Tag Archives: Musings

By the seaside (day 2)…

02 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Photography, Southport, Travel

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Yesterday was our second day at the seaside and one where we didn’t actually see the sea – but that’s not unusual in Southport – a town notorious for how far out the sea disappears to! We had a leisurely morning at the hotel we were staying in as there was no need to rush. The food and drink festival didn’t open until 10 so we could take out time. Typically, just as we left the hotel it started raining! The forecast had threatened showers but later in the day so we were rather glad to get ’em out of the way earlier as that promised better weather later. Sure enough, by the time us early-birds hit the festival the weather began to brighten up – although gusty winds caused a few nerves amongst the stallholders who had tents rather than more substantial structures.

I’d never attended this particular food and drink festival before so I was surprised at its sheer size. There were dozens of food stalls along with craft shops and people selling produce such as local honey. Kids were kept entertained with a selection of bouncy castles, bungy swings and sundry other devices. Victoria park covers a large area so there was plenty of space available for the ranks of stalls and associated tables.

We’d arranged to meet my niece there, but what I hadn’t realised was that she worked for the charity that arranges this and all the other major events held in the park – like the Southport flower show! We ended up spending a very enjoyable couple of hours catching up with her and her husband (who’d drifted in after work) as the park gradually filled up. Here’s a few pictures to give a flavour.

The beauty of caravans – they can’t blow away!
Thai pies? Hmm…
Making the most of the seating – although a lot of old hands brought their own chairs.
By the time we left the place was getting very busy indeed…

The event’s obviously very popular, but I was a little disappointed at the lack of variety in the food. Yes, there were all the fast-food favorites but when it came to world food the variety and authenticity was poor. For example, one curry house was obviously amending South Indian dishes for western tastes. It meant there was little to temp us as we both enjoy cooking, so nothing stood out. In the end we plumped for a hog roast. Still, it was great to see Southport putting on such a successful event.

By early afternoon we were ready to leave and headed back across the West Lancashire plain, stopping off once en-route at the Ship at Lathom, a busy little pub on the banks of the Rufford arm of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. It’s popular with foodies, drinkers and walkers of all ages.

The Ship at Lathom

Sticking to the motorways we made it home in a little over an hour after leaving Lathom. It was an impromptu weekend, but great to catch up with some of my ‘rellies’. I won’t leave it as long next 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

By the seaside (day 1)…

31 Saturday May 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Railways, Southport, Travel

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The pair of us have abandoned West Yorkshire and the Pennines in favour of a weekend by the seaside. We’ve travelled West to Southport, the town where I grew up in and where the rest of my family live – some of whom we’re seeing this weekend. It’s also chance for Dawn to discover more of what the town and surrounding West Lancashire plain have to offer. We stopped off for lunch en-route, calling in at Parbold, a village on the railway line from Wigan to Southport. It’s a pretty little place that’s bisected by the Leeds and Liverpool canal as well as the railway. There’s a lovely pub next door to the canal called the Windmill, named after the old sail-powered cornmill which it shelters in the shadow of. Both the pub’s beers and food are worth sampling. I enjoyed a decent pint of Moorhouses ‘White Witch’ and the fish and chips (which Dawn also plumped for). The fish was very good and the batter just right – as were the portion sizes. We felt stuffed afterwards!

As we’d not visited Parbold for a while we took time to explore, see the changes and (of course) get a couple of pictures at the station!

Bi-mode 769448 passes the lovely old signalbox at Parbold. The unit is working a Southport – Stalybridge service.
Sadly, the attractive station building is vacant and slowly decaying.

Moving on we drove along the back roads through to Burscough before heading across the moss to Southport. Having checked checked into out hotel just off the promenade we set out to meet my younger sister for a couple of hours of catching-up on family and other news. Town was busy, but we managed to find a sunny spot outside the Bold Hotel on Lord St which was also an ideal place to watch the world go by.

Time flew. Anne had to leave to meet her partner, so Dawn and I set out to explore more of the town and for me to introduce her to some of my old haunts and childhood recollections. Talk about a trip down memory lane! My impression is that – after years of decline, there’s signs of new life and recovery in Southport. But it’s patchy. The place is no longer about shopping, it’s about eating and drinking. All the department stores are long gone and many shops remain empty, but there’s restoration work ongoing and Lord St was lined with people eating and drinking alfresco outside the many bars and restaurants.

Now we’re back at the hotel, having a quiet night relaxing before more of the same tomorrow – plus a visit to the food and drink festival, which neither of us have attended before.

Here’s a few more pictures to end the day.

