Monthly Archives: August 2022

21st August picture of the day…

21 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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The lull before storm…

All three of us had a lie-in this morning. Well, until ‘Bernie’ (our friends dog) decided it needed to go out for a wee at 07:30 this morning which meant I was woken up by being slobbered over as a way of attracting our attention! I’d agreed to take the short straw so Dee could sleep in. What I hadn’t bargained for was letting Bernie out of the back door – only to find one of our neighbour’s cats sat on the doorstep. I don’t know who was more startled, Bernie, me or poor Popi – who took off like a bat out of hell! Luckily, I’d kept Bernie on her lead so there was no cartoon-like hot pursuit.

The excitement over we returned to a much calmer Sunday. Dawn returned Bernie to her owners (who were still recovering from their night out) whilst I pottered around at home, sorting out the final logistics for my week away before retreating to the kitchen to enjoy my last opportunity to indulge in some cooking for some time. I really enjoy the ritual of preparing the ingredients and laying them out before beginning the process of turning the raw ingredients into a meal. I was cooking Indian today so now the the cottage is filled with the smells of exotic spices. The dish I’ve made includes freshly roasted and powdered Fenugreek seeds along with Cloves, Cinnamon, Star Anise and Cumin powder. The mélange of fragrances is wonderful especially as the final product contains the tang of White Wine Vinegar which hangs in the air and complements the spices.

Now it’s time to kick back and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and our evening together so I’ll end the blog here. Expect a series of rolling blogs over the next eight days – although they won’t be a complete commentary on my trip as I’m writing for a magazine. If you want to read the full details they’ll be published in a series of three articles in RAIL magazine starting in October. Despite that, I hope to keep you entertained as I take over 80 trains around the UK to explore many familiar destinations plus some I’ve not visited for decades – plus one of the last extremities of the UK rail network I’ve never managed to reach before…

So, today’s picture is cooking therapy. In this case, Chicken Vindail. Here’s the ingredients prepared for cooking.

20th August picture of the day…

20 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Musings, Picture of the day

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It’s been an easy Saturday here at Bigland Towers. There’s a busy time ahead so it’s nice to kick back a little. The pair of us have been up to different things. Dee’s been out for brunch whilst I pottered around the house catching up on housework and preparing for next week away. In the afternoon we reversed roles as I went out playing pool with friends. This evening the pair of us are relaxing at home as we have a guest to entertain.

Meet ‘Bernie’ – who belongs to friends who’re out partying tonight. We’re looking after her whilst they do. It’s not a service we could have offered whilst our venerable moggie ‘Jet’ was alive, but (to be honest) it’s lovely to have a four-legged friend around the house again…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

19th August picture of the day…

19 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by in Halifax, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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Christ on a bike! – another week’s over and I only have the weekend left before I begin my tour of the country by rail. I’m really looking forward to it. Much of my route’s planned out in theory but to paraphrase the famous quote from Helmuth van Moltke, “no plan survives first contact with the enemy”. I expect my finely tuned timetable to be nothing more than a wish-list, but we’ll see…

Today’s been spent sorting out the last logistics of the trip as well as tidying up paperwork before I go in order to have quality time with ‘the other half’. Tonight was such an event. We both knocked off early in order to meet up with friends in our local. We may have missed the quiz but we had such a laugh afterwards! The humour was flying – lubricated en-route by a variety of alcoholic mixes (or in the case of Dawn, just humour).

Now we’re back at home, resting our chuckle muscles, ready to watch the last episode of ‘Killing Eve’ – one of the few terrestrial TV series series we’ve got involved in for ages. This leaves me with one last task – posting today’s picture, which reflects where we’ve been tonight and one that real ale drinkers can relate to. This is what was on offer to slake your thirst in the Big 6 tonight…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

18th August picture of the day…

18 Thursday Aug 2022

Posted by in Musings, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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We’ve had another mixed day here at Bigland Towers – not that I was going to be going anywhere as there’s another rail strike on so no trains were operating through the Calder valley. I couldn’t have gone anywhere If I’d wanted to! Whilst this was a major inconvenience for many I was happy to be stuck at home as I’d lots to do in preparation for next week and my ‘grand tour’ around the UK’s rail network. To add to the happiness at being busy at my desk, the weather wasn’t exactly conducive to wandering with the camera. Our latest dry spell has broken but it’s still not going to be anywhere near enough to replenish our famished reservoirs. Whilst I was working I was seeing friends in the South and West reporting on the torrential rains they’d had and the consequent floods as the water ran off fields baked like clay. At least we’ve not suffered that here. I’ll be interested to see the contrasts as I traverse the UK next week.

