Tag Archives: Picture of the day

16th January picture(s) of the day…

16 Tuesday Jan 2024

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

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Well. I didn’t have this on my bingo card when I pulled open the bedroom blinds this morning!

We weren’t meant to be having snow until late in the day and even then it was meant to be mixed with rain. Instead, we had rather a nice dusting of the white stuff. Well, at least at our height. The valley floor didn’t get the same treatment. This was rather frustrating as I’d several hours work planned this morning which I couldn’t get out of so by the time I did get to don my waterproofs (more to keep the freezing wind out than anything else) the snow had already begun to recede, despite the low temperatures. Working on the old axiom of ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ I caught a train West to Todmorden, working on the assumption that as the weather was coming from that direction I’d be likely to find more snow. Sure enough, there was more on the ground, even though it still wasn’t exactly ‘deep and crisp and even’. I went for a hike from Tod’ station along footpaths well gritted backroads to Gauxholme, between Tod’ and Walsden then slipped and slid my way uphill to a site that’s one of my favourite locations in the valley. Here’s why…

195005 leads 195019 through Gauxholme whilst working 1J19, the 14:12 Leeds to Manchester Victoria.

I stayed long enough to get several shots but by 15:00 the snow was coming in again from the West and the wind was perishing! Besides, there’s only so many permutations of this shot you can take. Walking downhill with the camera bag on my back was more difficult than ascending. I was kicking myself for not bringing my walking poles but I managed to make it down without going arse over tit. Maybe we’ll get a thicker covering of snow later in the year. Maybe not, but at least I’ve finally got a snow shot from Gauxholme.

Now I’m back home taking it easy for the evening, feeling virtuous as not only do have some useful pictures, I’ve smashed all my exercise targets to boot. Still, it’s strange to think that this time last year I was doing anything *but* freezing. I’d already been in SE-Asia for a week and had just arrived in Kuala Lumpur.

I won’t be venturing out of the valley tomorrow. I’ve too much to sort out in readiness for what’s going to be a hectic time next week as I’ll be doing a lot of travelling with many different events to blog about. But for now, it’s time to say goodnight.

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 November picture of the day…

14 Sunday Jan 2024

Posted by in Calder Valley, Flora and Fauna, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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We’ve had another quiet day here at Bigland Towers, although it’s been anything but lazy. I was up early and working in the office by 07:30. Admittedly, it’s not much of a commute from the front to the back of the cottage – and I can do it in my dressing gown! Even so, I felt virtuous as I was making the most of the day. The fact the nights are getting shorter helps. There’s nothing worse than sitting there in the dark, not being able to see anything out of the office window but being able to hear the wind and the rain beating down outside. Thankfully, we’ve finally hit a dry spell which is also lightening the mood.

Much of my day’s been spent catching up on picture editing and adding recent images to my Zenfolio website. Click on this link to see which galleries have been updated. I’ve still got many more to add, both from my recent HS2 site visit and also archive shots from Nepal (but those will be taking a backseat for a little while).

Continuing with the virtuous theme I managed to surpass all my exercise targets which has made me happy – and helps me feel ‘dry January’ is proving worthwhile. Now I’ve got to hope the bathroom scales will confirm the results! It’s not that I’m overweight in any way, I’m merely outside my normal parameters so it was time to get back to the weight I feel happiest and most comfortable at.

Whilst working I’ve enjoyed watching the birdlife outside. We have a stone shed roof opposite which is an ideal bird-feeding station. I’ve found that bags of oats make a cheap alternative to more expensive bird-foods and our feathered friends of all sizes love ’em. I’ve had Magpies, Doves, Wood Pigeons, Blackbirds, Thrushes, Robins, Sparrows and Wrens put in an appearance today, whilst the nut and seed feeders hanging under the eaves have attracted all manner of Tits. As the light’s improved I was even tempted to get the camera out. So, today’s picture is of one of this morning’s visitors. I’m presuming this is actually a Thrush – my bird recognitions not as comprehensive as my railway fleet recognition!

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 January picture of the day…

13 Saturday Jan 2024

Posted by in Calder Valley, London, Musings, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel

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After my recent travels I’m having a quiet weekend at home here at Bigland Towers, editing all the pictures I’ve taken, getting some out to clients and preparing the research for my next series of RAIL articles, plus pitching for other work. There’s certainly been plenty to keep me occupied – including household chores and routine maintenance to the cottage, which has been made possible now we’ve hit a dry patch. That said, the weather’s turning increasingly cold and the media is full of forecasts (some of dubious provenance and reliability – but enough of the daily Express!) of impending snow storms and apocalyptic conditions. We’ll see. I wouldn’t mind the chance to update some snow pictures, but it’s moot if I can’t get out of the house!

