Apologies for the lack of blogging recently, this will be rectified tomorrow as I’ve a number describing last week’s adventures which are half-written. Since returning from London much of my time’s been taken up with editing pictures and/or domestic duties. You can find which galleries have been updated on my Zenfolio website by following this link.
Here’s a sample…
Contrary to what many foaming right-wingers, foreign social media trolls and Reform politicians claim, London is not a dystopian hell-hole. The reality is, it’s recently been voted the worlds greatest city, and one that’s getting safer. During my time there I wasn’t stabbed, robbed or in any way hassled – even on crowded places like Oxford Circus tube station on the underground. I’ll never understand why so many so-called ‘patriots’ spend all their time running our country down. Funny old world, eh?
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Another week begins here at Bigland Towers, and it’s turning rather nippy. The balmy weather we’ve enjoyed for so long has deserted us, leaving us with a pronounced chilly spell and even (allegedly) the threat of snow – although I’ll believe that when I see it.
I’m not too perturbed as I’m back on my travels for the next couple of days. Tomorrow I head down to London in readiness for a press visit on Wednesday, but more of that nearer the time. I’m looking forward to getting out and about, making my way to the capital and having time to catch up with the dwindling suburban train fleets built in the 1980s-90s by British Railways. As an ex-Londoner, they’re very familiar to me and I’ll miss the 455s and 465s when they’re gone. Mind you, I’ll be heading to London via the West Coast Main Line where another, later fleet is also being retired. Owned by Porterbrook leasing, the 37 Siemens Class 350/2s were built between 2008-09, the majority have already gone into store with no firm future, which seems a criminal waste of such a good train. I’m hoping to catch one or two on my trip. Today’s picture is of the first of the fleet and one that’s still left in service for now.
350241, still wearing London Midland Livery but carrying London and Northwestern branding is pictured at Wolverhampton on the 18th August 2018.
Expect a rolling blog from tomorrow’s travels…
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/
Sorry for the lack of blogging recently, but it’s been a dull but busy week here at Bigland Towers. I’ve been going nowhere fast due to work commitments which have kept me tied to home. Now’s the time of year when I put my sorting hat on as one of the Community Rail Awards judges. There’s a huge amount of entries in the two categories in which I’m a member of the judging panel so it takes a lot of time to sift through them, giving our individual scores before we convene for the full judging panel.
Mind you, the weather’s been utter crap here in the Calder Valley. Most days I’ve not even been able to see the opposite side of the valley. Taking my daily stroll through the woods has been ‘fun’ too as some major branches have been brought down by the wind and rain, so you take your life in your hands. Fortunately, I’ve never been in the wrong place at the right time!
The evenings have been entertaining in a different way due to it being the week of Bonfire night, which has meant we’ve had fireworks going off every day so the place sounds like living in a suburb of Beirut or Damascus (only without the ricochets). Still, the valley’s looked very pretty with a fusillade of fireworks lighting up the sky each evening.
Now the week’s winding down. I was hoping to get out and about tomorrow but I fear I still have too much paperwork to do – and the weather’s not looking much better, even though it’s been incredibly mild for the time as year. That said, Dawn’s taking next week off as it’s our weeding anniversary and we’ve just booked a few nights away in Shropshire – so all’s not lost.
Hopefully, I’ll have time to catch up on some more blogging tomorrow, in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a taster of the weather here today. For much of the day we’ve been living just below cloud level…
The Wainhouse tower above the end of our road disappears into the clouds.
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There’s been another quiet day here at Bigland Towers and in the Calder valley. I’ve spent most of it working from home, having had the place to myself whilst Dee’s been over at her parents to sort out the aftermath of the car accident.
Mind you, the weather here this morning was spectacularly awful, with high winds and driving rain, so being cocooned in the cottage was ideal. This afternoon, the weather changed. We had a spell of glorious sunshine and clear skies, so I thought I’d nip out with the camera to get shots of the railway crossing the Copley viaduct surrounded by trees in their autumnal colours. Only it didn’t quite work out that way. By the time I got down to the river the weather had changed again, with leaden skies and rain heading my way. However, I did find Network Rail contractors who’d been busy clearing trees along the embankment of the line to Greetland. This has opened up a couple of new photo locations, with more in the offing as the work is continuing.
I made my way up the other side of the valley through a lovely green tunnel which has formed over an old sunken track. Then, sheltering from a sudden downpour under some Oak trees, I surveyed the valley. Here’s the results.
