2nd May picture of the day…

02 Tuesday May 2023

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

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

There’s only a short blog from me today for two reasons. One is that’s it’s not been the most eventful of days and the other is that with everything that’s going on in the country politically and economically I’m in danger of letting my spleen vent – and if that happened I’d be here for several hours! So, I’ll sum it up in three words and then move on.

What. A. Shitshow.

My only hope is that the local elections this week might provide some insight into the direction the country may be taking. Hopefully it will be a positive one, but I see an awful lot of ingrained deference and forelock tugging around which makes me wonder if a significant percentage of the electorate rather enjoy misery and being kept in their place. Either way, I’ll be in Turkey from Friday so somewhat removed from politics, pomp and circumstance.

On a brighter note, the in-laws popped round for coffee this morning which gave me chance to show-off the work I’d been doing outside as Norah is also a keen gardener and appreciated my efforts. Dawn had to shoot out to a work appointment so it was my turn to rustle up the brandy coffees! The three of us had a pleasant time joking and chatting before it was time for them to head back to the Colne valley and me to get back to work. One task that kept me busy was adding more old railway slides for sale via my eBay account which you can find here.

My only other achievement today was getting over 16,000 steps (7.5mls) in whilst not getting rained on! This led to today’s picture which was taken in our local woods. They’re looking stunning right now as the Bluebells are taking over.

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1st May picture of the day…

01 Monday May 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

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Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire

Happy May day everyone! I can’t quite believe a third of the year’s already passed and in little more than 7 weeks the nights will start drawing in again. Still, it’s been a good day here at Bigland Towers even though we’ve not been anywhere. The pair of us have kept occupied at home which is no problem as we’re going away later in the week so pottering around at home’s been fun. Besides, bank holiday’s normally mean anywhere you’d want to go is clogged with people (and/or expensive) so staying at home removes that stress. Thankfully, the storm and heavy rain we had last night had cleared by this morning, leaving me free to continue with the garden and outhouse clean-up. My time on the ‘chain gang’ came to an end as I finished breaking up the old sink that’s been cluttering up the back for the past year. Now all I have to do is dispose of the bags of rubble…

Another thing that needed disposing of was more of the bloody Sycamore seedlings! They’re incredibly invasive this year and trying to get rid of ’em’s like playing ‘whack a mole’. No sooner do you think you’ve pulled up all the little buggers when the next batch poke their heads up just as soon as your back’s turned! Despite them, the gardens are starting to come together (front and back) all my recent purchases are planted, whilst there’s a stream of seedlings and cuttings ready for the coming months. Thanks to the fact the sun blessed us for a few hours this afternoon I managed to get another job done and cleared some of the derelict patch of land above the cottages which is infested with Russian vine (it’s not called ‘mile a minute’ for nothing) along with trimming back some Sycamore stumps which have started spouting shoots again. I may not have moved far, but I certainly got my steps in today!

Feeling virtuous I sat on our top terrace with a beer and watched the sun retreat over the valley, which brings me to today’s picture. This was the view I had over Sowerby Bridge earlier as the sun broke free of late arriving clouds. I never tire of this view as it’s always changing due to the permutations of weather and lighting…

Sowerby Bridge seen earlier this evening in low spring light with the road up to Sowerby prominent in the picture.

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30th April picture of the day…

30 Sunday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways

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Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways

Gordon Bennett – another month gone! Where the hell’s the time going? Our day at Bigland Towers has been dominated by the weather – but that’s what you get for living in the Pennines. We’d no plans to travel anywhere, the idea was to stay at home and continue gardening/cleaning/cooking but my outdoor activities were cut short by the advent of drizzle. That said, the garden’s looking much improved and my rock-breaking activity has tidied up the place as well as providing plenty of exercise! Dee’s been equally busy. We had some lamb rumps we’d purchased from the Bolster Moor farm shop which Dawn prepared and stuck in the slow-cooker, so whilst I’ve been working outside the house has been filled with some delicious smells.

