Today’s ‘poets day’, an acronym I learned back in the 1980s when I joined the London Borough of Tower Hamlets as a Housing Officer. It stands for ‘Piss Off Early, Tomorrow’s Saturday’. Not all of us could of course, but if we could release colleagues who could, we would. Those days seem such a long time ago now, but the acronym’s stayed with me.
My (present) day’s been spent working from home whilst hosting my in-laws for a lunchtime coffee. We haven’t seen each other since I got back from Asia and they fancied a run over from Huddersfield so today seemed like a perfect opportunity. It was lovely to see them and it made a welcome break from staring at computer screens. Visit over, I spent another couple of hours working before thinking ‘bugger this, it’s Friday and the weather’s good, let’s get out’ – which is what I did by walking down into Sowerby Bridge before heading back up the hill to join up with old friends in the ‘Big 6’ in order to exercise our brains with the Friday quiz. After two months away it’s been lovely to catch up with people, although I’m not sure slipping back into that pub culture is a good or bad thing. It’s certainly a lot less international than my last ‘local’ in Georgetown – even if the seats are more comfortable!
Now I’m back at home, wrapping up the day whilst Dawn cooks up one of our favorite dishes, spicy Prawns with Garlic bread so I’m ended this blog now. Today’s picture is back to architecture and Merdeka 118, the new building that dominates Kuala Lumpur’s skyline.
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/
The pair of us have had another busy day here at Bigland Towers. Dawn’s been slaving away in her home office downstairs, having her day packed with online meetings and vast amounts of paperwork and spreadsheets. Remember the concept of the ‘paperless office’? It never happened, but at least this houshold doesn’t generate anywhere near as much as we once did.
Whilst Dee was busy downstairs I’ve been kept busy upstairs. I’ve almost finished editing and captioning my Asia travel pictures. The latest batches can be found if you follow these links to either the rail or travel images. Out of the pair of use I was the luckier one as I was able to tear myself away from my desk for an hour late this afternoon in order to complet my daily walk which I combined with a visit to our local supermarket to post some mail. I even made a detour via our local pub, the ‘Big 6’ for a quick pint. We visit infrequently nowadays. This was my first time over the threshold since I got back from Asia. Appropriately, the beer I chose was a pint of Elland brewery’s ‘Tank Engine’, a zesty pale ale at 4.8%. After a few months away where the only beer that passed my lips was lager it was lovely to taste a proper pint of bitter – but just the one mind!
When I returned home Dee was still bashing the computer keys so I took over domestic chores including cooking. Well, reheating really. I didn’t have to prepare anything fresh. Instead, we’d taken one of Dee’s home-cooked prawn and chorizo risottos out of the freezer. They’re spicy, filling and delicious! Now it’s time to switch off and relax for the rest of the evening before another busy day tomorrow. Dawn’s in the CRN office tomorrow but I’ll be at my desk in order to finish off the last few Asia pics which will leave me free to focus on other jobs next week – and even get out with the camera to catch up on the UK rail scene – although I’m not sure where I’ll go yet. There’s plenty to look at West of here, so it all depends on the weather.
Now I’ll leave you with the picture of the day, which has nothing to do with architecture or trains for a change. This time it’s flowers. I’d no idea what this particular bloom was that I’d photographed in Kuala Lumpur but it’s been identified thanks to my old friend Peter Mugridge. Here’s Cheilocostus speciosus, or crêpe ginger.
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/
It’s been another busy and varied day here at Bigland Towers, most of it spent holed up in my office, tying to clear-up a backlog of picture editing, paperwork and other administrative chores. I’d hoped I might have got out with the camera for a while, but it wasn’t to be. The weather’s improved slightly in that we’ve not had wall to wall rain but the low cloud and grey skies have hardly been conducive to slipping out. Instead I made the most of my desk time. I’ve almost cleared the picture editing/captioning backlog. You can find new additions from my Singapore sojourns on My Zenfolio website. The travel shots are here and the rail shots are here.
