Here We Rest Gratefully

The Hirst Wood Regeneration Group (HWRG) are active far beyond the boundaries of their own immediate area. They have for a long time taken care of the area around Hirst Lock, initially planting a garden with a nice seating area, and later taking over a boggy field to create what has since become quite an attractive little nature reserve. They have also installed a series of very solid-looking wooden benches along quite a long stretch of the Leeds-Liverpool canal towpath. I noticed some in Shipley when I walked that way. This one is at the end of the aqueduct, so from it you can see both the canal and the river below. HWRG - Here We Rest Gratefully.

I am beginning to notice more signs of spring. Lesser Celandine shines like little sunbursts on the edge of the canal and in the woods.

There's a forsythia (I think) bush in flower by the rowing club, looking like a firework exploding. I like how so many spring flowers are yellow, as if nature reminds us that the sunny weather is coming.

When it's grey

You'll recall the press photo exhibition at Cartwright Hall that I visited in January (HERE). Well, there have been a couple of associated talks by press photographers and I went to hear Danny Lawson speak. He is the photographer who took that amazing photograph (HERE) of Meghan Markle, caught in a shaft of sunlight on her way up the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry, as well as many more instantly recognisable and incredible photos that have appeared in our newspapers and magazines. It was fascinating to listen to his stories and to see some of the camera equipment he uses too. Let's just say that I couldn't have lifted most of his cameras and lenses!

Seeing such brilliant work can either make me feel a little disheartened or inspired. February was such a very wet and grey month, I started to feel a little desperate to get out and find some decent photos. Half the time I didn't want to take my 'big' camera out because of the wet. I came out of the talk and got my phone out and took a few random shots, just to satisfy my urge to 'make something'.

There were plenty of puddles in which to find reflections. I liked the way the tarmac glittered, giving the appearance of stars in the sky. Then I spotted what must be the longest bench in the world. (!) The back of Cartwright Hall has rather lovely windows - and finally I found some colour in a winter flowering heather.

Bench with a view

Scargill House (where I was staying on my break) sits in a small estate: a series of limestone terraces, mostly wooded, climbing up the hillside behind. There are traces of a couple of very old, ruined stone dwellings up there, believed to be post-Roman, possibly shepherds' huts or small cottages, evidence that the valley has been inhabited and farmed for centuries. Scargill House itself dates from the 18th century. It was originally a gentleman's residence used for hunting and fishing.

In the late 1950s, it was sold to the Church of England and became a Christian community, run as a conference centre and retreat house. In 2008 that venture folded and the house was put up for sale again. Under the leadership of a close friend of mine, a new charitable trust, the Scargill Movement, was formed and the property was bought and has since been revitalised, initially by a team of dedicated volunteers and eventually developed into a residential Christian community. Like Lee Abbey in Devon (where I have also stayed several times) many in the community are young people from many different countries, who volunteer for a year or two. It is a wonderful place to stay, to study, to rest and recharge, with rather a wonderful story behind it too.

The views from the corner of the estate, looking over Kettlewell village, are stunning. If it hadn't been so cold, I could have sat on that bench for hours!

On the edge

What with my cataract surgery and the endless rain, I've stayed close to home for most of November. Thankfully this area has not suffered floods, though further south around Doncaster the flooding has been catastrophic. After a while, my need just to get out and breathe the fresh air got the better of me so I ventured up to the top of Shipley Glen for a walk along the edge. Muddy and damp it may have been but I enjoyed it. The trees still held a little autumn colour. Some on the hillside are tall enough nowadays to block the view but every now and again a vista opens up and you can see across to the other side of the Aire valley.

Devon: Contemplation

One day, our theme was 'Contemplation'. That's not difficult at Lee Abbey. Around the house and on the estate there are many places to sit and contemplate, often with wonderful views of Lee Bay. There are delightful, meandering walks through the woods and a wealth of wildlife, carefully nurtured by the farming and estate management systems used there. These are some of the images that caught my eye that day:

The vantage point known as Upper Jenny's Leap gives a great view down onto the beach. The spot is supposedly named after a sad young woman, Jennefried, who, in the 1600s, was due to marry but then discovered her lover had married someone else. Legend has it that she wandered the estate all night and in the morning her body was discovered by the water's edge. Happily the people by the water's edge when I looked down were alive and frolicking! I loved the patterns the waves were making.

There's an abundance of wildflowers and thus insects and butterflies. The one below is a common Large White but attractive nevertheless.

On top of a hill overlooking the sea there are three wooden crosses, sometimes used as a focus at Christian festivals, always there as a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made and as a prompt to contemplation.

Bum numbing

It doesn't look at all comfortable and I can't imagine many people have cared to sit on it for long, at peril of a numb bum, as we'd say here. Nevertheless I was attracted to the curves of this metal bench outside Ilkley's Manor House Museum. The yellow flowers in the border add a welcome hint of spring, though in truth it was a freezing cold day.

Bench with a view

Shipley Glen is scattered with benches, many placed there in memory of someone for whom the area was obviously special and loved. It's a lovely place to sit and rest awhile, to be 'in the moment' and to enjoy the view and the rich autumn colours.

Autumn song

Roberts Park's bandstand looks pretty in Spring with the blossom on the trees (see here) and I think it looks equally good in the autumn, now that the leaves have turned red and gold. The summer bandstand concerts have finished and now the bandstand sings the sound of children happily playing on their scooters (funny how they seem to love riding round and round in circles!)

Through the arched window

An attractive view from one of the rain shelters in Harrogate's Valley Gardens.

Leafy Hampstead

Whilst in London, we had a wander round 'leafy Hampstead' - seeing how the other half lives!  Unless people have owned property there for years, one wonders how anyone could afford to buy there... and then you begin to realise that the gap between rich and poor is in reality nowadays the gap between the super-rich and everyone else.  Maybe I'm getting old, grumpy and disillusioned but I really am left wondering what is going on in our society.

That aside, Hampstead is a pleasant enough area ... assuming you haven't visited Yorkshire, that is.   ;-)   The photo shows a bench (for Malyss's enjoyment!) overlooking one of the ponds on Hampstead Heath.

This will fit into the 'Weekend Reflections' meme that James at Newtown Area Photo so cheerfully hosts - see here for more interpretations on the theme.