We did nip out into Halifax to do some shopping as Dawn was on the hunt for some Guinness Zero. Our tastebuds diverge on these matters. Apart from the fact Dee’s teetotal the other major difference is she’s on the ‘dark side’ when it comes to beers whilst I prefer the pale hoppy variety (even in low-alcohol varieties). Many people say that Guinness Zero tastes just like the real thing, which could account for it’s popularity and scarcity. Only one local supermarket seems to stock it and that normally sells out fast. Sadly, Dee was disappointed as Sainsbury’s had none. We did try a Tesco Metro nearby where we live but the choices were poor (especially when it came to LA beers) and the the prices were racked up. On the bright side we bumped into a couple of friends which led us to a side trip to while away an hour playing pool in a pub just down the road from where we live. Well, I played pool with the boys whilst Dawn cast a critical eye over our efforts from the sidelines!

Now we’re back home, replete after a lovely meal of lamb, Yorkshire puddings and lots of veg. Ideal food as the weather’s taken a turn for the worse. Rainstorms have breezed in turning the evening into a very wet one indeed – just what you’d expect as a precursor to tomorrow’s bank holiday. Right now we can hear the sound of the rain beating against the cottage windows over the noise of the TV. Impressive!

When I got home and logged onto the web I found the sad news that an old photographic colleague and legend in the railway world (Brian Morrison) had passed away today at the age of 92. I’ll blog about Brian tomorrow as he deserves more than a passing mention but I’ll leave you with his image as today’s picture. Farewell Brian, we had some fun times over the years…

Many of Brian’s friends and colleagues attended his 80th birthday celebration at the Quainton railway centre back in March 2010. Here’s Brian with his certificate of appreciation from railway magazine editors.

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29th April picture of the day…

29 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Calder Valley, Gardening, Musings, Picture of the day, Pubs, West Yorkshire

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Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, pubs, West Yorkshire

As weekends go, this one’s not got off to a bad start – mainly because we were under no pressure to do anything or get anywhere (that comes next week). Instead, Dawn managed to get her full compliment of Z’s whilst I wasn’t far behind. My Fitbit is telling me how virtuous I am, which is nice…

Once we’d imbibed sufficient quantities of caffeine to kickstart the day we both got motoring. Whilst the weather forecast hadn’t been promising I could see the opposite side of the valley (always a good sign) I I decided to blitz the back terraces to the house. Working over multi-levels and up and down steps certainly keeps one fit. as does deciding to improve the quality of the soil in the flower bed opposite the kitchen window by digging it out and sieving all the stones – by hand. The flowers will thank me. My back didn’t! As if this wasn’t masochism enough I also broke up more of an old stone sink I stripped out of the former outside toilet. Yep, this cottage is old enough to have one of those! I’ve gradually been getting rid by turning the thing into gravel but now spring is here I want to get shut of all of it. Luckily, there’s an unadopted road near us that’s so potholed it looks like a Ukrainian battlefield, so I’m killing two birds with one stone (or should that be sink) and helping fill in their craters. Whilst I squatted on the cobbles at the back of the house breaking rocks my mind drifted back to my travels. The process reminded me of my old visits to India, observing road repairs, which was quite a shocking experience the first time I saw it. You’d find whole families working on road contracts, living in shanties on the side on the side of the road they were improving. Dad and Grandfather would be turning boulders into rocks. Mum and Grandmother would be turning rocks into smaller rocks and the kids would be turning said rocks into gravel – all for a few Rupees a day in the blazing heat. At least I only have one sink to break up – and it wasn’t to earn a living..

Having improved the soils and removed a few kilos of gravel I planted the Mimulus I bought in Ossett yesterday. Apparently, they’re an old Victorian garden favourite – which seems appropriate considering the amount of graft I’ve undertaken just to get the bloody things in! Still, joking aside, I really enjoy gardening. The weather stayed clement and I got a lot done – as did Dawn – just indoors. Hopefully, the weather will play ball again tomorrow so that I can finish ‘nuking’ all the weeds on the top terrace. One of our neighbours struggles to get up to her terrace nowadays so I’m fire-fighting living next to a jungle as stuff spreads like mad.

