Tag Archives: Indonesia

4th December picture of the day…

04 Saturday Dec 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

2nd December picture of the day…

02 Thursday Dec 2021

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

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I took a day off from blogging yesterday. Mind you – I took a day off from almost everything yesterday! That’s because I came down with the ‘Lurgi’ and felt universally crap so decided to have a ‘Duvet Day’. It’s not that I came down with anything major – just a heavy cold, but as I have a busy few days ahead of me I decided discretion was the better part of valour so tried to sleep it off whilst being supercharged with Dawn’s home-made hot lemon and ginger drink. The aches I can work around. It’s the snots that get me down. Anyone who’s old enough to remember ‘The Young Ones’ on TV and the episode where Neil got such a heavy cold his flatmates bound him up in a bin-liner will know what I mean!

My other reason for taking time off was that today I was booked in for my Covid booster -and there was no way I was going to miss that!

Dawn’s tincture and a day in bed seemed to work as this morning I felt a lot more human so I rose from my bed and ‘commuted’ to the office in the backroom. I even got dressed before-hand! Having spent a few hours catching up on stuff I’d neglected and having recharged my batteries I wandered into Halifax to get my jab. Our local centre for boosters is Boots in the middle of town. As usual, it was very well organised but they weren’t offering drop-in appointments today as they only had enough vaccines for people who’d booked appointments – much to some people’s dismay. To be honest, I had mixed feelings about this. It was sad to see the having to turn people away but also reassuring that people where coming in off the street to get boosted. I was in and out within 30 minutes – with no side effects. The young lady who ‘jabbed’ me did it in such an easy fashion I never felt a thing, but then I was very relaxed about it anyway, so there was no stress. Having been handed a leaflet about the jabs on the way in I asked why it mentioned we’d get two boosters a month apart. Her reaction? “I’m glad you asked that as it shows you’ve bothered to read the leaflet! It’s an old (unrevised one) and now we only do one jab” But that’s me all over. I always read these things. It’s why I always offer the same advice to anyone who buys any new kit of any sort: R.T.F.M. (Read The Fu*cking Manual!). Jabbed, I decided to have a wander around Halifax before heading home. I felt no ill-effects at all. In fact, my 5G signal was so clear I was picking up instructions from ‘Russia Today’ perfectly…

I’m now back at home, having a quiet night in and catching up on some off the stuff I’ve let slip. Dawn’s out with friends but as a ‘Leper’ I’ve been left behind! This enforced period of Purdah is only temporary as next week life will be back in full swing – with the added knowledge that I’m boosted, cold and Covid free…

Meanwhile, here’s today’s picture which is another from the series of old slides that I’ve been scanning. This particular shot was taken in January 1995. Here’s the view from our rented bungalow in Tirtagangga in Bali, Indonesia, looking down onto the village and the Water Palace, where we’d go swimming most days in the pools of the old Royal Palace that you can see in the picture.

The area’s lush, being surrounded by paddy fields and with fantastic views across the island and down to the coast and across to the island of Nusa Penida off to the left of this picture. You can find many more images of Bali and Indonesia in this gallery on my Zenfolio website.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

30th November picture of the day…

30 Tuesday Nov 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh, on another completely different note…

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

Cheers!

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

29th November picture of the day…

29 Monday Nov 2021

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

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

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

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

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

26th November picture of the day…

26 Friday Nov 2021

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

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

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

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

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

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

23rd November picture of the day…

23 Tuesday Nov 2021

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

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Apologies for the lack of blogging yesterday but I decided to have a rare day off and enjoy the start of the week in a different fashion. The weather was glorious here in the Calder valley, leaving me sorely tempted to head out with the camera, but DPD put paid to that by informing me they’d be delivering a parcel around lunchtime. Resigned to the fact I was tied to the house I managed an early perambulation around the woods and canal before retreating to the office. The day wasn’t all bad – I managed to get a lot done which included beginning to scan a new album of slides from 1994-95. In fact, I got far more done than I expected as the damned parcel didn’t turn up until the early evening! Ho hum.

