Sorry there was no picture or blog yesterday. I’ve been struggling to keep on top of a long list of things I’ve set myself to do. Despite lockdown, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. I can’t think how I used to manage before when so much of my time was taken up with travel. Ah, travel – I remember it well (I think)…
To add to the fun and games the weather over the past couple of days has been utter crap. We’ve had so much rain in the past couple of months that the ground is completely saturated, leading to worries about flooding. Fortunately, despite the storm warning, the rain hasn’t come down hard, it’s just never stopped! Even so, I’ve still ventured out for my daily splash in the mud, slipping and sliding down paths akin to small waterfalls or plodding along paths that resemble WW1 battlefields – anything that gets me some exercise and away from staring at a computer screen for a while.
I’d planned to catch up on some blogging today, instead I became bogged down in editing a backlog of slide scans whilst watching the Brexitshambles lurch from one revelation to another as UK businesses come to grips with the reality of the shit-show we’ve got ourselves in. I’m reserving the rest of my feelings about this for a spleen-venting blog tomorrow, as well as another blog catching up with news about High-Speed 2 (and there’s plenty).
The one bright spot in the day was watching that orange tw*t leave the White House for the last time and seeing the new President sworn in. Biden’s speech was everything you never got from Trump. It was statesmanlike, conciliatory, coherent and meaningful, truly a breath of fresh air after listening to the rambles of the previous incumbent.
Anyway, enough of politics for now until tomorrow. The pictures I’ve been editing have taken me back half-way around the world to Australia and New Zealand (and back 22 years in time). Today’s picture is a classic tourist view, taken on the 5th February 1999 in Wellington, the city on the Southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island. Wellington posses a funicular railway which takes you from the town centre up the hill to Kelburn where you get a stunning view across the city.
Opened in 1902 and rebuilt several times since, the cable worked funicular railway is a popular tourist attraction.
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Rain staged a comeback today. It’s persistent nature made short work of the snow we’d enjoyed over the past few days which was a shame in some ways but a relief in others. Snow’s lovely when it’s pristine. When it hangs around in sub-zero conditions, turning roads and pavements into ice-rinks it’s a pain in the arse – so the rain’s done us all a favour in that respect – although I’ll miss the chance to get some more snow pictures.
We benefitted for another reason too. Today we had to drive over to Huddersfield to drop off shopping for Dawn’s parents. The clear surfaces meant there was no danger of pranging the car on steep hills or icy country lanes which was a relief as Dawn only changed it for a more modern model yesterday! We also stopped off at Huddersfield railway station so that Dee could pop into work for a few minutes. Whilst she was rummaging through paperwork I did a quick circuit of the town centre – which was deserted. OK, the fact there’s sod all open makes a difference, but even so – it was good to see that most people (including the young) were heeding the ‘stay at home’ advice. I wonder when normality might return and the town centre will be buzzing with people the way it used to on a Saturday? Personally, I can’t see that happening this side of Easter at the earliest. It’s been so long I’ve forgotten what it’s like to walk into a busy pub or restaurant. That might take some getting used to again. Odd to think that this was my first trip of the year outside the Calder Valley. We’re half way through the month and the furthest I’ve travelled is 8 miles!
Back at Bigland Towers we’ve settled in for the night which is why you’re getting today’s picture earlier than normal. I’ve been a busy bee finishing off yet another old album of travel slides which will be added to my website tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a taster. I took this shot on the 19th November 1998 on the island of Java, Indonesia.
It looks beautiful, doesn’t it? Lush paddy fields full of rice, banana plants and coconut palms. And peaceful too, with an ancient volcano as backdrop. Only, that volcano is Mount Merapi -and it’s anything but peaceful…
Indonesia is famous for its volcanos and Merapi is the most active of them all. It’s erupted in spectacular fashion several times in the past few years. In 1994 it killed 27 when a pyroclastic flow caused havoc around the nearby town of Muntilan. In fact, since I took this picture, it’s lost 38 metres in height due to a major eruption in October-November 2010. Since then it’s erupted in 2013, 2020 and as recently as last Thursday!
And to think I’ve complained about a bit of snow…
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Apologies for no picture of the day yesterday. It’s not that I didn’t have one – but that (despite the weather being bloody awful) I ended being really busy and by the time I got around to blogging I’d run out of steam and fancied a quiet night just watching a movie with Dawn.
