Gordon Bennett – another month gone! Where the hell’s the time going? Our day at Bigland Towers has been dominated by the weather – but that’s what you get for living in the Pennines. We’d no plans to travel anywhere, the idea was to stay at home and continue gardening/cleaning/cooking but my outdoor activities were cut short by the advent of drizzle. That said, the garden’s looking much improved and my rock-breaking activity has tidied up the place as well as providing plenty of exercise! Dee’s been equally busy. We had some lamb rumps we’d purchased from the Bolster Moor farm shop which Dawn prepared and stuck in the slow-cooker, so whilst I’ve been working outside the house has been filled with some delicious smells.

We did nip out into Halifax to do some shopping as Dawn was on the hunt for some Guinness Zero. Our tastebuds diverge on these matters. Apart from the fact Dee’s teetotal the other major difference is she’s on the ‘dark side’ when it comes to beers whilst I prefer the pale hoppy variety (even in low-alcohol varieties). Many people say that Guinness Zero tastes just like the real thing, which could account for it’s popularity and scarcity. Only one local supermarket seems to stock it and that normally sells out fast. Sadly, Dee was disappointed as Sainsbury’s had none. We did try a Tesco Metro nearby where we live but the choices were poor (especially when it came to LA beers) and the the prices were racked up. On the bright side we bumped into a couple of friends which led us to a side trip to while away an hour playing pool in a pub just down the road from where we live. Well, I played pool with the boys whilst Dawn cast a critical eye over our efforts from the sidelines!

Now we’re back home, replete after a lovely meal of lamb, Yorkshire puddings and lots of veg. Ideal food as the weather’s taken a turn for the worse. Rainstorms have breezed in turning the evening into a very wet one indeed – just what you’d expect as a precursor to tomorrow’s bank holiday. Right now we can hear the sound of the rain beating against the cottage windows over the noise of the TV. Impressive!

When I got home and logged onto the web I found the sad news that an old photographic colleague and legend in the railway world (Brian Morrison) had passed away today at the age of 92. I’ll blog about Brian tomorrow as he deserves more than a passing mention but I’ll leave you with his image as today’s picture. Farewell Brian, we had some fun times over the years…

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