Now, having done my ‘great escape’ impression and surreptitiously dumped a load of hardcore in few potholes (thankfully I didn’t have to do it down my trouser legs) I’m relaxing at home. Dee’s preparing supper (lamb kebabs with salad), after which it’s time to relax. All that remains is to select the picture of the day. Sans rubble I called in for a ‘swifty’ at our local pub – the ‘Big 6’ so tonight – here’s a drink on me!

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28th April picture(s) of the day…

28 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Food and drink, Ossett, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Food and drink, Musings, Ossett, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel, West Yorkshire

Yesterday I wished for better weather across West Yorkshire, but the weather Gods decided to ignore my pleas until the very last moment. Dawn had an appointment over in Ossett this morning and asked me if I wanted to accompany her as today was market day – and I do love a good market (which Ossett has). Sadly, what it didn’t have was decent weather, just miserable temperatures and lots of dull cloud. Still, whilst Dee was busy I had a great time exploring the market and I managed to pick up a few bargains at the same time. The market takes over the square outside the old Town Hall, which would be a really attractive Victorian edifice and backdrop if it wasn’t swathed in plastic sheets and scaffolding whilst it’s being restored.

Even so, the mixture of stalls and wheeled shops that make up the market are well worth a look around. Yesterday I complained about the cost of plants as a well-known DIY chain. Today I found the antidote in the shape of a market stall selling a variety of plants for half the price. Needless to say, I succumbed and bought a selection to fill in some gaps in the garden. That said, I was good. I managed to swerve the fantastic cheese stall and the local beer shop! Here’s a few shots from the market.

I love stalls like this – and their prices…

The bacon butty stall with coffee for £1 a cup. It’s not artisan coffee and there’s not a Barista in sight but it’s a great place to sit and people-watch.

On the way home we decided to lunch out – only we couldn’t decide where to go. There was nowhere we knew locally so we ended up back in the Colne valley. Our first idea was to try the cafe at the Bolster Moor farm shop but the car park was rammed and the cafe appeared to be too. Plan B was to drop down into nearby Slaithwaite where we found our second choice was also packed so we ended up in a place we’d not visited for years – the ‘Vanilla Bean’ near where Dee use to work. Our lunch wasn’t heavy as we chose the soup of the day (Carrot and Parsnip) which came with huge chunks of granary bread. Dawn ordered a side portion of chips which ended up as a Carb overload but what the hell – we worked it off by a walk along the Huddersfield narrow canal before we headed off to our next rendezvous.

A couple of hours earlier I’d received a phone call from an Irish friend who was over in the UK. He was travelling around by rail and (on the spur of the moment) had decided to head across from Liverpool to Leeds via our neck of the woods and wondered if we were around? We managed to arrange to meet up in Hebden Bridge and took Neil for a drink in the Robin Hood in Cragg Vale, introducing him to the delights of the Calder valley before depositing him (suitably refreshed) at Halifax station to continue his journey to Leeds and on to…Brighton.

No prizes for guessing where Neil and I are…

Afterwards, Dee and I joined friends in our local to take part in the Friday quiz and talk about the next escapade for the ‘5 from the 6’ as we’re off to Istanbul a week today – a trip that we’ve had planned for so long it feels like a surprise that it’s almost upon us! Expect a few different blogs soon!

Now it’s time for me to wind down for the day before another busy day tomorrow which will include both garden and cooking therapy

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27th April picture of the day…

27 Thursday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Calder Valley, Musings, Picture of the day, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Calder Valley, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel, West Yorkshire

We’ve had another mixed day here at Bigland Towers. Considering we’re nearly at the end of April and coasting towards summer the weather feels more like autumn up here in the Pennines. Today we’ve been treated to watery cloud, dull light and temperatures that rarely made it above 10 degrees, although the wind chill made it feel several degrees cooler than that. I’m glad the pair of us were working from home as wandering with the camera wouldn’t have been much fun compared to earlier in the week.

The tow of us have spent most of the day slaving away over hot computers (grateful for the heat source) although we did make it out for an afternoon constitutional through our local woods as part of a perambulatory shopping trip, thus killing two birds with one stone as we saved using the car and got healthier!

