We’ve had a relaxed and convivial day here in Surrey – and feeling very fortunate too. Our main mission today was to celebrate the 14th birthday of Dawn’s nephew, Sam. Before hand I saw a message from my brother that his family’s Christmas has been kiboshed by the fact Bev – his wife- has tested positive for Covid this morning. Bev works in a school and has done throughout the pandemic, but right now staff are ‘dropping like flies’ as Dave described it.
So far we’ve been lucky – and we’re determined to keep it that way. However, seven of us did go out for a meal in Guildford to celebrate Sam’s birthday. Considering it’s Xmas eve which is normally a frantic day for last-minute shopping and catch-ups the town was remarkably subdued – as was the restaurant. We’ve eaten at Olivio before. It’s a lovely Italian restaurant based in a classic old building full of character where the staff are lovely and the food (which comes in huge portions) is delicious. Normally, this time of year Olivio would be booked out. As it was there were just two 1st floor tables taken for lunch, ours and another family group of 6. An awful situation for the restaurant but good for us as the kitchen staff had few people to focus upon.
The pair of us had eschewed breakfast in order to do justice to the portion sizes. Here’s what Dee and I shared…
We’re both fans of Calamari so this shared starter was right up our street. The Mayonnaise dip was mixed with garlic and the calamari is laced with herbs. The whole dish tastes divine as the Calamari is cooked perfectly.My main course was Buridda, the chef’s version of a classic Genoese fish casserole dish containing mussels, swordfish, tiger prawns, monkfish, potatoes, cooked in a delicate white wine, garlic, chilli and tomato sauce. The picture doesn’t really do the dish justice as the portion size and amount of fish it contains was excellent. Dee plumped for another fish dish. GUAZZETTO DI SALMONE contains salmon, prawns, potatoes, olives, capers, garlic, anchovies, tomato and aromatic herbs served with garlic crostini bread. – delicious and filling!
We’re now back in Tilford, chilling at Chateau Platt whilst preparing food and presents for tomorrow’s festivities. I hope you all have an equally relaxed and fun day, wherever you’re celebrating and whomever you’re celebrating with!
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
It’s a beautifully sunny day here in West Yorkshire, so after being cooped up in the office since Monday I’m venturing out and heading West to give myself and the camera an outing and make the most of the autumn light. I’ve also arranged to meet a friend who’s over from Ireland and pick up some exotic food shopping from Manchester’s Chinatown as I can’t get the ingredients in our neck of the woods. I’m hunting Kecap Manis, the Indonesian/Malaysian sweet soy sauce which is a staple of Asian cousine in that part of the world. Anyone who’s been to Indonesia and eaten locally will immediately know what I’m talking about. The little plastic bottles of sweet chili sauce and Kecap Manis are ever-present on the tables of Rumah Makan’s (food stalls) across the archipelago.
Right now I’m sitting on the 10:44 from Halifax to Manchester which is made up of a pair of CAF built 195/0s. It’s busy, but not overly so. Passenger numbers on the railways have really bounced back, especially leisure travel. Commuter and business numbers are still down but climbing. The bounce-back has confounded the sceptics who predicted a much slower recovery. I’ll be interested to see how busy Manchester’s main stations are later today…
Watch out for regular updates and pictures throughout the day…
20:33
Sorry! I take back (with embarrassment) what I said about regular updates. I’m now on my way home from Manchester after a really good day but one that went anything but to plan. I’d intended to head West to get pictures of the Porterbrook leasing Class 769 bi-mode trains and also get a few shots of the new Stadler Class 777s which are on test runs before being introduced into service on Merseyrail. But today was ‘one of those days’. For once I had company on my quest. I met an Irish friend who’s over in the UK for a break but who’d never explored the routes I was looking at, so it seemed like a natural synergy. Having hooked up at Victoria we headed West on a pair of 156s to Wigan with the intent of catching up with the 769s there. It wasn’t to be. On arrival we checked ‘Real ‘Time Trains’ only to find the bi-modes were few and far between and certainly not on any train we were waiting for. There was only one thing for it. Adjourn to the pub and plan..
