Category Archives: Politics

6th January picture of the day…

06 Tuesday Jan 2026

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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We’ve had another productive (but cold) day here at Bigland Towers. This morning’s brief flurry of fresh snow was washed away by the arrival of rain this afternoon which has now settled in for the evening to make the Yorkshire stone pavements and cobbled streets things to venture along at your peril. Slips and trips? Not half…

Because of the forecast both Dawn and I ventured out earlier in order to pick up some provisions and get in our daily constitutionals before settling in back at home, where it’s been a productive day. I’ve caught up with more picture editing and blogging (another reservoir walk) whilst keeping half an eye on the news.

The doom and gloom the right wing media and politicians were predicting at the end of 2025 has singularly failed to appear. If you’d believed them, high streets were deserted because Xmas shoppers were staying away in droves as no-one had any money to spend thanks to this dastardly Labour government. It was all bollocks of course. Market researcher Worldpanel said overall grocery sales were 13.8 billion pounds in the four weeks to December 28, up 3.8% year-on-year.

Meanwhile, the ‘Next’ chain raised profit forecast to £1.15bn after bumper Christmas sales. Wait – ‘bumper Xmas sales’? But I thought the media said the sales would be shit?

A new survey of senior executives by Deloitte indicates that business confidence among leading companies in the UK improved to its highest level in about two years following the Government’s autumn budget announcement. The exact opposite of the picture some have tried to paint.

To cap it all, the stock markets have also ignored the dire predictions. Today the FTSE100 closed at a record 10,122.73 points, up 1.18% on yesterday, bringing year on year gains to 22.84%. It’s a figure meaningless to some but relevant to anyone who has a pension fund or other investments.

There’s an irony to this. One of the reasons the UK markets are performing so well are the erratic actions of the orange fool in the White House. Trump’s behavior is destroying the USAs credibility on the world stage, causing investors to look at putting their money in safer markets like the FTSE 100. Plus, the fact the US is no longer seen as a trustworthy ally in the face of Russian ambitions has galvanised pan-European investment in re-arming and expanding industry, which is benefitting UK firms like Rolls-Royce and BAe.

Oh, mentioning Trump I should welcome all the new people who’ve registered to read this blog. Today I’ve had a flood of sign-ups from the USA, all using @pinchamail.org addresses. I can only assume these women are fascinated to learn more about railways, rambles around reservoirs in West Yorkshire or some of my other thoughts! Howdy folks…

Tomorrow I’m hoping for a change of tempo – and scenery (weather and train services permitting). If the forecast delivers on its predictions I’m intending to have a day out on the Settle-Carlisle railway to head out to Ribblehead, home of the famous viaduct, with the intention of updating pictures to capture some of the diverted Avanti West Coast, freight and local trains in what’s a glorious setting. This brings me on to the picture of the day. Here’s how the historic viaduct looked in October 2010. I wonder how it’ll look tomorrow? I’ll be making sure I’ll be dressed for whatever the weather can throw at me as it can get a bit changeable in these parts!

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

Paul

Welcome, 2026!

01 Thursday Jan 2026

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Politics, Rail Investment, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, Travel, TRU, West Yorkshire

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The new year has started slowly here at Bigland Towers. After the excitement and fireworks that saw the end of 2025 we’ve taken the day off to potter around and enjoy the warm coziness of home before starting 2026 in earnest. January’s brought cold weather and threats of snow, so a day off seemed sensible.

New years eve was more productive. Despite the chill we ventured out by car to do some exploring. The railways annual Christmas shutdown has seen a lot of engineering work take place up and down the country. Some of that work will run well into January, but there was one local Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU) project I wanted to have a look at. Mirfield station.

Over Christmas the rebuild of the island platform was completed and track through platform one was reinstated. Hording blocking it off were removed with passenger trains reintroduced from December 27th. There’s still a lot of work to complete as the new footbridge and lifts have yet to be commissioned, but the place looks very different to how it did just a few weeks ago.