Today was rather different. The weather forecast had predicted a mix of snow showers and rain, but neither of us were prepared for the sight that greeted us when I opened the bedroom blinds. We had wall to wall snow, it had stuck and it was still falling. Someone forgot to order the rain! In fact, it snowed steadily until mid-afternoon, by which time I managed to venture out with the camera as part of my daily constitutional. I love fresh snow, especially on still days when it coats the trees to a depth, transforming their trunks and branches into sculptures. The road we live on passes through some woods so I didn’t have to venture far to get pictures, although in the end I decided to make a round trip through the woods and down to the railway to get my first train shots of the year (unbelievable!) before walking along the canal into Sowerby Bridge to grab a few more shots at the station just before the light went completely. Trudging back uphill along slippery pavements to reach home wasn’t the most enjoyable part of the trip as the rain finally arrived but it was worth it as I don’t know how long the snow’s going to hang around, and we don’t get that many days when the conditions are so good. The only thing missing was blue skies, but hey – you can’t have everything! I’ll be adding the full selection to this gallery on my website tomorrow, as well as yet more old slide scans to this gallery.
In the meantime, here’s the picture of the day, which I took shortly after leaving home this afternoon. It seems many parts of the country were blessed with rain, not snow, so I hope I don’t make too many people jealous!
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I’m feeling generous, so there’s more than one picture today as the weather’s been glorious! The temperatures rose so much under the clear skies and bright sunlight that it almost (almost) felt like a Spring day. But unlike Spring, it’s here for one day only, which I was I was determined to make the most of it by scrapping what I’d intended to do and tore myself away from the office and computer screens to enjoy the outdoors. So much of our time is spent cooped-up due to Covid lockdowns that I would’ve been a fool not to. The day started with great promise – although not so much if you lived in central Sowerby Bridge as the clouds were determined to hang on to the valley floor for as long as possible. This was the view from our bedroom window. OK, it’s not the *exact* view as it was shot on a telephoto lens!
Central Sowerby Bridge looking like it’s been tear-gassed!
Although it would have been tempting to venture further I was a good little boy and stayed local. It wasn’t that much of a hardship as we’ve extensive woodland literally on our doorstep. Today it was a pleasure to wander the woods unhindered by drizzle, which makes a change – although some of the paths are still a quagmire. With the amount of rain we’ve been having the ground’s saturated. It’ll take quite some time before firm ground returns. Even so, sights like this do lift the heart.
This is Scarr Woods, literally just down the road from us. It’s a gorgeous patch of woodland that’s looked after by local volunteers. Right now they’re removing some non-native species to open out the wood ready to replant with a variety of items as this explains…
Psst – don’t tell the anti High Speed 2 ‘Tree protectors’ that someone’s killing trees!
My stroll was pretty strenuous as these woods aren’t exactly flat, which is part of the attraction as it’s a much more interesting landscape. On leaving the woods my perambulations took me up to the promenade on the edge of Halifax which permits some stunning views across the Calder Valley. Wandering on I dropped down one of our local cobbled hills which has been made famous in one of the opening scenes of the TV drama ‘Gentlemen Jack’. Half way down there’s a great place to stop as you get two very different views. This one across the valley…
Looking down on Sowerby Bridge, plus a rare sight in the sky nowadays – a plane’s vapour trail!
Just a few metres down the hill, looking in the opposite direction (and looking up) is this magnificent sight – the Wainhouse Tower!.
See why I couldn’t countenance being stuck in the office all day today? Sadly, normal service will be resumed tomorrow as the weather forecast is crap!
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Well, the weather forecast was spot-on today. It’ll rain it said – and rain it did – all day. Only not in any entertaining way. None of that heavy showers or hailstones sort of stuff, just drizzle. And then more drizzle, broken up by differing levels of drizzle, just to break up the monotony! Even so, I managed to sally forth and get my daily exercise. I even called in at our local supermarket to get some shopping and a get-well card for a friend. Fortunately, I didn’t need much – which is just as well as there were large gaps on the shelves, especially when it came to fresh fruit and veg. I can’t think why…
I’ll resist (for now) getting into a polemic about Brexit. I’ll save that for later in the month. Instead, I’ll leave this here..
When I wasn’t out walking and getting wet I was immersed in something other than rain. Slide-scanning. I’ve been keen to get a tranche finished and this latest collection has provided the picture of the day. This shot is one of a series I took at a cremation ceremony and procession in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia on the 2nd November 1998.
