I’m expecting to have some interesting stuff to blog about this next week as there’s quite a bit of variety in my calendar. Tomorrow I head back to London in readiness for Infrarail, the 3 day railway trade show which is being held at ExCel in London’s docklands. I’ll be there for the opening but then I’ve got to hot-foot it over to London City airport in the afternoon as I’m on a press trip with Siemens to Dusseldorf, a group of us will be visiting their Krefeld plant to see the new Class 717 trains under construction. These trains will be replacing the vintage BR built Class 313’s operating services out of Moorgate and Kings Cross stations in London. After visiting the factory we’ll transfer to the test track at Wildenrath where we’ll have the opportunity to drive one of the new trains, so watch out for pictures on my Twitter account @paulbigland1 and website as well as keeping an eye out for the new blog.
Later that day we’ll be flying back to London, giving me the opportunity to spend a full final day at Infrarail before I head back up to Yorkshire.
There’ll be more variety later in May as I’m off to New York for a week. We’re going to celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday and meet up with some of her family, but I’ve arranged a bit of time to explore, so expect pictures of the New York subway as well as general cityscapes. I was last in the states in 2007, the camera technology’s changed a bit since then, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can capture. By the way, here’s a link to the 2007 rail images.
I love living in the Pennines. I love the Pennine weather less. Whilst my former home in the South can be basking in sunshine and enjoying temperatures that would put the South of France to shame we can be wrapped up in waterproofs! It’s fair to say that the Calder Valley has its own microclimate. Whilst it can be raining in the valley next door we can be basking in sunshine, although it sometimes feels it’s more likely to be the other way round! I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom of Wainwright’s old saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” You just have to be prepared for anything up here.
The last few days are a good example of the changing fortunes. Last Saturday Dawn and I were out walking up to nearby Norland Moor in almost perfect weather, glorious sunshine, hardly any breeze and temperatures that made you think it was summer not spring. Footpaths that were a quagmire only a few days before had dried out, making ideal walking conditions…
Dawn on a footpath high above Sowerby Bridge, which can be seen in the valley below.
Even the sunset played ball!
Sunset seen from underneath the Wainhouse Tower, back on ‘our’ side of the Calder Valley from Norland
It wasn’t to last, the arrival of a new week heralded the return of the rain, which is rather unfortunate as it’s incompatible with doing what I need to – using electrical power tools outside! So, today I’m playing hide and seek with this little lot, rain showers sweeping in from the South-East along the valley from Ripponden – as seen from our bedroom window.
The title of this blog sums up my day. It’s been a real mixture that’s not always gone to plan. I’d originally intended to spend most of it finishing off work on our bathroom which is a project that’s dragged on for months – much to the wife’s chagrin! To ensure marital harmony I’d set aside a few days to move the project on but fell foul of the Harold Macmillan doctrine (“events, dear boy, events”) to get interrupted by a work issue. I won’t name the party concerned, but it seems a former client was still using pictures that the licence for expired years ago. To their credit the new member of staff who’d taken over got in touch with me as soon as this was pointed out and we’ve got things sorted out, but I ended up trawling through old electronic databases looking for paperwork dating from 2005. The obvious moral of the story is – be good at filing!
Dusting off the archives meant that the bathroom took a backseat. Thankfully, Dawn understood so a divorce was averted!
The frustrating thing is that spring has (finally) sprung and we’ve had temperatures up in the high teens today so my shutter finger’s getting itchy – especially as the forecast is looking great for the next few days. I may need to renegotiate the T&C’s over the bathroom…
Another frustration’s been listening to news of the UK’s never ending political fcukwittery. I can honestly say I can’t remember a worse time than this since the early 1970s. Not only are both major parties embroiled in their own particular shambles – Teresa May with the Windrush backlash and Corbyn with anti-Semitism, both have right royally screwed us over in the Brexit shambles. My only hope is that a huge number of people register their displeasure in the local elections next month and send a clear message to both Labour and Tories that we’re not prepared to jump off the Brexit cliff with them – or for them. Otherwise, I can see a reverse Windrush happening as people abandon a country in (self-imposed) isolation and decline.
There’s been little time for blogging today despite being at home. I’d a whole series of pictures to edit for a client as well as sorting out paperwork and hacking through my email inbox, before the rather quaint tradition of going to a bank to pay in a cheque. It should have been done ages ago as it was a wedding gift, but the person (whose blushes I shall hide) forgot to sign it! When I lived in London back in the last decade visits to the bank were a weekly chore as so many clients paid by cheque. Now, in 2018 I can’t think of the last time I was paid by one. In fact, there’s only one magazine (who’ll also remain nameless) who I still have to send invoices to by post. Nowadays everything’s done digitally via the internet – which is no bad thing when I consider how much it costs to send stuff via the mail. That’s an expense I’m happy to see the back of nowadays.
