Category Archives: Picture of the day

13th October picture of the day…

13 Tuesday Oct 2026

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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Tuesday dawned a wet and windy day here in the Calder valley, with heavy skies and high winds that sent clouds of autumn leaves skittering along the road before they got stuck to the wet tarmac. It was a good morning to be working from home as heavy rain showers kept lashing the windows. That said, it’s still incredibly mild, with temperatures in the mid-teens, so I shouldn’t really complain.

Whilst Dawn worked in the office I set up my laptop upstairs in the bedroom so that I could enjoy the view across the Calder valley, well – when the rain cleared! We’re still in the process of redecorating the living room so it’s cosier upstairs and it’s easier for Dawn to pop in for a chat when she needs a break.

Most of my day was spent picture editing. I’d started working on shots from Sweden yesterday afternoon and a concerted few hours work allowed me to get most of them edited and captioned. After that it was time to take a break and shift some paperwork, just for a bit of variety! By early afternoon the weather had broken, bringing mostly blue skies, so I nipped out for my daily constitutional and wander through our local woods ahead of the next shower. Leaves are really starting to fall now, soon there’ll be a thick carpet blanketing the paths, but at the moment the trails are still pretty clear – and not too slippy, or with hidden surprises thanks to lazy dog owners.

Later, Dawn had to nip out to a couple of appointments, so I had the cottage to myself which allowed me to really plow on with the pictures and finish the fourth of the twelve countries I visited. Sweden is now all loaded onto my Zenfolio website. You can find the railway images here and the travel images here. Next in the queue is…Tallinn, in Estonia. So, here’s a teaser from Tallinn…

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/

Cheers,

Paul

12th October picture of the day…

12 Monday Oct 2026

Posted by in Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Ships, sweden, Travel

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The start of another week here at Bigland Towers, and one that will see me away from the rails until next week as I continue the massive task of editing all my European pictures whilst juggling other work commitments as well as life at home – and planning for the future. Not that I’m complaining. I’m rather enjoying not having to live out of a suitcase and be moving town/city/country every couple of days, although I know that I’ll get itchy feet again soon enough.

Whilst the morning saw the pair of us working from our respective offices (or, in my case, the bedroom) things ground to a halt by lunchtime as we had a visit from our new financial advisor. The family run firm that used to manage our investments have decided to call it a day for health reasons and sold on the business. Fortunately, they were more concerned about finding the right company to sell the business to than they were about making a fast buck. Our new advisor comes from a medium sized company with offices in Wakefield but he actually lives in Halifax. We were both impressed by him as he was real – and honest, without any of the fancy corporate bullshit or self-aggrandizement that can come with that world. We spent the best part of a couple of hours going through investments, the state of the markets, the Trump effect – and plans for the future. We’re confident that the new company will be a good replacement for the old family firm who’d looked after us so well.

With that important hurdle out of the way it was back to work. I spent the rest of the afternoon wading through pictures of Sweden. the picture editing takes time, but what takes even longer is researching the captions as I look up locations. In that respect Google maps is a godsend! It allows me to pinpoint streets and double-check I’ve got things right, as well as provide correct spellings. Keeping copious notes is a thing of the past thanks to Google, although there are times when I wish I’d scribbled a few more when I’m actually travelling. The Swedish pictures should be finished and uploaded onto my Zenfolio website by tomorrow, but here’s a taster for now.

The main concourse of Stockholm Central station is a relaxed place lined with shops and bars.
As I was on the ferry to Tallinn we passed another ro-ro ferry inbound from Helsinki. I was amazed at just how close to some of the small islands these beasts get, almost grazing them on occasion. This is no tiddler! The ‘Viking Glory’ weighs in at 65,211 tonnes!

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/

Cheers,

Paul

11th October picture of the day…

11 Sunday Oct 2026

Posted by in Railways, Travel, Architecture, Photography, Picture of the day, Denmark

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Sunday ended up being a lazy morning for both of us. My body clock is gradually resetting itself now I’m back in the UK, which means I don’t automatically wake up at 06:00 every morning, although that’s probably because I’m now sharing a bed again! Mind you, Dawn can sleep for England when she’s tired, whilst I’m almost always up with the larks.