Balinese cremations ceremonies are colourful and exhuberant affairs, especially if the deceased or their family was wealthy as this man’s was. These five different towers were built on the side of one of the main roads in the very centre of Ubud. On the day of the cremation they’re carried by dozens of men each. But not in any sombre procession. They’re twirled and jigged around in order to ensure evil spirits are confused. Hundreds (if not thousands) of people line the streets to see the funeral procession go by. Even the local fire-brigade joined in to spray water over the guys carrying these towers in an effort to keep them cool. The atmosphere is more like a party than a funeral. It’s completely different to the Western traditions. Once the procession reaches the funeral grounds the corpse of the deceased is loaded into one of the effigies and the whole lot is burned.
Over this next week I’ll add the pictures to my Zenfolio website just as soon as I’ve edited them, so you’ll get to see what I mean.
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After the glorious winter’s day we had on Saturday, today was very much an anti-climax and back to the usual routine of low cloud and mists accompanied by drizzle that slowly eroded the remaining snow, leaving the ground sodden and muddy. Hardly great for walking but I forced myself to go out and complete my full seven days of exercise even if I did come back somewhat bedraggled! At least it gave me a sense of achievement – as did having added another huge tranche of old travel slides to my ’round the world’ gallery. Rather than give you a link to the gallery, here’s a link to the first of the new pictures. You can find your way from there.
I’ve plodded on throughout the day scanning more. It’s a time-consuming, mechanical process yet I’m slowly but surely coming to the end. The bright spot is that I get to see pictures of times and places I’d forgotten about, so it can brighten up a dull day, despite the repetitive nature of the task. Even so, I’ll be glad when it’s finished and I can concentrate on the future and new pictures rather than the old.
I’m looking forward to a bit more variety this week and the opportunity to escape the confines of the Calder Valley as part of a commission, even though I won’t be going far. Let’s see what happens. I’d like to have a day out with the camera but the weather forecast isn’t looking promising so I expect to be housebound for most of the week – but taking a break from scanning slides. I let my eBay account run out of goodies to sell at Christmas, so it’s time to resurrect that to start disposing of more surplus slides and assorted railway memorabilia which has the bonus of freeing up cupboard space as well as making some money. Watch this space…
OK, on to the picture of the day. I took this in Lovina, Bali, Indonesia at the end of October 1998. Bali is famous for its dancers and their exotic and colourful costumes. Visiting a temple of an evening to watch some of these performances is always a fascinating experience. The routines are highly stylized and the dancers are accompanied by Gamelan music from a live band, so they’re real theatrical performances Here’s a young man performing the Baris (warrior) dance.
I’ll be adding this and many other pictures from Bali to my Zenfolio website tomorrow until the end of the week when I should have the album finished.
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Many people returned to work today for the first time after the Xmas and New Year break – only to find out in tonight’s announcement from the Prime Minister that that return is going to be short lived as England’s going back into another Covid lockdown. I have to admit to having lost track – it this the 2nd, 3rd or 4th? It all gets rather confusing – especially as the rules vary so much. Here in West Yorkshire shops have been open but the pubs shut months ago, so I’m never quite sure what ‘flavour’ of lockdown we’re meant to be having. In many ways it makes little difference to Dawn and I as we’ve maintained as much distance from people as possible as it is! The only people we’ve seen in the flesh on a regular basis are the other occupants of our ‘bubble’ (Dawn’s parents). Sadly, this latest announcement will stop us celebrating Norah’s 80th in the way we’d hoped, but otherwise it’s not going to make a huge difference to us as far as I can see as we’d planned to be pretty reclusive this month anyway.
At least we can still get out for exercise, which is part of our plan. I managed a couple rambles through our local woods which gave me chance to get my steps in and take a break for staring at a computer screen all day. I’m trying to make the most of my incarceration by ramping up my working hours to make up for Festive down-time and catch-up with work. After all, there’s not a lot else to do…
Which brings me on to the picture of the day. I’m on the edge of another milestone as I’m within spitting distance of having all my foreign railway slides scanned and uploaded to my Zenfolio website. This was one of today’s batch. I took this picture on in Sri Lanka on the 6th January 2003. This is the view from the ‘Podi Menike’ express train from Kandy through to Badulla as it twists and turns its way along the hill railway and through all the tea plantations that cover a vast area of this part of the Island. Oh, to be there now, leaning out of a coach door to grab a shot of the train as it snakes around the sharp curves.