Here’s how the station looked on November 25th. The lift towers were still swathed in scaffolding and the majority of the island platform was hidden behind hoardings. Here’s how it looks now.
The hoardings have vanished, along with the scaffolding. They’ve been replaced by new lighting and platform shelters, which whilst rather basic at least offer some shelter from the elements. The rebuilt island has been lengthened to be able to accommodate 6-car trains. The other major change is that the direction of the tracks has been reversed. Platform 1 now caters for Eastbound services as platform 2 has reverted to serving Westbound trains – although none are scheduled to use it at the moment until platform 3 is abolished.
Looking East from platform 3 you can see that the former Fast line has been disconnected and slewed to run through platform 2. The track running through the station’s been left in situ ready from when this becomes four-tracks again.
158782 and 158789 call at the reinstated platform whilst working 2L13, the 11:49 Wigan Wallgate to Leeds.
Almost ready. The new footbridge and lifts are seeing the finishing touches being completed and lifts commissioned. The lift in the right-hand tower will descend below the platform to the new entrance to provide level access from the street.

Having frozen to death in the wind to get these pictures we headed back to Halifax and home, but not before stopping off to photograph moody skies providing a backdrop to Castle Hill near Huddersfield.

Back home, Dawn busied herself in the kitchen to experiment with making her own thin-crust pizza bases. I’m biased (obviously) but I think they were a great success and tasted delicious when topped with seafood or chorizo, vegan cheese and chilli. I suspect these will become a regular feature in the Bigland household this year!

Whilst we weren’t bothered about spending midnight in the pub, we did pop out for a sociable few drinks in our local, the Big 6, before returning home to see in the new year sat in front of the fire, watching the fabulous London fireworks display. That brought back a lot of memories as I was there on the Embankment on the opposite side of the river to the wheel for the millennium display in 1999. There’s been a lot of water down the Thames since then…

Now it’s 2026. A year I’m looking forward to with cautious optimism. The world’s still a very uncertain place but there are grounds for hope. Russia’s war in Ukraine is going badly for them, and there’s signs that one of their key allies (Iran) is beginning to fall apart due to civil unrest. Of course Trump is still a major disaster, but the narcissistic old fool and his MAGA morons are in trouble in the polls and likely to have bad mid-term elections this year. In the UK, the wheels are starting to come off Nigel Farage’s latest bandwagon (Reform). His Russia connections are coming back to haunt him and the councils Reform run show every sign of being a fiasco waiting to unfold. Plus, despite all the Reform and media frenzy and speculation over Keir Starmer, the idea that there’s going to be a general election before 2029 is for the birds. And if a week’s a long time in politics, 3.5 years is an age.

The Labour government have proved to be a disappointment due to a lack of bravery, squandering a huge majority that they could have used to make important changes without fear of opposition. But, they’re nowhere near as bad as the media love to make out. They’re doing good things but the media resolutely refuse to highlight anything positive and concentrate on a stream of negativity. I’m hopeful Labour can get their act together on messaging, stop being timid and cut through to highlight the positive changes they are making.

If only the media spent as much time looking at how Nigel Farage’s girlfriend managed to pay nearly a million quid in cash for ‘his’ house in Clacton as they did obsessing about Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves tax affairs we’d be far better informed as an electorate.

On a personal front, I’m looking to spend January concentrating on some projects that have taken a backseat over the past year or so, which includes finishing scanning a lot of old slides which have never seen the light of day for decades. Then there’s travelling. I may not be heading outside of the UK for the next month, but plans are certainly afoot for later in the year.

I’m also intending to up the ante on blogging. Things slipped a bit in 2025, but now I’m back with a lot to say – and things to do…

In the meantime, let me with all my like-minded readers the very best for 2026. I hope you all have a fabulous year.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

Paul

1st December picture of the day…

01 Monday Dec 2025

Posted by in Calder Valley, Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, West Yorkshire

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Well, here were are in the final month of the day, and in a new week to boot! What hasn’t changed here in the Pennines is the weather. It’s still wet, wet. wet – but with the added fun of high winds which are rapidly stripping last last remaining leaves off many of the trees. Winter is approaching but (on the bright side) that means the days will soon start to get longer!

