Cricket is back!

Cricket is back, after a long period when we've had no sport because of the coronavirus lockdown. It has felt strange without it, especially in Roberts Park, where there is almost always a match going on at weekends.


It is part of the easing of restrictions that's been happening over the last few weeks - shops opening, then pubs and cafés, and now local sport.



Time will tell if this gradual return to normality will cause a dreaded 'second wave' of infection. I understand that the numbers of new cases of the virus have stopped dropping in the UK and even seem to be rising in some areas. The stats are complicated and I've effectively given up trying to understand. It has seemed for a while to be better to use my own common sense and naturally risk-averse personality as a guide rather than spend too much time trying to figure it all out. Avoid crowds, be careful indoors where there are other people, use a face mask in shops, wash hands often, generally look after myself in healthy ways seems the best strategy. Things do seem to be being ramped up again though. In fact, since Friday, they have imposed further restrictions in north-west England (including the Bradford district, though we don't like being lumped into 'the north-west! There are historic rivalries between us and Lancashire!) They mostly affect what people can do in their own homes, restricting families from different households and friends from meeting indoors and in gardens. All rather annoying and it seems quite illogical in many ways. But we're told it is necessary.

It's not only cricket that has started again but bowls too...
... and tennis. These young men were really smashing the ball about - very energetic and not a little dramatic when a shot didn't go right!

Howzat!

The cricket season would normally be in full swing by now, the sound of leather striking willow and the shouts of 'howzat' ringing out - but because of the lockdown the pitches are standing idle. Not quite 'abandoned' though... The grass remains mown, though the playing crease here appears to be artificial turf (or maybe that is a practice area?)  One day I walked past Saltaire Cricket Club in Roberts Park and the roller machine was outside. I was amused to see its various decorations - especially the arms with painted nails! I assume it has been decorated by the same hands that tend the flowerbed I showed a while ago (HERE). 

Another evening stroll

I sometimes take a walk down to the park in the evening, if it's been a warm day. There are fewer people about and I am always hopeful of catching a good sunset. There were skeins of pink clouds on this occasion but sunset wasn't really a spectacular affair. We're too low down in the valley, I think, to see the best sky shows.

Reflections in the river give double the fun. Reflections in windows, in this case the windows of the New Mill, are also fun to notice.

The kitsch-en garden

I've passed the allotment beside the railway line next to Salts Mill a thousand times and never really noticed the little collection of ornaments clustered under the birch tree. Not my scene at all but worth documenting anyway.

I also noticed a little garden has sprung up next to the cricket pavilion in the park. It has a couple of memorial plaques and also a small collection of random ornaments. 'À chacun son goût', as they say in France.

Fish ladder

I mentioned in a post recently that they were planning to construct a fish ladder on the weir beside Salts Mill. It is one part of a larger scheme up and down the River Aire to take advantage of the improving water quality and to allow salmon to return to the upper reaches of the river. As I walked through Roberts Park I noticed diggers at work, and I guess they have started to construct it. It's a good time to be doing it as the water level is as low as I've seen it. We've had several weeks without significant rainfall and the river responds quite quickly to the changing conditions. It's odd that I noticed the sound of the river is different as it slaps down over the huge slabs that form the weir. Usually it sounds more like a rushing waterfall but at the moment it almost sounds like a machine, duller and heavier.

It all reminded me of that old joke that 'a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle'. Well, they may not need bicycles but they apparently need ladders. To paraphrase another joke, 'How many men does it take to build a fish ladder?' It looks like the answer is at least six: one to operate the digger and five to watch him.

Evening light

I've found there are fewer people about in the village and in Roberts Park in the early evening so sometimes I go out after dinner for a short walk as the sun is going down. (It's more restful when you don't have to worry about 'keeping a social distance' and dodging people.) The attractive golden light in that last hour before sunset often highlights slightly different views too.

Nature notes 12 April

A few days of warm sunshine have seen nature ramping up for spring. The geese in Roberts Park have free rein over the grass now there are fewer people sitting around in the sunshine.

In Hirst Woods, the early adopters among the trees - principally the birches, sycamores and hawthorn - have unfurled fresh green leaves. The bigger trees like oak, beech and chestnut are slower to react. The beech leaves are all still tightly coiled like little bronze daggers on the twigs. 