So, whilst Dee snoozed, I got up, made some coffee and sat in the office for an hour with my laptop in order to get more pictures from my European trip edited, making the most of the morning. Our plan was to get some home DIY done, but that didn’t quite work out as expected because Dawn ended up finishing off some work work. As the weather was good I abandoned the laptop at midday to make brunch, then headed out into the gardens to begin to prepare them for the winter – and to harvest various herbs which we’ll dry to keep us going until next year. All in all it was a very pleasant and relaxed Sunday but one where we were still fruitful.

Late afternoon I had to nip out to pick up some shopping, so popped into our local pub for a pint on the way home. I was good and only had one, but then the pub was quiet and the choice of beers (whilst good) didn’t really fit my tastes, which is very unusual for the 6!

Back home Dawn took on cooking duties whilst I resumed picture editing. This enabled to clear yet another country so now you can find all my images from Copenhagen on my Zenfolio website. The railway ones are here and the travel gallery is here. Neither gallery is new as I’ve been going to Denmark since the mid 1990s, but you’ll find all the recent images will come up first. Here’s a sample from each gallery.

A tourist tour boat sails along the Christianshavns canal with Christianhavn on the right bank.
The lovingly restored old station interior at Østerport. The station’s a major interchange and open 24 hours a day.

The next place that’s in the queue for editing is the first new country for me, Sweden. Expect pictures to start surfacing tomorrow.

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/

Cheers,

Paul

10th October picture(s) of the day…

10 Saturday Oct 2026

Posted by in Belgium, Food and drink, Photojournalism, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel

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I’m playing catch-up with blogging right now as I’m a few days behind due to the weekend and spending time with Dawn away from computer screens. Well, mostly! I did spend a few hours on Saturday morning clearing some of the 1000s of pictures from my European trip which are in the editing queue – as you’ll see later.

But, by afternoon the weather had picked up, so the two of us decided to stretch our legs by walking into Halifax to pick up some shopping and have a wander around. There’s a new(ish) Asian supermarket that’s opened which we both wanted to explore. Umrah is located on Horton St, right in the centre of town. It’s well organised and offers a huge selection of Asian spices, fresh herbs , fruit and veg as well as all the usual dried and tinned ingredients. There’s also a butchers counter and (unusually) a variety of sweet and cake counters which include Iranian sweetmeats, which look delicious. We stocked up on a variety of bits at very reasonable prices. It’s good to know what it offers as the location means I can pick stuff up en-route to home from the station, saving myself a detour into King Cross.

We also nipped into the magnificent Piece Hall but didn’t linger as it was full of families with children taking part in a Scarecrow treasure hunt, which meant the place was overrun. Instead we wandered home via the Big 6 for a quick drink, after which I took over the kitchen. Having been away I’d not done any for ages. Getting back in the swing was a pleasure as I really enjoy cooking. So, whilst Dee put her feet up I rustled up an old favourite – chicken vindail, a South Indian dish with a Portugese influence. It went down a treat with some of the luxury soft chappatis we’d bought from Umrah earlier in the day.

Not a bad way to end a Saturday!

I mentioned that I’d been editing lots more pictures, here’s a link to the latest selection which are of Belgian railways. But that doesn’t just mean trains, it also encompasses some brilliant (and contrasting) station architecture. Like this;

The interior of the roof at Tournai station, which was completed in 1879.

In contrast, here’s modern Liege Guillemins which was rebuilt and opened in 2009.

The next country in the queue is Denmark. Travel and rail pictures from Copenhagen will start appearing tomorrow.

