Tag Archives: Architecture

Portugal day 8. Au Revoir Lisbon, hello Algarve…

14 Sunday Sep 2025

Posted by in Architecture, Photography, Portugal, Railways, Travel, Uncategorized

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I’mstill 24 hours behind in my blogs but I’m hoping to catch up tomorrow as life here where we’re staying in Olhos de Água is a lot more relaxed. Our touring is over, now there’s time to enjoy beach-time..

Leaving Lisbon wasn’t without its regrets. We’d loved staying there to explore different facets of the city. It’s certainly changed since we were last here in 2010 and some of those changes haven’t been for the better, even so, it remains a great city.

Having checked out of our hotel we had one last superb pastry breakfast outside the station whilst admiring the trio of cruise ships which had arrived overnight. Some of these things are behemoths, more akin to a floating town than a ship.

Having fortified ourselves we caught a local train to Oriente station where our Intercity service to Albufeira was due to leave at 14:02. Oriente’s a really interesting multi-level, modern station built in 1998. In some ways it reminds me of Berlin Hauptbahnhof – only without the layered railways. Below tracks it’s an exercise in futuristic concrete and shopping whilst above tracks its roof owes more to Moorish traditions and austere platforms.

Dawn’s refective sunglasses were ideal for playing around with shots like this…
Our train to the South, hauled by 5620, one of 30 Class 5600 electric locomotives built by Siemens and Sorefame between 1993-95 which are the mainstay of Portugese Intercity and regional services after the high-speed ‘Alfa Pendular’ EMUs.

Our train South was packed. As it was probably our last rail journey of this trip I’d booked us into 1st Class, which was an interesting experience as we had seats in the ‘half and half’ car which is split between 1st class and the buffet area. That’s fine, apart from the fact there’s bugger all luggage storage compared to a normal 1st class coach. Either you stick your cases in the overhead luggage racks or you leave ’em clogging the isles.

The train was packed, so people-watching was always going to be fun. We had one group of middle-aged American women who embarked at Entrecampos. Having dumped their bags in the racks they demanded a family move as they were occupying ‘their’ seats. Needless to say, the Yanks were in the wrong carriage! Once we were settled into the journey and Dawn was dozing in her seat I nipped next door to have a beer in the buffet car and indulge in more people watching as the coach wifi wasn’t playing ball, so the blogging I’d intended to do went out of the window.

The buffet car’s popular with late travellers who’ve booked a ticket but can’t get a seat reservation so some people ensconce themselves for the duration, either in the table bays or squatting on the stools lining the coach sides. Many others drift in and out, giving you an idea of how international the clientele are. The Portugese woman behind the counter was kept on her feet all the way but still dealt with the queues with aplomb. There’s all ages and backgrounds on these trains. One battered old Portugese chap caught my eye. His luggage consisted of a sleeping bag in a carrier bag and a small daypack. His clothes and straw hat were as weathered as his face. He kept himself to himself as he chugged red wine, but I got the impression he’d seen a few things in life. He was another people-watcher too…

What could be finer? Observing people and watching the world go by…

We arrived at Albufeira late, but that was no real problem. We grabbed one of the plentiful taxis at the station and within 25 minutes (and some confusion over door numbers) we entered our new abode – which is a lovely little villa on an enclosed estate. I’ll post pictures tomorrow.

Having settled in we explored our new ‘manor’. There’s several restaurants and a supermarket just down the road. We plumped for one local eaterie and ended up having some of the best (and best value) Sardines of the trip – just 9.95 Euros for this little lot!

Tomorrow we’ll be staying close to home and checking out the beaches as this is the restful part of the trip. Plus, we hear the weather back in the UK is less than clement, so we’re going to make the most of wall to wall sunshine and temperatures in the 30s whilst we can!

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

Portugal day 7: More Lisbon explorations…

13 Saturday Sep 2025

Posted by in Architecture, Food and drink, Photography, Portugal, Railways, Travel

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I’m a day late with this blog, mainly because we were out most of the day and by the time we got home it was too late to blog as we were both knackered!

Staying in the gorgeous Editory Riverside hotel at Santa Apolónia station had many advantages (apart from me being able to photograph trains with ease). The station has a wonderful, boulangerie, the Marie Blachère – which became our go-to for wonderful pastries like this. Sitting out in the sun with a coffee and pastry was a great way to begin the day.

There’s also a well-stocked and reasonably priced ‘pingo doce’ supermarket where you can buy goodies for your journey. Our journey first took us out to Oriente station where we changed for a suburban train for the 50 minute trip to Sintra, a town to the North-West of Lisbon.