I’ve not ventured out of the valley today as I’ve work to do at home, plus, there’s no point in taking the camera out in these conditions. Instead I’ve pottered around the house and begun the preparations for the festive season here at Bigland Towers. The pair of us will be having Xmas at home this year, which will make a pleasant change. It won’t matter what the weather throws at us as we won’t need to venture far and the car can stay where it is.

I’ve begun to investigate various recipes as the plan is to eschew traditional festive fayre and go mostly vegetarian instead. Our Xmas day meal will more resemble an Indian thali than anything else. I have a collection of katori and other stainless steel ware so we can make it realistic. One of the beauties of this choice is that we cam prepare many of the chosen dishes in advance, making Xmas day far less stressful and busy, so more relaxed and enjoyable. There’s going to be no panicking over getting the turkey cooked on time or any of that nonsense!

Of course, there’s still a few weeks to go yet and other events on the calendar to tick off. Tomorrow I don my judges hat for the last category of the Community Rail awards that I’m involved in. ‘It’s Your Station’ always gets a lot of entries and this year we’ve had a bumper crop. After that I’ll try and get out for a day with the camera as the forecast is set to improve, although I’m not quite sure where I’m going to go yet. Later in the month I’ll be back in London again for a couple of events, including the annual railway carols service at St Mary’s Somer’s Town, Eversholt Street (details here).

So, there’s going to be lots to blog about in December, and that’s without any wry looks at the state of UK politics! I note that today 3 former Tory MPs have moved over to join ‘Reform’, one of which is former Deputy Chairman and butt of so much well-deserved lampoonery – Johnathan Gullis, the ex-MP for Stoke-on-Trent North. Now, you’d have thought that if you were going to accept defectors, you’d be picky over who you let in, but not Reform! Gullis is a running joke and political liability, the fact he’s been warmly welcomed into Reform says a lot about their lack of political judgement. The party looks more and more like a depository for recycled and talentless Tories. What was the Reform slogan? Oh, yes – ‘vote for change’! Quite how you do that when Reform is packed top to bottom with ex-Tories is a mystery! Looking at the polls it seems the Reform bubble has already burst. This latest round of defections could assist that slide…

Anyways, on to today’s picture. One of the things I was doing over the weekend was getting involved in some cooking therapy. I’ve been making several different soups recently and wanted to return to a recipe I’ve not made for ages. French onion soup made with a mix of onions, shallots, Dijon mustard and fresh Tarragon. Here’s the preparatory stage.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

27th November picture of the day…

27 Thursday Nov 2025

Posted by in Musings, Nepal, Photography, Politics, Travel, West Yorkshire

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There’s been another quiet day here at Bigland Towers. Whilst Dawn has ventured out to see an old friend and work colleague I’ve stayed close to base in order to get some blogging done whilst the weather’s miserable, although not as cold as it has been, which is a small mercy as scraping ice off the car wasn’t needed.

In between type-swiping and resizing pictures for the blog I’ve been keeping and eye on the political arena, although it more resembles a bear-pit nowadays. The right-wing media worked themselves into a frenzy in the run-up to the budget as they convinced themselves and their listeners/readers that it would be an economic disaster. The reality was very different. Reeves is no Liz Truss! By the end of the day the bond markets were intact, the FTSE100 had risen by 0.85% and people’s mortgage rates remained unchanged. It wasn’t what the right had been hoping for. I’m always amazed how these ‘patriots’ seem to want the worst for the UK and its citizens. They spend all their time trying to pretend we live in an economic disaster area with a capital city so overrun with crime and foreigners it makes 1970s New York look like paradise. Here’s a good example, from the Brexiter and bankrupt Allison Pearson who writes for the Telegraph.