The gorgeous Wayfarers arcade on Lord St. Many of the shops are vacant, but there’s signs of revival with the arcade being used for artistic events
I couldn’t resist a visit to this pub. The ‘Guest House’ is a bit of a Southport institution. It was also my Father’s local and the pub where I learned to drink!

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

The blogger returns…

29 Thursday May 2025

Posted by in Musings, Politics, West Yorkshire

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Please accept my apologies for a prolonged absence, this has been due to a number of factors, but now I’m back to look over a world that seems to be getting madder and more bizarre than ever. My time away has been spent here at home in West Yorkshire where the long dry spell and constant sunshine has been replaced with grey skies, wind and rain. The rain’s been very welcome, especially as it’s not resulted in any flooding or mayhem. That said, it’s still nowhere near enough to fill the reservoirs, but the landscape is looking far less scorched and brown than it was. Now the valley’s displaying a multitude of shades of green and I’m spared a daily chore of dashing around with a watering can (for now at least). The winds have been a different matter, they’ve shredded a lot of trees, leaving forest paths littered with destroyed foliage and ripped off branches. Thankfully, I was prepared and my Lupins and other tall plants were already staked and tied in advance.

Whilst the weather’s changed the craziness of the political arena (both home and abroad) hasn’t. The orange felon in control of the White House is still as unpredictable and incoherent as ever. It’s excruciating to watch his TV interviews and pronouncements as it’s clear that Trump has all the intelligence of an amoeba. I look on with a mix of amusement and horror that such an ignorant narcissist can become the President of the most powerful country on earth – although he seems to be doing his best to ensure the US soon loses that appellation.

Meanwhile, here in the UK we have our own Poundshop version of Trump in the form of the ‘Fagash Fuhrer’, Nigel Farage. Like Trump, he has a cultlike following. Both followings have something in common. Poor education and a willingness to believe whatever nonsense their heroes feed them. Farage latest grift (Reform UK) is doing very well in the pools, but not so well in running the local councils they find themselves running. The only reason they haven’t made a complete balls-up of things (yet) is how many of their elected Councillors (and the Mayor of Lincs) are actually rebadged and recycled Tories. The ‘newbies’ are less fortunate (and even more incompetent competent) as there’s a steady stream of revelations about unsavory pasts that have led to a constant stream of suspensions or resignations – or new Councillors just not turning up and vanishing!

So, it’s been an interesting week. Next week will see me back on my travels as I have a few events to attend. Plus, Dawn and I are heading over to Southport for the weekend where we’ll have chance to catch up with some members of my family, friends – and attend the food and drink festival.

Expect regular blogs from herein…

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

20th May picture of the day…

20 Tuesday May 2025

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

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Another week ticks by here at Bigland Towers. I’ve been busy enjoying the sun as an alternative to watching paint dry. Literally! Having moved out of my office I’ve been busy redecorating it so that Dawn can move in. So, in-between coats of emulsion I’ve been enjoying the good weather and strolls around the local woods. Admittedly, I’ve also been kept amused by the political scene and the absolute meltdown the Tories, Reform and the right-wing media have been having due to the Government announcing details of a new trade deal with the EU. It’s beyond parody!

“Betrayal of Brexit!” they all scream. But, hang on. Wasn’t the UKs ability to negotiate its own trade agreements meant to be a benefit of Brexit? And who negotiated the original fisheries agreement that the UK is rolling over? Oh, that would be Boris Johnson, as part of his ‘oven ready’ Brexit deal. So, how can negotiating improvements to a (admittedly piss-poor) EU/UK trade deal be a ‘betrayal’ of Brexit? It can’t be – but then Brexiters have never understood trade deals from the start.

Now, I’m not Starmer’s greatest fan, but I have to admit he’s playing a very clever game here. He’s slowly dismantling some of the worst aspects of the Brexit deal Johnson lumbered us with – much to the approval of just about every UK business organisation and trade body – by cutting red-tape, enabling UK businesses to trade easier, and helping the economy. At the same time, he’s set a trap for the Tories and Reform – and they’ve walked right into it. Straight away both have said they’d roll back these reforms if elected. Really? So, in 4 years time, when it’s painfully obvious these (and other) changes have made the UK better off and people have got used to the positive impacts, Reform and the Tories are going to commit to going back to Johnson’s shit deal? That’ll play well in an election campaign! Let’s not forget that – for all the noise the right-wing press, Farage and others make, this is not 2016. The referendum result will be 13 years old by the next election. A large number of those who voted for Brexit will be pushing up daisies (many already are). Brexit is not the issue it was, the faithful who still believe in it are dwindling. More people believe it was a dumb idea than support it – and have done for some time.