The Swan and Railway is a great refurbished multi-room pub that’s kept all its original features. It also has a cracking range of real ales. You can find it opposite North Western railway station or two minutes down the hill from Wallgate station.
Admitting defeat when it came to finding Class 769s we moved on via old rattletraps (aka Class 150s) to Burscough Bridge where we stopped for a pint at the Hop Vine, a brew pub that’s well worth a visit. We’d held out a forlorn hope that we might find a 769 going our way, but it wasn’t to be. However, our cunning plan was that we’d arrive at our next destination (Southport) ahead of a test run of one of Merseyrail’s new Stadler built Class 777s. Like most plans that involve test trains, it soon fell apart as the train path wasn’t activated. So, yet again, there was only one thing to do – adjourn to the pub after a lightening tour of the town.
We’ve certainly taken to taking it easy here. We knew the weather wasn’t predicted to be up to much today so we hadn’t planned anything more than having a slow morning and venturing out to collect some supplies – and possibly a bit of exploring.
As it was the day very much went to plan. The rain started dropping from leaden skies about 10:00 and never let up so we relaxed and enjoyed a leisurely brunch before sallying forth to nearby Wellington where I’d (thanks to the wonders of the internet) found a decent but typically tatty Asian supermarket where we could stock up on a few exotic culinary ingredients to add to our collection. The drive into the town via the backroads was interesting as it showcased just how much new housing is being built in the area. Wellington appears to be expanding at quite a rate and not just on the outskirts, we passed several new developments in the town centre where brownfield sites were being reused. For me, this always begs the question. If we’re demolishing factories for housing, what are people doing for a living nowadays?
Much as it would’ve been good to explore the town we had other bits to pick up so made a bee-line for the town’s bigger neighbour, Shrewsbury. I have to admit to having a soft spot for Shrewsbury. In some ways its one of England’s most underrated and undiscovered towns. Yet it has a wealth of history and some amazing architecture, which is hardly surprising as the town has 660 listed buildings! There’s a glut of timber-framed buildings dating from the 15th-16th centuries and medieval street layouts with lots of winding, fascinating alleys. Plus, far more independent shops survive here than in many comparable towns. Sure, there’s all the big names you’d expect to find (M&S, Boots, etc) as well as all the charity shops that have become a fixture of UK high streets but then there’s many bespoke boutiques, tailors, pottery shops, cafes and many others that give the place a real local feel and identity. Oh, there’s also some cracking pubs, like the Loggerheads, a tiny, multi-room real-ale pub that looks drunk even if you’re not. There’s probably not a true vertical line in the place!
The three-storey building has an 18th century brick shell which is believed to encase an earlier stone structure from the 1600s. One of the rooms is identified as having been ‘men only’ until 1975. With the weather being what it was today it seemed like a good excuse for the pair of us to pop in for a quick drink. Dawn’s never explored the town before, so really enjoyed what she saw. No doubt we’ll return when the weather picks up.
Right now we’re back in the warm and dry, cooking some of the ingredients we picked up earlier in Wellington and the Sainsbury’s on the outskirts of Shrewsbury. Not only had the supermarket run out of petrol, there was many gaps on the shelves. Odd, some people are desperate to claim that none of this has anything whatsoever to do with Brexit – no siree! Odd then that I can’t find any mention of either shortage hitting any EU country or their national media and politicians going to town on the problems. Funny, that…
Meanwhile, we’ve had a lovely evening at ‘home’ doing what we both enjoy doing. Cooking. I made spicy Bombay potato whilst Dawn steamed some beans and cooked Salmon in spices, then improvised a dish that produced an aromatic beetroot curry. Here’s the result…
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The pair of us have had a quiet weekend here at Bigland Towers, albeit it’s been a constructive and sociable one! Most of our time’s been spent pottering around catching up on various chores but we did have a very pleasant few hours with friends in our reopened local pub – the Big 6 Inn. It was chance to catch up with some folks we’ve not seen for ages, but also meet some close friends to swap a few stories and banter. The laughs certainly flew, as did the beers! I was certainly feeling mellow by the time we left.