Sintra’s the terminus of two routes from Lisbon. One from Rossio station the the centre of town, the other from Oriente. Both routes are worked by these Class 2300 and 2400 EMUs seen at Cintra.

Sintra’s like Disneyland for the wealthy. It’s full of outrageous palaces and other architectural marvels. No wonder it was the haunt of people like Lord Byron. Nowadays it’s an even bigger draw with its narrow streets clogged with gawping tourists keen to get the perfect picture of themselves stood in the way of something. Even so, the town’s still worth visiting. Here’s a taste of what’s to be seen.

Quinta da Regaleira is an extravagant early 20th century palace and gardens.
Castelo dos Mouros – If Monty Python built castles! In reality, this Moorish masterpiece was built in the 10th century.
How’s this for a town hall?

Having baked in the sun and worn through a decent amount of shoe-leather we caught the train back into Lisbon, this time arriving at Rossio station in the centre of town. We toyed with the idea of catching the No 28 tram but seeing the queues at the start of the route we flagged that idea and walked home in order to have a rest and chance to freshen up before venturing out to eat.

Another of the advantages of our hotel is that it’s at the edge of the old Alfama district. Its narrow streets are packed with restaurants and bars to suit most tastes (and price brackets). As it was our last night we found one where we could dine alfresco whilst watching the world go by. We plumped for do Vigário Pub and Records, a laid-back and friendly little place which does good tapas style dishes, craft beers, local wines – and music.

Laid-back life on do Vigário…

Whilst our city tours are coming to an end we’re not leaving Portugal yet. We leave Lisbon to head back South by train to the Algarve and several more days kicking back in Olhos de Água, where I hope to have time to catch up with more blogging and picture editing…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
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Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

9th July picture of the day…

09 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Architecture, London, Musings, Photography, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Back at home after a busy couple of days in London, I’ve dropped down a couple of gears. Much of today has been spent with my feet up as I begin the process of editing the hundreds of pictures that I’ve taken. The weather’s been rather cooler than in the capital, which is welcome, although temperatures are due to ramp up over the next few days. Just in time for the hosepipe ban which Yorkshire water are imposing from Friday. It’s hardly surprising. We’ve only had 15cm of rainfall between February and June, leaving reservoirs at 56 per cent capacity as opposed to the normal level of 82 per cent. Ah well, carrying watering cans full of greywater up and down the terraces at the back of the cottage will keep me fit! I’ve no idea how long the ban will last, but with this dry spell set to continue I can’t imagine the ban being lifted anytime soon.

Tomorrow I’ll be continuing in the same vein as today, although I expect to be a bit more active now that I’ve rested. Even so, there’s a lot of photos to edit and caption, along with preparations for my next RAIL magazine article. Right now I’m going to leave you with today’s picture, which was taken in Lewisham yesterday. I’ve mentioned how the area has become a mini ‘New York’ due to the rapid development and expansion of high-rise accommodation. Architecturally, some of it is rather colourful and pleasing. These aren’t the bland concrete monoliths that we threw up in the 1970s, they’re actually rather attractive. However, I can’t vouch for the build quality or what they’re like to live in.

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

Shropshire. Day 3.

24 Thursday Apr 2025

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The 3rd day of our adventure saw us staying local to Church Stretton for most of the day, taking the chance to enjoy the dry weather and improving forecast in order to explore some of the excellent walks around the area. What’s great about staying in the town is the walks are literally on your doorstep, there’s no need to drive anywhere. Ours started by heading uphill from where we’re staying. En-route we passed this lovely little fairy grotto someone had installed in a tree.

At the top of Hazler Rd we left tarmac to head off into the hills and climbed up to our first port of call – Gaerstones. It’s not too strenuous a climb and it’s well worth it for the views.

The lone sign…

Moving on along past the stones we dropped down towards the valley between the stones and heavily wooded Helwith Hill which was full of bluebells. Skirting the edge of the woods we crossed over the steam at the bottom of the valley to begin our climb up Caer Caradoc. Despite the dry weather we’ve been having this area was still very muddy. That soon changed as we began the very steep climb – the toughest part of the walk – to get as far as here, Three Fingers Rock. It’s at the Southern end of the ridge so has great views over Church Stretton.

The rocks are at 360m above sea level, which means you gain just under another 100m as you walk along the ridge to get to the top of Caer Caradoc, which is the site of an old hillfort. Whilst walking between the two I caught this shot of a Transport for Wales service heading through the valley on its way from Cardiff to Manchester.