The same YouGov poll shows 66% of British people now want the Government to deliver a closer relationship with the EU, compared to just 14% who don’t.

Not that you’d know any of this if you listened to much of the media!

This presents a problem for the Tories. They’re in freefall at the moment, having been relegated to fourth (behind the Lib-Dems) in a recent poll. Sure, Reform are surging (taking over the Tories) but the cracks are already showing now they’re making a dismal start in running local councils they’ve taken control of (but that’s another blog). If a week is a long time in politics then the four years until the next general election is a lifetime! There’s plenty of time for Labour to find its political and economic feet and the signs that it will are there – they’re just drowned out by a media fixated on giving air-time to Reform.

Anyway. Enough politics for now. I’m currently relaxing for the evening, having finished painting all of the walls, ceiling and much of the woodwork in the office. Hopefully, I’ll have it all finished by this time tomorrow so Dawn can move in when she’s ready. We have a few days of sunshine left before the weather’s due to change with the arrival of some much-needed rain. Maybe I’ll have chance for another day out with the camera before it does…

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture. At the weekend the pair of us crossed the border in Greater Manchester to visit a place I’d often wanted to walk to, ‘pots and pans’ on the hill above Greenfield. As well as interesting rock formations and a WW1 memorial, the hill offers some fantastic views. Sadly, the weather was a bit hazy when we visited, but the views were still worth it.

Looking West towards Mossley with Manchester on the horizon. I’m amazed how the city has become high-rise in the past 20-odd years.

You can find more pictures from this and other of our recent walks by following this link.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

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

17th May picture of the day…

17 Saturday May 2025

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, West Yorkshire

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Hmm, where have the past few days gone? Well, they’ve disappeared in a blaze of sunshine. Sunshine that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying, even if other aspects of the week have been a bit mixed. The highpoint was Wednesday when I slipped the leash to get out and about across West Yorkshire, looking at various railway locations old and new – plus the Trans-Pennine route upgrade (TRU). I’ll be blogging more about TRU when I’ve finished editing the pictures.

Thursday saw me back at Bigland Towers, sorting through more old stuff, deciding which will stay and which will go. It’s a process triggered by the fact I’m moving out of my office here in Bigland Towers so that Dawn can take it over. Working from home has become a permanent feature for her, so she needs the space more than me. Plus, that way we get a living room back as a living room. Who knew when working at home became a function of the Covid pandemic that it would become the norm for many people?

Friday saw me heading into Halifax in order to get my knees x-rayed. I’ve been having problems with them recently. An appointment at our local GPs with a nurse led to a diagnosis of early signs of Arthritis, but the chap wanted to be sure, so arranged for me to have x-rays in order to confirm or deny his assessment. The staff at the health centre were excellent. Two young Asian women and a black woman radiographer looked after me (do you hear that, Reform voters? The very people you’d ‘send back’). The unit itself was less than a year old and a had a laugh with the nurse who helped me position myself for the radiographer as she kept giggling at the tanned strips on my feet which are due to wearing sandals so much. She apologised for being ‘unprofessional’ but to be honest, it broke the ice.

A few hours later I got the results via text. I don’t have arthritis and my knees are ‘normal’. So why do they hurt so often? Looks like there’s more to find out…

Today the pair of us have been out and about shopping for plants and DIY bits, not exactly the rock and roll lifestyle but hey – we’d originally planned to go walking but Dawn’s mum had a last minute hospital appointment for some tests so we decided to stay nearer to home just in case we were needed. Fortunately, we weren’t so the two of us managed an hour in the sunshine in the beer garden of our local pub before returning home to a quiet evening in.

The plan now is for an early start in the morning in order to head over the border into Greater Manchester and climb some hills, making the most of the sunshine whilst it lasts. Expect a few pictures at some point.

Meanwhile, here’s today’s picture which is from Wednesday’s excursion. Mirfield station continues to be rebuilt as part of the TRU work. The latest chapter has included opening part of the rebuilt island platform after one of the tracks has been slewed. It’s created the opportunity to get shots of trains passing like this.

185105 working 1P66, the 0858 Redcar Central to Manchester Airport passes Grand Central’s 180105 which is heading South on 1A63, the 1023 Bradford Interchange to London Kings Cross.