My plans are finally coming together. I’ve only one day out of the seven where I may have to ‘wing it’ or plan at the last moment due to problems with a couple of the train operating companies. But that’s all grist to a journalists mill, so I’m not going to worry about it.

Whilst I’ve been busy at home I’ve managed to add another load of railway memorabilia to eBay and offer up for sale stuff that’s been sat in cupboards for years. Some of it is rather unusual and certainly limited edition as it was souvenirs that were commissioned for various press events over the years. Here’s an example. You’d be mugs to miss stuff like this! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/314112297014

So, my picture of the day is another mugshot!

No, it doesn’t tilt – unless you make it!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

17th August picture of the day…

17 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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It’s another short blog from me tonight as this is the second evening in a row where we’ve been sociable – and it’s only Wednesday! The day started as normal with the pair of us working from home which was no bad thing after yesterday’s heavy rains. The downpours reduced the daytime temperatures to a comfortable level that was more conducive to working – another bonus. Even so, we’ve had such a rainfall deficit this year our local reservoirs are at paltry levels I’ve never seen in all the 12 years I’ve lived in West Yorkshire. There’s a lot I could say about this situation, but it would involve an awful lot of political spleen-venting and four letter words so I’ll leave it for another blog when I can’t hold the torrent back any longer.

I finished work early today as a couple of old friends who’ve decamped from Yorkshire to Devon have made a temporary return and pitched their caravan up the road in Cragg Vale where we joined them for a few hours this evening. Just up the road is one of our favourite pubs and fantastic community resource – the Robin Hood Inn which is where we booked a table for a meal after a few drinks. They weren’t offering a full menu due to the fact they were still recovering from a big local event (Craggfest). Even so, the food they were serving was excellent and the portions humongous. I ordered the pork with stuffing and Yorkshire puddings and really struggled to finish it as we also had lashings of fresh veg as an accompaniment. So, this picture of the day is food based…

Having bid adieu to our friends the pair of us are now back at home and letting our digestive tracts work their way through such a mid-week feast.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

16th August picture of the day…

16 Tuesday Aug 2022

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Sri Lanka, Travel

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It’s a short blog from me tonight as the pair of us have had a very convivial night at the house of friends. Normally they cook for us but today we turned the tables and brought with us food we’d already pre-prepared. All that was left to do was cook the potatoes in chilli and the spicy chicken kebabs to go with all the salads and demon garlic mayonnaise we’d brought with us. Needless to say, a fine time was had by all – but I wouldn’t stand downwind of us in the morning!

The earlier part of the day saw Dawn commuting into the CRN office in Huddersfield whilst I worked from home planning more of next weeks round Britain odyssey and prepping a lot of old slides and other memorabilia which went live on eBay this evening. Follow this link to see what’s on offer, which includes 90 new slides which I’ve only added today. Oh, there’s also a selection of old badges and branded moleskine notebooks which may tickle your fancy.

As for today’s picture, this is identical to one of the slides that are now up for sale (starting price £1.99). I’ve added a selection of pictures of the railways of Sri Lanka, taken in 2003. The railway still uses a couple of British-built locomotives classes, including these examples, the M7s, which were built by Brush, Loughborough in 1981.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

15th August picture of the day…

15 Monday Aug 2022

Posted by in Architecture, Manchester, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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Another week and another day spent chained to a desk, but hardly in a bad way. The weather forecast was threatening rain and even the possibility of thunderstorms so it seemed like a good day to be at home. Neither rain nor thunder materialised, all we had was a few desultory spits of rain which didn’t even wet the pavement.

