Category Archives: Photography

12th December picture of the day…

12 Sunday Dec 2021

Posted by in Bali, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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I’m off to a good start – I got the month right today! Yesterday, for some unfathomable reason, I managed to move us back a month in time until a friend (thanks Trevor Stone!) spotted the error and Tweeted ‘November’? Oh, the joys of getting older and trying to do too many things at once!

Today’s been a quiet day here at Bigland Towers. It’s the one day of the week where a lie-in is in order. Mind you, the fact the weather was dull and dark wasn’t exactly an encouragement to leap out of bed. When I did most of the day’s been spent catching up on work, making lists of all those things I should have done but haven’t – or cooking. The cooking bit meant that the pair of us did get out for a short walk, but only to a local supermarket to pick up the last few ingredients I needed to make tonight’s meal.

On our way home from the concert last night we decided to throw caution to the wind and get one of our rare ‘take-outs’ from an Indian cafe/restaurant we knew in Huddersfield. This was only our fourth during the whole of lockdown and beyond so you can et the idea of how rare a treat it is. We’d eaten there before so were looking forward to it. A combination of chicken Balti, Prawn Curry, Saag Aloo and a Garlic Naan set us back £30 which was a heck of a price increase over 2 years ago. Not only that, the quality was nowhere near as good as before. We were both disappointed but then we remembered why we rarely get take-outs. We can cook far better meals ourselves. So, to make up for the let-down I cooked a way superior (home-made) dish tonight that was far tastier and as cheap as chips in comparison – a Malaysian Yellow curry packed with chicken and vegetables which fed us both and left enough to add to our collection of home-cooked ready meals in the freezer.

This brings me (tenuously) on to my picture of the day. I’ve managed to scan a few more old slides from Indonesia, where the quality and cost of food is far superior to what we get in *dear* old Blighty. But then so much is grown locally – as this picture shows. Much as I love walking around the Pennies, there’s something rather special about wandering through the rice paddy fields of Bali…

I too this picture in January 1995 at Tirtagangga in Eastern Bali on a walk from the homestay in the fields where we were staying. The fields are kept irrigated by an amazing system of ducts and channels which allows water to cascade from the mountains to the sea. It’s said that the local ‘Banjars’ (village councils) always make sure that the farmer at the bottom of the system is put in charge of irrigation as it’s in their interest to ensure that water gets through!

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/

Thank you!

11th December picture of the day…

11 Saturday Dec 2021

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

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Apologies for the lack of blogging recently. This has been due to a busy work and social calendar. Yes, social! Despite the latest tightening of the Covid rules (rules that of course only apply to us little people, not to the people who make them) we managed to have a very successful Community Rail awards, then I joined a group of old friends in London for our first Christmas gathering since 2019. Today Dawn and I joined her mum to watch her dad perform in the Honley male voice choir who were taking part in a Christmas Carol service in the gorgeous Concert Hall at Huddersfield town hall. So it’s been a very sociable time. As usual we’ve both been taking lateral flow tests between events to ensure we’ve not contracted Covid and to keep ourselves and others safe. Fingers crossed, we’re still in the clear.

There’s still a couple of events in the calendar before we finally wind-down for the festive season but this next week I’ll mostly be based at home as I wrap up various projects and prepare for the end of the year. I can’t say I’m going to be sorry to see the back of 2021. We’d all hoped it was the one that would see us escape from the Covid restrictions, but that hasn’t exactly gone to plan has it?

Anyway, I’ve still a few blogs to complete and new ones to write before the end of the year but tonight I’m going to call it a day and leave you with a picture from today, taken at the carol concert earlier.

The choir appeared with the award-winning Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band, conducted by Steven Roberts and the young ladies of the Rastrick High School Chamber Choir, directed by Charles Rhodes. It was lovely to be back at such a wonderful location and be able to hear live music again. Something that both audience and performers had really missed. Oh, my father-in-law is 2nd from the left in the 3rd row down from the top.