Walking into Halifax would normally give me the opportunity to grab a few pictures but the weather’s been a bit grim up North today. The Calder Valley’s been hidden by mist and murk all day. The centre of Halifax wasn’t much better. It reminded me of old newsreels of London and ‘pea-souper’ fog – although that was actually pollution. At least we don’t have to suffer that anymore.
It’s grim up North…Underneath that murk is Sowerby Bridge and the other side of the valley, but this is how it’s been for most of the day. Oh, now that spring is here…
Despite the bad weather, it’s clear that spring is here. My office window looks out onto the terrace behind our house. It’s not exactly scenic at there’s no wonderful valley vista compared to the front of the house, just a lot of Yorkshire stone some masons converted into walls to hold back the hill, but there’s plenty of bird life. We have both Blackbirds and Wrens nesting outside so I’m often distracted when my peripheral vision picks up their movement. I must set up the camera to try and catch the Wrens. Admittedly, it’s difficult to work and stalk at the same time but they would make a great photo.
Tomorrow I’ll be moving office to base myself in Huddersfield before spending an evening with friends. The weather forecast is crap, so I don’t expect to be doing much with the camera but I may have time to do some writing instead…
There’s a lot to write about at the moment but little time to do it, so here’s a brief look at what’s coming up over the next week.
The pair of us have been based at home for the past few days. Dawn’s been on holiday which has meant I’ve taken a bit of time off in order that we could explore and have some quality time together. We rediscovered an old haunt in a new guise when we walked up to Norland Moor which is on the opposite side of the Calder Valley to where we live. On the edge of the moor is a pub called the Moorcock Inn. It’s new tenants who’re doing some really exciting things with the place – which includes both food and drink. It’s worth a blog in its own right so that’s what I’m in the process of writing – although It’ll take a few days as I’ve other priorities. But here’s a taster (literally), we walked back up to the pub today and sampled some of the food they cook in the smoke ovens which have been installed at the back of the pub. These smoky potato’s are stunning! By the way, the plates and bowls they’re served in have been made in the very same ovens the potato’s have been cooked in.
Tomorrow I’m in Crewe for the launch of a new High Speed Rail Industry Leaders Group (HSRIL) report called ‘Fast Tracking Prosperity’ which is about the benefits of HS2 Phase 2a, so expect a blog about that first.
Later in the week I intend to be in London to add to my picture library, whilst on Thursday a group of rail industry friends are meeting up in Huddersfield for a catch-up and a few drinks. I’m sure there’ll be some more rolling blogging going on…
Welcome to a new week folks! There’s been little time for blogging today I’m afraid. Dawn, my wife, is on holiday this week so my focus has shifted somewhat. Today’s been a day for household chores and catching up with paperwork more than anything else – although I did have chance to edit and caption a whole selection of pictures from last months Eurostar press trip from London to Amsterdam. You can find the shots in this gallery on my Zenfolio website.
Afterwards we decided to make the most of the spring-like weather as the forecast claims it’s all downhill for the rest of the week. The pair of us enjoyed a lovely walk from where we live on the side of the Calder valley through Scarr woods, then down a steeply cobbled road to join our local canal (the Calder and Hebble Navigation) for an easy walk along the towpath through to Sowerby Bridge. It’s a route we often take as it beats sticking to the shorter but less scenic route via the main road.
It’s funny how, despite visiting a place on a regular basis, you still pick up on something new. Today it was the fact that the Goth clothing shop which had only been open for about 6 months had closed and morphed into (yet another) barbers. There’s a market research deficit on both counts here. OK, the chance of making a living out of selling Goth clothing was pretty slim even though they had no competition, but another barbers? We counted 12 on the main street. So, if you’re hirsute, like eating out and drinking – then Sowerby Bridge is the place to come, otherwise – jog on! Variety ain’t the spice of life here. Being me, I couldn’t help wondering how a bonanza of barbershops will fare in a place where the population is ageing and balding…
I eschewed the chance of a haircut to do some food shopping before we popped in for a ‘swifty’ at the Hogshead Brew-house, one of the latest editions to the drinking dens of Sowerby Bridge and well worth a visit. It’s a spacious, single room bar that brews a variety of beers on the premises. It’s dog and child friendly, with a real mix of clientele – and furniture! One thing that amuses us is their range of crisps. We love the Roast Ox flavour ones, which are certified as suitable for vegetarians!
Suitably refreshed we walked back up the hill to home for a quiet night in. Whilst Dawn’s cooking Tuna steaks I’ve had time to pen this little missive, tomorrow I’m hoping to tell you about that Eurostar press trip…
To be honest I’ve had little time to construct a themed blog today as it’s been a busy time. Yesterday was taken up by an assignment for ACoRP (The Association of Community Rail Partnerships) at nearby Mytholmroyd station where I was photographing the activities of the local friends group. They’re a lovely bunch of people and great ambassadors for both the local area and the wider community railway movement. You can read about their plans for the station here.
