Tag Archives: Picture of the day

17th May picture of the day…

17 Wednesday May 2023

Posted by in Photography, Picture of the day, Railways, Transport for Wales (TfW), Travel, Wales

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After the last two days travels today’s been a much quieter one here at Bigland Towers as I’ve barely moved from home, so it’s a short blog from me tonight. Most of the day’s been taken up with editing and captioning all the pictures I’ve been talking, plus catching up with shots I took in Turkey. You can find the pictures in various galleries. Here’s links to Avanti West Coast, Northern, Trans-Pennine Express and Transport for Wales. There’s also additions to the infrastructure and railway stations galleries plus the UK travel section. The new updates take my Zenfolio website over the 83,000 picture mark – and there’s still plenty of archive material to add, but next up will be a new gallery dedicated to Turkish rail operations.

Now all those are out of the way I can concentrate on other activities although I’m not sure if I’ll be travelling again this week as we’re heading into the next tranche of rail strikes, plus the weather’s looking decidedly mixed. We’ll see. I’ll certainly be out and about next week as I’ve commissions that will take me to Bingley and the Settle and Carlisle line as well as the Nottingham area.

In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which was actually taken yesterday during my visit to Llandudno Junction. This is one of Transport for Wales new CAF built trains, 197002 working 2D69, the 1414 Llandudno to Llandudno Junction. On arrival at the Junction and after a layover, it formed a service East to Manchester Airport.

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

Thank you!

14th May picture(s) of the day…

14 Sunday May 2023

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

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In contrast to last weekend when we were in Istanbul the pair of us have had a home-based time at Bigland Towers. The weather’s picking up – as are the temperatures – so the season’s feeling more like the May of old rather than the miserable and wet one we’ve experienced so far. We’ve also had a impromptu weekend. Yesterday, whilst browsing the internet I found out that the Lancaster bomber from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) was due to include an afternoon flypast at the Golcar lily festival in the nearby Colne valley. As the skies consisted of blue skies and bright sunshine the pair of us decided to pop over to watch. It’s near where Dawn’s parent live anyway so we could call in and see them. Surprisingly, information on the flypast was limited. There was nothing on the BBMF website. All I had for reference was an article on the Yorkshire Post website which gave times. Despite this, we decided ‘what the hell’ and Dawn drove us over. Fortunately (as a local girl) Dee had a really good idea where on the South side of the valley would be the best place to head to so we parked up on a road high above Golcar and waited. Eventually we were joined by another couple and their young lad. They’d spotted us, seen my camera and worked out why we where there. The cahp had ‘flightrader’ on his phone so scanned for signs of the Lanc’. No Lancaster to be found, but a Spitfire was heading our way…

Sure enough, in the timeframe the Lancaster was meant to arrive a Spitfire and Hurricane from the BBMF put in an appearance to put on a short display over the village before flying off to their next engagement. I’d been expecting a slow, four-engine bomber, not a pair of nimble (and far smaller) fighter aircraft, so even my 400mm lens was struggling with the range, but I managed to grab a couple of reasonable shots, but it was frustrating…

Today we haven’t moved from home at all. Whilst I prepared lunch Dee’s been the ‘hostess with the mostest’, cooking up a mouth-watering evening meal of pulled-pork, roasted vegetables and new potato’s seasoned with some of my home-grown Parsley. Now it’s time to call it a day and relax before the start of another week. I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures from yesterday’s flypast. Expect more blogs and more wide-ranging travels next week…

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

Thank you!

12th May picture of the day…

12 Friday May 2023

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

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Another short blog from me at the end of another day dominated as much by the weather as anything else. Call this May? It’s bleedin’ freezing! Today Dawn and I went out for a light lunch with her parents over at Totties garden centre in ‘Last of the summer wine’ territory just outside Holmfirth. They have a good cafe there where John and Norah are regulars. The only problem is Totties is on the side of a hill and a stiff breeze left the place ‘Baltic’! I was glad we had a nice warm cafe to seek refuge in. It was hardly salad weather so three of us ended up ordering Sausage, chips and mushy peas with onion gravy, which was far more suitable – and warming.