On returning home and with me having acclimatised to the cold I decided to spend a couple of hours cleaning up the back garden in the optimistic hope that spring will finally show its face, although (admittedly) many of the seedlings I spent repotting are already convinced that’s the case and are putting on healthy growth spurts. Now I’m praying they’re hardy enough to survive we’ve already had one morning frost this week. Oh, for some sunny days when I can work in the garden in a T-shirt rather then dressing like I’m on a polar expedition! I’m trying to grow more plants from seed and look at reducing what I buy from garden centres and other stores as prices are getting silly. I bought some Sweet Williams 1-2 years ago as part of a deal at B&Q. Then they were 3 trays for £7. This year the same deal cost £10 which is almost a 43% increase. If only I could put my fees up by the same amount! Another plan is to divide up some of the plants I have which are getting too big (Lupins, Hostas, Iris’ etc) and do some bartering to get the new plants I want instead of paying nursery prices. Plus, I’m going to ensure I collect as many seeds as I can from other plants to build up my own seed seed bank. Not only will it save me money, it’ll keep me out of trouble!

Now, back indoors, I’m spending some time updating my eBay account to add a few more old slides for sale. If you’re interested in old rail images from the UK, India and Ireland (starting at as little as £1.99) you’ll be able to find them here after 20:00 this evening.

Now, what to choose for the picture of the day? The camera’s remained in its case these past few days, so here’s something from the archive which brings back memories of sunnier times here in the UK. Here’s looking down on the lovely beach at Slapton Sands in Devon on the 5th August 1994…

You can view – or even buy copies) of my UK travel images such as this one from my Zenfolio website. Here’s a direct link to the UK gallery. With almost 3000 pictures to choose from – taken all around the UK – there’s something for everyone…

Tomorrow we’ll be out and about so I’m hoping for better weather and the chance to add a few more shots to the gallery.

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Thank you!

24th April picture of the day…

24 Monday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Calder Valley, Flora and Fauna, Hs2, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways

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Flora and Fauna, Hs2, Picture of the day, Politics, Railways, Travel

Today’s been an odd start to the week. I was full of determination to hit the ground running after a lovely weekend and the day started well as I hit all my targets for exercise, then spent several hours working in the office getting paperwork and pictures organised. I even managed to tear Dawn away from her computer so that the two of us could go for a walk together. Then, all of a sudden my batteries drained, leaving me completely out of energy. It happens to me maybe once or twice a year and I’m assuming it’s down to doing too much whilst running on a nearly empty stomach (although I’d have thought a gut full of porridge would have kept me going). Poor Dee was quite concerned as it’s never happened when we’ve been together before.

As a supermarket shop was part of the plan I had a short sit-down whilst Dee stocked up on various bits which included cereal bars – one of which I soon scoffed in order to give me the boost I needed to get home. It seemed to work although it was a couple of hours before I felt energised enough to get my last couple of thousand steps in to hit my daily target.

Now I’m having a relaxing evening at home. Dawn’s been fabulous and sorted out jacket potatoes with tuna, mayo and a side-salad whilst I’ve been ‘busy’ watching the Public Accounts Committee hearing on the debacle of the HS2 station at Euston which has been ‘paused’ for a couple of years whilst the Govt and DfT work out what to do. I’ll blog at greater length about this when the transcript is published. I took copious notes but there’s nothing like having it verbatim.

My take from the hearing is that this really is just a pause and HS2 will make it to Euston. The railway’s an expensive white elephant without Euston as Old Oak Common simply doesn’t have the capacity to be the London terminus. Mark Thurston made it clear that whilst contractors are being stood down, the contracts haven’t been ended, there’s merely an agreement to pause them. Plus, some work at Euston (to the tune of £200-220m) will continue until the autumn as the TfL substation, skills centre and Euston station facilities block will be completed whilst the station site is made secure. So, in theory, the ‘pause’ could be as little as 18 months – if people can come up with a viable new station design in that time, although the depressing thing seems to be the focus on cost, rather than anything else – like what we need the station to actually do.