In between work I kept one eye on the news and the latest antics of our Prime Minister who – hot on the heels of his tremendous ‘success’ with pissing off most of Yorkshire and the other Northern regions with the disaster that’s his rail plans – managed to go one step beyond with an utterly surreal speech extolling the virtues of ‘Peppa Pig world’ to (of all people) the Confederation of British Industry! Here you have hard-nosed businessmen and Captains of industry who want to know exactly what the PM’s Government’s doing about the economy, and all they get is a rambling, incoherent speech that was more Benny Hill than Churchill – the man Johnson likes to consider himself as equal to. Jesus, doesn’t it make you proud to be English? Truly, British politics is beyond parody nowadays…

Apart from not having to hang around for parcels, today’s been in similar vein. I’ve had a productive time and British politics remains utterly mad. I can’t even be bothered to write about what a shit-show it is as I’d run out of expletives within a few paragraphs. Besides, I’ve more worthwhile things to do.

So, here’s the picture of the day, which comes from my latest batch of old slide scans. The weather may be turning cold here, but when I look at these pictures I’m taken back in time (and distance) to somewhere where it never gets cold. Today’s picture was taken in Mid December 1994 on Gili Trawangan, the largest of the three Gili islands which lie just off the West coast of the Island of Lombok, Indonesia. Here’s the view across Gili Meno, looking at Lombok and Mount Rinjani in the distance. In those days the islands were barely developed and a haven for backpackers. I’ve not been back to the Gili’s since, but I do know they’ve changed out of all recognition. I think I’d rather remember them as they were, before mass tourism took over. Lombok, however, is another matter – as is nearby Bali…

That’s all from me for tonight. I’ve another silly o’ clock start tomorrow as I’m off to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne as part of a commission. The job itself doesn’t last long but I’ll be making the most of the trip there and back, so expect a rolling blog through the day as I’m going to be spending some time on the Tyneside metro, a system I rarely visit…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

17th November picture of the day…

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

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

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It’s a short blog from me today as I’ve not had the most exciting of days. Much of it has been taken up with paperwork and general administration, along with household and the rest of the mundanities that keep life ticking over whilst you tread water, waiting for something more exciting to appear over the horizon.

There’s still plenty to blog about of course, it’s just finding the time. I suspect my next opus will when the Government finally release details of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) and the Eastern leg of HS2. There’s been mountains of speculation in the media about this over the past few days. It’s looking like the Government are announcing policy by leak, but I’ve resisted the temptation to comment until we actually see what’s announced rather than leaked. If the news is as piss-poor as we’re lead to believe, I won’t be holding back. But until then…

Ignoring the hoo-ha, I did manage to tear myself away from my desk and enjoy an amble around the valley with Dawn. The weather was far more changeable than had been forecast but we managed to avoid the rain to enjoy a pleasant (if slightly chilly) stroll down to Sowerby Bridge, along the canal and back up through the woods to home. Feeling virtuous, I then set about scanning some more old slides in an effort to break the logjam caused by having too many other things to do. I only managed to get 20 done, but that only leaves me 3 more pages to go before another albums finished. That leaves me just 6 here in the home office (and the same amount off-site) meaning the project will finally be finished in early 2022. At long last!

The current album’s a real mix of personal shots and a few travel images that were never filed properly for one reason or another. I never quite know what I’m going to find in these albums, but today’s picture was one of them.

