Across the weir

New Mill, Saltaire. A familiar viewpoint in a different light.

Shadow play

Roberts Park bandstand, Saltaire. Even in the mid-afternoon now, the sun is getting low and the shadows are long. I waited a while to see if the youngsters would move out of the bandstand but the smooth surface is good for sliding their scooters and skateboards around. In the end, perhaps the rim-lit figures add something. I begin to think I may be a little too impatient to get people-free shots. Sometimes I might give the impression that Saltaire is uninhabited, which is far from the case!

New England 5: Covered bridge

New England is famous for its covered bridges. Having read 'The Bridges of Madison County' and seen the movie, (yes, I know that's in Iowa), I have a romantic notion of them and was keen to see and photograph some. The limitations of a group tour meant that I wasn't able to see more than a couple and they were not the most authentic versions either, so I didn't really tick that box in the end. However, this pedestrian bridge in Stowe, Vermont was quite attractive. I feel sure it is there primarily as a tourist attraction; it looked relatively new.

Autumn leaves

The Rowan or Mountain Ash tree has leaves that turn a nice shade of magenta in the autumn. Sadly, this year, they have not been able to stay on the trees for long due to the wind and rain we've had.  You have to look down to see the beauty now, not up.

Autumn windfall

There are more leaves on the ground than on some of our trees now - and yes, this is Autumn in Old England, not Fall in New England. (But with the occasional vivid red leaf among the yellow and brown ones, who would know?) Wind, rain and mild weather have combined to ensure that Britain's autumn this year is nowhere near as spectacular as last year's was. It is still possible to find some inspirational images though. This is just how the leaves fell, I didn't arrange them.

By the way, I have not finished with my USA trip photos yet, it's just taking me a while to work through them.

Autumn by The Boathouse

Autumn tones by the River Aire in Roberts Park, Saltaire. And yes, it was raining hard at the time!

It's a bit damp....

Rainy Saltaire from Salts Mill. A view, perhaps, quite close to what many southerners imagine the North of England looks like. Well, it does.... sometimes. Speaking personally, I think even in the rain it has a certain beauty.

Thankfully, The Storm did not really affect us in Yorkshire. It rained a lot but it has not been particularly windy. It hit much further south and there has been some damage to trees and property across southern England, I think, though it wasn't a hurricane! We generally have such mild weather here that anything slightly out of the ordinary (heavy rain, wind, snow, power cuts) seems to get everyone really excited.

The dilemma

Spotted in Roberts Park when I went for a quick, wet walk on Sunday. (I thought it was funny but I suppose they didn't...)

New England 4: Pumpkins

The scenery over to the east of New England, in New Hampshire, is pretty spectacular. The White Mountains include the highest peak in the northeastern US, Mt Washington. The area is a climbing, hiking, ski-ing magnet so many of the towns have a definite 'touristy' feel to them. The fall colours weren't quite as developed here as in Vermont, but it was still very attractive.

Everywhere we went there were pumpkins and squashes, in many different colours. The US puts much more emphasis on 'Fall' and 'Halloween' than we do here (though we are catching on!) with bright displays of flowers and pumpkins everywhere - in shops, hotels and on doorsteps. I liked the look of this farm shop near North Conway. The rock outcrop behind is Cathedral Ledge, popular with climbers.

(I cloned one intrusive overhead electricity cable out, left the thinner ones!)

New England 3: Truckin'

When I first arrived in the USA, I was like a child in a sweet shop, excited about all the 'American' things I've seen in movies.... A fire hydrant - wow! A mailbox - wow! Steam coming out of the pavement - wow! American trucks - wow! Some of those I soon became blasé about, but I have to say that my excitement at the big trucks never did wear off. This was an attractive example, at a cider mill we visited in Vermont. These beasts are very different from British/European trucks lorries, tending to have a lot more bling/shiny bits and those big engines at the front. Most of the trucks we see here have flat fronts, straight down from the windscreen. They're probably just as powerful but they don't look nearly as macho. As for the fire engines - wow and wow again! (I came back with six photos of fire engines.)
The trucks remind me, I guess, of that Kris Kristofferson movie, 'Convoy', that we were nutty about in the late 70s. Ain't nothin' gonna get in their way!

Creepie crawlies

More USA photos in the production line... but this one was taken closer to home, in my own backyard in fact.