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/

Thank you!

The Community Rail Awards 2021…

09 Thursday Dec 2021

Posted by in Community rail, Photography

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I’ve been too busy to blog today as we’ve been preparing for tonight’s Community Rail awards at the Guildhall in Southampton. We should have been here last year but Covid put the mockers on the event so we postponed it for a year. Tonight’s event will be hosted by Jools Townsend, Chief Executive of Community Rail Network plus Mark Hopwood, MD of GWR and Claire Mann, MD of Southwestern Railway. As I’ll be busy throughout the event I’ll add pictures when I can to give you a flavour of the evenin – so stay tuned. We’re kicking off in 10 minutes (at 17:00) when the drinks reception begins – so stay tuned…

Rolling blog. Southampton cruise…

08 Wednesday Dec 2021

Posted by in Community rail, Community Rail Network, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:00.

Well, I hope our trip’s a cruise! We’re currently aboard Northern’s 09:44 from Halifax to Manchester Victoria on the first leg of out trip. Despite yesterday’s storm the railways seem little affected, which is great news. OK, out trains a couple of minutes late due to slippery rails and low adhesion, but when the weather’s as wet and windy as it has been that’s hardly a surprise. One of my first tasks this morning (well, after making coffee, obviously!) was to peruse various website to check on real-time train performance. Suitably reassured I’m relaxed about the trip.

Having stopped at Hebden Bridge where we picked up another member of the CRN staff we’re now on our way West though a dank and dismal Calder valley. At least Hannah and Dawn have added some colour!

12:05.

Everything’s going to plan! Our journey across Manchester went without a hitch and we rendezvoused with the rest of the CRN advance party at Piccadilly. Now we’re settled in on a 4-Car Arriva Cross-Country Voyager for the long trip to Southampton, which wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea (4 hours 18 mins on a Voyager probably qualifies for an ‘Iron Man’ award!) but so far, the train’s relatively empty so we’ve room to spread out.

The weather’s improving as we head South too. The rain was hammering on the roof of Piccadilly but here in Stoke-on-Trent we’ve managed to encounter some sunshine and a smattering of blue-sky. Meanwhile, the CRN staff have turned the train into a mobile office, sorting out some last-minute changes to the awards.

Yep, I’m outnumbered by the fairer sex…

14:10.

Leaving Birmingham we called at International where a railhead treatment train was sitting between turns Seeing these vehicles working this late in the year seems unusual, but as some leaves are still clinging on to trees by their metaphorical fingernails it’s hardly surprising. It’s been a long autumn!

Right now we’re heading for Oxford in the best weather I’ve seen for days as we’ve blue skies spattered with high cloud rather then the wall to wall dullness that’s been the norm. Our train’s filled up but seats are still available and the atmosphere’s stress-free.

15:30.

And it was all going so well…!

After an amble along the Thames Valley to Reading as we were already 5 minutes late we ended up kicking our heels for quite some time as one of the train crew who was meant to be joining us was stuck elsewhere. Five minutes became ten, then twenty, then twenty five, then – finally, whoever we were waiting for turned up and we got away twenty six minutes late. But we’d lost our path, so we were nearly 30 down by the time we passed Southcote Junction. We’re now at the mercy of signallers regulating the service and slotting us in as they can…

17:00.

Made it! As I predicted, we lost more time en-route, finally arriving in Bournemouth 39 minutes late. Judging by the amount of young women hardly dressed for the season who were joining the train as we departed there’s a concert in Bournemouth tonight!