I took this shot on the 22nd May 1992 when I was travelling solo for a year. I spotted these young Water Buffalo and their mother wallowing in a mud-bath in a field on Samosir Island, Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia when I was out for a walk and I couldn’t resist grabbing a shot.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

27th September picture of the day…

27 Monday Sep 2021

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

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The start of a new week and the end of another month has been a mixed sort of day here in the Calder Valley. It was heralded by torrential rain and winds that beat against the bedroom window as the kind of dawn chorus you really don’t want to wake up to. Fortunately, I wasn’t booked to go anywhere and Dawn has the next fortnight off so I was happy to leave the weather to it whilst I pottered around at home, finishing another magazine article and getting my copy and pictures out to the Editor.

As the day progressed the weather grew tired, the wind and rain abated and the two of us nipped out into Halifax to meet Dawn’s parents for coffee for an hour at the magnificent Piece Hall, which was quiet due to the conditions. Caffeine levels topped up we went our separate ways in order to pick up some shopping and attempt to buy petrol. Thankfully, Yorkshire folks are less prone to panics, so whilst the Sainsbury’s garage in the centre of town was busy, it had fuel and the queues only stretched into a handful of cars – which is just as well as we’re driving down to Shropshire for a week in a few days time!

Back at home I retreated into the office to tidy up a few projects I’ve got in hand and finally get around to scanning a handful of old slides that have been sat on my desk for the past few weeks. The welcome return of commissions and work around the country has meant I’ve neglected that mission recently. As much as I wanted to, I can’t see me getting all the pictures scanned by the end of the year, but I won’t be far off. 2022 will certainly see the last ones completed – much to my delight!

I certainly won’t be getting any done tomorrow as we have have the funeral of our dear friend Tony Allan to attend. With everything that’s happened since he died I’ve not had chance to write the blog about him I’d in mind. Hopefully, tomorrow will provide a few more stories that’ll allow me to add other dimensions. Tony was quite private about sections of his much-travelled life and private family life, so I’m hoping to learn more as Dawn and I only knew him for less than 10 of his nearly 70 years. Sad as it will be, we’ll all be adjourning to our local pub afterwards where we’ll celebrate his memory with his own Phoenix brewery beers.

So, I’ll bring this blog to a close with the picture of the day, which is from the slides I’d scanned today. These were a batch that have never seen the light of day since I shot them back in July 1992. Taken in Java, Indonesia, they’d never even been catalogued as part of the film had been damaged soon after they were taken, so they sat in their sleeves waiting for me to get around to doing something with them. It’s taken a while…!

This shot was taken as I was wandering through Yogyakarta towards the end of the day. I love stree photography and always look out for snapshots of life like this. Stallholders whose shops lined the pavement had packed up for the day to allow their places to be taken by the night food markets, one woman found it all too much and decided to ‘power-nap’ by wrapping her head in a newspaper. The effect novel and all a bit Klu Klux Klan but it certainly caught my eye!

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

10th August picture of the day…

10 Tuesday Aug 2021

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

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Not a bad day here in Bigland Towers even if I didn’t get through 3/4 of the things I’d hoped to – as is often the case as life just seems to keep getting in the way! At least the weather’s improved, which lifts the mood. I managed to tear Dawn away from her computer at lunchtime and the two of us had an amble through the local woods which was lovely. The recent rains have encouraged a real growth spurt in some plants so it looks like we’ll be having a bumper crop of Blackberries this year. The only downside is the brambles are throwing out so many tendrils they’re making some of the woodland walks awkward to navigate – especially if you’re wearing shorts! If the brambles don’t get you, the Nettles will!

Back at home I’ve been ploughing through various work projects and organising the diary which (thankfully) is looking a lot fuller than this time last year. Admittedly, there’s no plans for getting abroad right now, but I’ll be ‘on tour’ in the UK again for the next couple of days, so expect a rolling blog or two. Tomorrow I make my way to Carlisle to meet up with an old friend from London who’s on a business trip to the area. Having company on one of these jaunts will be fun as Covid’s meant I’ve normally been flying solo. We’ll be taking a photographic trip down the Cumbrian coast. I’m I’m hoping the weather Gods will smile upon us. I’ve not had the opportunity to visit the area for a couple of years so I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be making my way back to Yorkshire on Thursday and I’ve a couple of places I could do to visit to get shots for a client so I’ll be watching the weather forecast and hoping it performs to expectations. But hey, this is Britain after all, I could end up with floods or blizzards!