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/

Cheers,

Paul

9th October picture (s) of the day…

09 Friday Oct 2026

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

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After the 1000s of miles I’ve travelled over the past month and finally getting home after working in Swindon I was looking forward to a restful night at home. Only that didn’t quite work out that way. I woke up in the early hours of the morning feeling very itchy, a quick feel of my legs and backside confirmed my worst fears. I was having an allergic reaction to an insect bite – something I’d not had on that scale for over 20 years. I had to wake Dawn up to check that it wasn’t my imagination. Dee was shocked at what she saw as it’s never happened to me in all the time we’ve been together. On further investigation we found it had also spread to my torso and arms. Bugger! Fortunately, ever since it first happened to me in India in 1991 I’ve always ensured that I have anti-histamine tablets to hand – just in case. These worked a treat and the rash, swelling and itching disappeared within a couple of hours, allowing me to get some sleep.

I have no idea what the damned thing that bit me is, but the reaction isn’t much fun. Thank the Gods for anti-histamine tablets…

Friday began wet and miserable so I was content to have a duvet morning, working from a horizontal position whilst sipping coffee and editing pictures – content in the knowledge there was nowhere I needed to be other than home! There were no hotel deadlines to check out to, no trains to catch and no sights to see. I could kick back and listen to the rain bouncing off the bedroom window.

Admittedly, I did start to get restless by late-afternoon, but by then I was sufficiently rested and recovered to potter around the house and consider nipping out for a pint in my local, where I’ve not set foot for over a month. Besides, it was Friday and there was free pork pie to be had!

The Big 6 in Halifax always has a fantastic selection of real ales – and free pork pie on the bar on a Friday

Now I’m gradually making inroads into the 1000s of pictures from my travels which are in the queue for editing and having captions added. Here’s links to the first two galleries – both from France. First up are the travel pictures, next are the railways gallery. Time permitting, I’m planning to clear the Belgian galleries over the weekend.

The day ended with Dawn making a cracking supper – spicy prawns with her superb home made focaccia bread.

Dawn’s excelled herself with her focaccia making skills. The dough has to prove in a warm space. Dee improvised. Rather than turn the heating on she used a baking tray, cooling rack and a hot water bottle!
One of our favourite dishes. Spicy prawns (with lots of chilies). Just make sure you’ve put a toilet roll in the fridge ready for the next morning!

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/

Cheers,

Paul

7th September picture of the day…

07 Monday Sep 2026

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

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I’ve been back in Halifax since Saturday but tonight’s my last night for a while. Tomorrow morning I start my ‘grand tour’ of Europe (North and South) so I’ve been busy catching up on various activities back home whilst I can. Sadly, the rainy weather put the kibosh on some of the outdoor DIY jobs I’d planned. Let’s face it, repointing and wet weather don’t really mix! Still, we managed to get a few indoor jobs done to begin getting the cottage ready for the winter. Winter – God, what a thought. Admittedly, the nights are already drawing in but I’m not in the mindset to contemplate those long cold winter nights just yet!

Instead I got into cooking mode, something I’m not going to be doing for a while. Whilst Dawn was busy with her parents and various appointments I nipped out to get my daily steps in and pick up various items of shopping. Back home I first prepared a dish that will go straight into the freezer for Dee to enjoy whilst I away. Cucumber curry! Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it’s actually a simple but stunning dish. Here’s the ingredients prepped ready for cooking.

Having that one under my belt I moved on to tonight’s evening meal. Seabass in a Lemon, Basil and Vermouth sauce, served with peas and spinach. The vermouth adds a wonderful flavour to the fish without overpowering it whilst the spinach and peas add an ideal veggie accompaniment.

Now it’s time for a quiet night her at Bigland Towers as I prep for an early start. Tomorrow will see me travelling down to Dover by train before getting a ferry from Dover to Calais. Hopefully the black-clad, balaclava-wearing morons pretending to be ‘patriots’ will be bothering someone else and not buggering up ordinary people’s travel plans. I’ll be ending the day by catching a train from Calais to Lille where I’ll be spending the night. Whilst I’ve passed through many times recently I’ve not spent any time in Lille for 20 odd years, when I was working their for a company supplying train simulators, so I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted.