Of course, I couldn’t resist a mooch around after eating so I left the others in the cafe and checked out what was on offer. They have a good range of plants but it was some of the plastic pots that really caught my eye as they had stuff in sizes and at prices I can’t find around home. In the end, I didn’t buy any but I’ve certainly got my eye on a few for the future when I’ve done some more changes to the terraces at the back of the house. I did end up with a couple of plants but they were indoor ones. I spied a plant I’d not owned for years. In fact, it’s so long ago I can’t even remember where and when it was I had it. I suspect it was in my flat in East London, but the memory’s hazy. It’s called Hypoestes. They’re small plants that have attractive pink polka dot leaves, although I also managed to pick up a red-leaved one too – all for £4.50. Back at their house Norah dived into the greenhouse and shared some Gladioli bulbs with me and some ‘Golden Rod’ which we dug out of the front garden. This will add a splash of colour to the back of the house later in the year.

It wasn’t the weather for hanging around in the garden so we quickly bade goodbye and came home to the warm, where Dawn’s stayed ever since (sensible woman!) whilst I potted up my new acqusitions before heading out for a walk to get my remaining steps in. I’ve always said the two valley’s (Calder and Colne) have their own microclimates and today was another example. The temperature at home felt a couple of degrees warmer than over in Huddersfield, but then we do benefit from being on the sheltered side of the valley and South facing, so we catch the sun. I’m hoping we’ll catch more of it tomorrow as the weather’s due to pick up, then I can get more jobs done around the place.

To round of the day I’ve spent some time editing travel pictures from Turkey which you can find in this gallery. There’s many more to add yet, so today’s picture is a sample. Here’s the inside of the magnificent blue Mosque, looking up into the domed roof.

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

Thank you!

11th May picture(s) of the day…

11 Thursday May 2023

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

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Another short blog from me as today’s not been the most exciting of times unless you count dodging heavy rainstorms, potting cuttings for the garden and slaving over a hot keyboard in order to get a load of pictures edited! To be fair, the rainstorms were fun – as long as you weren’t caught out in the open by one. The forecast had threatened us with thunder but that never materialised which was a shame as I love a good thinderstorm. What was very much in evidence was the thunderous looking skies. Dark clouds forming a band low in the skies that contrasted magnificently with their lighter, wispier counterparts which were occasionally illuminated by the sun. All of this was played out whilst I had a grandstand view from the bedroom window. I do love the skies up here in the Pennines, they’re constantly changing to provide a stunning backdrop. Well, on the days they’re not doing their best to hide the valley – obviously!

Having successfully edited another tranche of pictures ready for captioning and with the weather having changed from showers to sunshine I made a break for freedom and a long walk through our local woods – Scarr and Long wood. Both are looking stunning at the moment as they’re covered in Bluebells. Long wood has the added attraction of wild Garlic flowering which adds another contrasting colour to that of the bluebells. The round trip is a lovely walk and good exercise as the woods cling to the side of the valley so are anything but flat.

Now it’s time to knock-off for the night and catch up with the ‘other half’ who’s still on holiday and been out for a long lunch with friends. So, I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures from today’s perambulations.

Bluebells and wild Garlic in Long wood
A mass of Bluebells adjacent to Scarr wood.

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

Thank you!

10th May picture of the day…

10 Wednesday May 2023

Posted by in Istanbul, Photography, Picture of the day, Ships, Transport, Travel, Turkey

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The excitement of a break in Istanbul is slowly fading as we re-establish our UK routine back at Bigland Towers. Well routine for me. Dawn’s still on holiday, so – after pottering around at home she left to join Fran and Kath for an afternoon watching the King’s coronation on catch-up TV. Having the house to myself I pottered around solo. The garden’s really burst into life during the four days we were away so I soon lost an hour or so catching up on weeding and general maintenance in-between showers. The weather’s been crap since we got back with bouts of rain and temperatures only just in double figures – a good excuse to stay indoors and catch up on emails, paperwork and picture editing.

The shots I’ve taken in Istanbul are going to take several days to sort out, but the first collection (shipping) ended up on my Zenfolio website this evening. You can find the gallery via this link. Istanbul’s on the gateway to the Black Sea so the amount and variety of maritime traffic that passes is great for anyone interested in the nautical world. Add in the cruise liners that call and the multitude of ferries, tourists boats and pleasure craft that to and fro and you’ve a fascinating collection of craft to observe.