Of course, today was also budget day. I resisted the temptation to watch as I was working as I knew I’d only end up shouting at the TV at the sheer brass-neck of Hunt and Co claiming what a wonderful job they’re doing of running the economy and how the country’s safe in their hands. As soon as they have to claim the budget won’t just help the rich you know the opposite is true. Meanwhile, the OBR predicts the UK will avoid recession in 2023, but the economy will shrink by 0.2% and we’ll have the biggest fall in spending power for 70 years which makes Hunt’s budget look like little more than tinkering to shore up the Tory vote (hence the pension changes that benefit the rich), Some of the other stuff announced was so trivial and banal it gave the game away. Levelling up? Nah, we’ve ditched that idea by deferring building HS2 North of Birmingham for two years to ‘save’ money (although that’s been proven to be a lie by the leak of the Government’s own assessments) instead Hunt announced £200m this year to help local councils in England repair potholes. Well, that’ll really turn things around, won’t it? Honestly, talk about a Government without an ambition or vision – or contact with the real world! Oh, and don’t get me started on the freezing of the fuel duty escalator for the nth year in a row. That’ll cost £6bn this year and hardly help the government reach its net-zero target. It’s yet another populist measure that shows winning an election is all that matters. The environment (and the planet) be damned!
Meanwhile – in that real world – the banking sector is in danger of going into another meltdown. The collapse of America’s Silicon Valley Bank has been followed by a crisis at Credit Suisse which has spooked the global markets even more. The FTSE lost 3.83% of its value today, the biggest fall since the start of the Covid pandemic, wiping out all of 2023 gains to take us back to December 2022. The global economy – already rocked by the Ukraine war – could be entering even choppier waters and with the UK’s economy having so many underlying weaknesses (and an incompetent Government) we’re more susceptible than many. I genuinely hope I’m proved wrong on this one as I’m fed up of living in uncertain times.
All this has meant I’ve been in pensive mode today. Having returned from Asia I’ve tried to remain optimistic, but when I see the state of the UK it’s hard to maintain that sometimes. I visited one of our local supermarkets today to pick up some more shopping and the way prices have increased just in the two months I’ve been away was a shock. Inflation may be going down later this year, but does anyone seriously think that means prices are going to decline? When I look at the cost of living here compared to Malaysia and Thailand…
Anyway, I’ll try and find my optimism again soo. I’m sure it’s here somewhere…
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture – which is another from my Asia trip. Regular readers will know of my interest in and love of architecture. Whilst I was wandering around Singapore I spotted these old spiral staircase fire escapes. I love the style, shapes and colours so couldn’t resist grabbing a 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/
Now I’m back in the UK I’m returning to the picture of the day format for daily blogs as life isn’t going to be quite as exciting or colourful here in dear old Blighty although I have do some interesting trips and visits planned over the next few months. Today wasn’t one of them! Dawn had to go into the Community Rail Network office in Huddersfield whilst I was half tempted to go for a wander with the camera as the weather this morning was gorgeous. It was one of those crisp sunny mornings that really make you want to enjoy the day, but the forecast showed that it wasn’t going to last. The forecast was spot on. By lunchtime heavy cloud had enveloped the valley, closely followed by heavy snow showers but the snow didn’t stick as the ground was so sodden.
Deciding I was going to be more productive at home I retreated to the office to continue paper shuffling and picture editing until late in the afternoon when I decided exercise was more important. Wrapping myself up in waterproofs I strolled down to Sowerby Bridge. I’d half a mind to try and get a few pictures of the Trans-Pennine Express services which are being diverted through the Calder Valley due to the engineering blockade at Stalybridge but the weather didn’t play ball. Mind you, the lateness of the day and the position of the sun (when it shone) didn’t help. Maybe tomorrow as I’m still readjusting to the UK weather after two months in Asia where it’s much more predictable – and a damned sight warmer!