We’re currently relaxing at the hotel sorting our kit out whilst watching the latest political omnishambles unfold via the TV. The PM’s Press Spokesperson, Allegra Stratton has announced her resignation but I don’t that’s going to stop the awkward questions. Such as – which press members of the Lobby attended, because it’s painful to watch some sections of the media completely ignoring the story. The suspicion is that there was a lot of colluding going on here and a lot of people have questions to answer – including the Metropolitan police. Now we’re being told there’s going to be a Prime Ministerial announcement at 18:00 which is sounding like another attempt to say ‘look over there’. Meanwhile, we’ll be watching the announcement with a drink in hand, hoping Johnson’s not going to try and pull a stunt that could affect tomorrow’s awards…

Rolling blog. Breakaway…

06 Monday Dec 2021

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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10:00.

I’m breaking free of a damp and dismal Calder Valley today to head down to London for business and a break. There was no leisurely stroll to the station for me today as the rain was too heavy. Instead I hitched a ride with Dawn who was off to work in Huddersfield. I was just in time to catch the 09:44 to Manchester Victoria which is ‘cosy’ as Northern have only provided a 2-car Class 195/0 to work it – much to some other passengers dismay! It was already busy by the time it arrived in Halifax, I expect it to be full and standing by the time we leave Rochdale! The good news is that mask wearing is being taken seriously again with almost everyone on this train sporting one. I’ll be interested to see what the situation’s like on other services and in the capital…

It feels good to be travelling again. As much as I’ve enjoyed time at home recently, my feet were starting to itch. Sadly, it doesn’t look like I’m going to see much sunshine as the forecast is dismal across the country. Never mind, there’s always things to photograph anyway as I can always disappear underground in London.

10:15.

We’ve pulled out of Rochdale and may prediction we’d be full and standing was optimistic as for once, Rochdale was quite quiet! Even so, our loadings look to be around 80-85% which is pretty good in such awful weather. Why would you venture out in such gloomy weather unless you had to? It’s so dark security lights are on all over the place and cars headlights are beaming as low grey cloud’s filtering out most natural light.

11:30.

And breathe! I’m now on a very busy Avanti Pendolino heading for Euston via Crewe after a cold and soggy trudge across Manchester city centre which was hardly looking its best. The homeless people who congregate around Piccadilly Gardens looked even more wretched. I saw one guy in a sleeping bag who was oblivious to the fact he was getting soaked. Others huddled miserably in doorways, waiting for the rain to stop. Still, it’s nice to know that despite ordinary people’s privations our political ‘leaders’ will still be enjoying Xmas parties at everyone else’s expense as rules are only for the little people…

This is the busiest Pendolino I’ve been on since COP26. Even the unreserved coach (U) is packed which is highly unusual – especially on a Monday, but then passenger numbers really are bouncing back and the latest Covid variant appears to be having little effect other than making people wear masks. I’m sharing a table with a younger couple travelling to London who got on at Wilmslow, something I’ve rarely had to do these past coupe of years.

11:40.

The weather’s not getting any better as I head South! We’re South of Crewe now and it’s still raining cats and dogs. The amount of flooded and waterlogged fields we’ve passed on the way bears testament to how heavy and persistent the rain’s been. Crewe was interesting. A new W Mids Class 730 sat in the station on a test run, whilst East Mids Rail normal Class 153 on the Derby service had been supplanted by an ex-Scotrail 3-car Class 170! The Arriva traincare shed South of the station contained a pair of ‘new’ Vivarail D78 trains for Transport for Wales whilst the yard hosted several newly-built Stadler EMUs for Merseyrail. With ‘no room at the inn’ on Merseyside these vehicles are cycled between Kirkdale and Crewe depots in order to gather their acceptance mileage.

South of Basford Hall yard I noticed several orange-clad teams out in the surrounding fields and lanes who looked like they were preparing the ground for the early stages of construction of the new High Speed 2 railway, part of which will join the existing line at this point. It’s something I’;ll have to keep an eye on.

12:25.

Having sped through Rugby we’re less than an hour from London. I’ve suddenly realised how many locations on the West Coast line like Rugby I’ve spent Easter or Xmas day trackside for Network Rail or its alliance partners recording the work upgrading this vital artery. In one way I miss that life, although many wouldn’t envy me or any of the other men and women putting in 12 hour shifts in all weathers and living out of hotels whilst ‘normal’ people are spending time on their family festivities.