One thing the dry conditions have aided me in is the ability to hit all my January exercise targets which are going along with my month-long holiday from alcohol. That’s not proved to be the problem I thought it might. My willpower’s remained strong. But abstinence is starting to get a tad boring. The thing about being a real-ale drinker is that there’s so much variety. However, much as Adnams ‘Ghost Ship’ 0.5% is a reasonable substitute for a proper pint, variety is lacking. I may have to take a trip to Sainsbury’s and buy some of their low-alcohol Infinite session IPA which comes in cans. Abstinence from alcohol aside, there’s plenty to look forward to in the next couple of weeks with jobs around the country. All will be revealed in rolling blogs as they happen.

Right now it’s time to call it a day and put my feet up with Dawn and enjoy a spot of escapist TV, so I’ll leave you with today’s picture. Here’s one of Chiltern’s old ‘Thames Turbo’ trains that I travelled on earlier in the week. It’s seen at Marylebone station in London. Now, I ran this question as a quiz on Twitter, some people got the answer, but many didn’t.

What makes Marylebone unique amongst London’s terminal stations?

I’ll post the answer on Monday. There’s no prize for the correct answer – just the opportunity to show off your ‘inner anorak’!

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

8th January picture of the day…

08 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Nepal, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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It’s the start of another week here at Bigland Towers but, having finally digested all the Xmas turkey and other largesse, the country’s beginning to shake off the festive lethargy, which means I’ll be travelling to press events again, starting on Wednesday. Today, I wasn’t going anywhere. It’s been bleedin’ Baltic here in the valley. We may have escaped the floods and flurries of snow that have affected other parts of the country but the mercury’s remained huddled at the bottom of the thermometer so most of my day’s been spent glued to a computer screen in the office apart from a foray down into Sowerby Bridge to post the latest batch of eBay sales. Returning home in a biting wind made me decide it’s time to break out the winter woolies – especially as the forecast is for temperatures to continue to drop over the next week. Despite my Viking ancestry, I’m suited to sunny climes, not this sort of weather! Maybe we should rename this the colder Valley…

Still, I’ve had an interesting diversion from the UK climate in some of the old slides I’ve been scanning. I’m on the last few dozen from my round the world trip in 1997-1999. These are of Nepal and trekking in the Himalayas. They’ve brought back lots of fond memories as some of them I’ve not looked at for decades. Sadly, with the fact they’re 26 years old, several of the faces in them are no longer with us. They’ve made me realise just how precious time is. The last of the pictures will be scanned and edited by the end of the week when you’ll be able to find them all in this gallery on my Zenfolio website. But, in the meantime, today’s picture is another taster.

We’d joined a Dutch friend (Axel) who lived in Goa, India on a trek he ran in Nepal to raise money for a Nepalese charity that he and his Partner Lucie ran. The charity funded projects in the remote village of Barpak in the Gorkha district of Nepal. The treks (which lasted 10 days) took you from Gorkha to Barpak and beyond up into the Himalayas just short of the snow level. It was arduous and the accomodation was either in tents, local homes or the occasional basic hotel. One night our little band stopped in someone’s half built house. Needless to say, we became a curiosity for the local youngsters. There was no TV and certainly no mobile phones to keep them entertained, so why not watch us? I turned the tables and took this photo, here’s me watching them, watching us as we cooked our evening meal.

I often wonder what happened to people we met on or worldwide wanderings. How many of these young girls now have families of their own? Did any of them ever move from that village as most people never do.

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

6th January picture of the day…

06 Saturday Jan 2024

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Nepal, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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Miracle of miracles – we’ve had a whole day without rain here in the Calder valley! Not only that, we’ve also had blue skies and this strange round shiny yellow thing hanging around in them. Admittedly, it’s also been bloody cold but – hey, I’ll take it over the alternative!

After a morning sorting out pictures and paperwork indoors the dry weather allowed me to spend several hours catching up on exterior chores such as clearing mounds of slippy, wet leaves from the front and back of the cottage which has allowed me to get a ladder out safely and clear the guttering at the back of the property, ready for the next deluge. It’s lovely being surrounded by trees but they don’t half create some work in the autumn/winter! Whilst I was attacking the guttering I had the chance to check on the bird boxes I’d put up at the back of the house a couple of years ago. We’ve had plenty of prospective tenants but no-one’s ever nested. In close inspection I found some feathered friends had been trying to enlarge the holes in order to take up occupancy, so a job for tomorrow is to enlarge the openings and give ’em the chance to claim squatters rights.

The stone flags at the front of the cottage are still too slippy for ladders but we’re meant to have another sunny day tomorrow and a balmy 3 degrees so conditions should be good by lunchtime, allowing me to give the front of the cottage the same treatment as well as try to establish where our front porch is leaking from. It’s a lovely decorative stone feature but it was a later Victorian add-on to the original building so prone to water ingress. Whatever, there’s plenty to keep me occupied tomorrow which will help me meet my boosted exercise targets. I’ve ticked every box so far this year including ‘dry January’, so I’m feeling chuffed with myself. Plus, a bit of sunshine’s always a mood-lifter.