Actually, no – we don’t pray for such a thing as we remember what happened last time with ‘Lettuce Liz’ Truss…

The far-right and their cheerleaders in the media are an odd bunch. One minute they’re saying we should ‘look after our own’, then when Reeves lifts the two-child benefit cap, increases the minimum wage, freezes rail fares and taxes the rich more they hyperventilate that now we’re ‘rewarding the feckless’! But then hypocrisy runs through these people like the letters through a stick of seaside rock.

It would be tempting to go on to talk about the ‘fagash Fuhrer’ Nigel Farage and the latest revelations about his fascist past and his halfhearted denials, but I have other things to do. All I will say is – I’d be fascinated to know how you sing ‘gas ’em all’ so it’s not in a “hurtful or insulting way”? Then there’s the small matter of his buddy and fellow UKIP MEP Nathan Gill being imprisoned for 10.5 years for being a traitor…

Funny old thing, this ‘patriotism’ malarkey…

Anyway, I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which has nothing to do with politics or economics. In fact it’s a world away from matters temporal. Some of you may have wondered where the header picture for my blog front page comes from. I took it in Kathmandu in Nepal way back in 1992. It’s a cropped version of this picture of the Buddhist stupa at Bodnath.

This amazing place is both a temple and a world heritage site. I’ve not been back to Nepal since 1998 but for some reason it keeps cropping up in my imagination. Maybe it’s time to revisit…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

How Elon Musk’s AI is a grok of shit…

05 Wednesday Nov 2025

Posted by in Elon Musk, Grok, Mediawatch, Politics, Social media

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Think you can trust Artificial Intelligence (AI) to answer questions factually, find accurate statistics or tell fact from fiction, truth from lies? Well, think again.

Right-Wing Billionaire Elon Musk has built ‘Grok’, an AI platform used on ‘X’ (better known as Twitter) which has also been rolled out across the internet. It’s billed as;

‘a free AI assistant designed by xAI to maximize truth and objectivity. Grok offers real-time search, image generation, trend analysis, and more’.

Maximise truth and objectivity eh? What a grok of shit!

Over the past 3 days ‘Grok’ has shown this claim to be an absolute travesty of the truth. It started with the terrible events on board an LNER train which resulted in 11 people being stabbed. Grok immediately claimed that multiple passengers on board had given ‘eyewitness accounts’ that the perpetrators had shouted ‘allau akbar’ as they rampaged through the train.

It was a lie. The ‘evidence’ was a handful of X accounts claiming to have been passengers. Grok swallowed that whole then regurgitated it and amplified it, giving those claims credence. Then an AI generated picture was posted. It’s clearly a fake. Grok claimed it was real.

Dozens of people pointed out it was fake – and a bad one at that. The train interior’s wrong, the time of day’s wrong, the location’s wrong, the suspect’s ethnicity is wrong. In short – everything’s wrong.

Initially, despite the obvious glaring errors Grok tried to argue the picture was genuine.

Then it started to backtrack under the weight of humans calling it out. Eventually, the originator of the AI fake admitted it was fake!

Grok finally admitted the picture was AI, but resolutely refused to admit it had been conned by fake witnesses claiming shouts of ‘allau akbar’. Instead, it obfuscated, saying the attack itself wasn’t in doubt, but no-one had questioned that, so why keep mentioning it? Needless to say, some humans were rather scathing about this.

So, who does Grok consider reliable sources (other than non-existent passengers). Here’s a list. Spot the problem? They’re all from the far-right and have a long history of peddling misinformation and hate. But Grok has been programmed to accept them as reliable. So much for trying to ‘maximize truth and objectivity‘.

The timestamps claim is a curious one as timestamps are worthless. All they show is something was posted at the time of the event. They tell you nothing about where that person (or bot) is posting from. So, Grok claims the passengers are genuine ‘cos the posts are made during the event but won’t tell you where in the world they’re posting from. That’s an illustration of how easy it is to con Grok.

Fast forward 2 days when another person asks again about the fake picture. Grok’s reply?