Earlier that day Eurostar announced the start date for their new Amsterdam service which kept me occupied sorting out my accreditation for the inaugural trip on February 20th – before blogging the news about the service. I’m really looking forward to the first trip. The idea that we’ll finally be able to get direct trains from London to Amsterdam has been a long time in the making, but now it’s finally happening – even if it’s only one-way until 2019. Of course, the bittersweet moment in all that was the latest piece of the Brexit shambles jigsaw with the Government announcing that it’s decided we ARE leaving the customs union, which can only make cross-border travel harder.
I increasingly feel that we’re living out the script of an implausible play, where the politicians of left and right are hell-bent on destroying their country’s prosperity, future and standing in the world because none of them are willing to grow a backbone, stand up and say – “why are we doing this, this is madness?” despite the warnings from businesses and other Governments.
Here’s a great example. The Japanese have invested heavily in the UK as they were sold the idea that the UK was the ‘gateway’ to Europe through being in the single market and the customs union. Now the Japanese Ambassador, Koji Tsuruoka, has spelled out in plain terms what the Brexit fundamentalists have always refused to admit. “If there is no profitability of continuing operation in the UK – not Japanese only – no private company can continue operation. So, it’s as simple as that. This is all high stakes that I think all of us need to keep in mind.” (link)
That a Japanese diplomat tells this so directly & without frills, should be sounding warning bells. Actually, it should be klaxons, air-raid sirens and a bloody big gong the size of which would make even J Arthur Rank feel inadequate! Mind you, ‘rank’ seems a pretty good shorthand for Brexit…
The Japanese don’t do bluntness, so when they do… The sad thing is that you just know the Brexit fundamentalists will go into paroxysms of outrage about being ‘blackmailed’ and ‘threatened’ – none of which will cut the mustard with multinational companies in the slightest.
Our economy is heading for the cliff edge. meanwhile, the Government has graciously allowed MPs a sight of the post Brexit economic assessments that supposedly never existed. They confirm what was always suspected, the areas that voted for Brexit are those which will suffer most. (link).
Welcome to the first country in the developed world whose politicians seemed hell-bent on committing economic suicide! Still, it’s nice to know that our politicians are doing this out of love of our country, not for any personal gain. Oh, wait, what was that revelation about Jacob Rees-Mogg and his personal windfall from Brexit?
Regular visitors will notice that advertisements have appeared here today. Since I started blogging in 2015 I’ve kept the site free of them, which means that I’ve paid for the site myself. What I’d like to do now is make the site self-sufficient and – if at all possible, make a small return from my ramblings and pictures. I can’t imagine I’ll pose a threat to any media empires but hey! – we all have to earn a living and doing so would encourage me to write more often. So, If I could crave your indulgence dear reader, please feel free to click on an ad occasionally.
Is it my imagination or has this been an unusually wet start to the year? I’m not a very good judge of this as, normally I’m never in the country in January! It’s the month Dawn and I take off to head to sunnier shores, but for a whole host of reasons we’ve stayed in the UK this time, which means I’m experiencing weather I wouldn’t normally see. Admittedly, living in the Pennines doesn’t exactly help as it’s not known for being the driest part of the country. It has its own microclimate where it can be pissing down here in the Calder valley but dry as a bone in the Colne valley only a few miles next door. Today’s a typical example. After a rare day of beautiful, invigorating sunshine I opened the bedroom blind to be confronted with low leaden clouds obscuring the valley tops opposite whilst isolated wispy puffs sit, sluggishly, over Sowerby Bridge below. It’s a monotone view that’s not helped by the last of Wednesdays snow clinging to the valley sides. Oh, for a palm-fringed beach right now!
Not exactly the skies that inspired Turner – or Ashley Jackson!
I shouldn’t complain too much. In a month’s time I’ll be in India and dreary weather like this is a good excuse to stay in and catch up on all those chores that’ve been piling up. But first, coffee (and breakfast in bed for the missus)…
– and it’s not a bad place to be today! The Spring weather’s taken a turn for the worse up in’t Pennines. There’s a chill wind, rain and threats of snow (in fact, as I typed this, it started hailing), so I’m happy to be catching up on paperwork, picture-editing and listening to the news – most of which is depressing.
The death of former IRA leader Martin McGuinness features in many reports. Understandably, his memory generates strong feelings from some, but there’s no doubt that , without the willingness of him and others to reject the bullet for the ballot box, ‘the troubles’ would still be with us. I lived in London for nearly 25 years and experienced first-hand the devastation that the IRA wrought. In 1996 I was still living in the East End. I was at home the night the massive South Quay bomb detonated. We lived over a mile North of the explosion in Bromley by Bow, but we though our windows were going to blow in. The blast rattled the hell out of them – and us. I’m glad to see the back of those times which were far more dangerous than today’s hysteria around Islamic extremism. The IRA killed for more UK citizens than Islamists ever have. So, I’m grateful to McGuinness for being part of bringing those days to an end. There’s a lesson in what he did for anyone who wishes to learn it. Who would have thought that two implacable enemies, McGuinness and the Unionist firebrand the Rev Ian Paisley would form such a rapport that they would earn the sobriquet ‘the chuckle brothers’?
Paul Bigland 