Whilst the weather was dry and not too windy there was a significant amount of haze which reduced visibility – as you can see from this next few looking North from atop Caer Caradoc.

Looking over to the Lawley (left) with Yell bank to the right.

We chose to descend via a different route which was another steep drop to little Caradoc then along the eastern base of the hill to gain access to footpaths which took us over the busy A49 and the adjacent railway to access All Stretton village and a blissfully flat walk along the road back into Church Stretton where we stopped for a well-earned drink before heading home.

That wasn’t the end of our day as we decided to explore further, only this time in the car by driving to nearby Much Wenlock in order to explore the town. It’s a pretty little place with some amazing half-timbered old buildings like this, but it was dead. All the shops seem to shut at 4pm, leaving the place bereft of life. Whilst looking pretty as a picture, it’s not a place I could imagine living as there’s little to do there. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be a teenager growing up in such a place. Still, it allowed me to get a few useful pictures like this.

Much Wenlock Guildhall dates from 1540. Sadly, it was closed when we arrived as the rooms inside sound fascinating (see link). The area underneath is still in regular use for the town’s market.

By now it was time to head home after a tiring an enjoyable day in order to enjoy a quiet night at home and recharge our batteries for another hill walk the next day.

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

Indonesia day 5. Temples and thunderstorms…

19 Sunday Jan 2025

Posted by in Architecture, History, Indonesia, Photography, Religion, Travel

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It’s evening here in Indonesia and the pair of us are relaxing at our little homestay (an old house in the back streets of Yogyakarta), listening to the thunder and the torrential rain bouncing off the roof and into the little pool in the courtyard. It’s been a long, sweaty but enjoyable day that started at 06:55 when we were picked up by our driver who took a small group (just 4 of us) on a tour that took in the magnificent 9th century Buddhist temple at Borobudur and the huge Hindu temple complex of Prambanan (also 9th century).

I’ve visited both before, first in 1992 and again in 1998, but a lot changes in 26 years, as I was to find out. The biggest changes are at Borobudur. Tourists can no longer wander around the structure willy-nilly. Now there are strict controls. You can wander around the grounds until your heart’s content, but if you want to ascend to the top you have to book a 1 hour time slot (running from 08:30) and numbers are limited to 1,200 people a day in order to preserve the monument from wear and tear due to the increasing numbers of tourists visiting.

Now, you arrive at a brand-new, sprawling tourist complex full of shops to gain entry. First off is getting your paper wristband with a QR code, then you’re given a pair of flip-flops to replace your own shoes in order to lessen damage even further – and a bottle of water. The slippers are actually rather cool and comfy and come with a monogrammed bag, making them a nice souvenir! Once the formalities are over you’re taken by stretched golf buggy to a compound nearer the monument where you meet the guide who will escort you around the temple and make sure you’re off on time. We were lucky with both the weather and with our guide who was a lovely older chap with a keen sense of humour. The low clouds that have dogged us most days cleared away, which was great for pictures but the heat and sun were fierce. As the temple’s built atop a hill there’s often a decent breeze, but that doesn’t stop you frying! Here’s a couple of the pictures I took. I’ve loads more to edit when we get to Bali. Last time I visited I was still shooting film and had to be sparing with it as I was travelling for 18 months and the slide film I was using (Fuji Velvia) wasn’t easy to come by. This time I could indulge myself and also see what the Nikon Z9 could do…

With time up we left and headed off to Prambanan which doesn’t have the same restrictions as it’s a very different site. It’s actually a series of temples spread around a large site but this most impressive is this…

I’d have struggled to get this shot on a film camera. There are 4 statues in the main tower, this one is (as the nameplate suggests) Durga. For camera cranks, this was taken hand-held with a 50mm lens, F5.6 at 1/20, 5000asa.

We sweated (and I mean sweated) our way around all the other temples before our time was up and we had to head home where the first priority was a shower, then a drink. Tomorrow morning we leave Yogyakarta by train to hit Surabaya for the night and chance to catch up with an old rail-enthusiast friend, so expect some railway related images in tomorrow’s blog.

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

5th November picture of the day…

05 Tuesday Nov 2024

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

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After my trip to London yesterday I’ve been pretty much confined to Bigland Towers today as I’ve needed to spend most of my time picture editing and sorting out paperwork. It’s been no loss as the weather’s been crap. We woke up to low cloud and mist this morning which never cleared, leaving us with a gloomy, damp and sunless day all day – hardly one to be heading out with the camera, so I’ve made the most of my time staying indoors in the warm.