17:45.

Sorry, where was I? I got rather distracted just as soon as I landed in London. I’ve missed the buzz, hustle and bustle but I couldn’t spend long soaking it up as I had things to do. My first task was to head over to Vauxhall to collect an old friend. My Nikon D5 and a long lens has been languising in camera specialist Fixation since October as they’ve been waiting for parts to repair them both. Last week I finally got the all-clear on the D5 which I was keen to get back in time for Thursday’s Community Rail Awards. I took a tumble with both bits of kit back in September and it’s taking an age to get them repaired. Whilst I’ve been able to fall back on uising my Nikon D4 I’ve really missed the D5 as its performance is up another notch.

Thankfully, my insurance company were excellent and approved the four figure repair bill without a quibble. They were really helpful throughout the process too. All I had to pay was the £150 excess. Now I’m looking forward to putting the D5 through its paces again – although the weather here in London’s been less than helful as it’s been unremittingly awful. Still, there’s always tomorrow…

In the meantime, I met up with a friend at Victoria for a quick drink then set out to explore some old haunts to look at photographic possibilities. Here’s one such location (Denmark Hill) which has changed enormously since I first visited due to enjoying a dalliance with a young lady nearby back in 1981…

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/

Thank you!

4th December picture of the day…

04 Saturday Dec 2021

Posted by in Bali, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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My claims that the latest Covid booster and the ‘Lurgi’ weren’t cramping my style too much turned out to be premature – to say the least – hence my enforced absence from blogging! Yesterday I felt like death warmed up as my body became a playground for viruses and vaccines! There was little I could do other than say ‘Oh, bugger’ and stay in the warm to fester and let nature take its course. Today I’m feeling much better and almost back to my old self apart from the fact my cold has dropped my voice by so many octaves I could get a job doing voice-overs on adverts!

I might be recovering, but the weather isn’t. Today’s been the sort of day where you really wouldn’t mind just putting your feet up at home. We’ve had the lot. Heavy rain, winds, snow – you name it. Despite that, I was determined to get out and get some exercise so I donned my waterproofs and wandered down into Sowerby Bridge to pick up a bit of shopping then work my weary way back up the hill – feeling virtuous but also knackered!

I did venture out once more as Dawn needed some boots taking to the shoesmiths in the hope they could be repaired – and our local Tesco contains a Timpsons. They’re a company I’ve always been happy to support because of their policy on employing ex-offenders in order to help rehabilitate them into society. The chap whom I saw was very helpful but couldn’t do anything to cure the problems with Dee’s boots – so it looks like I’ve an extra Xmas present to add to the list – albeit one from the January sales. Sh*t – I hope Dawn’s not going to read this!

I can’t wait to shake off this cold and get back to feeling my old self as I’ve a brilliant week to look forward to with so many things happening. Tomorrow’s my last day of ‘purdah’ before I’m back on the road, so expect a variety of blogs next week. But, for tonight – I’ll end with the picture of the day – which is another old slide from the album of pictures I’m currently scanning from 1994/95.

Here’s the view from our bungalow one evening when the skies were particularly spectacular. It’s a magical landscape but no more so when the sunset provides such a fantastic backdrop.

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/

Thank you!