Interestingly, what wasn’t mentioned at all was Bernadette Kelly’s claim at the Transport Select Ctte hearing that opening Euston later was the plan all along.

Right, onto the picture of the day and another sign that spring is here – seen in our local woods earlier…

Hopefully my batteries will be recharged by the morrow as I’ve lots I want to do this week…

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Thank you!

23rd April picture(s) of the day…

23 Sunday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Calder Valley, Food and drink, Musings, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

T’was a domesticated Sunday here at Bigland Towers, albeit after a slow start. Dawn spent much of the morning glued to her iPad watching the London marathon. Her interest was piqued because a community railway colleague (Karen Bennett) was running this year. Next thing I knew Dawn was so immersed in the event I could hear her shouting encouragement at the screen whilst she was making brunch in the kitchen!

Suitably fed and with the weather staying dry I escaped outside to carry out some routine maintenance to the cottage which involved climbing onto the roof to clear it of the winter’s debris and sprouting greenery. These old Yorkshire cottages don’t have slates, they have stone tiles. Their roughness combined with nooks and crannies are ideal for all manner of life to take hold. This year we’ve had a veritable plague of young sycamores. I’ve never known anything like it but for some reason conditions have been perfect for them and the bloody things have sprouted like cress! I spent the best part of two hours cleaning down the roof to dig the Sycamore shoots and roots out before they could get anymore of a hold and do real damage. I’m sure a hot dry spell would kill them off, but I don’t want to risk what they could do in the meantime. We’re very much in April showers territory here in the Pennines so tenacious buggers like Sycamores could still surprise.

Our roof on the left with tiles and gutters cleared. There’s fantastic views from atop the house, I just have to remember not to step back to admire them…

Having disinfested the roof the two of us nipped out to our local B&Q store to pick up new lightbulbs and other maintenance mundanities required for running a household. The store was unusually quiet apart from the piped music. Chaka Khan’s ‘I’m every woman’ was playing over the PA so Dawn couldn’t resist strutting her stuff to the music, taking advantage of the wide, empty aisles to sashay through the store in grand style. It certainly raised a smile from me – I just wish I’d videoed her! We didn’t leave empty handed as I took advantage of their deal on garden plants to stock up on Lobelia, Sweet William and Petunias which will add more colour to the back of the house over the summer months. After one last pitstop at a supermarket we dropped off the car at home before venturing out for a walk through the local woods, stopping just long enough to chat to neighbours whilst on the way up the the promenade on the edge of Halifax. The prom’ affords stunning views across the Calder valley which is looking luscious right now. The combination of rain, sunshine and rising temperatures has meant nature’s going into overdrive, so the valley’s a palette of greens, browns and more as the bluebells are about to burst into life in our garden and the surrounding woodlands.

Having strolled around the local park just to get a few more steps in we dodged a shower whilst enjoying a ‘swifty’ in our local pub, the ‘Big 6’ before wandering downhill to home and another round of domesticity. Dee headed to the kitchen to prepare tonight’s meal (her home-made meatballs in a spicy sauce served with salad) whilst I ended up to my elbows in compost, planting out many of our new garden acquisitions whilst dodging showers.

We’ve had both a productive and enjoyable day. OK, it’s not rock and roll, but we like it!

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Thank you!

22nd April picture(s) of the day…

22 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Calder Valley, Food and drink, Musings, Picture of the day, Pubs, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Calder Valley, Food and drink, Musings, Picture of the day, pubs, Travel, West Yorkshire

It’s not exactly been a vintage Saturday here at Bigland Towers, not that we’ve spent much of the day at home. The weather here in the Pennines has been erratic to say the least with temperatures just breaking into double figures but often reduced by hazy cloud, poor visibility and a cold wind that made you feel like you’d gone back a season.