Away from the weather my time was spent productively. I’ve a lot more of next weeks around Britain trip and now have an idea of where I’ll be ending the week as I’m not going to try and return home on the day, it would cramp my style too much and mean too much retracing of steps. I’ve not finalised everything as I’m waiting for a few temporary timetables to either be confirmed or cancellations be announced. I may have to be flexible on the Saturday as a result. Even so, it’s going to be quite a trip!

Another project that’s taken up a lot of my day has been preparing another batch of old railway slides and sundry memorabilia for sale on eBay. I’m hoping to have many of the articles added tomorrow and released for sale in the evening. There’s a mixture of UK pictures going back to the mid 1990s plus a selection of Sri Lankan railway images dating from 2003 which feature some old British built locomotives.

One unexpected diversion today was the return of an unexpected visitor. On Friday a racing/homing pigeon put in an unexpected appearance. The poor thing was suffering from exhaustion due to the heat and crash-landed at the back of the house where I found it voraciously chugging water out of an old flowerpot. I managed to save it from the local cats and put it in our outhouse with a supply of food and fresh water for the night then released it successfully the next day and watched it fly away. Well, it seems it enjoyed its holiday a little too much. This afternoon I was looking out of the office window and noticed it perched on the wall opposite, almost as if it was watching me! This time it was a much closer call with the cats who were already stalking it – but now it’s back in the outhouse. This time we checked the rings on its legs and found a phone number – which is local! I’ve rung the chap and he’s going to collect our feathered friend tomorrow. Let’s hope this time it decides it’s given me enough stress! Besides, I don’t want to fall out with the cats…

OK, time for today’s picture. This one’s from my recent jaunt to Manchester and features the Edwardian baroque magnificence of the Midland Hotel. The hotel was designed by Charles Trubshaw and constructed between 1898 and 1903 for the Midland Railway Company at a cost of more than £1 million. It’s coated in a variety of terracotta and granite and it looks stunning!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

14th August picture of the day…

14 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by in Calder Valley, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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It’s been another slow Sunday here at Bigland Towers. We’ve both been having a busy time over the past few days so it’s lovely to have one day in the week where the alarm clock can bugger-off! Mind you. the weather’s still been pushing temperatures into the edges of 30 degrees so that fact the pair of us had a couple of hours work to do in the cool of the cottage was no bad thing. I’ve managed to upload all the pictures I’ve taken over the past few days which can be found by following this link.

By late afternoon we’d finished all we were doing and incoming clouds took the edge off the heat so we sallied forth to Sowerby Bridge and a couple of drinks in some of the local venues. Both of us were surprised just how quiet the town was. There’s several pubs with large beer-gardens/outdoor seating that I’d have expected to be packed but they’d all enough room to dump an elephant! Had everyone had a skinful the night before and were still recovering? Were they all having barbecues at home – or was it the fact it’s the school holidays so many folk are away? Who knows! Whatever, it made for a more relaxed day. Just to feel virtuous (and to get our steps in) we walked back along the canal which was also very quiet, but at least it’s not affected by the drought and unnavigable the way some are.

Now we’re having a quite night home. Well, once I’d watered the gardens anyway. We’re predicted to have thunderstorms tomorrow but I’m taking no chances as we’ve hear these tales before. I must admit, I’d love a good thunderstorm right now. Next week will see me mostly working from home as I’ve a lot of paperwork and planning to sort out before I begin my round Britain trip for RAIL magazine on the 22nd. I’m really looking forward to the adventure but I need to plan the last few days first.

