Today’s been a tying up of loose ends sort of day here at Bigland Towers, as tomorrow the pair of us head off for a much-needed break in Portugal. Dawn’s been busy sorting out stuff for her employer, Community Rail Network, whilst I’ve been busy editing pictures, getting others out to clients and chasing paperwork and potential jobs. To be honest, it’s not been a bad day to be stuck at home as the weather’s still deteriorating and there’s a distinct autumn chill beginning to creep in – which I’ll be happy to leave behind for warmer climes. It’s a much nicer 29 degrees in Faro tomorrow!
We’re in no panic to pack as we don’t fly from Leeds/Bradford until tomorrow evening, which gives us a relaxed morning. I should even have time for some blogging! But right now it’s time to enjoy our last evening here in the UK for a while. I’ll leave you with a picture from our last trip to Portugal, which we may get to reprise. Lisbon’s old trams are a delight to both travel on and watch pass by for entertainment value – especially as many people would ‘tram-surf’, like these three young women…
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Alas, the glorious weather we’ve enjoyed this year feels like it’s coming to an end as the seasons change. Autumn is fast approaching, although for many farmers it arrived unseasonably early, allowing them to harvest weeks earlier than normal, with some enjoying very good crop yields, despite the dry weather and heat which has meant that 2025 has been identified by the Met Office as the warmest summer on record. The worrying thing is that record is very likely to be broken next year.
Now the rain’s taken over here in West Yorkshire. We’ve had several days of heavy showers and leaden skies. I shouldn’t really complain, anyone who’s read any of my reservoir blogs will know how desperate we are for rain around here. Yorkshire Water reports that levels are down to 32.6 per cent – well below the 72.7 per cent average for this time of year. So we’re going to need a hell of a lot of steady rain to make up the deficit – and avoid floods. Still, Dawn and I are off to Portugal on Friday, so if the heavens want to open for the next couple of weeks, then don’t mind us!
I nipped out between heavy showers earlier to get shots of the signs of the seasons change. The Oak trees that make up some of the woodlands surrounding us are a mass of acorns right now. It’s difficult to walk through the woods without getting bombed by them dropping. The downside is that the local grey squirrels have gone into overdrive, collecting and stashing as many acorns as they can find as food for the winter months. The problem is these pesky rodents are seeing my flowerbeds and pots as part of their larder, destroying any plants that get in their way. Bloody things…
The persistent rain’s brought the valley sides to life again, reinvigorating grass and woodland alike. It’s also made for some interesting skies, like this. I managed to get home before this little lot dumped on me.
Looking across the Calder valley to Norland and the Ryburn valley beyond.
We’ve a thunderstorm warning for the rest of the day, which could produce some fun. Let’s see…
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I hadn’t intended writing a reservoir blog today. Far from it. We should’ve been at the Southport flower show, but yesterday I was stung on the lefthand by some flying critter which – unbeknown to me – had landed on my long camera lens when I was taking pictures at Deansgate. As I swung the camera up to grasp the lens I felt an electric shock, then saw something fly off in an erratic fashion but not before the little bugger has left me a present jabbed into the joint of my index finger. I thought no more about it as it stung but wasn’t too much of a problem – until I woke up this morning…
Overnight, my left hand had swollen up like an overstretched balloon, with the skin displaying some interesting if alarming colours and the centre of the sting looking very angry indeed. So, a trip to A&E it was! Calderdale Royal infirmary is a modern hospital with excellent staff, but waiting times in A&E can vary considerably. Today wasn’t the best day as we spent all morning there, however, the Asian Doctor who treated me was really very good, being both thorough and informative. The result was I came away with lots of good advice and reassurance plus a course of antibiotics as the sting was clearly infected.
All of this put paid to going to the flower show.
Instead we spent the much of the day pottering around at home. My arm was in a sling so I wasn’t able to do too much, leaving poor Dawn to bear most of the domestic burden. Dee’s been a star throughout, hanging around with me in A&E and driving me where I needed to go – as well as picking up on the jobs I’d normally be doing.