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

13th May picture of the day…

13 Tuesday May 2025

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

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I don’t know where to start! Should I focus on the glorious weather we’re blessed with here in the Calder Valley (and mention its downsides), or should I focus on the wider world which seems to be going mad, both environmentally and politically? Maybe best to stick locally for now – otherwise this could turn into a very long blog indeed…

Today’s been another in a series where we’ve had wall to wall sunshine, and I’m loving it. This is my sort of weather. I’ve always been partial to sunny climes so this sort of weather’s right up my street. If anything it’s making me pine for South-East Asia and a beach or two. Let’s face it, what’s the UK got to offer from here? Bridlington on the East coast, or maybe Blackpool on the West. These are not the images I conjure up when I imagine a beach. Think more palm trees, coral reefs and hammocks rather than donkeys and ‘kiss me quick’ hats. Still, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth, so I’ll make the most of things here whilst I can.

The day wasn’t all about basking in the sun. I’ve been busy picture editing, including the HS2 tunnel breakthrough pictures I promised yesterday (which you can find here). Having those sorted meant that I could back-up pictures to different hard-drives as insurance before sending links to various magazines who may be interested.

Work done I enjoyed a walk down into Sowerby Bridge, dropping off our old Virgin internet kit en-route (sorry, Virgin) ready to be returned. Time in the village has provided today’s picture, which is rather topical. Here’s the pound below Tuel Lane lock.

It’s dry due to a lack of water feeding the canal, thus severing the route from the West to the East. This isn’t unusual nowadays as the canal relies on water running off the nearby hills. Except when it doesn’t. The canal above and below Tuel Lane locks are full, but this is the deepest lock on the UK canal network, so the amount of water it uses is massive.

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

12th May picture of the day…

12 Monday May 2025

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

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It’s the start of another week here in West Yorkshire, where the weather’s gracing us with wall to wall sunshine – as it did over the weekend, although we couldn’t take full advantage and our plans to go walking changed as Dawn wasn’t feeling her best. I was going to say she was under the weather, but considering what the weather was like I thought better of it!

However, we did still manage to get out and I got the opportunity to stock up on summer annuals from a garden centre which we’d not tried before. I finally managed to find trailing Lobelia, which has been noticeable by its absence from our usual outlets. With plants aplenty, Sunday was spent clearing away the debris and dead plants from the terrace at the back of the cottage. Winter hadn’t been kind, causing me to lose many old established garden occupants, so I took the opportunity to rejig what we have and replace many of the smaller pots and troughs with ones more likely to survive the hot, dry conditions we’re seeing this year – with rain in very short supply (and likely to be for the foreseeable future). I’ve still got some work to do, but the terraces and troughs are looking much better. Hopefully, the new planting will provide sustenance for the occupants of our two nesting boxes, where we have both birds and bees!

Today I’ve been busy editing and captioning pictures from Friday’s HS2 and Midlands media trip, you can find which galleries they’ve been added to by following this link. I’ll have the HS2 collection done tomorrow as another day working from home beckons. Hopefully, I’ll get out with the camera again later in the week as the forecast is excellent for several days yet. I’ll leave you with a picture from today, which was taken on this afternoon’s stroll around the valley when I was looking for alternative photo sites.

The Wainhouse Tower dominates the horizon and looks magnificent against a cloudless sky.

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

So much for plans…

21 Monday Apr 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, West Yorkshire

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I’d intended to write a couple of blogs today – including a follow-up to yesterday’s exploration of West Yorkshire, but like so many plans it didn’t survive first contact with reality. Instead I’ve found myself embroiled in various chores and events at home, plus preparing for our trip to Shropshire.

The stunning weather we had yesterday was replaced by low cloud and rain which made working at home seem less of a bummer. Fortunately, by late afternoon the rain let up so I was able to get a walk in and collect shopping which allowed me to indulge in this evenings cooking therapy. I’m always up for trying different recipes and as Dawn’s been cooking a lot of excellent veggie food these past few days I fancied doing something with chicken for a change – with Indian spices. My choice was chicken Achari which is a hot, exotic dish containing fenugreek, cumin and mustard seeds, along with several other ground spices, garlic, ginger, lemon juice and more. Here’s how it looks when it’s all laid out ready for cooking.

Here’s the finished product.

Served with chapattis, it makes for a superb spicy meal. I have a proper Indian griddle I bought in Delhi many years ago which adds the finishing touches.

Whilst I was cooking I was also working out what spices and condiments to take with us to Shropshire so that we can indulge in good food whilst we’re there. The place we’re staying in looks to have a good kitchen, so we plan to make the most of it.