I suspect I’ll be trapped at home for the rest of this week as I’ve a lot of stuff to catch up on, plus, we’ve rail strikes on Friday and Saturday which will cramp my style anyway. I suppose I’ll be able to get all my picture backlog cleared at least…

I’ll leave you with the picture of the day which is one of my new shipping pictures. Here’s the passenger ship Ilker Karter which was built in 1980 at the Halic Shipyard in Istanbul. At 456 gross tonnes it’s not the largest ship in the world but it and its sister vessels put in a lot of nautical miles ferrying passengers around the Bosporus strait. In the background is one of the more modern ro-ro ferries.

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

Thank you!

4th May picture of the day…

04 Thursday May 2023

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

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We’ve had another mixed day here at Bigland Towers. On opening the bedroom blinds this morning it was obvious the glorious sunshine we’d had yesterday was a flash in a pan as the view across the valley was hampered by low cloud and poor visibility. Temperatures weren’t exactly balmy either! As the pair of us had plenty to keep us occupied with at home the weather wasn’t much of a problem – although sunshine and blue skies does help lift the spirits.

The weather certainly didn’t stop us voting in the local elections. Nor did the new need for photo ID. That’s because we’d already voted! For many years now we’ve had postal votes so our returns were in. I can’t help thinking the whole photo ID idea is a scam on the part of the Tories to stop people voting. Recorded cases of voter fraud have always been tiny, so why the sudden need for photographic ID? Plus, if I remember correctly, when there have been minor cases of impersonation it’s been with postal ballots – for which you don’t need ID! I’ll be very interested to see how this scheme pans out and if it backfires on the Tories in the was some observers are suggesting. Some older people (likely Tory voters) don’t have photographic ID and may well struggle to be allowed to vote. There would be a delicious irony if we see shrinkage in the Tory vote because the ‘wrong sort’ of voters have been disenfranchised!

Of course, the results won’t be clear until tomorrow and I’m not going to be staying up to watch as the pair of us have better things to do tomorrow. Dawn’s spent the day toiling like a Stakhanovite in order to clear as much of her work as possible before turning off her computer this evening ready for the next few days.

Me? I’ve been busy too although I did have a side trip to our local GPs in order to have check-up that I’m overdue for. Fair credit to our local surgery down in Sowerby Bridge. I only rang them about an appointment this morning yet they managed to squeeze me in to see a GP by 15:00! That’s an impressive service, but then they’ve always been good.

Now it’s late in the evening and the pair of us are packing, ready to head off to Turkey tomorrow whilst leaving the cottage in good order for our friends who’ll be looking after the place whilst we’re away. No doubt I’ll be doing some blogging over the next few days whilst I’m away, just don’t expect them to be mammoth travel guides to Istanbul as we’re going with the other members of the ‘5 from the 6’ so the intention’s to have fun!

It’s a good time to go, the UK weather forecast’s not looking good for the next few days. Plus, as a republican and not a royalist the next few days of Coronation fever and forelock tugging is something I’m happy to miss – especially when I reflect on the state of the UK economy right now. I’ve nothing against Charles (in fact, I rather like him) but there’s a whiff of ‘bread and circuses’ in the air that hopefully won’t travel as far as Turkey, although I suspect some of our number will be happy to watch the pageantry, pomp and circumstance on ‘catch-up’…

OK, time to go. Today’s picture is from the last time the ‘5 from the 6’ went on a jaunt which was to Berlin this time last year. Here’s the Oberbaum bridge which became an important crossing point between East and West during the ‘Cold War’ years.

I’m looking forward to being let loose in Istanbul with the camera, but I think hoping for blue skies like this may be optimistic…

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

Thank you!

2nd May picture of the day…

02 Tuesday May 2023

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

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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.

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

Thank you!

1st May picture of the day…

01 Monday May 2023

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

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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.

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

Thank you!

30th April picture of the day…

30 Sunday Apr 2023

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

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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.

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

Thank you!

29th April picture of the day…

29 Saturday Apr 2023

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

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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!

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

Thank you!