Tag Archives: Musings

22nd July picture of the day…

22 Tuesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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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/

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

Another week begins…

21 Monday Jul 2025

Posted by in beer, Musings, Photography, Weather, West Yorkshire

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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/

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

Then the rain arrived…

15 Tuesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Musings, Photography, West Yorkshire

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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/

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

Rolling blog. To Morecambe, is this wise?

03 Thursday Jul 2025

Posted by in Community rail, Lancashire, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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04:50.

Silly o’ clock arrived half an hour ago. I’m now up and prepping to leave the house to walk to Halifax station in order to catch the 06:00 train and head to Morecambe on the Lancashire coast, stopping off en-route at Heysham Harbour on the only train of the day which serves the once thriving port. I’ll update this blog regularly, so feel free to pop back and see what I get up to as there’s going to be regular stops throughout the day…

06:00.

My walk to the station was through streets deserted of humans. There was just me and cats who were making the most of owning this fine sunny morning before the dogs and their walkers ventured out.

Now I’m on the first train of the day, the 05:59 to Leeds. This is a busy 3-car – already half full, which isn’t bad for this time of day.

09:00

My first train only took me as far as Bradford Interchange, where I swapped stations, walking across a deserted city centre to get to Forster Square. During my research into this trip, I discovered an odd service. Forster Square trains are all-electric nowadays. Bar one. There’s a single daily DMU service from Forster Square to Lancaster, leaving at 06:41. There’s no return working either. So, me being me I decided it was worth getting up at stupid o’ clock to try it out!

The train was worked by a 2-car Class 158. Rather appropriately, one of the ex-West Yorkshire PTE units was used today. I was one of only two dozen aboard from Bradford, but as it was an all-stations service it soon filled up.

Tempting as it was to stay aboard all the way to Lancaster, I had other plans so disembarked at Skipton in order to get some pictures. Skipton is a gorgeous old Midland Railway station that still possesses many original features like the iron and glass canopies. The journey along the Aire valley was lovely. I even spotted deer calmly grazing in a field by the railway near Cononley. All the stops we called at were busy with commuters heading into Leeds, leaving each station car park full of their cars. An hour after arriving at Skipton I was on my way again. As we headed further out into the countryside, the landscape became more rugged. As usual, the railway took the path of least resistance, meandering along river valleys where it could, which afforded lovely views.

Now I’m at my next stop. Hellifield, so it’s time for a nostalgic interlude in 24H, the wonderful station cafe.

1245.

I’ve moved on once more after a lovely historical interlude at Hellifield. The station cafe contains a wealth of old photos and railway artifacts, which bear testament to what an important railway junction this once was.

Leaving, I caught the 11:11 across the ‘little North-Western’ route via Bentham to Carnforth. This is a traditional ‘clickety-clack’ railway as the rails are still jointed, producing that classic noise as trains pass over them. I’ll write more about the line later.

After a pause at Lancaster between trains and chance for a quick (but expensive) pint in the station bar, I’m now en-route to Heysham Harbour aboard the left hand one of these two Metro-Cammell built beasts.

15:15.

Having experienced both Heysham and Morecambe I may have to revise my view of the latter. Heysham is exactly as I remember it. A dump only useful for getting the ferry to/from the Isle of Man. The station’s reduced from its expansive 5 platforms to half a one just large enough to cope with a two-car train.

All change for the Isle of Man ferry…

Morecambe has been rebuilt too. The old station closed in 1994 with the site being taken over by new commercial developments. But the 1907 building survives.It has a number of uses now, including as a Greene King pub – a restoration which is rather good (just forget about the beer).

Opposite the station is the Art Deco Midland hotel- another gem that is undergoing further restoration. The old Colin Compton joke (‘they don’t bury the dead in Morecambe, they just stand them up in the bus shelters’) ran through my mind – and it’s true that a lot of the people I encountered were of a certain age, but…

A lot of money has been spent on the seafront, the beach is clean and deserted and the views across Morecambe Bay are sublime. But ‘fleshpots’ and nightlife? Nah. You come here for the quiet life!