After that – wait and see. I’ll be doing a daily rolling blog (internet permitting) which means the next few weeks blogs will have plenty of variety (and countries) on offer!

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/

Cheers,

Paul

4th September picture of the day…

04 Friday Sep 2026

Posted by in Photography, Picture of the day, Southport, Travel

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The seasons really are rolling on here in Southport, not that I’m here for much longer. Yesterday we were treated to rain lashing down which caught me unawares as I’d misread the forecast. That said, which forecast do you trust as there’s so many of ’em out there nowadays? Then there’s the newspapers which put their own slant on things – especially the ones trying to push the idea that climate change is a ‘hoax’.

None of that was any comfort to me as I made a very wet journey from town to my sisters. The rain was so heavy that I gave up walking and used my ‘old fart’ pass to catch a bus for the last half mile! Today the weather’s changed again. Now we’re confronted by high winds, but at least that’s keeping the rain away – which is just as well as I pegged a load of washing out on the line this morning, ready to head back to West Yorkshire before the start of my next adventure. Whilst said washing was doing its thing in the machine I spent a fruitful hour with a toothbrush and mold remover, scrubbing clean the grouting in sis’s bathroom. It’s quite a therapeutic exercise – as long as the moggie doesn’t intrude as ‘Willow’ loves leaping into the bath to drink from the taps. Not a great idea when the bathroom is dripping with mold remover. Willow was most annoyed when I chased her out!

Now I’m in the local library to type this and sort out a last few admin details ready for next week’s trip. I’ll get back to Yorkshire tomorrow to see Dawn for a few days, then on Tuesday morning I’ll be off on my European odyssey. I’ve ferries/trains/hotels booked as far as the end of Innotrans in Berlin on the 26th, after that I’ll see. Who knows where I might end up? Having had annual travel insurance through the same company (Columbus) for donkey’s years I’ve had to find a new one. As soon as I turned 66 Columbus tripled the premium and wouldn’t budge – despite the fact I’ve never claimed. Now I’m insured with SAGA, which is rather sobering as it’s an indicator of my age! I won’t crack the old jokes about what SAGA stands for (what? you mean Send a Granny Away, or Sex and Games for the Aged? Ed) but at least I’m covered.

For now I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is an indicator of the seasons change. Is it really this time of year already?

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/

Cheers,

Paul

1st September picture(s) of the day…

01 Tuesday Sep 2026

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Southport

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Well, here we are in another month and on the edge of autumn. The weather’s become far more mixed with heavy rain and thunderstorms (at least here in Southport) and the nights are drawing in. There’s no doubt the seasons are changing…

This bank holiday weekend saw the annual Southport airshow. It’s a popular event but as with many outdoor events it’s at the mercy of the weather – and the weather wasn’t particularly kind. After weeks of sunshine there was rain and even thunder and lightning – all of which plays havoc with an airshows plans, especially when you have precious and historic vintage aircraft meant to take part. I managed to attend both days with the Saturday providing the best and most consistent weather. Sunday was more of a bust. The day started off with glorious sunshine but as the time came for the ariel displays to begin the clouds rolled in. They made for some very dull photo’s. But a couple of acts provided their own contrasts. Like this…

The Red Arrows making a stunning contrast against grim skies.
This little helicopter provided its own firework show which really lit up the sky.

Bank holiday Monday was much like the traditional UK event we’ve come to expect. It chucked it down with rain during the morning, which (surprise, surprise) seemed to keep a lot of people at home, including me. But then I had plenty to do with picture editing and planning for my tour around Europe which is drawing closer. A chunk of today was spent arranging travel insurance. I’ve now reached that age where some companies take the pee. Fortunately, I’ve managed to get an annual policy that’s flexible enough that I can extend the length of time away if I need it.