Wood anemone and lesser celandine lift their sweet faces to the sun.

On the south-facing slopes by the river, early bluebells are in flower. Those in the shadier woodland are still a few weeks away from their peak; they have plenty of leaves but few flowers as yet.

The sunshine has made dandelions spring up everywhere, their bright yellow discs looking fresh and clean. They have a bad press for some reason, but unless they happen to be rooted in your pristine lawn, I think they're very cheerful.

And finally, I have heard that the lockdown is having a beneficial effect on pollution and wildlife. Even so, I didn't expect to spot a crocodile in the River Aire... !

Spot the difference

Here's that iconic view again, of the New Mill from Roberts Park, looking across the weir. You'd have to have a keen eye for detail to notice the difference in this shot from the last one I took in March (see the third photo IN THIS POST). What has changed? Well, someone has been along with a chainsaw and felled all the saplings and bushes that were encroaching on the bank beside the weir. It has opened up the view marvellously, and will be even more noticeable as the summer comes and the trees get their foliage. I'm not sure that the reason was simply to improve the view. I've read somewhere that they are intending to build some kind of fish ladder to help salmon to migrate from the sea further up the Aire, as the water quality steadily improves. They have not been seen in the upper reaches of the river for 200 years. See HERE for an article about it.

Meanwhile, in Roberts Park, the magnolia trees along the promenade are all in full bloom. I love them.

Winter trees

Winter trees on Shipley Glen.

And one in Roberts Park that is closer to its spring incarnation...  A bit more sunshine and those magnolia buds will unfurl in all their glory:

A corner of the park

In a corner of Robert's Park, the daffodils are blooming.

Two Weirs

It's been interesting to monitor the river levels during the very wet weather we've had for the past several weeks. There was that one weekend where there was considerable flooding locally, but since then it's been other parts of the country that have really suffered. The Aire and Calder rivers have been threatening but have, thankfully, just about managed to hold the volume of water, at least through the towns. There are two weirs on the Saltaire stretch of the Aire, one relating to the old Hirst Mill and the other beside Salts Mill. Both of them were roaring and tumultuous when I took these photos a few days ago and they were quite splendid to see. Hirst Weir has been broken up due to various storms over the years, and is now more of a rocky waterfall (above). The weir at Salts is neater, with a lovely contrast between the glassy smooth river above and the waves below the drop. 

I took another walk in the park again yesterday and the river level has dropped further, good news for those further down the Aire valley, who have been flooded.

Step back a little from the water and winter is fast turning to spring, with spring bulbs  - crocus and daffodils - in flower in the park. These mini daffodils on the grassy rise in the park always flower quite early; they catch the sun. The larger species of daffodil, like those in the churchyard, are still coming into bud.

Salt, pepper and plaster dust

Well...  Sir Titus Salt's statue in Roberts Park and a cannon capable of peppering cannon balls everywhere! (I wrote about the cannons HERE.)

Also, in the background, the tower of Saltaire's URC church. Sadly the recent storms have apparently caused a large part of the ceiling plasterwork in the church to collapse inside. It happened overnight last week so thankfully no-one was injured but the church has had to be closed for obvious safety reasons. It looks as though it may be a while before it can be fully inspected and the necessary remedial work can be carried out. Hopefully the money can be found to restore it. These old buildings have so many problems. It's quite a tragedy as it is unique and beautiful inside.

Storm Ciara

Storm Ciara dumped a whole load of torrential rain, along with gale force winds, on the UK on Saturday night through to Sunday. The towns in the Calder valley were again badly affected by flooding, despite considerable sums being spent on flood defences since the epic disaster of December 2015.

In Saltaire, the floods weren't as bad as 2015. Compare my picture below with the one HERE, taken in 2015 from about the same spot. This time the water didn't reach the Half Moon Café and the alpaca statue. In 2015 the alpacas were standing in water up to their necks.

It's quite scary though, watching the force of so much water. It can do a lot of damage. They were busy putting up flood barriers to protect The Boathouse Inn, which was badly damaged in 2015. When I was there on Sunday, the water had not quite reached the level of the terrace. In theory the river level was supposed to peak about the time I was there but I haven't had chance to go back to see if it got worse or better.