The irony? Grok claims that it ‘remembers’ conversations. Really? So why’s it contradicted itself, forgotten that it’s already admitted the pictures an AI fake and doubled down on the lie to the extent it’s denying the creator of the AI picture admitted it was a fake. I mean, if they’re not ‘credible evidence’, what is?

Needless to say. Grok spreading and amplifying misinformation has not gone un-noticed. Nor has the fact it has amnesia and conveniently ‘forgets’ what its said just a day (or even a few hours) before.

Then, today, came this absolute doozy! Grok had defamed Pete Wishart, a member of the Scottish Parliament, calling him a ‘rape enabler’.

Wishart pursued this, leading to Grok’s programmers having to issue a fulsome apology.

Only for Grok to deny it had issued any such apology just a few hours later when I questioned it!

The claim that Grok is ‘designed by xAI to maximize truth and objectivity‘ is a joke. It’s quite literally a grok of shit.

Musk’s pet is quite clearly programmed to reinforce far-right narratives, amplify misinformation and obfuscate when caught out and questioned. It can’t tell truth from lies fact from fiction – and it has (Musk’s) agenda at its heart.

Do not trust it – on anything.

UPDATE:

After I included Wishart in the exchange where ‘Grok’ denied issuing an apology, it seems he’s taken it further and the story has made the Scottish papers!

Meanwhile, Grok continues its sorry story of mis-identification. Now it’s wrongly identified a Berlin U-Bahn train as being on the London Underground, presumably to fit in with Musk’s vendetta again London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and his claims the city is unsafe.

London Underground trains plastered with window motifs of the Brandenburg Gate? Yeah, right…As for that seat moquette, Oh, please!

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Cheers!

15th October picture(s) of the day…

15 Wednesday Oct 2025

Posted by in Flag shaggers, Huddersfield, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, Railways, Travel, TRU, West Yorkshire

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Another day that didn’t quite go to plan – although that was more for Dawn than me. Dee’s outbreak of the lurgi meant she had a restless night and felt crap this morning, so her dental appointment was the first thing to be cancelled. Then a phone call to Honda about the fun and games with the car meant they came and collected it within an hour, taking it away for diagnostic checks. So, with no car, no Dawn and me still with a dental appointment it meant I was bound for our dentists in Huddersfield by bus!

That was no big deal, I had plenty of time and managed to get in a long walk to a bus stop that was convenient for some railway shots whilst I waited. As chance would have it, one of the seasonal railhead treatment trains was due just before my bus. Hence this shot.

A pair of Colas Class 66s top and tail the RHTT over Dryclough Junction. This train began its journey in Grimsby and ended it in York after going around the houses to reverse at Halifax. The spray from the powerful water jets mounted on the rear wagon is evident.

My dental appointment was a breeze. I’m not one of these people who’s frightened of visiting dentists, so it’s not a stressful experience at all. The dentist gave me a clean bill of health and the hygienist confirmed his view after giving me a clean, so that’s me done for another 6 months!

As I was close to the centre of Huddersfield I decided my walk to take in a detour to the station to see how the place looks now it’s reopened after the month-long blockade. The answer is – very different!

150007sits in the extended Sheffield bay platform whilst a TPE 185 calls at the widened and extended Westbound platform. The Northern side of the station has vanished. Both platforms and tracks have disappeared with the area becoming a building site.

Catching the bus back we passed through Elland, where the ‘flag-shaggers’ have been busy. Most lamp posts on the main road have had flags cable tied to them. Let’s face it, nothing says ‘patriotism’ more than cheap Chinese-made Union or England flags draped like limp rags around the place. Still, it’s a good indicator of places to avoid. Elland’s always been a shithole with a reputation as a place where the far-right hang out. The flags merely confirm it. I’m sure they’ll do wonders for house prices…

Back in Halifax (where flag-shagging is very much a minority sport) I strolled home, finding Dawn feeling better. Her car had been returned, complete with new rear offside wheel sensor as the old one had failed, causing all the problems. Fortunately, the £280 cost was covered by the extended warranty Dee had been smart enough to take out. Sadly, the fun and games weren’t over! No sooner had we eaten supper than poor Dawn had a large filling drop out! Today of all days!