Back home I knocked off early in order to take up cooking duties whilst Dawn was at work. We’d purchased all the ingredients for a Thai green curry, a dish we both really enjoy so I spent a happy hour chopping chicken and slicing veg before filling the kitchen with some delicious smells to welcome Dee when she walked in the door.
Now it’s time to wind down for the evening and leave you with today’s picture, which is another from my recent Asian travels. Singapore has some amazing architecture – old and new. This includes stations on their metro network, especially on some of the newer lines. They’re essays in glass and steel, but each one’s different. Here’s Stevens station on the Thompson-East Coast line which only opened in November 2022.
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/
This is my penultimate blog from the UK for a while as I head off to Heathrow tomorrow morning before catching an evening flight to Singapore. Today’s been spent preparing, getting (nearly) all those last minute chores ticked off the list before completing my packing and picking up a few last minute odds and sods. Anything I’m missing now will be acquired in Asia – but not Singapore as that’s ‘chingy’ (not Changi, that’s the airport). Much as I enjoy Singapore it’s economy means prices are steep for that part of the world. Even so, I’m looking forward to getting back there, although from what I’m seeing of the weather I’d better keep hold of my brolly! I’m going to be swapping a cold, windy and wet climate for a humid and wet one – so a brolly is ideal – and it can double as a sun-shade.
I’m flying with Qatar Airways whom I’ve used before but not for some time. This morning was spent reserving my seats as well as securing my Singaporean e-pass. It’s great that so many of these formalities can be done online nowadays as it removes the need for a stamp in your passport – which is just as well in post-Brexit Britain as mine’s now filling up with EU stamps (*mutter, mutter – brexitshambles*)…
Qatar Airlines gave me a 25kg baggage allowance but I’m not expecting to use it. Compared to most people I travel light. Well, if you ignore the camera bag! I’ve filled out my case with plenty of clothes, many of which I’ll probably never wear much – if at all, but they’ll provide padding, especially on the return trip for the exotic prezzies I’ve promised to bring back for Dawn!
Packing’s certainly changed from my old backpacking days when your rucksack would be weighed down and bulked out with books, batteries, film canisters and tape cassettes. Now there’s far more room for other stuff but what a plethora of cables and chargers I carry instead! A Kindle’s replaced all the acreage of books and I wouldn’t really need that if it wasn’t for the fact I can’t edit pictures on a tablet, so I carry different devices for reading and working. Plus, I wouldn’t really want to risk taking an expensive laptop to a beach just so that I can read the latest potboiler.
Now it’s time to finish off the final bits and settle down for final night with Dee before the adventure begins tomorrow. I’ll be blogging en-route and have a several hour stopover in Doha which should allow me time to write. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture which is from a previous visit to Singapore. I’ll be staying in ‘little India’ which – as the name implies is the centre of the city’s Indian community. Here’s a typical Hindu celebration outside the Sri Mariamman temple on the 5th October 2009.
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 some reason my internal clock seems to be stuck in December – so apologies for those confused on seeing the titles of these blogs before I realise my mistake and correct them!*
Apologies for absence these past couple of days but I’ve been both a busy bee and social butterfly – if such things are possible at the same time! I’ve been trying to get various things in order before I head out to S-E Asia on Tuesday. Mostly stuff around the house, plus finishing off a few work pieces whilst prepping stuff to take with me to keep me occupied on quiet evenings or days when I’m relaxing by a beach – if I find the time, and a beach!
Plus Friday was a social evening as it was the last chance I had to meet up with friends in our local before I leave. Dawn joined me and the pair of us had a very convivial evening doing our regular quiz whilst quaffing a few ales (or in Dawn’s case, San Pellegrino) then chatting and joking with the rest of the pub. Saturday was in similar vein as Dee and I had brunch with her parents at Hinchliffes (billed as Britain’s oldest farm shop) where I enjoyed something I won’t be eating out in Asia – a full English breakfast!