I'm not sure the dog in the picture below can understand why he can't walk along his usual route around Roberts Park. It looked as though the cricket pitch playing surface was spared. I'm sure the greenkeepers will be relieved.

100 years of Roberts Park

I'm not sure I've ever shown exactly this view before. It shows one of the shelters in Roberts Park, with the park-keeper's lodge in the background and then Salts Mill across the river beyond. I rather like the shelters and I'm amazed at the care they took in Victorian times to have even the simplest structures look fine and embellished. The shelters were rescued from decline when the park was refurbished a few years ago. Money well-spent, I feel.

I was reminded by a Facebook post from the Saltaire History Club that it is now 100 years (16 January 1920) since Roberts Park (which had previously been known as Saltaire Park) was gifted to Bradford Corporation by Sir James Roberts, a former owner of Salts Mill. It was given in memory of his son, Bertram Foster Roberts (who died suddenly aged 36 in 1912), to be maintained 'for the benefit of the public at all times'. It's a bequest that I enjoy on a very regular basis.

Salts Mill from the park

Somehow, seen from across Roberts Park in winter with no leaves on the trees, the bulk of Salts Mill appears much more dominant. It really is a huge building!

Clearing up

Back to Roberts Park - and the huge tree that had fallen into the river (see HERE) has been (mostly) cleared up, with just a few twiggy branches remaining in the water. I suppose they'll get swept downstream in time. I happened to be walking past and I saw the men working, sawing the trunk into manageable pieces and shredding some of it into wood chips. They must somehow have pulled the tree back onto the land. What a job! It has all left rather a scar on the bank and in the woodland, but no doubt Mother Nature will step in to regenerate it all.

In other news...

On a chilly day just before Christmas, I had a brisk walk that took me through Roberts Park and along the river bank. I was surprised to see that a huge tree had come down into the river, just beyond the boathouse. It must have made a huge crash! I don't think it had been especially windy the night before but often the flow of the river starts to undercut the banks so that trees right on the edge are vulnerable. It is always sad to see such big old trees lose their lives. That's a considerable task for the River Trust people to remove the debris too. I would hope someone will plant a replacement. There is, I think, a plan to try and establish more trees locally. This shows we need it. We will gradually lose the ones we have as they get older and less viable. Unless there is an ongoing planting programme, our tree cover will diminish and it's even more important these days to soak up water and pollution and lock in carbon. Trees are so attractive and uplifting too. Plant a tree in 2020, if you can!

Christmas Bandstand Concert

There was Christmas entertainment in Roberts Park last weekend. The Hall Royd Brass Band were playing Christmas songs and carols from the bandstand. There was also a stall selling food and drink; the mulled wine and festive cupcakes looked appetising. Last year at the same event, I seem to remember I was given a free cup of mulled fruit juice but that wasn't on offer this year. Never mind, it was a good atmosphere and it's always nice to bump into friends there. 

I wonder whether Sir Titus Salt himself, surveying the scene from the top of his plinth, approves of such revelries or not. He used to enjoy giving his mill workers treats like an annual trip to the seaside, so he probably looks on benignly.

I almost considered asking him... but then I wasn't quite sure whether the chap with the long white beard was Sir Titus with a Santa hat on or Santa Claus himself, having a day off before all the hard work and sleigh-riding begins. Perhaps he was trying to mingle with the locals... though it's hard to blend into the crowd with a bushy white beard as lush as that one.

Just with my phone

I finally treated myself to a new phone, after having a scare when my old one refused to charge up for a while. The renewed battery life alone has made it worth the expense! It has a much better camera than the old phone too, so I decided I'd leave my Fuji behind when I went for a walk recently and just use the phone. It's pretty good. Though some of the images don't look quite pin sharp to me, it renders colours well. It has a wider angle lens than my usual Fuji lens, so big views like the one above, of Roberts Park from the footbridge, are easier to take. There is lots to experiment with; I expect I'll get the hang of it eventually. 

It was a glorious autumn day. After several days of continual rain, the river was very full and the weirs were dramatic. 

Tree colour has come on a lot in the last week or so too. It all looked beautiful along the promenade, around the bandstand.