So, on to September – and France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Switzerland and Italy – here I come…

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/

Cheers,

Paul

20th August picture of the day…

20 Thursday Aug 2026

Posted by in Birmingham, Hs2, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel

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After a long day (and early day) yesterday I luxuriated in a lie-in until 06:00 here at Bigland Towers. I’d like to have slept in longer but we had a commitment. We were meant to be having the boiler replaced today, which meant getting up in plenty of to perform our ablutions and prepare for the cottage to be upheaved for the day. But there was a problem. After weeks of wall to wall sunshine, today the weather was chucking it down, and part of the boiler replacement meant that the guys had to get onto the roof to replace the boiler flue too. So, (apologetically) they cancelled and arranged to come back next week. The weather put the kibosh on another plumbing job I’d planned to do too. So, whilst Dawn disappeared to her parents I spent the day sheltering from the rain and editing pictures from yesterday. meaning the day wasn’t entirely wasted.

I managed to get a few other things done too – as well as get out for my daily perambulations, which I’ve not done as much of here compared to being in Southport, but what you lose in distance on the flat you make up with exertions on the hills, as my Fitbit cardio results show!

Whilst inconvenient in some ways the amount of rain we’re having is a blessing. Grassland that was showing several shades of brown is beginning to return to green – at least in some parts. The problem is that the ground’s so hard-baked much of the rain is running off fields which are hardly renowned for being flat in this neck of the woods. Hopefully, more rain will follow now that the ground’s being softened up.

Not that I’ll see the results. I’m heading back to the seaside for a little while.

I’ll try to keep you entertained with various blogs over the next few days. I’ve one in preperation right now from yesterday’s HS2 visit. The pictures are all ready, I just need to do the words so you know what you’re looking at as it’s quite a project with lots of facts and figures.

Right now I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which relates to both Birmingham and HS2.

With the massive Curzon St HS2 station rising in the background, a West Midlands metro tram calls at Albert St on the latest extension to the city’s tram network.

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/

Cheers,

Paul

17th August picture of the day…

17 Monday Aug 2026

Posted by in Climate Change, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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We’ve kicked off another week with something everyone’s been desperate to see – rain. Only there’s been nowhere near enough of the stuff. It hasn’t even matched the forecast predictions. Some hours of the day delivered little more than a smattering. Just enough to dampen the dust and little else. Even so, it’s welcome. The landscape here in West Yorkshire’s as dry as a bone – and we’re nowhere near as bad as the South of England.

Anyone with half a brain can see that the climate’s changing before their eyes. We’re breaking record after record, but there’s always a few who refuse to believe what they see and take refuge in conspiracy theories and fossil fuel lobbyist propaganda. Their problem is none of it will stop what’s actually happening.

I’m hoping that the new Labour leadership will step up to the plate and start tackling the issues that face us. There’s a few encouraging signs but not that much of a sense of urgency – despite the fact the country’s already started burning. One wonders what sort of event will need to occur before there’s that ‘oh, shit!’ moment when things become very real indeed?

Still, there’s more rain supposed to be on the way for us, which is a blessing. Well, apart from the fact I’ll be off on my travels again later this week. On Wednesday I’ll be down in Birmingham on an HS2 site visit, then I’ll be back in Southport for the weekend. The rail network has been very fragile of late due to the long dry spell and heat so travel could get ‘interesting’. Our Victorian network simply wasn’t built with these conditions in mind – and it’s starting to show. Climate change coupled with a cutback on investment is causing havoc across several routes, and there’s little sign of the powers that be grasping the implications.

On the bright side, expect more blogs from the week as I start to stretch my wings again.

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture. You may remember that last year I did a series of ‘reservoir blogs’. I’ve not the time to do it again this year but Dawn and I did visit one location recently that featured heavily. Baitings reservoir has a sunken bridge that appears when levels get very low. This time last year it was almost fully exposed. It’s not as bad as that (yet) but levels are dropping rapidly.

Peek a boo! The old bridge in the foreground is gradually being exposed. Normally, the water levels are just below the new bridge in the background. This used to be a rare event. Now it’s becoming almost yearly. This picture was taken a week ago. Water levels have dropped a lot more since.

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/

Cheers,

Paul