30th November picture of the day…

30 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Bali, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Sowerby Bridge, Travel, West Yorkshire

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The snow that blanketed the Pennines these past few days vanished in the same way it arrived – overnight. I opened the bedroom blinds to a very different world this morning. One that was darker – and soggier! A combination of rising temperatures, wind and rain did for the snow overnight, which was great. The only problem was the rain decided to outstay its welcome and hung around pretty much all day, which led me to having another long day indoors. To be fair, I’d no shortage of things to do and it wasn’t like I needed to dash to the shops to find food. We’ve a well-stocked freezer as we batch cook and there’s enough tinned stuff in the cupboards to make an American survivalist jealous, although the lack of tinned meat may cause them issues…

Instead, I resolutely waded my way through enough paperwork, emails and old slides to have another fruitful day and feel that I was getting somewhere. Well, other than out of the house obviously! In the end, that’s exactly what I did do although my timing was crap. Dawn is out with a friend this evening so I decided to stretch my legs by wandering down into Sowerby Bridge when she left as by then I’d had had more than enough ‘screen time’. The only problem was this coincided with the rain stepping up several notches, so it was a ‘moist’ trip to be sure.

It’s not often I’m in Sowerby Bridge on a Tuesday evening (unless I’m returning home) so it felt quite odd. As I’d a couple of supermarkets to visit I was curious to see how the latest regulations on wearing masks would go down as here in West Yorkshire it seems most folk seem to think they’re immune to Covid in the same way they wear shorts in December. I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a marked uptake with mask wearing in both Tesco and Lidl. The only irony was that those who were still eschewing masks were – how shall I put this – not exactly the ones who looked like they were fit enough to put up a good fight if they contracted it. Even if they were, I’d read this piece in the Guardian newspaper earlier which showed how relying on fitness wouldn’t help you anyway. It’s a tragic story of someone who fell for the anti-vaxx myths and it struck a chord with me as (like me) this person grew up in Southport but moved to London.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/04/fit-and-healthy-man-42-from-southport-who-rejected-vaccine-dies-of-covid

The moral of the story? No matter how physically fit you are, you don’t know what your genetic marker weaknesses are – and they can be deadly – it’s not a nice way to go. If Covid can do this to a a sports enthusiast, what can it do to you? In short? Wear a f*cking mask! It’s no big deal you babies!

OK, rant over. I’m now back at home drying out and editing some of the slides I’ve scanned earlier whilst I wait for the missus to to get in so here’s another antidote to the autumn weather. I took this picture shortly before Christmas 1994 from the ferry returning us to the Island of Bali from Lombok as we passed another ferry heading the opposite way. The weather was stunning, the sea flat and you could see right across the Island to Mount Agung, the most sacred mountain on the island and a volcano that can be capricious – to say the least – as extinct it ain’t…

If you want to see many more pictures from Bali and Indonesia, you can find them on my Zenfolio website by following THIS link.

Oh, on another completely different note…

The 2021 Community Rail Awards will be held in Southampton on Thursday 9th December. This year (because of Covid) the event is being broadcast on the internet. It’s free to join us, so if you’d like to come along (virtually) you can sign up here.

Cheers!

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/

Thank you!

29th November picture of the day…

29 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by in Art, Bali, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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‘Tis been a cold start to a new week here in the Pennines. The snow’s stayed around all day as temperatures have never really got above freezing. I’ve not been too concerned as today was always going to be one where I was chained to the office because I had an article to finish writing for a magazine – and supply all the pictures, which kept me occupied until after early afternoon checking quotes and captions. I didn’t even manage to get out for my usual daily tour of the town in order to get some exercise. I figured I’d make up for that later in the week when conditions underfoot aren’t so treacherous. Besides, I’ve got a jaunt to London in the pipeline and needed to clear the decks of paperwork first. So, I can’t complain, I’ve had a productive, if claustrophobic day – and stayed warm, which has been a bonus!

Having finished my programme of work and with the world outside looking decidedly monotone I decided to add a splash of colour to my day by scanning a small batch of old slides from a place that’s anything but black and white: The island of Bali, which has supplied the picture of the day. This was taken in Ubud, the town widely regarded as the cultural capital of the island in December 1994.

Here’s a young woman performing the Legong dance. The dance is considered one of the island’s most revered classical pieces, known for its physically demanding postures and fast-paced movements which require a significant level of flexibility among its generally young female performers. As you can see, the costumes are incredibly rich in style and colour- an ideal subject for photography, even if it was a technical challenge with the slow-speed slide film I was using in those days!

