beautiful snow scenes from the winter of 2010! You can also see autumn colours in your local park from 5 years ago for example cos you can chose the years and exact area you wish to browse. This site has got me really absorbed and thus I feel has assisted me in my weight loss - you fall a bit down the internet rabbit hole iyswim - I like looking at photos from 2009 that was a great year for me and 2014 was a shitshow - annus horriblis - so I don't look at photos of this year as much.
However, I'd definitely recommend this site for those of you who want a distraction. It suits me perfectly. I'm a self confessed sentimental old fool!!

That site is really interesting and congratulations to your weight loss!!!

Thanks OP!

Well done on the weight loss!! I'm will have a look at the site this afternoon, love a bit of reminiscing

I love that site. It has dozens of photos from where I grew up and I can end up browsing on there for hours!

Thanks cheesecake and user and you're welcome Chandler!

It's great isn't it Bamboozled? - I just stumbled on it by accident!

There's loads of new photos since I last looked - I know how I'm spending this afternoon

This is another site I can get lost on for hours at a time www.derelictlondon.com/ I used to visit another one that was derelict buildings all over the UK but can't remember what it was called.

Thanks for the link Bamboozled I love this type of thing!

My town has barely changed in 12 years!

I'm definitely going to look at Geograph, thanks. If you like maps go to the georeferencing maps page of the nls (national library of scotland) website and slide the overlay button between current maps and old maps. Especially interesting if you like to know where old railway lines went. You'll forget to eat if you're anything like me! I lose hours and hours on that site.

Ooh I love the derelict london sites!

Thank you so much Settle

I’ve just spent the happiest afternoon since lockdown began, thanks to your recommendation! 👍🏻👏👏👏👏

Only downside is, I might not get much work done tomorrow, I’ve had such a brilliant nostalgic time. That was very generous of you to share the site with us.

I've spent the afternoon wandering down memory lane and managed to escape the present situation for a while. Thank you Settle Well done with your weight loss and I hope this keeps helping you. I'm out of champagne but have some

Back to the real world and cooking dinner now I suppose!

notchickenagain - thanks for your recommendation - that's the sort of thing I love cos I love social history!

Starksforthewin - glad you got so much enjoyment out of it! - Just think it's good to share anything that'll help us get through lockdown although we're thankfully past the most restrictive of it!

You're welcome Bamboozled and thank you for the weightloss encouragement - I'm due to go for a run soon and it's not that easy to get motivated for exercise on a Sunday evening!!