The hill railway really is like stepping back in time with its pretty little stations that have changed little since the Victorian Era when the railway was built although in recent years loco-hauled trains like this have been displaced on express services by modern Diesel Multiple Units. What remains unchanged is the fantastic scenery! You can find the scenic pictures (and many more rail shots) by clicking on this link.
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/
Somehow, I suspect few people will be glad to see the back of this tumultuous year. It was always going to be a rocky one due to Brexit, but who knew that the next letter in the alphabet would come along with an even bigger challenge? Covid has pretty much cancelled out 2020 as its decimated the calender from March onwards, expunging events, holidays, jobs and even people. It’s been a year of terrible losses and anxieties, but there have been bright spots and positives too.
Not that it felt that way when the Covid storm arrived. I could see the way things were going and that a lockdown was imminent back in March. I managed one last job in Birmingham visiting the HS2 high-speed railway construction site at the end of March, just a few days before lockdown was announced. Then everything dried up. As a freelancer it was a bloody awful time. All the events I can normally rely on were cancelled outright or postponed indefinitely with no realistic chance of them being rescheduled so my income dried up. To make matters worse, the plummeting markets wiped out a large chunk of my investments. I’ll be honest, when you see £44k disappear in the space of a few weeks it causes some sleepless nights! Our good fortune was that Dawn’s job was secure and she continued working throughout – albeit based at home. We converted a corner of the living room into an office so that Dee could work downstairs whilst I worked upstairs. What saved me was the fact that I have more than one string to my bow. I’m a writer as well as a photographer and RAIL magazine gave me a string of commissions that kept me busy scribbling (and sane). The other project that’s kept me busy has been scanning 1000s of old railway and travel slides. The lockdown’s have given me the space to plug away at getting them onto my website and into the public eye – in some cases over 30 years after I first took them! Now, I’m within sight of the finishing line and expect to have them all finished by summer 2021 at the latest. If there’s one positive from Covid, it’s this! Plus, I still have several writing jobs to keep me occupied, so even if lockdown is re-imposed I can survive. This year I’ve managed to add over 6,200 rail and travel pictures to my Zenfolio website, which is a record – despite the fact I’ve spent so little tine travelling. You can find the most recent additions by following this link.
Gradually, as the year went on, my investments recovered. Ironically, this is partly due to Brexit! Because I could see what was likely to happen in 2019 I consolidated all my investments back with a new firm who were very proactive and who’ve done an excellent job managing them throughout the economic shit-storm caused by Covid. At least now I can be optimistic about 2021. The people I really feel for are the ones who haven’t got any financial cushion and who were living from one pay-check to another. These really have been tough times and they’re not going to get any easier for the foreseeable future.
As for Brexit, well, what can I say? The positive is that I was one of the many who could see what was going to happen so I’m not under any illusions. No doubt there will be some people celebrating tonight but they’ll be the really dim ones who think blue passports are a ‘win’. Sadly, a lot of our media have done a very poor job of explaining what Johnson’s deal with the EU means. Some (like the Daily Mail) have outright lied about it – but then so has Johnson himself. It’s been left to the media outside the UK to do the real analysis, along with some UK bloggers. Here’s some of the home truths the New York Times explained to its readers.
Sadly, it’s going to take quite some time for the truth to dawn on a lot of people. There’s not going to be one single revelation that will make folk see that the promises the Brexiters made were lies. Remember this one?
Or this?
Nor is tomorrow the ‘end’ of Brexit, it’s actually just the start of years of wrangling over trade with the EU and other nations who we no longer have trade deals with. The Tories, the party who used to boast about making ‘bonfires of red tape’ have now tied us up with masses of it – and with absolutely nothing positive to show for it. So, 2021 is going to be an interesting experiment in ‘lightbulb’ moments as those who so enthusiastically cheered for Brexit start to understand what ‘Caveat Emptor’ really means. Sadly with a lot of those people I’m afraid the lightbulbs are rather a low wattage…
A blogger who’s explained the realities of Brexit at great length is Chris Grey, Emeritus Professor of Organization Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. I’d urge you to read his blogs, starting with this one “So this is Brexit?”
The fact that we have such an incompetent and lying Government led by a lazy and incompetent liar for PM doesn’t exactly fill me with high-hopes for 2021, but then the great things about having low expectations is that you can’t really be disappointed. I’ve got plenty to look forward to in 2021 so that’s what I’ll be focusing on and keeping my head down and cracking on with other stuff in the meantime. The news that the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has been approved and will start to be rolled out from Monday is excellent and brings hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Personally, I expect things to get worse before they get better (another reason for keeping ones head down) and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if things don’t start to pick up until Easter. But I’m prepared for that.