Today’s been more solitary as Dawn’s been cooking up a storm in the kitchen whilst I’ve been pottering around sorting out odds and sods. One of today’s little tasks what to get our bird feeders cleaned, filled and ready for the winter. I have one outside the bedroom window and two outside my office window. All get plenty of traffic but the seed filled tray outside my office has more traffic than Heathrow! There’s a constant stream of Tits visiting it, as soon as one disappears another arrives. Their favorite seeds are juicy Sunflower seeds so I’ve stocked up with another big bag for the winter and also cleaned and replenished the peanut cage although that doesn’t seem to spark the same interest. I keep meaning to set up the camera to get some pictures of my visitors, but never seem to find the time. Maybe this winter…
Whilst all this was going on the smells wafting upstairs from the kitchen were superb. Dee’s been batch-cooking and producing Lasange in industrial quantities. As well as a large gluten-free one for her parents she’s made two for us that will be portioned out and go in the freezer. Oh, there were a pair of Bakewell Tarts made too – both Gluten free. As if that wasn’t enough Dee also made a Birthday cake for Susan, our neighbour who keeps us supplied with the most gorgeous home-baked bread!
So, the picture of the day is going to be dedicated to Dawn’s cooking. I have to admit, I was never someone with a sweet tooth – I’ve always preferred savoury, but as I’ve got older I have developed a real liking for home-made Bakewell tart and Dee does ’em brilliantly!
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’ll be updating this blog bit by bit throughout the day but it’s not a conventional rolling blog for the simple reason that’s it’s my wife’s birthday and I’d be in deep do-do if I was spending most of the day bashing away at a keyboard or staring at my smartphone!
The day’s started well if slowly. I brought the birthday girl tea and a bunch of flowers in bed then it was time to open all her cards and some prezzies before getting ready to go out for brunch. The weather’s cloudy and gloomy but we’re still going to walk into Halifax where we’ll meet Dee’s parents at the Piece Hall as part of the celebrations. It’s wonderful to be able to do this again although we were surprised to hear the news that the Government’s changed its advice about meeting up in nearby Kirklees without telling anyone.
I only found out this norning by reading about it on Twitter! I shouldn’t really surprised. This bunch have become a watchword for incompetence so this is par for the course. Dawn’s parents live in Kirklees and both have had their double Covid jabs and Dawn and I will have ours later this week, so the government ‘advice’ can ‘do one’ for once. We’ll take all sensible precautions – which is more than some Government Ministers and Advisors ever have!
11:10.
Time for brunch at the unique and rather superb Piece Hall. It being Tuesday not all the bars and cafes were open but there was enough to keep visitors fed and watered.
14:25.
Brunch turned into coffee and cake at a lovely little cafe tucked away near one of the top corners of the hall where the four of us whiled away a pleasant hour chatting and watching the Piece Hall slowly return to life. The Deli is run by the Piece Hall Trust and returns profits to the trust to keep the building running. The cafe’s only small (even smaller now tables have been stripped out to maintain social distancing) but the coffee’s very good and the staff are excellent – so friendly, helpful and cheerful. Plus, it was great to see people (cautiously) enjoying the freedoms they’ve regained after so long.
Coffee over we parted company until later and the pair of us walked home, strolling along some of the towns back streets, discovering some of Halifax’s hidden gems. There’s an amazing variety of buildings here, from huge mansions to back to backs, all linked by a maze of backstreets and footpaths. It’s always an adventure as we suddenly decide to veer off down a street we’ve never explored before. Admittedly, we had to keep one eye on the skies as rain was on the horizon which cut short our wanderings but we managed to make it home before the showers arrived.
Back at home we decided there was nothing for it but to put the heating on and break out the Scrabble board for a couple of hours before we needed to get ready for heading to the restaurant to celebrate Dee’s birthday in style…
16:05.