One of this morning office jobs was to crack on with finishing off some slide scanning which has provided today’s picture and look on life in a very different world. Forget supermarkets and pre-packaged fruit and veg. Here’s a local shop in Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal, seen in April 1998. Give me this rather than self-checkouts any day…

You can find many more pictures from Nepal and the rest of this 1997-99 Odyssey here.

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

3rd January picture of the day…

03 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by in India, Photography, Picture of the day

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‘Tis a very short blog from me today as today was pretty much a replay of yesterday – bar getting out to photograph any trains. The weather here in’t Pennines (and across much of the North) remains resolutely rainy and miserable so there’s little incentive to venture far. Instead I’ve been keeping to my resolutions, getting fitter and making the most of the days. Hopefully, tomorrow of Friday will present an opportunity to do something different. We’ll see. So, rather than regale you with a Groundhog day I’m going to leave you with another picture from the set of slides I’ve been scanning.

Sometimes, we forget just how hard life can be for people less fortunate then ourselves. Especially for women in countries without any form of social security (unless you count family). Here’s a shot I took in the market in Darjeeling, India in April 1998. Human porterage is common here and all sorts of loads of varying weights are carried on people’s backs via a strap across the forehead, sometimes for miles and up steep valley sides. Imagine your mother (or granny) doing this for a living…

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 January picture(s) of the day…

02 Tuesday Jan 2024

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

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I was up with the larks this morning – even though I wasn’t going anywhere special. As part of my New Year refocus I’m trying to make as much of the day as possible – although waking up when it’s still dark and it’s chucking it down kinda tests your motivation!

Having spent an hour or so soaking up some coffee, scanning a few old slides and catching up on the world’s news I decided to take advantage of a gap in the rain to get out and try for my first rail pictures of the year. I’d seen that Grand Central’s hired-in ‘Voyager’ was working the 10:20 service from Bradford through Halifax. I hadn’t got a shot of one of these GC 221s before (remiss, I know) so I packed the camera in a waterproof bag and walked down to Salterhebble where there’s a good view of the lines to Brighouse and Sowerby Bridge diverging at Dryclough Junction.

I was pushing my luck. Whilst the rain held off dark clouds were heading my way. So much so that by the train arrived I’d lost two full stops of light. At that location the speed it’s travelling at is more of a crawl, which was just as well. Here’s the shot I managed.

221142 drops down towards the Salterhebble tunnels whilst working 1A63, the 1023 Bradford Interchange to London Kings Cross.

There was no point in pushing my luck to try and get another other shots as the rain returned with a persistent attitude. Taking the hint I gave in and walked into Halifax with half a mind to try other pictures but the rain was having none of it. Instead I walked home having at least achieved my 12.5k step count for the day – if nothing else! I must admit, I do enjoy mooching around the streets and cobbled alleys of Halifax. Not having grown up in a mill town but at the seaside (far more genteel – and with cleaner air) I find it fascinating looking around terraced streets of back-to-back houses, little cottages and grand houses surrounded by walled gardens. Then there’s the mills, some of which still remain. Admittedly, having an interest in both history and architecture helps…

Back home there was little choice left but to retreat to the office and sort out some paperwork – which will bear fruit in the next few days (hopefully) whilst watching the rain drip off the stone walls outside. It was in complete contrast to the slides I was scanning – pictures of Social housing in East London built in the 1970s and demolished in the 1990s – then a selection of images of India and Tibetan refugees.

So, here’s a bonus picture for tonight. Here’s shot from the Tibetan refugee self-help centre in Darjeeling, India. More than just a refugee centre, it’s a place where exiled Tibetans can keep traditional crafts alive. This old boy caught my eye and was happy for me to take his picture. Shot in April 1998, I don’t expect he ever got to see his homeland again.

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 December picture of the day…

30 Saturday Dec 2023

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

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So, here we are. The penultimate day of 2023. Not that you’d know if you didn’t possess a calendar as it’s been exactly the same as almost every day in December here in the Calder valley. Gloomy and wet. At this rate you’ll easily be able to tell someone from the Calder valley. They’ll be the ones with the webbed fingers! Right now it’s a miracle if we go more than a couple of hours without rain. We really have had an awful December that’s followed on from an equally wet November.