‘I wandered, lonely as a cloud’…

Having fortified myself with chips and mushy peas (well, this IS the seaside) I made my way back East aboard a Leeds bound train which reversed at Lancaster before heading back across the ‘little North Western’ to my next stop, Bentham where I met up with Gerald Townson, an old community rail colleague, so that I could learn lots more about what the local Community Rail Partnership have been up to along the line.

Bentham station with a Lancaster bound service calling.

19:40.

Now I’m back in West Yorkshire, having a brief pitstop in Shipley before heading home via Bradford. It’s been a diverse day, but I must admit the early start is catching up with me!

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

2nd July picture of the day…

02 Wednesday Jul 2025

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

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Here we are, over the hump of 2025 and into the slide towards the end of the year. Not that I’m being pessimistic, but this has been quite a mixed year. Hopefully, all it can do is improve.

There’s only a short blog from me today as I’m out and about tomorrow, visiting various stations and lines in order to research a future article for RAIL magazine. This means getting up at silly o’ clock in order to be on an 06:00 train from Halifax. Expect a rolling blog from my travels.

Today, I’ve been busy at home, sorting out bits for next weeks travels, paperwork, and yet more picture collating. Remember my recalcitrant hard-drive? The little sod is playing ball today so I’ve been busy stripping pictures from it. Hopefully, I’ll  recover all I need.

In between all this the pair of us have been able to get out and enjoy the sunshine – although the wind has taken the edge off temperatures, although some people will see that as a welcome respite from the highs we’ve seen recently. Me? I’m used to tropical climes, so I’m happy as Larry in the heat! Even so, I can’t complain about the recent rains. It saves me watering the garden and depleting our perilously low reservoirs even more.

Now for today’s picture, which is one from the database I’ve just been recovering. They’re all from the year 2018. Looking back, it was a helluva busy one, with press trips to several countries, as well as holidays to the USA and SE-Asia. This image is from the press trip previewing Eurostar’s new service from London to Amsterdam. We were given access to the cab during different parts of the trip, and my picture shows the driver acknowledging a Netherlands railway service shortly after leaving Rotterdam on the 20th February 2018.

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

30th June picture of the day…

30 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Climate Change, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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It’s a new week and I’m back blogging after a few days off due to being busy at home. Dawn’s returned from her latest Surrey sojourn which means we’ve had a lot of things to catch up upon. Sadly, Dee’s been knackered after her time down South so I’ve been stepping in to take over various chores.

Added to that has been my ever-changing work calendar which now sees me trying to arrange some short-notice writing jobs in order to free up time later in the month for other travels. Oh, then there’s been the weather. Today’s been one of the hottest June days ever in the Pennines. The results aren’t yet in – but it’s not likely to have been short of the record reached in 2015. The fact so many records have been reached (and broken) over the past 20 years is worrying, but the Climate Change denialists still dismiss the changes and increasing average temperatures as just ‘weather’ (ignoring the graphs and mountains of other data).

As someone who’s not young enough to worry about how the climate will be in 20 years time, I’ve been enjoying the sun (if not the sweating). Having spent the morning working I was happy to get out for a walk into Sowerby Bridge in order to stretch my legs and pick up some shopping, then enjoy a stroll along the Calder and Hebble navigation (a fancy name for the canal heading East from Sowerby Bridge). Mind you. you’re not going to be going anywhere West from Sowerby Bridge on the Rochdale canal – because it’s dry. The pound below the Tuel Lane lock (the deepest in England) is barren and unnavigable due to a shortage of water. Several canals are suffering from the drought, including the Huddersfield narrow canal in the Colne valley next door. The UKs canal network is a fantastic resource, but it’s already being hit by climate change as weather patterns alter and droughts become more common.

I took this picture in mid-May. The scene is even worse today as that narrow stream from Tuel Lane lock behind the camera has become a trickle. It’s especially sad as the UK’s canal network helps tackle climate change, as the Canal and River trust explain on their website.

Anyway, that’s today’s picture – both photographic and pessimistic. In the meantime, I’m determined to make the most of the planet we have – whilst we still have it! What you buggers decide to do with it after I’m gone isn’t my concern. But perhaps think about what your children (or grandchildren) may inherit?