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

Easter weekending…

19 Saturday Apr 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Halifax, Musings, West Yorkshire

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After Thursday’s ‘grand tour’ around West Yorkshire I had a day off from blogging yesterday in order to spend time editing and adding captions to the dozens of pictures I took on the trip. You can find them on my Zenfolio website in the following galleries;

Northern trains

Trans-Pennine Express

Infrastructure and engineering

Railway stations

Railway people

Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU)

Social issues

To be honest, as Friday was a crap day after the glorious weather we’d had 24 hours before it really wasn’t a bad time to be stuck behind a desk! I’d have been happy to have sat through a good storm but all we got was cold, wind and desultory rain, which was troubling as we need so much more due to the fact we’re experiencing a dry year with minimal rainfall.

Today was more of an Easter celebration. Dawn was up early as she was helping her parents who had to come over to Calderdale in order that her mum could see some hospital specialists. I won’t go into details (it was nothing to worry about) but the plan was that after all it was over the four of us would go into Halifax for a late lunch at a place called ‘La Luna’ – an establishment where Dee and I have often enjoyed brunch. Maybe because it’s Easter or maybe because the weather had picked up, but Halifax was buzzing. The Piece Hall was hosting a variety of artisan market stalls which were drawing in the crowds – as we found out when we walked to and from the restaurant. There’s no doubt the town’s fortunes as a tourist destination are on the up so I was glad I’d booked our table at La Luna in advance as it became very busy after we arrived. La Luna’s in an excellent location only a few minutes from the Piece Hall. The restaurant’s well-designed with plenty of room and lots of attentive and friendly staff. Funnily enough, us two couples ordered the same food. Dawn and I went for the lamb kofta whilst John and Norah (being gluten free) both ordered the sea bass risotto. All four of us enjoyed our meals although we struggled to finish them. Admittedly, the fact chunky chips were supplied as part of the deal didn’t help – other than as a carb overload!

Lamb kofta with peppers served on a bed of pitta bread and topped with yoghurt

Back at Bigland Towers the Platt’s collected their own car whilst Dawn and I went for a local walk to try and work off some of the food! Our local woods are bursting into life right now with the first bluebells starting to bloom making it a lovely place to walk. Admittedly, we did end up in our local pub for a ‘swifty’ before returning, but hey – it’s a holiday!

Today’s Big 6 beers. I love the ‘wobbly bob’ but at 6% one pint was enough. I’m a great fan of Phoenix beers as their creator was an old friend, but Pictish are in the running…

This evening (back at home) Dee and I are finding that eating so much red meat is laying heavily on us as nowadays our diet is mostly vegetarian, although both fish and white meat do feature, so the surfeit of lamb is having unfortunate side effects. Just as well we’re on our own really, whilst we recreate the bean eating scene from ‘Blazing Saddles’!

Tomorrow we have a day to ourselves. The weather’s looking good so the plan is to get out for a walk – although we’ve not decided where yet. Tomorrow we’ll be taking sandwiches – but they won’t be lamb…

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

14th April picture of the day…

14 Monday Apr 2025

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

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Oh, and a cartoon. Thanks to the orange felon in the American White House the world is still taking a very surreal turn right now – and there’s no sign of the madness abating. Far from it. Trump’s on again, off again tariffs and trade war, his threatened annexation of Greenland and his slavish sucking up to Vladimir Putin look to be a farce that will be playing for quite some time yet. No-one has a clue what he’ll do next – including (it seems) Trump himself! All we do know is that America’s reputation is going down the pan at a pace faster than Tesla’s share price!

Meanwhile, here at Bigland Towers, life continues regardless of the insanity across the pond. Dawn’s back working from home this week and I’m continuing with a spring clean that seems to be getting ever more complex as I wade through stuff we’ve both accumulated over the years. Some of it will end up on eBay later this week but other stuff is being gathered together and stored in the loft as we reckon car boot sales will be a good way to offload it at a decent price for minimal effort. Well, that’s the theory, anyway!

Sadly, the run of good weather we’ve had these past couple of weeks is drawing to a close. Rain is forecast later this week, but that’s no bad thing as we’ve had a very dry year so far. Admittedly, It may impede me getting out with the camera for a few days but as I’ve plenty to keep me occupied with at home I can put up with that. Mind you, Thursday’s looking promising and as I’ll be probably be stir-crazy by then I might have a day out locally. Besides, we’re in Shropshire for a few nights next week, so it’s not as if I’m stuck here forever.

Right, it’s getting late so it’s time to go. I’ll leave you with a picture from last week’s travels. I hadn’t realised that Guildford had a Lewis Carroll connection, so I was surprised to see this charming sculpture in a park by the river Wey.

Alice and the white rabbit. With more details in this link.

Oh, I also promised you a cartoon. I couldn’t resist this Cartland illustration of Donald Trump’s posturing on tariffs and China.

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