The green tunnel, and old track which is slowly being reclaimed by nature. A train bound for Halifax passes the site where contractors have denuded the embankment of trees to open up this view which has been hidden for decades. In the background is a modern housing estate which has been built between the River Calder and the canal. The same train crossing the Copley viaduct, surrounded by trees which are slowly gaining their autumnal finery. The widest arch to the right is where the railway crosses the Calder and Hebble Navigation (canal).
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It’s Saturday here in Bigland Towers and the pair of have been having a relaxed Saturday at home. Dee returned from darkest Lincolnshire yesterday, whilst I spent Friday editing the pictures from the previous day’s outing.
The weather here in the Calder valley’s starting to get a real nip in the air as the Mercury’s dropped several degrees in the past couple of days. It’s time to put the central heating on and dig out the winter woolies, although (thankfully) I’ve only had to use the new waterproof that Dawn’s bought me as a birthday present once. My actual birthday isn’t until next week, but hey – what’s the point of a waterproof if you can’t use it when you need it?
Today, the weather’s been cold but mostly sunny, ideal for walking, although as we’d had a late morning our perambulations were local at best. Still, the woodlands where we live are packed with autumnal colours right now, so that’s no hardship – and at least I didn’t slip and go arse over tit the way I did on Friday (note to self, walking in woodland whilst staring at your smartphone is a dumb idea).
Having popped into our local pub for a drink and a giggle with the bar staff we picked up some shopping before settling in for a quiet night at home. I’d batch-cooked a chicken Korma on Friday, which has fed us for the past two days as well as helped stock the freezer, so tonight’s been very relaxed. Tomorrow the plan’s to get out and explore, going walking somewhere, although we’ve not decided where yet. Watch this space.
In the meantime, here’s a couple of diverse pictures from the past couple of days. When I cook, I like to prepare and lay out everything I need in advance.
The ingredients of a Korma. Chicken, onions, chopped tomatoes, creamed coconut, Garlic, Turmeric, ground Coriander, Garam Masala and plain yoghurt. Easy to make – and far tastier and healthier than prepared cook-in sauces from a jar. This recipe was given to me by Meena, an Indian friend from London many, many years ago – and it’s become a firm favourite in our house.
On Thursday I had the tripod with me, so I played around with long exposure shots in the city centre. Here’s one of the results.
Tram and bus blurs in Piccadilly Gardens
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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/
Another day that didn’t quite turn out to be as expected. The day’s plans were changed by two events which diverted my time. Firstly, I’ve been invited to be a judge in a photographic competition run by one of the UKs train operating companies. They contacted me at short notice, asking for a biography and a mugshot. Having sorted those out I then received a phone call from a magazine asking for potential pictures for their next cover. Searching through my archive for the subject matter and sending them links kept me busy for a while. Still, it should help my bank balance! As I sat at my computer I was enviously watching the sun breaking through the racing clouds to send rays of light scudding across the valley like searchlights hunting for a fugitive. The scene would have made for some great moody photographs. Sadly by the time I was free to pick up the camera the sun had lost its battle with the clouds which swamped the valley with more mist and rain. Bugger!
When I did manage to get out for a walk conditions were less than ideal as light levels were set to full dull, but – I did manage to find something of interest which gave me chance to exercise my 105mm micro lens. Here’s the results.
If anyone can ID these two types of mushroom, feel free to drop me a line.
I’m no mycologist, so I’ve no idea what types of mushrooms I’m looking at here (all I know it – don’t be daft enough to try and eat ’em). A single old tree stump in our local woods is home to several different types which attracted my attention.
As the rain worsened I retreated back to the cottage to dry out before preparing food for this evening. Poor Dawn had a dental appointment to fix her tooth where she lost a filling last week. Now the hole in her tooth’s fixed, but there’s an even bigger hole in her purse! Our dentists are excellent and have managed to save the tooth, but have recommended Dee gets it crowned to ensure there’s no further issues. Both filling and crown will set her back over £1000 in total. Even so, it could have been a lot worse (and more expensive) if the tooth couldn’t have been saved. After the fun and games with the car, it’s been an expensive month. Fingers crossed the rest of the year is more of a breeze…
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There’s been a dank and dismal start to the week here in the Calder valley, which is hardly surprising as that’s how last week ended so set the tone. Sunday was miserable weather-wise as low clouds and rain obscured the sides of the valley and made walking a very damp experience. Today’s been little better, the only bright spot being the fact the weather’s still mild, for now at least.
I’ve spent the majority of the day at home, ploughing through yet more picture editing and filing. I’ve only a few more left to do now before I’m up to date. All but a handful of the Portuguese pictures have been uploaded to my Zenfolio website. You can find the railway ones here and the travel pictures here.