Looks like the dentists haven’t seen the back of us yet…

Tomorrow I plan to spend the day working from home. Hopefully there’ll be no more excitement and I’ll be able to catch up on blogging and picture editing. Watch this space…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Rolling blog. Out and about…

04 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Photography, Politics, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport, Uncategorized, West Yorkshire

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10:25.

Today’s the only dry and sunny day we’re going to have in the Pennines this week, so I’m off out with the camera. It’s rather appropriate as today the Government have announced massive investment in public transport across the region, including funding for the long hoped for Leeds tram network – amongst other things (more of which later).

Right now I’ve made it to Bradford – which will eventually be on the end of the tram line from Leeds. I’m at Bradford Forster Square heading for Shipley where I’ll take a break to update a few pictures.

12:00.

I’m still at Shipley, the UK’s last remaining triangular station. The reason being, it’s proved to be rather busy. From the May timetable change, LNER began running regular services to Bradford Forster Square, which has added more variety. Plus, charter company West Coast railways  had a Carnforth to Great Yarmouth ‘Northern Belle’ dining train scheduled, which was worth hanging around for. Having had time to mooch around meant I noticed a few other things, like this.

A SPAD (Signal Passed At Danger) repeater. Easily identified by their blue hoods, these signals were once common at locations where drivers were likely to overshoot signals. Most have disappeared.

How’s this for a vintage survivor? Regional Railways Noth East ceased to exist back in the 1990s!

A train from Bradford Forster Square to Skipton calls at platform 5 at Shipley. Whilst the other sides of the triangle are double track, this is nowadays a single line as the opposite track and platform were abandoned in the 1980s.
Former Virgin ‘Thunderbird’ 57314, now named ‘Conwy Castle’ hauls empty stock from Carnforth to Great Yarmouth through Shipley.

13:35.

Having made it to Leeds I’m taking a break to do some admin work whilst considering my next options – which are a little restricted due to Trans-Pennine Route upgrade ‘bustitutions’ and the fact some of the things I’d hoped to photograph haven’t happened. On the plus side, I did find this opportunity as soon as I arrived.

Former Colas but now operated by GBRf, 60047 waits for the road at Leeds whilst working an empty stone train from Hull Dairycoates to Rylstone.

16:00.

I’ve decided to curtail my travels and channel my inner-child by becoming a platform-ender at Leeds. Since I’ve lived in this neck of the woods I’ve explored all the rail lines across Yorkshire, so there’s little for me to discover. Plus, the weather hasn’t quite worked out the way I’d hoped. Instead, I’m going to enjoy a few hours watching the world go by at Yorkshire’s premier railway station (cue squeals of outrage from York). Mind you, half the fun of being here is watching people as much as trains..

I was lucky enough to capture the first of the two Class 150 variants passing each other earlier – whilst a modern Hitachi train looks on. These BR built units are reaching the end of their lives and the process of replacing them has begun.

18:45.

Homeward bound. Well, via Bradford and a stroll twixt Forster Square and Interchange! I had intended to post a few mire pictures from Leeds, but the station wifi decided not to play ball. I’ll add them when I get home. Right now, I’m aboard one of the unique bubble-fronted Class 332s built by Siemens/CAF that you can only find working the Leeds/Bradford/Ilkley/Skipton circuit. Their Class 333 cousins used to work Heathrow Express services from Paddington, but they met their end several years ago. My train’s well  patronised, but then, as it’s the first post-peak fare service that’s hardly surprising.

My train and a sister unit at Forster Square.

19:40.

I arrived at Forster Square just in time to negotiate my way through the ranks of the city’s homeless and poor who were queuing up for hot drinks and second hand clothes that were being distributed by local charities. There’s a lot of money being invested in the cities infrastructure and transport, but decades of poverty, homelessness, and lack of opportunity are not so easy a nut to crack.