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

26th June picture(s) of the day…

26 Thursday Jun 2025

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

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Apologies for the gap over the last couple of days but I’ve been busy with other projects, including a day out to see progress on the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) that saw me cover so much ground (over 35,000 steps) that there was no time to do a rolling blog worth its name. Today, I’ve been based at home. I’m in the final throes of ‘spring cleaning’ (OK, OK, I know it’s officially summer, but that’s when I started!) and sorting out plans for the rest of the year, but more of those anon.

The weather has begun to pick up again these past few days, but I’ve really enjoyed stopping to watch the changing skies over the Calder valley during my daily walk. We’ve had some really moody ones as the clouds and rain jostle for supremacy with the sun. They’ve been well worth getting caught by showers just to watch the displays – and get a few pictures like these;

Sun breaks through the clouds to illuminate a small patch of woodland and highlight the pylons and cables on the South side of the Calder valley.
Norland looking lovely in the evening sunlight.

I mentioned TRU earlier. I’ve lots of pictures in the editing queue, but here’s a taster.

A pair of Trans-Pennine Express Class 185s bound for Scarborough head East through Heaton Lodge Junction, where the line from the Calder Valley sweeps in from the left. There’s a huge amount of work going on here as a new alignment is being built. You can see the new cutting for the fast lines taking shape to the right of the big crane. The bridge I’m standing on to take this picture will soon be replaced by a new structure just in front of the camera. For those unfamiliar with the area, Heaton Lodge junction is between Deighton, Huddersfield (behind the camera) and Mirfield.

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

23rd June picture of the day…

23 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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I’ve had another productive day here in’t Pennines – even if the weather has been wild and windy. I’ve been reminded why growing Lupins in the front garden is leaving a hostage to fortune. There’s hardly a year goes by where their flowers don’t get battered and smashed by high winds! This year’s no exception, apart from the fact there’s been few flower stems this year. That said, the offshoots I’ve planted at the back of the house have fared better due to being sheltered from the winds coming off the valley. Whilst it’s been windy with some depressingly grey clouds hanging around, the only rain we seem to have had was overnight. To think, this time last week the sun was cracking the flags!

Much of my day has been spent wading through the hundreds of pictures I took last week. Now they’re all edited, captioned and on y Zenfolio website. There’s too many updated galleries to list individually, so here’s a link to the ‘recents’ section which will show you which ones have been updated. Now that’s done I can concentrate on other things – although that means another day staying in as I’ve a lot of stuff to sort out in the cottage. At least I don’t have to get goggle-eyed staring at a computer screen for most of the day!

Talking of which – it’s time to go. But first, here’s the picture of the day, which was taken at Manchester Piccadilly on my way back from London.

For the photographers amongst you. This was taken on a Nikon Z9 with a 100-400mm lens at 400mm – 1/000sec at F8 and 500asa.

Transport for Wales are one of several operators who run trains to Manchester Airport. Here’s one of their new CAF built Class 197s passing through Piccadilly station, having left Holyhead on Anglesey earlier in the 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

22nd June picture of the day…

22 Sunday Jun 2025

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

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Funny old world, innit – eh? As I write this on the second day of summer the rain’s beating on the bedroom window as it’s hammering down outside. Summer was nice whilst it lasted, but that was what we normally call spring. Fortunately, I browsed various weather forecasts to find what they nearly agreed on, so I’m back in the warm and dry despite having ventured out for long enough to get my obligatory 5 mile walk under my belt.

All in all, it’s not been a bad day, despite the weather. I’ve sorted out lots of stuff – including picture databases and hard-drives which are always fraught with unexpected problems because ‘tech’ never really behaves the ways you expect, when you want. It also seems to have a sixth sense, working out exactly when to play up in order to give you maximum stress and inconvenience.

Now it’s time for me to relax and let hard-drive talk to hard-drive whilst I watch a film. In the meantime, here’s a picture from today. On my walk through the local woods I pass this lovely little ‘fairy’ tree. It’s grown quite a bit over the last few months as new items are always being added. I don’t know whose idea it was, or even who maintains it as I never see them, but the idea fascinates and uplifts me during these troubled times.

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