Heading back to the Calder valley we said another farewell, this time to the fabulous Moorcock Inn at Norland Moor. We popped in for one last drink in order to say goodbye as Aimee and Alasdair are closing the place on January 20th as they’re giving up the lease. It’s a crying shame as in the five years they leased the pub for they’ve turned the place into a ‘must visit’ culinary experience with superb food and a great choice of drinks. They’ll be sorely missed by both locals and people who’ve travelled for miles to enjoy what they offered. We’ll certainly miss popping in after a bracing walk around the moor for a well-earned drink and a bowl of their sublime smoked roasted potatoes.
We continued our culinary these in the evening only this time it was just the two of us. Dawn took me out for a bon-voyage meal to a place neither of us had visited before, the Manor House at Lindley, on the Western edge of Huddersfield. It’s an old Victorian mill owners mansion which has been brought back from dereliction to become a hotel, restaurant and bar. The new owners have done an excellent job with the restoration. We had a drink in the bar before being shown to our table, which allowed us time to see what a mixed-age clientele frequented the place. The restaurant itself is stylish yet cosy and the food is excellent. As both Dee and I both enjoy cooking we’re not easily impressed and often find dining out a bit of a disappointment, but last night both of us were enthused by the inventiveness of the menu and the quality of the food. The place isn’t cheap but for once we felt we certainly had value for money. It’s not somewhere we’d go every month, but we’d have no hesitation in going back.
Today’s been more of a lazy Sunday, with a focus on more household chores and (in my case) packing whilst Dawn’s busying herself in the kitchen before we have a penultimate cosy night in – hence me blogging earlier than usual. So, all that remains now is for me to leave you with the picture of the day – but what to choose? I deliberately left my cameras at home these past few days as the time was about Dawn and I – not pictures – there’ll be plenty of time for those over the next few months! That means digging into the archives. One of the little projects I’m taking with me to Asia is another batch of old slide scans that need editing. There’s a real mixture (all from the late 1990s) but most were taken in India – including this one – which is of the delightfully battered and archaic Calcutta trams.
Sadly, the network has been cut back even more since those days. I’d love to go back and have a look at what’s left as I’ve not returned for a decade. Here’s how they looked in February 1998 when a queue of trams were stuck behind a common event – a derailment on the life-expired and rickety track.
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 quiet day here in Bigland Towers – made all the quieter by the fact our four-legged lodger has now gone back to her owners after they arrived back in the UK this morning. It’s been fun, but the two of us agreed that whilst we’re happy to dog-sit on occasion we wouldn’t want the task of having a mutt of our own. An independent creature like a cat is our limit but now our old boy ‘Jet’ has passed on we rather like the freedom of not having the responsibility – or the vets bills!
Once ‘Bernie’ was collected the two of us knuckled down to another day working from home. I’ve been occupied weeding out a lot more old paperwork as well as cleaning up digital files and booking parts of my trip to Asia. Much of what I’ll be doing I’ll make up as I go along, but the first couple of weeks need planning, including my transition from Singapore into Malaysia and train from Johor Baru up to Kuala Lumpur. I’d be amazed if I couldn’t get a ticket on the day to get me from JB to Gemas (junction for the ‘Jungle’ railway and limit of electrification South from KL) – but I’m taking no chances. Instead I’ve taken the recommendation of Mark, the ‘Man in seat 61‘ and booked through one of his recommended agents. The first site claimed there was nothing available but as they said that for the next 2 months I’m assuming it’s a glitch. Instead, I’ve booked with ‘baolau’ which was easy as their website’s user friendly. All I’m waiting for now is my ticket confirmation. Let’s see how that goes.
The rest of my ticketing I can book when I’m in Malaysia. Their trains are good but I’ve never known long-distance ETS services to be full, although they do get very busy at holiday times. I’ll be stopping in Kuala Lumpur for several days so I can easily book onward travel there when my plans are firmed up for the first month’s travel.
I’m starting to get that frisson now that I’ve only a few days left in the UK. However, there’s still lots to do before I go which means the last few days will seem like a blur so I suspect it’s only when I’m on the plane on the runway that I’ll relax. What I’m really looking forward to is seeing how much things have changed in the countries I’m visiting. All have been busy investing in their rail networks so I’m expecting lots of interesting sights. Today’s picture is from my last visit to Singapore in February 2017.