Now I’m aboard my last train of the day – a Class 150/2 working the Bradford – Huddersfield shuttle.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

The blogger returns…

29 Thursday May 2025

Posted by in Musings, Politics, West Yorkshire

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Please accept my apologies for a prolonged absence, this has been due to a number of factors, but now I’m back to look over a world that seems to be getting madder and more bizarre than ever. My time away has been spent here at home in West Yorkshire where the long dry spell and constant sunshine has been replaced with grey skies, wind and rain. The rain’s been very welcome, especially as it’s not resulted in any flooding or mayhem. That said, it’s still nowhere near enough to fill the reservoirs, but the landscape is looking far less scorched and brown than it was. Now the valley’s displaying a multitude of shades of green and I’m spared a daily chore of dashing around with a watering can (for now at least). The winds have been a different matter, they’ve shredded a lot of trees, leaving forest paths littered with destroyed foliage and ripped off branches. Thankfully, I was prepared and my Lupins and other tall plants were already staked and tied in advance.

Whilst the weather’s changed the craziness of the political arena (both home and abroad) hasn’t. The orange felon in control of the White House is still as unpredictable and incoherent as ever. It’s excruciating to watch his TV interviews and pronouncements as it’s clear that Trump has all the intelligence of an amoeba. I look on with a mix of amusement and horror that such an ignorant narcissist can become the President of the most powerful country on earth – although he seems to be doing his best to ensure the US soon loses that appellation.

Meanwhile, here in the UK we have our own Poundshop version of Trump in the form of the ‘Fagash Fuhrer’, Nigel Farage. Like Trump, he has a cultlike following. Both followings have something in common. Poor education and a willingness to believe whatever nonsense their heroes feed them. Farage latest grift (Reform UK) is doing very well in the pools, but not so well in running the local councils they find themselves running. The only reason they haven’t made a complete balls-up of things (yet) is how many of their elected Councillors (and the Mayor of Lincs) are actually rebadged and recycled Tories. The ‘newbies’ are less fortunate (and even more incompetent competent) as there’s a steady stream of revelations about unsavory pasts that have led to a constant stream of suspensions or resignations – or new Councillors just not turning up and vanishing!

So, it’s been an interesting week. Next week will see me back on my travels as I have a few events to attend. Plus, Dawn and I are heading over to Southport for the weekend where we’ll have chance to catch up with some members of my family, friends – and attend the food and drink festival.

Expect regular blogs from herein…

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

20th May picture of the day…

20 Tuesday May 2025

Posted by in Greater Manchester, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, Travel

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Another week ticks by here at Bigland Towers. I’ve been busy enjoying the sun as an alternative to watching paint dry. Literally! Having moved out of my office I’ve been busy redecorating it so that Dawn can move in. So, in-between coats of emulsion I’ve been enjoying the good weather and strolls around the local woods. Admittedly, I’ve also been kept amused by the political scene and the absolute meltdown the Tories, Reform and the right-wing media have been having due to the Government announcing details of a new trade deal with the EU. It’s beyond parody!

“Betrayal of Brexit!” they all scream. But, hang on. Wasn’t the UKs ability to negotiate its own trade agreements meant to be a benefit of Brexit? And who negotiated the original fisheries agreement that the UK is rolling over? Oh, that would be Boris Johnson, as part of his ‘oven ready’ Brexit deal. So, how can negotiating improvements to a (admittedly piss-poor) EU/UK trade deal be a ‘betrayal’ of Brexit? It can’t be – but then Brexiters have never understood trade deals from the start.