I’ve resisted the temptation to try and follow anything to do with the American presidential election, other than write this blog. There’s far too much misinformation out there and the reputable polls that do exist leave one none the wiser. According to them it’s too close to call so all the media are doing is speculating. I’ll wait to see what tomorrow brings instead, although it’s quite likely we won’t know the actual result until Thursday as the few swing states that matter may not declare until then.

Instead, the pair of us are going to have a quiet, relaxing night in watching a film. After all – tomorrow’s another day. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with today’s picture which was taken shortly before I left London last night.

Platforms 5-8 inside the Western arch of Kings Cross station. Opened in October 1852, the station was designed by Lewis Cubitt, the younger brother of Thomas Cubitt.

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

9th September picture of the day…

09 Monday Sep 2024

Posted by in Architecture, Manchester, Musings, Photography, Railways, Travel

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It’s been another day slogging away over a hot computer here at Bigland Towers. My timetable slipped slightly due to the fun and games at yesterday’s Green party conference and the vote to back building HS2 which required a blog all of its own. Having penned that it was back to picture editing, sorting out station images for a client and planning how I’ll get to the last dozen plus locations – some of which only see trains once a week! The logistical challenge is an interesting one, but it should keep me fit as well as give me the opportunity to visit some places I’ve never been before. But that’s going to have to wait until the weather’s right – hopefully later this week.

Tomorrow I have another, rather different assignment up in Newcastle (and Edinburgh), but more of that after it’s happened. First, I’ve got to get to Newcastle tomorrow morning, ready to meet up with the cameraman I’ll be working with. Yep, it’s not me doing the filming on this little adventure! No doubt I’ll have some time to blog tomorrow, even if it’s not going to be a full running commentary on the day.

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture, which is from my recent prowls around Manchester. I love the little nooks and crannies or unexpected turns you find at some railway stations as the builders tried to cope with the topography and meeting between road and rail. Here’s one from Davenport station, just outside Stockport on the route to Buxton.

I’ve always been interested in the architecture of the railways and have a gallery dedicated to railway stations (good and bad), so if you want to see more examples from across the network, follow 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

Cambridgeshire day 5…

06 Wednesday Sep 2023

Posted by in Architecture, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Photography, Travel

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Only a short blog (with several pictures) from me today. We’ had a late start due to recharging yesterdays batteries but also because – despite another day of high temperatures, fog hung around our chalet until quite late this morning.

Once we were on the road we made it over the border into Essex as we visited the old market town of Saffron Walden, South of Cambridge. It’s a lovely little town with some historic buildings, a lovely feel and sights like the fine parish church and the beautifully restored Bridge End garden.

Here’s a few pictures from our trip.

A classic collection of old houses in Castle Street, Saffron Walden.
Bridge End Garden.
The walled garden at Bridge End contains varieties of old English apples, identified by these brass tags.
The town’s more than it’s fair share of old timbered buildings like this – although the pub sign has a modern twist on the ‘Cross’ Keys…

We lingered longer than we’d intended but wanted to have a quick look at St Neots (a 45 min drive away) but as it was such a hot say we ended up at this old Mill on the Great Ouse, South of the town

The River Mill, just off the Great North Rd at Eaton Socon, South of St Neots.

I’ll flesh out more details tomorrow if I can. Right now it’s time to call it a day as I’m having a solo adventure 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/

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

28th March picture of the day…

28 Tuesday Mar 2023

Posted by in Architecture, Community rail, Community Rail Network, Nottingham, Photography, Railways, Travel

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Tempting as it was I decided not to do a rolling blog today because I had more than enough plates to keep spinning without adding another one to the mix. We had a convivial night with many of the Community Rail Network team as we were saying goodbye to Director of Support and Development (and Deputy Chief Executive) Brian Barnsley. Brian was one of the early members of the team from the days when the organisation consisted of a handful of people. After a fun ‘life of Brian’ presentation at the conference social a few of us adjourned to a local hostelry that served real ale – and where you didn’t have to pay hotel prices! Even so, we were good as Dawn and I had to be up by 7am because Dee was working on the conference reception desk with Community Rail Support Officer Daniel Wright. The pair of them made a great double-act, prompting humour and a relaxed atmosphere – just what you need to know that the conference you’re attending isn’t going to be stuffy! We were starting early as many delegates had a long way to travel home, so whilst I had time to tuck into the excellent hotel breakfast Dee was preparing for the delegate deluge. leaving me no option but to drop in a Red Cross parcel of a Danish pastry, croissant and coffee to provide that all important sugar-rush! The conference was a really good event. There was a great range of speakers and presentations to keep people engaged which meant I was kept busy with the camera and laptop as I was constantly feeding the CRN media team with images to use on Twitter and other social media. That said, I did get to listen to and learn from some of the presentations, as well as chat with old friends during the coffee-breaks. The event wrapped up by 16:00 when we bid our farewell to Nottingham with many of us heading North to Yorkshire via Northern’s 16:17 to Leeds. Now the pair of us are relaxing at home ready for another busy few days.