Our Scrabble match is neck and neck on points so we’ve set it aside whilst we get ready to head out to the restaurant. The weather’s finally brightened up so we’re hoping for a pleasant trip over to the 315 restaurant at Lepton, near Huddersfield.
19:50.
Yum, my starter – roasted scallops, Parma ham, pea puree, cauliflower and garlic dressing..
22:37.
Back home after a super evening with the four of us in the 315. The food was excellent and the staff were lovely. I’ll flesh this out more in the morning but for now here’s a couple more pictures of the main courses. I had the Venison;
Dawn chose the duck;
Both were cooked just right, presented well and were delicious!
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This morning the sun was shining and all seemed well with the word. OK, let’s qualify that – as well as can be expected in this mad time, despite all the crap and uncertainties facing us all right now. My mood was bouyant and I was looking forward to grabbing a short break away from the office to sit in the sun and do some reading. Then, in short order, it all fell apart for a variety of reasons – including the weather. Low cloud rolled into the valley, the sun disappered, the light became murky and the temperature dropped, taking my mood with it. The latest pronouncements from the Government on Covid were just another nail in the coffin.
So, today’s picture is of a happier place and a happier time. This was taken in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 5th January 2012. I was touring through Asia at the time and ended up in KL (which I’ve visited many times) to have a look at their changing railway system and also to get a camera lens repaired as it had packed up a few days earlier. There was a Nikon dealership in KL so I thought it would be straightforward. There was only one problem. The spares for my lens were sourced from Nikon factories in Bangkok – and Thailand had only recently suffered the worst floods for decades so my couple of weeks turned into nearly two months! This was no problem as I was trying to secure an interview with the head of Malaysian railways at the time, and that wasn’t a quick process either – so I got to know KL very well. Many of my evenings would be spent sitting outside a particular Chinese cafe on Jalan Sultan which was a great place to enjoy a beer, a meal, and people watch for an hour or two. On the opposite side of the street were a couple of stalls, one of which was fascinating to watch as they sold Chicken and rice cooked in a claypot.
When all this crap is over I really need to do this again – although the cafe where I used to sit has closed now. It was shut as some businesses were needed to close for construction of the underground section of the new Klang Valley metro system, which I found out when I went back in 2017 – although the Clay Pot stall was still there. I’ll be curious to see how things look now…
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When I threw open the bedroom blinds this morning I saw a sight I’ve not seen for months – the valley covered in rain – and a welcome sight it was too! We’ve had so little precipitation the fields were parched and turning brown so the change in weather’s going to be welcomed by farmers and (I suspect) by the medical profession as it might keep a few of the ‘covidiots’ at home more and away from beaches and beauty spots.
From my perspective the only downside was the fact it had turned chillier and windier too. Having been used to wearing shorts and singlets for so long it was a shock to have to dig out a fleece and waterproof jacket to dress up in for my daily exercise. Even so, it’s a small price to pay and it won’t be for long – I hope…
After our morning meditation and with no excuse to sit in the garden I knuckled down to having a productive day in the office without any distractions. This allowed me to plough through scanning 40 more slides, then get them edited and onto the website in far quicker time than normal. I’d also eschewed my two-hourly walk ‘cos of the weather so once the decks were clear I combined exercise with a trip to the supermarket and a local Indian market,where I stocked up on spices. With all the baking and smoothies Dawn’s been making we were running out of Cinnamon powder as well as the Smoked Paprika that we use for our weekend comfort food of spicy prawns. Whilst they’ve got better at stocking spices the supermarkets charge an arm and a leg in comparison to the local stores and I’d rather spend my money with them than a multinational if I can.
On the way back from my shopping trip I took the long way around via the Promenade and local woods to boost my step count. The earlier rain had subsided and the sun made its bid to break though the thinning clouds but the wind that had sprung up as an accompaniment really knocked the temperature down leaving the weather feel more like early spring than almost summer. On the bright side – at least I wasn’t going to be busy with watering cans today!