With the weather looking the same for tomorrow I’m planning to have another day working at home and staying warm and dry – although with the autumn leaves starting to take on some dramatic colours I’m hoping there may be an opportunity for some pictures in the surrounding woodland when I get out for a walk. If not, I’ll be able to catch up on some blogging as I did manage to get out last Friday, even if was only as far as Brighouse!
In the meantime, here’s an illustration of how the Calder valley looked yesterday.
Wet and windy, with Norland moor on the opposite side of the valley hidden by low clouds.
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Another day that didn’t quite go to plan – although that was more for Dawn than me. Dee’s outbreak of the lurgi meant she had a restless night and felt crap this morning, so her dental appointment was the first thing to be cancelled. Then a phone call to Honda about the fun and games with the car meant they came and collected it within an hour, taking it away for diagnostic checks. So, with no car, no Dawn and me still with a dental appointment it meant I was bound for our dentists in Huddersfield by bus!
That was no big deal, I had plenty of time and managed to get in a long walk to a bus stop that was convenient for some railway shots whilst I waited. As chance would have it, one of the seasonal railhead treatment trains was due just before my bus. Hence this shot.
A pair of Colas Class 66s top and tail the RHTT over Dryclough Junction. This train began its journey in Grimsby and ended it in York after going around the houses to reverse at Halifax. The spray from the powerful water jets mounted on the rear wagon is evident.
My dental appointment was a breeze. I’m not one of these people who’s frightened of visiting dentists, so it’s not a stressful experience at all. The dentist gave me a clean bill of health and the hygienist confirmed his view after giving me a clean, so that’s me done for another 6 months!
As I was close to the centre of Huddersfield I decided my walk to take in a detour to the station to see how the place looks now it’s reopened after the month-long blockade. The answer is – very different!
150007sits in the extended Sheffield bay platform whilst a TPE 185 calls at the widened and extended Westbound platform. The Northern side of the station has vanished. Both platforms and tracks have disappeared with the area becoming a building site.
Catching the bus back we passed through Elland, where the ‘flag-shaggers’ have been busy. Most lamp posts on the main road have had flags cable tied to them. Let’s face it, nothing says ‘patriotism’ more than cheap Chinese-made Union or England flags draped like limp rags around the place. Still, it’s a good indicator of places to avoid. Elland’s always been a shithole with a reputation as a place where the far-right hang out. The flags merely confirm it. I’m sure they’ll do wonders for house prices…
Back in Halifax (where flag-shagging is very much a minority sport) I strolled home, finding Dawn feeling better. Her car had been returned, complete with new rear offside wheel sensor as the old one had failed, causing all the problems. Fortunately, the £280 cost was covered by the extended warranty Dee had been smart enough to take out. Sadly, the fun and games weren’t over! No sooner had we eaten supper than poor Dawn had a large filling drop out! Today of all days!
Looks like the dentists haven’t seen the back of us yet…
Tomorrow I plan to spend the day working from home. Hopefully there’ll be no more excitement and I’ll be able to catch up on blogging and picture editing. Watch this space…
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/
Tuesday’s the new Monday here at Bigland Towers, at least for this week due to a long weekend. I’ll blog about our final day in Chester and environs tomorrow. I’d hoped to have written it up today but I’ve been up to my eyeballs in picture editing, paperwork, fixing lights in the house and keeping an eye on a poorly wife! Poor Dawn’s coming down with some form of lurgi, so I’m dusting down my nurses uniform…
To add insult to injury, her car is playing up too. We started getting error messages from its computer yesterday, but they cleared and we drove back without an issue. This afternoon they returned – with a vengeance! Everything that could flash red did – and then some. Yet again, they mysteriously disappeared and we were able to complete our mission of picking up a new light-switch to replace the one that had blown the other day. But tomorrow the phone line to Honda is going to be buzzing. Dee’s only spent over £1600 on a new timing belt and other gubbins for her Honda Civic but it’s been a PITH ever since and had to go back for rectification once already after it started burning so much oil you’d have thought someone had elected a new Pope! Ho Hum…
We have another ‘treat’ in store for tomorrow – a trip to the dentist and hygienist, so it won’t just be the car getting some attention. So, as you can see, today’s not quite gone to plan…
I’ll leave you with today’s picture, which is from yesterdays explorations. I’ll leave you guessing where this was taken until tomorrow. Unless you want to post a guess?
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/
For various reasons there’s a very short blog from me today. The weekend’s almost over and I have a busy week which begins with heading to the community rail conference in Nottingham tomorrow.
Part of my day’s been engaged in editing many more pictures from our Portugal trip, so I though I’d leave you with this one from the Douro valley.
Not so much the grapes of wrath as those of Port…
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/
Paul Bigland 