Right now it’s time to leave you with a picture of the day, but what to choose? Oh, I know – here’s an image from yesterday’s trip to Todmorden that shows how Victorian engineering suffers from the ravages of time and the fact they didn’t always get ground conditions right. Here’s the railway viaduct which crosses the centre of the town and possesses a real kink when viewed from the right angle…

Northern’s CAF built unit number 195127 arrives at Todmorden station across the ‘kinky’ viaduct whilst working 1J15, the 12:12 Leeds to Manchester Victoria.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Diverting times…

13 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Halifax, Photography, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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We’ve had another hot and sunny day here in the Calder valley which prompted me to venture out with the camera as on Saturdays Trans-Pennine Express trains are diverted from their usual route and traverse the Calder valley. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but as Dawn had to work this morning this gave me the excuse I needed. I’ll be documenting the diversions at several locations over the coming months but as I only had a few hours today I headed over to Todmorden as I could swap between a couple of locations quickly.

Here’s a few examples.

185126 (rear) and 185138 speed through Todmorden station whilst working 1P71, the 11:02 Manchester Victoria to Darlington.
802206 passes Hall Royd Junction just outside Todmorden whilst working 9M20, the 09:47 Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street. This is the junction for the line to Blackburn which is off to the left.
802217 approaches Todmorden station working 1P25, the 1154 Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle.

There’s plenty of other pictures to be added to my Zenfolio website later, but these give you a flavour of what the day was like. On another day I would’ve stayed longer but I was keen to tear Dawn away from her computer, so the two of us arranged to meet up in Halifax for a wander and a couple of drinks.

I have to say I was amazed at just how busy Halifax was and what fun people were having. The Piece Hall was as stunning as ever. Right now the courtyard hosts a roller-skating rink which is proving to be very popular. What was equally popular was the nearby Westgate Arcade which hosts a variety of bars, cafes and restaurants. The covered seating area was jam-packed and the crowds were being entertained by a swing band and dancers who were performing nearby. The town’s really come on as a place to go to in recent years and it’s lovely to see. Here’s a few pictures to give a flavour.

The stunning Piece Hall
Life in the Westgate Arcade
Our final stop was in the ‘Meandering Bear’ which always has a great selection of beers on offer at prices that surprise many Southerners.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

12th August picture of the day…

12 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by in Lancashire, Musings, Photography, Trams, Travel

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After yesterday’s Blackpool jaunt today’s been one where the focus has been very much about home. The day’s been another hot one with the mercury hitting the 30 degree mark so ideal for spending lots of time in the cool of my office. Plus, I’ve had a couple of days worth of pictures to edit. The galleries they’ve been added to you can find by following this link.

I did eventually venture out for my daily constitutional but boy, was I hot and sweaty by the time I got back. Apart from the absence of humidity these temperatures remind me of being back in Asia – only without the colour and the chaos – well, if you discount what’s happening in politics anyway.

One unexpected event was playing host to a racing pigeon. I’d been out watering the back terrace garden when I spotted a clearly exhausted pigeon drinking from an old plant pot base. The fact it showed absolutely no fear or inclination to move when I approached convinced me it wasn’t one of our skittish locals. When I got close the rings on both its legs confirmed my suspicions. Myself and a couple of neighbors fed and watered it, but then the damned thing wanted to go to sleep on the back steps, which would have been suicide as next door has a couple of cats. Instead, it now has a perch in our shed where it has food, water and sanctuary until tomorrow when we can see if its fit enough to fly off or we have to try and contact its owners.

Talking of flying away, our evening’s been spent in our local pub (The Big 6) to celebrate Holly’s last shift after seven years behind the bar. Nowadays the ‘ginmeister’ works as a teacher and doesn’t have the time. Her send-off brought a lot of old regulars together and included the former Landlord and Landlady – John and Leslie. We had a lovely night catching up with everyone and reminiscing about old times.

Right now the pair of us are back at home and ready to call it a day. It may be Saturday tomorrow but we’ve both got lots of things to do involving work rather than play. Before I switch off for the evening I’ll leave you with the picture of the day which is one from my visit to Blackpool. Odd to think, but until the early 1990s when the Metrolink system in Manchester opened Blackpool was the last refuge of trams in the UK, now look at it. It’s gone from a run-down old system running vintage vehicles to an growing business that uses new Bombardier Flexity 2 trams and is extending its routes to include a new interchange by Blackpool North station.

Trams are in the pink in Blackpool…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!