Back at home I stowed away the goodies in the kitchen but before I resumed the duties of office (as it were) I couldn’t resist grabbing a couple of shots in the front garden where raindrops had fallen on the Lupins.
If I wasn’t so busy getting my back catalogue of slides scanned I’d dearly love to be able to spend more time out with the camera and playing around with my micro lens getting shots like this. Ah, well…
On the positive side, I did rattle through a lot more old pictures which included shots like this from 1999.
Here’s the last of the Class of 58. 58050 to be precise, hauling a train of long-welded rails through Wandsworth Rd in South London on the 17th November 1999. This was a popular location with railway photographers because of the variety of traffic and the excellent vantage point provided by the station footbridge, which is where this shot was taken from. Sadly, this view is now partially obscured by trees which have grown up next to the lineside inside the fence to the left foreground. All the Class 58s have now been withdrawn. 58050 remained in traffic until 2002. In 2008 it was recommissioned and shipped to Spain where it was used on construction trains for one of the country’s new High-Speed lines. It remains stored at Albacerte, Spain now.
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Apologies. I’ve had a few days off from blogging for various reasons that include our cat being ill, my wife’s birthday an this absolute shambles we have masquerading as a Government. I’m going to try and pick up now from where I left off and catch up over the next few days.
First, the good news. By Sunday our moggie was settled back at home and on the mend. He’s still not entirely ‘with it’ due to the pain killers, but he’s making a pretty good recovery and recovered his appitite now that his teeth aren’t troubling him anymore.
Right, that’s the end of the good news! Sadly, the weather had begun to reflect the mood of the country and turned moody and taciturn with the sun spending most of its time hiding its face behind varying layers of could. It wasn’t particularly cold, but not exactly a day for lathering oneself in suntan lotion, so the two of us kept busy indoors. Dee took over the kitchen for a baking session that resulted in two stunning cakes – both Gluten free. One was a Lemon Drizzle cake, the other was a Bakewell Tart made with cherry jam rather than the usual – and it was amazing as the flavor of the cherries complemented the other ingredients perfectly. Here are the results.
Whilst Dawn was busy downstairs I spent time in the office manfully scanning more old slides in a last push to get the batch from 1993 finished and another empty album set consigned to the loft until I can pass them on to my local station friends group.
Whilst we were living a lockeddown life of domestic bliss things were kicking off big-style on the political front as the row of Johnson’s Special Advisor, Dominic Cummings had exploded all over the papers and social media. It had go so bad that Johnson, a man who’s always had a reputaion for laziness was actually forced into breaking the habit of a lifetime and working on a Sunday. He gave an address (well, more of a blustering ramble really) in which he defended Cummings and gave him his full backing. To say that it went down like a bucket of cold sick would be somewhat of an understatement. Johnson threw everything away to defend his Spad, leaving many people incredulous – including Tory voters who’ve followed his Governments advice and now feel betrayed and angry.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never understood what some people see in the clown. I’ve met him and photographed him in the past when he was Mayor of London. To me he’s always come across as someone who only has one interest in life, himself and his own ambitions. There’s not one iota of interest in public service in him. Now, it finally seems that people are starting to see him for what he really is – too late…
What this shambles will lead us to now is a good question. How many people will now turn round and say “bollocks to staying at home, why should the rules only apply to me and not to the likes of Cummings”? Bank Holiday Monday could be ‘interesting’, to say the least.
To end, here’s a look back to 1993, which seems such a very different age now.
This is a Royal Mail postal electric train that was converted from an old Class 302 passenger unit by stripping out all the seats, re-inforcing the floors and adding roller doors. At the time half a dozen of these sets trundled up and down the old Great Eastern main line out of London Liverpool St to postal depots at places like Chelmsford and Norwich. This one’s seen at Colchester on the 20th August 1993. You can find the rest of the newly scanned images by following this link.