Whilst I’ve been slaving away back in the office I discovered a stash of old slides from my 1991-92 world trip that I’d never got around to cataloguing as the emulsion on some of them had been attacked by fungus before I could post them back to the UK. Now, with the wonders of modern technology – and a lot of patience in Photoshop, most of them can be restored, so here’s the picture of the day…

I took this shot in the old loco shed at the Amberawa Railway museum in Java, Indonesia on the 11th July 1992.

I was staying in nearby Yogyakarta in Central Java and was determined to fit in a visit, even though it meant catching a packed local bus to get there as the operational railway between the two towns had closed back in the 1970s. It was well worth the trip as the museum houses a fascinating collection of old Indonesian steam locomotives of all shapes and sizes, including a few British built examples. This one was (and is) still operational. B2503 was built by Esslingen of Germany (Works number 3244 of 1902). It’s a rack and adhesion type of engine, which means that on the steep gradients around Amberawa the locomotive gripped a rack rail between the two conventional rails, pulling itself and its train along on the rack via a powered cog-wheel rather than relying on simple adhesion. This 0-4-2 wheel arrangement tank locomotive looks small, but it weighs in at 31 tons! Sadly, on the day I visited, none of the engines were in steam. Nowadays the museum’s and its locomotives are a lot better kept so I’m determined to get back there again once the present pandemic has subsided. I really enjoyed travelling in Java, both then and during my last visit in 2017. It’s a beautiful island rich in history and with some great food too. Oh, and the odd railway gem like this!

I’ll eventually get around to restoring all these old pictures when time permits. Maybe that’s a job for those long dark winter nights. Right now there’s too many contemporary shots on my list to keep me occupied.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

6th July picture of the day…

06 Tuesday Jul 2021

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

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It’s been a quiet few days here in Bigland towers. The pair of us have been busy working from home which has been fine as the weather’s been spectacularly wet with torrential showers accompanied by claps of thunder and grey, apocalyptic skies. On Monday I didn’t even manage to get out for my daily constitutional because every time there was a window of opportunity the heavens opened so I put it off. There’s not even been time for blogging as I’ve just kept my head down trying to catch up on writing for a living and scanning old slides in order that I’ve another set ‘in the bank’ ready for editing when I have some down-time away from the office.

Mind you, it’s the semi-final of the football tomorrow night, which means I’ll be finishing early to transfer to cooking duty so that Dawn can watch the match!

The latest batch of old slides that I’ve been scanning are from two very different batches. This morning I finished scanning the last of a series of travel pictures taken in Bali, Indonesia way back in 2003. In fact, they were the final batch of travel slides I ever catalogued and had in albums. I did go to the Maldives in early 2004 but those pictures remained in boxes until I finally edited and scanned them last year. Unfortunatley, the albums haven’t been scanned in order, so I’ve still a few from the 1990s and early 2000s to occupy my time with yet. Right now I’m working on something different, an album of personal and social issues pictures taken between 1994 and 1997. Talk about a trip down memory lane! These are from the days when I still worked in London as a Housing Officer and boy, has the world changed a bit since then…

Right now – especially with the weather being what it is – I’ll leave you with something less heavy and more colourful. I took this shot of a procession of the Gods in Ubud, Bali on the 19th September 2003. Here a group of men are carrying an effigy of the God Dewa Bramha down the main street of Ubud, with many other Gods following behind.

These events are incredibly colourful as the statues are part of a huge parade which includes musicians, women carrying offerings on their heads, men dressed as warriors and young men and women dressed up in traditional finery. You can find the rest of these pictures by following this link to my Zenfolio website.

I’ve a favour to ask…
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Thank you!