By late afternoon we’d both had enough as the weather was superb, so we decided to nip out for a while. At my suggestion we drove up to Baitings reservoir, just to see how things were going. The answer? Badly, as these pictures illustrate.
Looking towards the dam from the old road bridge which is normally submerged.I walked further along the dry reservoir bed to get shots of the two bridges together which shows how the stream that feeds the reservoir with water off the moors is reduced to a trickle. Looking at the old bridge I’d estimate that levels have dropped by at least 6 feet since our last visit. The parlous state of the reservoir. Yorkshire water reckon their reservoirs are around 42% full right now compared to the seasonal average of 75%. I’d suggest that Baitings is far lower than that. Give it another few weeks and I doubt there’ll be much left at all.
Tomorrow we might make another attempt to attend the Southport flower show. My hand seems to be responding to the antibiotics, antihistamines and Ibuprofen (even if I do rattle when I walk), but we’ll see how things are in the morning. My view is – as long as it hasn’t dropped off during the night…
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I’m sorry my blogging has become so erratic recently. It’s due to a combination of factors but not having anything to talk about/spleen vent isn’t one of them! This week’s been one of trying to adjust to a new routine. Dawn (who’d been off for a while) returned to work on Monday. I’ve made it my priority to help her to ease back into the routine so my time has been spent at home, acting as ‘house husband’ – providing sustenance and support as needed. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to get back to work myself and re-establish a routine that allows me to juggle exercise with productivity. It’s not always been easy – especially when the weather decides you’re not part of its plan. We didn’t suffer too much from the latest storm, but it certainly announced its presence, stripping leaves and branches off surrounding trees whilst dumping a fair bit of water in its wake. Can we have the cloud-free skies and baking weather back, please?
On the positive side, staying at home has allowed me to plan a few adventures – starting next week when I’ll be back on the rails. I’ve also had final details of a couple of really enjoyable commissions in Swindon and Llanelli which I’m looking forward to as I can dovetail them with other work. Then there’s plotting some more foreign expeditions…
In the meantime, I’m determined to ensure the rest of the week is a mixture of productivity and fun (so I’m not going to talk about politics – just yet) whilst enjoying the weekend. There’s a local event called CraggFest happening, which sound like an ideal bit of escapism. Expect a report and pictures.
Right now I’ll leave you with a picture that’s unconnected with what I’ve been talking about, but it’s from a country that may feature on our itinerary later this year. Greece. After all, what could be more Greek than cats – and old doors?
Cat burglar caught in the act? Lakka, Paxos. Ionian Islands. September 2000.
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I’m slowly getting my mojo back. Today’s been a good day where I’ve felt I’ve actually achieved a few things and have lots to look forward to. Admittedly, not everything on my list was ticked off, but many of the major things were. That’s the problem with a long list! I’m reminded of an old boss from the days when I worked in Housing in East London. He used to say ‘if it’s an urgent file, leave it on my chair’. Within 6 months he had a second chair, one for him and one for the ‘urgent’ files! I’m not that bad (just don’t ask about my email inbox).
Having been busy at home all day I did manage to get out for a stroll this afternoon. All the shit and hassle recently has meant I’ve been lax at this – which has had an impact on how I feel. This week I’ve been determined to up the ante and hit as many targets as possible. Having picked up some shopping and nipped into my local pub for a ‘swifty’ my walk home took me past a superb crop of Blackberries which I couldn’t resist returning to pick. I’ve never known such a bumper crop this early in the season – especially as we’ve had such a dry year.
Tomorrow I’ll be up early to head down to Derby via Sheffield. Expect a rolling blog with lots of pictures – including previews of the biggest event that’s been organised to celebrate Railway 200.
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I’m sorry I’ve been absent for so long but the pair of us have had a rather shitty time this past week. I won’t go into details other than to say the worst is over and we’re gradually bouncing back. On the bright side, we’ll now have more time to devote to the things in life we both want to do and enjoy. In my case that means getting back to travelling and blogging, so expect a renewed stream of rolling blogs from my travels as well as wry and/or splenetic observations on the state of UK politics.