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Remind me never to complain about our moggie jumping on the bed ever again…
We both missed the boy this morning as he’s still in the vets. As a consequence our plans to get up early didn’t materalise. It wasn’t a ‘duvet day’ by any means but we hit the ground ambling rather than running as we waited for a morning call from the vet to let us know how Jet was. When the call came, it was (mostly) good news. He’d had a comfortable night and the pain relief was working. His potassium levels has risen and he was less dehydrated, but he was struggling to eat because of the pain from one of his back molars, which really needed to come out. The vet didn’t want to risk that until he’d regained some strengh, as there was a real risk we’d lose him under the anesthetic, so we were facing another day without him. Needless to say, this took the shine off the day.
Luckily, we had plenty to keep us occupied as Thursday’s shopping day and our weekly trip out of the valley to visit Huddersfield. We headed out not long before 10 and immdiately noticed the roads were the busiest we’ve seen them since lockdown began, driving into central Hyddersfield from the M62 motorway junction at Ainley Top was like a pre-lockdown day as traffic was that heavy.
Our first port of call was the big Sainsbury’s supermarket which was also much busier than last week so we had to queue for about 10 minutes, not that we minded. The weather was warm and sunny, although their was a persistent breeze that really kept the temperature down low enough that you still needed a fleece.
Once inside the pair of us breezed around with our respective trollies Dawn shopping for her parents and I for the two of us. It social-distancing ballet was harder to choreograph this time due to an increase in people. Family groups had been allowed in which was a real pain in the arse as they spead out and take up so much room. Kids being kids – they’re also unpredictable! Even so, it’s a lot more pleasant than the melee you normally get before a bank holiday.
Shopping done we headed over to the water tower at Huddersfield station that’s the base for Dawn’s organisation – Community Rail Network (or ACoRP as it was until the recent rebranding). Dee needed to spend some time in the office collecting paperwork and sorting out some bits so I had time to get a few shots around the station area. There’s still few rail passengers about and you could dump a herd of elephants in the deserted car park! The bus stand in the square outside was equally deserted. I watched a Trans-Pennine Express a 5-car Class 802 pull out of the station on its way to Leeds and counted just 4 passengers aboard. This is despite the ramping up of rail services since last week. Here’s a sample of what was around.
The 0Z68 Crewe Gresty Bridge to York Siemens loco move with 68029, 68028 and 68032 leading pass through sunny Huddersfield.
Having done what was needed the pair of us drove up to Dawn’s folks and dropped off their bags of shopping, staying just long enough for a chat in the sunhine before heading home as we both had work to do (and a vet to hear from). As we crossed over the M62 motorway I was surprised to see just how quiet it was compared to the local roads. There were very few cars or vans, most of the traffic was articulated lorries.
Back at home we stowed away our shopping then phoned the vets, who said Jet had gone for an x-ray, so they’d ring us back later when they knew the results, which left us feeling a bit uneasy. Dawn knuckled down to some work whilst I sat in the garden and caught up wit reading some technical publications I’d picked up from the CRN office earlier. To say the Covid-19 picture’s still confused for the rail and bus industry would be putting it mildly. Then again, is any aspect of the UK’s policy clear? The statistics on testing and deaths can’t be relied on, the ‘roadmap’ for the future exit from lockdown seems to be held upside down and we have an absentee Prime Minister and a Cabinet that makes the Keystone Cops look like the SAS. Meanwhile, scenes of traffic jams at our national parks and beaches show that relying on the “common sense” of the great British public is pinning your faith on an oxymoron. What could possibly go wrong? If only we could go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint and wait for all this to blow over…
After ploughing through my ‘light’ reading the sun was sufficiently over the yard arm for me to break open a bottle of beer. We still hadn’t heard from the vets, which was worrying so we rang them again. A very apologetic nurse explained there’d been confusion earlier as they had TWO black cats called Jet in today. It wasn’t our Jet that had gone for an x-ray. Later the vet rang us and we got the full low down. Jet is staying in for another night so that they can stabilise him ready for his tooth extraction which (hopefully) should happen tomorrow. There’s still a risk with the anesthetic as he’s struggling to eat, so doesn’t have his strength up – but what can we do – other than go ahead and hope all will be right in the end? Hopefully, we’ll have him home soon…
Jet in better days, just where he likes to be – on the bed!