This is a view of the North-South metro line with a train leaving Woodlands station. It’s a fine example of integrated transport. I took the shot from the roof of a nearby multi-storey car park whilst underneath the elevated tracks is a bus/coach station. Looking at all those construction cranes on the horizon makes me wonder what the skyline will look like now…
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/
After yesterday’s very personal blog this one’s more lighthearted, not that there’s a huge amount to report from Bigland Towers. The weather in West Yorkshire remains the same (wet) and there’s yet another day of industrial action on the railways which has meant I couldn’t have gone anywhere even if I’d wanted to! Thankfully, I’d plenty to do at home in preparation for next week’s Asian adventure. My office now has some empty shelves due to the amount of paperwork I’ve been sifting (or binning). Funny really, weren’t we told 30 odd years ago that computers would lead to the paperless office? Admittedly, they’ve certainly helped reduce it, but there’s still plenty of it floating around my place!
Having generated enough waste to keep our local recycling team in employment I’ve moved onto the electronic side of things and started spring-cleaning a hard-drive I’ll be taking with me for backup storage rather than relying on memory cards and the laptop before I can send stuff to the ‘cloud’. SE Asia’s such a photogenic part of the world I’m sure my memory cards are going to take a hammering. Plus, the hard-drive I’ll be carrying contains a selection of pictures I’ve never got around to properly filing/editing, so that will give me something useful to do on quiet evenings.
Today was Dawn’s first day back at work so the two of us have been busy on opposite levels of the cottage, only meeting in the kitchen or when I nipped out to take our guest mutt for a walk and a wee. With the weather the way it’s been poor ‘Bernie’ hasn’t been that enthusiastic and who can blame her? When you’re a pint-sized Cockapoo bad weather soon leaves you looking bedraggled – even with a coat on. Our little guest returns to her rightful owners tomorrow which is going to feel a little strange as we’ve got used to having her around. On the bright side, I don’t have to worry about taking her out first thing, or picking up poo – but I will miss having the excuse to take her to the pub!
So, today’s picture is a celebration of our little guest. Here’s Dawn and Bernie in our local (The Big 6) before New Year.
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/
Welcome to my first (but very definitely not the last) blog of 2023. New Years day was a quiet one here at Bigland Towers, although we popped out for drinks with friends ‘early doors’ on New Years eve we were back at home well before the year rolled on and had a quiet night counting down to midnight. Just the two of us, plus ‘Bernie’, a miniature cockapoo dog that we’re looking after for friends whilst they’re away on holiday.
New year’s day was in very much the same vein although Dawn couldn’t keep herself out of the kitchen despite having spent much of Christmas down in Surrey cooking for her family. I can’t complain as Dee prepared a fantastic Flemish beef stew and roast vegetables which made a fantastically tasty start to the year. In the meantime, I’ve begun to plan my Far-Eastern adventure in earnest which has involved a lot of research into seeing what’s changed since I was last out there in 2017. Well, Covid’s had a huge impact obviously and some places still have restrictions that we (perhaps foolishly) gave up on in 2021, but it’s the logistics of travel that have changed too as (for example) Malaysia’s redeveloped a lot of its rail network and Thailand is following suit. A few days before I arrive in Bangkok their massive new multi-level station at Bang Sue (now renamed Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal) will start receiving long-distance rail services instead of the old Hualamphong station. The full changeover isn’t expected to happen for several years but first services will run on the 19th February after a delay of several years.