Still, we’ve been getting about a bit. Having had to pop over to Ossett this morning we decided to take a detour on the way home and go out for a late lunch at the Robin Hood pub in Pecket Well which we’d visited the other weekend and really enjoyed. Today the pub was quieter as we’d arrived between sittings so getting a table was no problem. I couldn’t resist having the giant stuffed Yorkshire pudding again, only this time with a lamb casserole filling. It was a good job I was hungry as the portion sizes are large, especially when you consider the meal comes with a selection of veg as well as the chips which form part of the main meal. Dawn opted for one of the dishes off the specials board and had Sea Bream, which whilst a smaller portion was just what she was looking for. Both meals were delicious and good value for money in this day and age. My meal cost £12.50 and I had a pint of a decent local draught bitter which was on sale for £3 – winner!

Rather than stay for another drink we decided to try out another pub in the nearby village of Chiserley called the Hare and Hounds. It’s a great location as it sits high on the valley side above Hebden Bridge with commanding views across the valley as far as Stoodley Pike and beyond. It looks like a typical country pub from the outside (the inside is another matter).

The place is a Timothy Taylor’s pub so only their beers were on sale and there were four to choose from. Not a problem as I don’t mind Tim Taylor’s beers although they’re not my favourite. I ordered a pint of Golden Best and a half pint of coke for Dawn. The bill? 8 bleedin’ quid! £5.50 for the beer and £2.50 for the coke! For a minute I though I was back in London! We stood at the bar as the inside of the pub’s far smaller than the outside suggests, a situation that isn’t helped by all the weird and wonderful tat that clutters the place. The places makes a great play of the fact it’s in Yorkshire (easy to forget when you see the prices) and of the pub name – apart from the problem the decor is mismatched? Why’s the bar cluttered with Alice in Wonderland white rabbit models when it’s called the Hare, and why a huge pictures of a stag – but no hounds? Oh, and as for the loud music…

We finished our drinks swiftly and moved on, still in shock at how much we’d paid. Dawn’s parting comment was ‘thank God I hadn’t asked for a pint of Coke!” To restore our equilibrium we called in at a proper pub with proper prices – the other Robin Hood, this time in Cragg Vale. No robbery happens here, despite the name! There’s no loud music either, just decent conversation as it’s a friendly little place. When paying for our our drinks Dee couldn’t help mention where we’d just come from, which sparked an interesting round of comments from others in the pub who’d had similar experiences. Ah well, you live and learn…

Now we’re back at home and settled in the for night. I’m still stuffed from my earlier meal so there’s no need to eat tonight. Meanwhile Dee’s been busy in the kitchen making one of her fabulous Bakewell Tarts as cooking therapy. Tomorrow’s going to be a domestic day, but we might get out for a walk at some point, but I know one place we won’t be visiting!

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Thank you!

19th April pictures of the day…

19 Wednesday Apr 2023

Posted by Paul Bigland in Dewsbury, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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Dewsbury, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

It’s a short blog from me tonight as I’m on nursing duty as Dee was truck down by a bad migraine this afternoon.

Today’s been another day of two halves. The morning was spent working from home, wading through yesterday’s picture haul whilst keeping on top of paperwork and household chores. The weather wasn’t brilliant and the temperature distinctly nippy, so much so I wasn’t sure I that was wasting my time when I pegged out a line full of washing. Despite the lack of sunshine I decided to nip out for a few hours to check on the Trans-Pennine route upgrade (TRU) work East of Huddersfield. Dawn was meant to be having an evening out with friends so I thought I’d get out too.

Luckily, by the time I got the train from Sowerby Bridge to Dewsbury the weather had changed and I was treated to some glorious sunshine, even if temperatures were still on the chilly side. I’m going to write about the TRU work in a separate blog as it deserves its own. I saw a lot of changes at the places I visited, some substantial. Here’s a couple of pictures to whet your appetite.

	Chantal Richardson on The East Lancs Rly and Joanne…
	Adam Johnson on The East Lancs Rly and Joanne…
	Paul Bigland on Rolling blog. Out and about on…
	Charles Ésteppe on Rolling blog. Out and about on…
	Paul Bigland on Rolling blog. Out and about on…

Paul Bigland

~ Blogging on transport, travel & whatever takes my fancy.

Tag Archives: Picture of the day

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