With the weather being so crap there was nothing else for me to do but concentrate on home life, so the day’s mostly been spent working and cooking. Yesterday I made a spicy vegetable hotpot with dumplings in the slow cooker. I’ve never made dumplings before but the whole recipe seemed to suit the season and I enjoyed something different. Today’s effort was designed t use up some of the Xmas veg we’ve got left – so Carrot and Parsnip soup it was. Admittedly, I may have overdone the Chili flakes for people with a more sensitive palette – but for us they give the warm glow you need this time of year. Besides, some of it’s to stock up the freezer and I’m sure it’ll be idea if we have a cold spell – although there’s little sign of that at the moment. I’m not a great one for New Year’s resolutions but I do have a few things planned and one is to spend more time in January cooking different dishes (mostly vegetarian) – which should keep me out of trouble and give Dawn a break.

I’m really hoping the weather does a volte face in January otherwise I’m going to have to cast my photographic net further afield, which will be a bit of a bugger in some ways as I have two articles lined up either side of the Pennines. That said, there’s a decaying national rail network to report on – and some interesting stuff on High Speed 2 on the bit Rishi Sunak hasn’t made a mess off (but more of that in my end of year review).

Right now it’s time to switch off for the evening and indulge in some escapism. I’m not a great watcher of TV. In fact, I can’t think of any programmes I watch on a regular basis apart from (when they’re on) ‘Dr Who’ and ‘Have I Got News For you’ and ‘The Last Leg’. The oxymoron that’s ‘Reality’ TV leaves me cold, so if I want to indulge I’m more likely to find a film or series on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Right now we’ve been enjoying the Amazon Prime series ‘Reacher’ which is based on the character invented by the author Lee Child. The books often turn up in travel libraries in homestays and hotels across Asia, which is where I first encountered them. The Amazon series isn’t bad, so that’s tonight’s TV sorted.

All that’s left now is the picture of the day – which comes from sunnier climes as I’m in desperate need of some sunshine and photographs are the only way I’m going to get it! Here’s Tangalle beach in Sri Lanka on this very same day 20 years ago when I was there with friends. How time flies – and if only I could…

Funny how fate works. We spent the Christmas season of both 2002 and 2003 on Sri Lankan beaches, as we often used to get away that time of year. If it wasn’t Sri Lanka it would be India, or elsewhere. The one year we decided to say in the UK for Christmas as we’d travel plans for later was 2004. And what happened here, then? The Tsunami…

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

28th December picture of the day…

28 Thursday Dec 2023

Posted by in Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day

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With it being the festive season and my priorities lying elsewhere I’ve taken a break from blogging these past few days. Besides, who wants to read about Turkey and other Christmas treats? Admittedly, once the family stuff was over I’d hoped Dawn and I may have got out and about, enjoying country walks or even a little trip out, but the weather has been that wet and with constant storms the only sensible thing to do has been to stay at home. I can’t believe just how much rain we’ve had these past couple of weeks. The ground’s so saturated that any new rainfall runs straight off. Add in the gale-force winds and we’ve really taken a battering. Tonight, just before I started writing this we had the most amazing thunderstorm. It really threw me as I wasn’t expecting it and wondered what the hell it was at first. I don’t recall this time of year being the season for thunderstorms but whilst the weather’s been wet and windy it’s also been unseasonably mild, which may have had an impact. I’ll be interested in seeing the Met office monthly summary for December as I suspect we’ll have broken a few records.

Right now I can’t see myself escaping the Calder Valley until the New Year, but as that’s just around the corner I’m not too bothered. I’m not going to be sad to see the back of 2023. The year started well with me having two months away in SE-Asia but on the political and economic front it’s been a bit of a ‘mare.

I’m not going to get diverted into a review of the year. That’s to come. In the meantime, I hope you’ve all enjoyed your own festive activities. Right now I’ll leave you with today’s picture and bid you goodnight. I did nip out to get some shopping yesterday evening – although I had to don a full set of waterproofs to do it as the rain was pelting down. On the way back it cleared just long enough to get this shot of our local landmark all lit up for the evening.

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

24th December picture of the day…

24 Sunday Dec 2023

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

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It’s Christmas eve here at Bigland Towers but there’s no chance of it being a white one. Temperatures are currently in double figures and the rain’s incessant. I’ve spent nearly all day at home trying to plug divert some of the waterfalls that have become a feature of the cottage porch. I need a few dry days to be able to effect external repairs but dry days are as rare as rocking-horse shit at the moment so all I can do is try and divert and catch the leaks.

Apart from impromptu DIY most of the day’s been taken up with preparing for Xmas. Whilst Dee’s been over to her parents to see how they are I’ve been wrapping prezzies and cleaning the cottage. Now we’re having a quiet night in. Dee’s immersed herself in cooking, whilst I’m on-hand to do the washing up and being there as needed for peeling duties. Needless to say, the smells that are wafting up the stairs are exquisite!

With all this going in it’s a short blog from me. I just want to wish all my readers a very merry Christmas and hope you all have a peaceful and relaxing day. These are anxious and difficult times for so many people in the world right now, so spare a thought (and a donation to charity if you can) for the folks who won’t be enjoying tomorrow – for whatever reason.