Oh, then there’s the weather. My absence has coincided with a change in the weather. We’ve actually had a few much-needed rainy days here in the Pennines, although it doesn’t seem to have made much difference to the levels in local reservoirs, which remain perilously low. I’ve visited some recently and have a new reservoir blog in the pipeline – if you’ll pardon the pun.
On Thursday I’ll be heading to Derby, so expect a rolling blog and preview pictures of a very important event in the railway calendar to help celebrate the 200th anniversary of Britain (and the world’s) railways.
Anyways, it’s good to be back. I’ll see you at greater length tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which is of a lovely meal Dawn rustled up using steak from the excellent Bolster Moor Farm shop. We both love Thai food – and this fiery Thai beef salad is a favourite.
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Today’s been a real mixture here at Bigland Towers. We’ve not had any rain today but the landscape remains damp and humid from the torrents we had yesterday, whilst heavy cloud prevents the sun from drying things up much. Whilst Dawn took it easy this morning I was busy pottering around whilst catching up on emails and planning future jobs – and sorting the cottage out ready for the impending arrival of our guest (Dawn’s Niece).
This afternoon we managed to get out, driving over to Huddersfield to drop off supplies at Dee’s parents – which included the latest batch of industrial quantity, home-cooked (gluten-free) Lasagne, which should keep them going for a while. After which we decided to go for a drive and clear our heads whilst exploring. We’d no destination in mind, we simply went where the roads took us – which was over the border from Marsden into Greater Manchester and the area around Uppermill and Greenfield. There was only one problem. It was raining cats and dogs over there – so we beat a hasty retreat back into Kirklees past Dovestones edge to Holmfirth, where the skies were much kinder. I’d have loved to have got some pictures en-route but the A635 is a bugger of a narrow road guarded by double yellow lines for most of its length. There’s nowhere to stop safely, even for a minute or two. Ho hum…
We ended up driving in a big circle before pitching up back in Slaithwaite (or ‘slawit’ depending on your particular pronunciation fetish) where we went for a stroll along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal before adjourning for a quick drink (and a slice of cake) sitting outside the Little Bridge, which is sandwiched between the canal and the river. To their credit, they serve beers from Empire brewing, a local micro-brewery a short stroll down the canal. I’d include a link, but it looks like their website’s been hacked, so here’s one from CAMRA instead.
Strangely, I didn’t use the camera once today. It wasn’t that sort of day and the two of us having quality time together was more important. So, today’s picture will have to be from another time. Slaithwaite’s a traditional old West Yorkshire mill town which has successfully reinvented itself as good tourist spot to visit for a drink or a meal. It also has a vibrant local community. It possesses a railway station on the Colne valley line from Huddersfield to Manchester, which cuts across the town on this rather impressive viaduct.
OK, time to go. Just as I was typing this Dawn relayed the news that Ozzy Osbourne, the lead singer of Black Sabbath has died at the age of 76. This brought back some memories. I saw Black Sabbath perform at the Floral Hall in Southport back in 1978. On that tour they were supported by a (then) unknown band called….Van Halen. There are two particular things about that gig that stick in my mind. Van Halen were amazing – and that my ears were still ringing two days after the event. The sound engineers must’ve though they were set up for a stadium, not some small provincial theatre!
To make me feel even older, I realise Dawn was 10 at the time!
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/
Sorry for the gap in blogging but the weekend didn’t quite go to plan. I was hoping to set time aside for writing but events got in the way. Some were good, others not – including the weather. Admittedly, I shouldn’t complain about the fact the weekend was a washout due to continuous showers – we desperately need it, but it did bugger up some of my plans and meant that my daily 5 mile walks went out of the window. Instead, I ended up pottering around indoors, catching up on chores and work. That said, we did manage to nip out on Saturday in order to spend a fortune at the Bolster Moor farm shop as we stocked up on various meats for batch-cooking, including Dawn’s fabulous home-made lasagne. Oh, then there’s their award-winning pork pies…
The delicious Bolster Moor pork pies get demolished in short order!
Sunday was a far less active day, but productive nonetheless, even if I was chafing about being stuck indoors and the inability to scratch my itchy feet. Still, it was chance for the two of us to spend some quality time together and recharge our batteries ready for another busy week.