Researching the changes meant I spent a lot of time digging through archive photos on my Zenfolio website only to realise that some pictures are missing. This is due to the fact I’d originally used the free hosting site ‘Photopic’. Sadly, the people who bought photopic off its creator were financial and business incompetents who pulled the plug on it in 2010. These idiots had no idea what a rich historical resource that contained millions of pictures from 10s of 1000s of worldwide contributors they were trashing. Many people lost entire collections. I didn’t as I only used it as a shop window. I’d kept the originals on hard-drives, but it took me several years to migrate my old pictures to my new Zenfolio website. Unfortunately, when I first went digital in 2004 I made a cardinal error. Rather than keeping one archive I divided it up into different folders (railways, travel etc.) which made it much harder to keep track of individual pictures. Some folders got filed away and never saw the light of day for years. In 2010 I learned from my mistake and kept a yearly folder containing everything I’d taken that year – no matter what the subject.
I found one ‘lost’ folder today which contains some of those missing pictures. They’re from Malaysia in 2009 and one of them is today’s picture as it reflects the changes I’ll be seeing in that country’s rail transport. The only thing in this picture that I believe still exists today are the two coaches.
Here’s the ‘international train’ that ran between Butterworth in Malaysia and Bangkok in Thailand. This view was taken at Butterworth (the station for Penang Island) on the 9th February 2009. The two sleeper coaches belong to the State Railways of Thailand whilst the engine is Malaysian. Well – sort of! It was one of 39 ex-Indian Railways Class YDM4s that were leased to KTMB for many years to cover a motive power shortage. Surplus to requirements in their home country due to the conversion of the meter-gauge network to broad gauge some pitched up here.
The coaches would be hauled by the KTMB loco from Butterworth to the border station of Padang Besar where there would be a customs check)and a loco change. An SRT loco would then take the coaches and passengers forward to Hat Yai where they’d be attached to the rear of an overnight sleeper train to Bangkok which would arrive in the Thai Capital the next morning. It was a fantastic (and cheap) way to travel between the two countries as well as a superb way to enjoy the scenery.
Nowadays you get an electric train from Butterworth to Padange Besar. After a wait you catch an SRT day train to Hat Yai where you join a sleeper service to the capital. I’ll be doing this trip in February so I’ll key you know what it’s like now.
If you want to see more of my old pictures of Malaysian railways check out these galleries.
One thing I’ve promised myself is that whilst I’m away these next few months I’ll rationalise these galleries by country and separate out the railways, travel and other transport images. It’s one of those classic ‘when I get around to it’ jobs that never seem to happen! In the meantime, expect a lot of new pictures and blogs from that neck of the woods over the next couple of months – starting very soon…
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/
‘Tis only a short blog from me tonight as the wanderer has returned. After spending Christmas with her parents and brother plus his two teenage children Dawn has returned to God’s own country (as I’m reliably informed Yorkshire has to be called). I’ve been in a flurry of activity in anticipation, finishing of various DIY projects on the cottage, then giving the place a good clean and tidy-up to make the place seem as welcoming as possible and the homecoming relaxing. So, tonight I’m on cokking and everything else duty.
Fortunately, we’ve had an incredibly mild day, so I could fling open the windows and give the cottage a good airing to banish the smell of fresh paint and other fumes. Well, until this afternoon, when the weather everted to type and the rain returned. Thankfully, as we live high up on the side of the Calder Valley we get advance warning – as this picture taken from our bedroom window this afternoon shows.
Rain sweeps in from the West up the Calder valley and envelops Sowerby Bridge
Once the rain departed the gales arrived, making it a very blustery afternoon indeed – as I found out when I ventured to the shops to stock up on some post festive season provisions. At least the extra weight added a bit of ballast, which was sorely needed when I crested the hill at Spring Edge.
Back home I had time in between chores to admire the local birdlife which is thoroughly enjoying the Oats and cooked rice I’ve been leaving out for them. Today’s visitors included Magpies, Doves, Thrushes, Blackbirds and this feathered staple of Christmas cards.
Seen from my office window at the back of the house (with the aid of a 400mm lens), a Robin perches on our wall before scoffing more of the oats and rice I’ve been leaving out. Birds seem to love them and it’s a damn sight cheaper than commercial birdfeed.
Right, time to go. See you tomorrow…
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 