Now, I’m not Starmer’s greatest fan, but I have to admit he’s playing a very clever game here. He’s slowly dismantling some of the worst aspects of the Brexit deal Johnson lumbered us with – much to the approval of just about every UK business organisation and trade body – by cutting red-tape, enabling UK businesses to trade easier, and helping the economy. At the same time, he’s set a trap for the Tories and Reform – and they’ve walked right into it. Straight away both have said they’d roll back these reforms if elected. Really? So, in 4 years time, when it’s painfully obvious these (and other) changes have made the UK better off and people have got used to the positive impacts, Reform and the Tories are going to commit to going back to Johnson’s shit deal? That’ll play well in an election campaign! Let’s not forget that – for all the noise the right-wing press, Farage and others make, this is not 2016. The referendum result will be 13 years old by the next election. A large number of those who voted for Brexit will be pushing up daisies (many already are). Brexit is not the issue it was, the faithful who still believe in it are dwindling. More people believe it was a dumb idea than support it – and have done for some time.

The same YouGov poll shows 66% of British people now want the Government to deliver a closer relationship with the EU, compared to just 14% who don’t.

Not that you’d know any of this if you listened to much of the media!

This presents a problem for the Tories. They’re in freefall at the moment, having been relegated to fourth (behind the Lib-Dems) in a recent poll. Sure, Reform are surging (taking over the Tories) but the cracks are already showing now they’re making a dismal start in running local councils they’ve taken control of (but that’s another blog). If a week is a long time in politics then the four years until the next general election is a lifetime! There’s plenty of time for Labour to find its political and economic feet and the signs that it will are there – they’re just drowned out by a media fixated on giving air-time to Reform.

Anyway. Enough politics for now. I’m currently relaxing for the evening, having finished painting all of the walls, ceiling and much of the woodwork in the office. Hopefully, I’ll have it all finished by this time tomorrow so Dawn can move in when she’s ready. We have a few days of sunshine left before the weather’s due to change with the arrival of some much-needed rain. Maybe I’ll have chance for another day out with the camera before it does…

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture. At the weekend the pair of us crossed the border in Greater Manchester to visit a place I’d often wanted to walk to, ‘pots and pans’ on the hill above Greenfield. As well as interesting rock formations and a WW1 memorial, the hill offers some fantastic views. Sadly, the weather was a bit hazy when we visited, but the views were still worth it.

Looking West towards Mossley with Manchester on the horizon. I’m amazed how the city has become high-rise in the past 20-odd years.

You can find more pictures from this and other of our recent walks by following this link.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

14th April picture of the day…

14 Monday Apr 2025

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

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Oh, and a cartoon. Thanks to the orange felon in the American White House the world is still taking a very surreal turn right now – and there’s no sign of the madness abating. Far from it. Trump’s on again, off again tariffs and trade war, his threatened annexation of Greenland and his slavish sucking up to Vladimir Putin look to be a farce that will be playing for quite some time yet. No-one has a clue what he’ll do next – including (it seems) Trump himself! All we do know is that America’s reputation is going down the pan at a pace faster than Tesla’s share price!

Meanwhile, here at Bigland Towers, life continues regardless of the insanity across the pond. Dawn’s back working from home this week and I’m continuing with a spring clean that seems to be getting ever more complex as I wade through stuff we’ve both accumulated over the years. Some of it will end up on eBay later this week but other stuff is being gathered together and stored in the loft as we reckon car boot sales will be a good way to offload it at a decent price for minimal effort. Well, that’s the theory, anyway!

Sadly, the run of good weather we’ve had these past couple of weeks is drawing to a close. Rain is forecast later this week, but that’s no bad thing as we’ve had a very dry year so far. Admittedly, It may impede me getting out with the camera for a few days but as I’ve plenty to keep me occupied with at home I can put up with that. Mind you, Thursday’s looking promising and as I’ll be probably be stir-crazy by then I might have a day out locally. Besides, we’re in Shropshire for a few nights next week, so it’s not as if I’m stuck here forever.

Right, it’s getting late so it’s time to go. I’ll leave you with a picture from last week’s travels. I hadn’t realised that Guildford had a Lewis Carroll connection, so I was surprised to see this charming sculpture in a park by the river Wey.

Alice and the white rabbit. With more details in this link.

Oh, I also promised you a cartoon. I couldn’t resist this Cartland illustration of Donald Trump’s posturing on tariffs and China.

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/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312