You can find some pictures and more details of the event on CRN’s twitter feed at @CommunityRail.

Now, what to choose for picture of the day? I’m tempted by some of the conference photos but decided against it. Instead, here’s a look at some of the lovely old buildings that make up much of Nottingham’s city centre. In places like this is always worth looking up, although in Nottingham this is made easier by the fact the town’s built over a range of hills!

Here’s the view looking down Queen St with the clock and dome of the Town hall in the background.

Tomorrow I’ll be based at home as I’ve a lot of pictures and paperwork to catch up with before my next escapade later in the week which will involve a popular (and regular) feature of this blog as a friend and I will be visiting several High Speed 2 construction and mitigation sites along the phase 1 route between London and Warwickshire, so expect plenty of words and pictures to 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/

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

Thank you!

15th March picture of the day…

15 Wednesday Mar 2023

Posted by in Air Travel, Architecture, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Politics, Singapore

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It’s been another busy and varied day here at Bigland Towers, most of it spent holed up in my office, tying to clear-up a backlog of picture editing, paperwork and other administrative chores. I’d hoped I might have got out with the camera for a while, but it wasn’t to be. The weather’s improved slightly in that we’ve not had wall to wall rain but the low cloud and grey skies have hardly been conducive to slipping out. Instead I made the most of my desk time. I’ve almost cleared the picture editing/captioning backlog. You can find new additions from my Singapore sojourns on My Zenfolio website. The travel shots are here and the rail shots are here.

Of course, today was also budget day. I resisted the temptation to watch as I was working as I knew I’d only end up shouting at the TV at the sheer brass-neck of Hunt and Co claiming what a wonderful job they’re doing of running the economy and how the country’s safe in their hands. As soon as they have to claim the budget won’t just help the rich you know the opposite is true. Meanwhile, the OBR predicts the UK will avoid recession in 2023, but the economy will shrink by 0.2% and we’ll have the biggest fall in spending power for 70 years which makes Hunt’s budget look like little more than tinkering to shore up the Tory vote (hence the pension changes that benefit the rich), Some of the other stuff announced was so trivial and banal it gave the game away. Levelling up? Nah, we’ve ditched that idea by deferring building HS2 North of Birmingham for two years to ‘save’ money (although that’s been proven to be a lie by the leak of the Government’s own assessments) instead Hunt announced £200m this year to help local councils in England repair potholes. Well, that’ll really turn things around, won’t it? Honestly, talk about a Government without an ambition or vision – or contact with the real world! Oh, and don’t get me started on the freezing of the fuel duty escalator for the nth year in a row. That’ll cost £6bn this year and hardly help the government reach its net-zero target. It’s yet another populist measure that shows winning an election is all that matters. The environment (and the planet) be damned!

Meanwhile – in that real world – the banking sector is in danger of going into another meltdown. The collapse of America’s Silicon Valley Bank has been followed by a crisis at Credit Suisse which has spooked the global markets even more. The FTSE lost 3.83% of its value today, the biggest fall since the start of the Covid pandemic, wiping out all of 2023 gains to take us back to December 2022. The global economy – already rocked by the Ukraine war – could be entering even choppier waters and with the UK’s economy having so many underlying weaknesses (and an incompetent Government) we’re more susceptible than many. I genuinely hope I’m proved wrong on this one as I’m fed up of living in uncertain times.

All this has meant I’ve been in pensive mode today. Having returned from Asia I’ve tried to remain optimistic, but when I see the state of the UK it’s hard to maintain that sometimes. I visited one of our local supermarkets today to pick up some more shopping and the way prices have increased just in the two months I’ve been away was a shock. Inflation may be going down later this year, but does anyone seriously think that means prices are going to decline? When I look at the cost of living here compared to Malaysia and Thailand…

Anyway, I’ll try and find my optimism again soo. I’m sure it’s here somewhere…

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture – which is another from my Asia trip. Regular readers will know of my interest in and love of architecture. Whilst I was wandering around Singapore I spotted these old spiral staircase fire escapes. I love the style, shapes and colours so couldn’t resist grabbing a picture.

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

Thank you!