I’m also looking forward to catching up on some blogging in 2021. 2020 has been a record year. I’ve had 40,000 visitors reading over 83,000 pages of my rambles and spleen venting, so thank you for having nothing better to do! I hope I can keep you even more entertained in 2021. Thank you one and all!
Right, it’s time for me to go. We’re not doing anything exciting this evening other than staying in with the TV. We did get out for a ramble in the snow earlier, but now I’m on cooking duties and I’ve a pickled chicken curry to prepare.
I hope you all have the best year possible, wherever you are – as I’m amazed at how many countries appear on my readers list. In fact, some of you will already be in 2021!
Happy New Year!
Paul
PS, picture of the day will return tomorrow.
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/
On rolling up the bedroom blinds this morning I found we’d had the first real dusting of snow of the winter. Unlike last month the snowline was low enough to include us although the valley bottom was still clear of the white stuff. Even so, the view from the house was rather attractive – especially as I knew I didn’t need to venture out to slip and slide my way to work!
Instead, the pair of us have spent most of the day indulging in some DIY in order to rejig the bedroom and create more space in the cottage by relocating some shelves over the bed. A simple task normally, but this is an 1850s cottage that doesn’t contain a straight line/flat surface anywhere! Just drilling a hole into a wall as an adventure as you never know what you might find, or rather – not find. I sometimes think the interior walls were made of Emmental cheese that someone just roughly slapped plaster over. Hoping for a solid surface to drill into is like playing Russian roulette in reverse! Still, we got there in the end and the relocated shelves look rather dandy.
Having carried out my DIY duties and whilst Dawn finished some decluttering I ventured out for my daily constitutional before dark descended – although it was a close-call. The Mercury was already plummeting and the roads and pavements were becoming glasslike. Even so, it was lovely to be out for an hour as everything is really peaceful at the moment because so few people are sallying forth. I didn’t encounter anyone in our local woods and the promenade overlooking the valley contained little more than a couple of folks walking their dogs, so I was left to admire the valley views on my own. These Covid times to have their compensations…
Having been busy all day with other chores I’ve had no time to scan more old pictures, although I did break out more and install them in glass mounts ready for action. So, today’s picture is topical to say the least – if more mundane than most I’ve been posting recently. It’s the view from our bedroom window this morning…
I’ll be back at the grindstone tomorrow as I’ve a couple of blogs I want to write before we finally wave goodbye to (or put two fingers up at) 2020…
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/
This year the interregnum between Xmas and the New year is certainly an odd one – not that Christmas was exactly normal itself! I’m sure I remember a certain Prime Minister claiming back in September that life would could be back to normal by now but then he wouldn’t be the first person to claim that “It’ll all be over by Christmas”. You’d have thought people would have learned by now. New Year won’t be normal either. Forget the festivities as most of us will be in one form of lockdown or another. Hogmanay? Humbug!
Even so, I’m determined to make the most of this time. I can’t go to the pub or see friends? Never mind. There’s plenty of other things to do that I’ve never found the time for, so I might as well make the most of it – and that’s my pragmatic attitude to the situation we find ourselves in.
Mind you, the weather here in the Pennines hasn’t been tempting me to venture far anyway. Storm Bella passed without any major impact but the area’s certainly damp – but without any flooding, which is a bonus. So I’ve been hunkered down in the office to continue the slide scanning marathon whilst trying to catch up on on few household chores. Oh, the humdrum lockdown life!
My intention with the new week and what remains of the year is to clear the decks ready for 2021 which is going to prove to be another ‘interesting’ year – although it’s one I’m remaining resolutely positive about. The Covid vaccines are going to be rolled out and the world will start to re-open – well, the bits we haven’t cut ourselves off from with Brexit, anyway! – so I’m really looking forward to making up for lost travel-time and getting out and about in next year. This has been one of the great frustrations of 2020. I’ve spent so much time scanning pictures of beautiful parts of the world I’ve visited in the past whilst knowing I can’t get anywhere near them right now! One of today’s old slide scans is the – picture of the day…
I took this shot in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia on the 12th January 1999. Ballarat was a town made rich from Gold mining and some of its civic buildings reflected that status, including this one, which is the railway station dating from 1862 – and yes – that clocktower is part of the station!
The old semaphore signals you see in the picture had just been taken out of commission, but the railway gates survive today, as does the signalbox – which has become a coffee shop!
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/