Today, the weather’s taken an interesting turn. We’d had a yellow warning for thunderstorms throughout the weekend, but they didn’t amount to more than a single, desultory clap of thunder. Monday made up for that! Having been busy most of the day packed everything in so that I could get out for a decent stroll around the area and pick up some shopping. Initially, the weather seemed promising (although I’d packed an umbrella – just in case). Three miles in I was up on Savile Park when I saw the rain sweeping across open ground in wall of water. Deploying my trusty Siemens folding brolly I wasn’t too concerned at first as I hid under trees at the edge of the park and watched the rain bounce off the nearby road junction.
Then the thunder arrived and the intensity of the downpour increased to monsoon quality, overwhelming me. Thankfully, there was a bus shelter to take refuge in across the road where I could watch the deluge in relative dryness – although the torrent sweeping past me was worrying.
Thankfully, most car drivers weren’t idiots and avoided the torrent so I avoided a soaking.
Fortunately, the storm passed before I needed to seek higher ground. Within minutes – as if someone had thrown a switch – blue skies and sunshine rolled in, letting me start to dry out. Well, until I got to the supermarket, which had leaked like a sieve! Parts of the fresh veg aisles were blocked off whilst staff wielded mops and buckets to contain the leaks and clear up the mess.
Shopping done, I called into our local for a swift pint and sat in the beer garden to dry out in the sunshine. Well, on the outside anyway. As always, the range of beers had changed to include this example, which takes a (not so) subtle dig at the orange felon in the American White House.
Now I’m back at home, preparing for another day. Whilst I was out Dee’s cooked industrial quantities of Lasagne, some of which we scoffed tonight. Tomorrow we’ve another busy day, preparing for Dawn’s niece arriving as she’s going to be staying with us for a couple of nights. The girls are going to see Leon Bridges play at the Piece Hall, which will be a great break for Dee who’s been having a hard time of things recently. Me? I’ll be playing host!
Right, time to go. See you all 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/
I’ve been working from home all day as the forecast predicted today could get rather wet as time wore on, so I was up early and out walking just after 07:00 to get a few 1000 steps under my belt – just in case. Sure enough, it was drizzling whilst I was strolling but hardly anything of consequence. Having enjoyed a wandering through our local wood and banking over 3500 steps I headed home to make coffee and wake Dawn up by putting a steaming cup of Java by the bed. It didn’t work! Creeping into the office I retook the space whilst Dee slumbered – and I’ve remained there almost all day.
This has been a productive day – even if I still have several things on my ‘to do’ list to tick off. That’s partly because the recalcitrant hard-drive (see blogs passim) decided to play ball today, allowing me to copy lots of files off it which were cross-checked with other hard-drives in my archives. I’m starting to feel confident that there’s little else left on it that matters, although I’ll be happy to clean it completely, then reformat the thing – just in case.
The rest of the day flew by as I spent most of it glued to a screen. Whilst the hard-drives copied to one another I was able to deal with various emails, write lists, prepare lunch and spend some time with Dee. Plus, my diary now has two more interesting assignments added to it, which is always nice. So, all in all – a productive day.
Then I decided it was time to nip out to do some shopping for tonight’s meal (spicy prawns, which Dee’s cooking. It’s one of her signature dishes). Only I picked the worst of all times. Walking to the supermarket was fine – but that was because I couldn’t see the ominous skies creeping up behind me. They ambushed me as soon as I left the shop. This was no drizzle, the rain was torrential. I was drenched within the first hundred yards so felt no guilt in nipping into my local pub en-route for a pint whilst waiting for the worst of the rain to pass.
Don’t believe me? This is how the cobbled hill I have to traverse to and from the pub and supermarket looked like when I got to the bottom.
Now it’s time to reax at home. The smells from Dawn’s cooking are starting to waft upstairs, so I’m preparing to call it a day. I’ll be working from home again tomorrow in order to catch up with the other stuff I didn’t get to do today. After that (and depending on the weather) we’ll see. Welcome as the rain is, we’re not predicted to get any more until Saturday.
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/
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/
Paul Bigland 