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/

Thank you!

28th November picture(s) of the day…

28 Sunday Nov 2021

Posted by in Calder Valley, Halifax, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Sowerby Bridge, Weather, West Yorkshire

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Winter’s arrived with a vengeance here in the Pennines although we’ve been very lucky where we live as our little patch of the valley side’s normally sheltered from the brunt of the weather – and this time was no exception. Storm Arwen hit on Friday evening but we’d no idea just how bad it was as we were protected from the height of the winds. Oh, we knew it was gusty but it was only when we woke up on Saturday morning and saw that the high ground around the valley was covered in a blanket of snow we started to realise what had really occurred. Then we started seeing comments from friends on social media and the news wires that made us appreciate just how fortunate we’d been. But, it was a close run thing. Norland, on the opposite side of the valley had the electricity knocked out with places not seeing it restored until this afternoon (Sunday). There but for the grace of God…

This morning the snow returned and stayed with us nearly all of the day, giving us several fresh dustings of varying severities, all of which clung as temperatures were so low and there was hardly a breath of wind. The trees looked magical and the valley below eerie as tendrils of cloud toyed with with the town, grasping at sections whilst leaving other areas unmolested. It was so attractive that the pair of us wrapped up warm and went for a walk through our local woods, along the promenade where we could admire the vista, then circumnavigated an almost deserted Savile Park before returning home to the warm, feeling like we’d earned our evening in together where we relaxed in front of the TV, but not until I’d rustled up a Chicken Vindail curry which added some spice to keep out the cold on a day when you really did need it.

Here’s a few shots from our perambulations…

The view from our bedroom window – looking down over Sowerby Bridge with Sowerby beyond partially hidden by low clouds which slowly drifted through the valley.
Looking across to Norland, which was still suffering from a power cut caused by the storm. It looks beautiful – as long as you don’t rely on electricity for heating! The top of the valley kept disappearing as low cloud kept overwhelming it. This is one of our regular walks because there’s the wonderful Moorcock Inn as a refuge at the end of the trek.
The edge of Norland and Sowerby Bridge just at the edge of the picture on the right hand side. The row of trees in the valley bottom disguise the railway between Halifax and Manchester.
Just a few minutes walk from the house our road has this avenue of trees which look superb in this weather.
Scarr Woods looked stunning after the latest snowfall without a breath of wind to blow the dust off the branches.

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/

Thank you!

26th November picture of the day…

26 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by in Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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There’s no magnum opus when it comes to blogs from me today. After the past few days travels and the fact the weather’s very much in winter mode I’ve been happy to stay at home! There’s been plenty for me to do anyway what with getting pictures off to clients, wading through paperwork and scanning/editing old slides. Besides, I’m going to be doing a lot of travelling soon enough so days like this should be savored.

That said, it’s been an odd one. The world seems spooked by the idea of a new Covid variant from Southern Africa. So much so that the world’s financial markets have had an attack of the vapours and wiped billions off their values. Just what you want before Xmas! Meanwhile, the UK weather’s preparing to take a very definite turn for the worse, which (if it happens) could make my forthcoming travels ‘interesting’ to say the least. Never mind, as the old saying goes “shit happens” – and we’ve had plenty of that over the past 2 years…

So, this weekend is very much going to be home-based. But that’s no bad thing as I’ve more than enough to keep me occupied – and I’ve an article to compose for a magazine by Monday, so let the weather do its worst..

Which rather neatly brings me on to the picture of the day which is from somewhere where the weather was doing very much the opposite! Here’s another old slide from the island of Gili Trawangan in Indonesia which was taken in December 1994. This was the view from the verandah of our balcony at dawn as the sun rose over the island of Lombok. It was certainly worth getting up for!

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/

Thank you!