As a distraction technique I decided to do some cooking this evening and rustled up a chicken Madras from one of the ‘Hairy Bikers’ recipes. It’s a quick fix but very tasty. We ate it with chapattis as a change from rice. Dawn even said she preferred it to the recipie she uses. Within a short time I went from this;
To this…
I continued the therapy with a Gin and Tonic to wash the curry down with! Hopefully, tomorrow – we’ll have good news about the boy. The place just isn’t the same without him…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, 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 would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us locked-down freelances need all the help that we can get…
Today was another good day and it even had a touch of variety! It started well as the pair of us were up early following our productive routines of exercise and meditation. Dawn doesfar more exercise than I as she follows a regime via social media where she’s part of a group. Me? I stick to weights and walking – although I’m missing the workouts I used to get from carrying a 12-13 kilo canera bag around all day. It’s nearly two months since I last did that and I expect it’s going to be a shock to my knees to be picking up the strain again once this is all over and I can get back to travelling.
Somehow I suspect It’ll be a while before that happens. Whilst the railways started running an expanded timetable yeaterday the Government advice is still to stay away and there are plenty of unanswered questions over how the hell you manage social distancing on a busy public transport network as it will kill capacity. Not just on trains but at stations too.
All these matters are discussed by my colleagues in the latest edition of RAIL magazine which is available tomorrow. I have an article in there too but mine is a look back at 10 years of the reopened East London line. I lived and worked in that neck of the woods for over 10 years, from 1986 to 1997 before moving to North London for another 13 years, so I know the lines of old.
As usual, a large chunk of my day was spent scanning slides but later in the afternoon the pair of us decided to nip out to a local farm shop as we both fancied something freshly cooked rather than relying on provisions from the freezer – even though that’s all home cooked meals. There’s no processed or ready-meals in our larder!
The first farm shop we called at only did phone in orders, which was our mistake as we should’ve checked first. Instead, we drove to our usual source of goodies at Bolster Moor, which we knew was open as we’d called in the other week. They’ve done a good job of working out social distancing space and their was no queue to get in, so shopping was a delight in the circumstances.
I came away with some sirloin steak to use in a Thai salad as well as some chicken thighs. Oh, and one of their sublime pork pies which was still warm from the oven – although we were good and shared it between us!
Rather than drive straight home we took a detour via some of the local country lanes. Why not? Traffic’s light, it’s close to home and Dawn knows the roads. so it was lovely to break the monotony of the same routes we’ve been sticking to for the past two months.
En-route home we popped into the Tesco supermarket in Sowerby Bridge to pick up some alcoholic and non-alcoholic supplies. The place was quiet and the queue was short, so it didn’t take us long. Unless you’ve just arrived from Mars pretty much everybody knows the drill by now.
Back as Chez Bigland we buttoned down for the evening but first there was time to enjoy a drink in the garden and listen to the birdsong emanating from the stand of trees opposite the house. They’re a popular spot for all manner of our feathered friends including Wood-Pigeons, Crows, Magpies, Jays, Blackbirds, Finches, Tits and even the occasional Sparrow, although for some reason Sparrows are seen far more often at the back of the house than the front. The Tits are tarts, they get everywhere, as do the Magpies.
Once the sun had set Dawn adjourned to the kitchen to prepare the Thai beef salad whilst I disappeared into the office to finish of some slide scanning before supper. The wait was worth it…
To be honest, neither of us are big red meat eaters. It’s something we have on rare occaisions, but when we do something like this is right up our street as the meat is simply one component of a dish with fantastic flavours.
I have a suspicion food has become far more of a focus for many people thanks to the situation we find ourselves in. As we both enjoy cooking it’s actually good fun and we can honestly say that throughout lockdown we’ve not eaten a single take-away. Mind you, even before lockdown we’d only order a take-away once every Preston Guild. But we did enjoy visiting restaurants. I can’t see us doing that again for a while…
Paul Bigland 