We seem to have been overrun this autumn by a veritable plague of creepie crawlies, no doubt due to the warm summer we just had. I have a house full of tiny little black flies, pesky things that are so small I have to put my glasses on to make sure they're not just a speck of something inanimate. Then when I try to squish them they leap up and fly away before I can blink - and, being so small, you can't see where they've gone. So the pantomime repeats over and over.  I guess I need spiders and, believe me, in my 100+ year old house I have 100+ year old spiders - huge, spooky things. The indoor ones, however, are nothing like as beastly as this monster in the garden. A common Garden Spider, it has been there for days, carefully mending and re-mending its orb web. Unfortunately it has made the mistake of being hooked up in large part to the dustbin so when the time comes for it to be emptied (Thursday) he is going to get a rude awakening.

New England 2: Misty morning in Williamstown

Williamstown is an attractive town in the Berkshire hills, Massachusetts, dominated by Williams College, an elite, liberal arts college. It seems a very prosperous place, full of elegant buildings and pretty, painted houses. I was charmed by the 'New England style' homes, much copied in magazines over here in Old England. They are almost all wooden, clad in shingles or weatherboard painted in soft pastel shades. Many have large porches or wrap-around verandahs. I really want one now!

I like the harmony of colours in this photo.  It was taken in the early morning when it was really quite foggy but the diffused light was pleasant. The only thing that maddened me was all those infernal power-lines criss-crossing every street - often hard to avoid unless I wanted to get myself killed standing in the middle of a road. We have some thin telephone wires here but the thicker cables are usually buried.

New England 1: The Grist Mill at Weston

After a couple of years of day-dreaming, I finally got my act together to visit the USA - specifically the Boston and New England area. 'Clueless in Boston' and 'Naples and Hartford in Season' both do a great job of showcasing the attractions and I wasn't disappointed. I had two great weeks over there recently and enjoyed every minute. I've come back with around 1500 photos, all taken in RAW format, so it is going to take me a while to work through them all, to process and organise them. I will post a few of my favourites here, just for fun. (Anyway, I haven't taken any local shots for weeks so it's the US or nothing!)

I'll start with this one, taken in a pretty little town called Weston, in Vermont. Just before we left the town I stumbled across this little grist (corn?) mill with its waterwheel. I was so charmed by the scene, with the waterfall and the pretty foliage - and that gorgeous red paint. (I learned to call it Vermont Red, there is so much of it.) I was glad I didn't miss this shot - and, would you believe it, sharing my experiences with Jack from Hartford, we realised he had taken the very same view earlier in the summer. See here (3rd photo) for his version.  Now we just want volunteers to visit in the winter and the spring, for the complete Weston Grist Mill year. Any offers?

Sunflowers

We rarely see huge fields of these colourful flowers, but their bright cheerfulness livens up many a town garden. Here they are growing beside the railway line in the middle of Saltaire. Perhaps the seed-heads will attract some goldfinches later on. You can just see, behind them, the golden spike on top of the church peeping above the trees.

Potted history

I don't know what the rear yard of this Saltaire cottage looked like, or whether it was equally well cared for, but the occupants have certainly made an effort with their pretty rows of pot plants at the front. They lift a utilitarian terraced house into something really quite picturesque.  Lovely to think this house has been a cosy home for nearly 160 years.

Harmony

George Street, Saltaire. Some garden genius at work here, matching the planting to the paintwork. I think this looks really lovely.

The cat sat....

The cat sat on the mat pavement - and STARED at me. Isn't it unnerving when they do that? It was sitting outside one of Saltaire's 'workmen's houses'. The door on the left is the standard Saltaire front door. The house on the right must have been altered before the village became a Conservation Area (or else someone has been naughty!)  It really shows why the Listed status for Saltaire is important; people do all sorts of bizarre things without regulation... random pebbledash, for instance!

Colour cascade

A bright cascade of colour and pattern contrasted with most of the other exhibits in 'Cloth and Memory. It did suggest a waterfall to me, but also reminded me of those big books of fabric swatches you find in home furnishing shops.

This was the work of another Japanese artist:

Machiko Agano - Japan
(www.agano-machiko.com)
One of the foremost textile artists in Japan with an international reputation and work in major museums throughout the world. For C&M her large-scale installation reflects the importance of water in the production of cloth and the revolutionary recycling of rainwater at Salts Mill through her contemporary use of the traditional Yuzen dyeing technique.

Memory boxes

'Cloth and Memory': This artist has displayed a series of beautifully coloured felted books, in the wall cavities originally used by workers to store bobbins. This is just one of a number of memory boxes she has made along the walls.

Jeanette Appleton – UK
(www.jeanetteappleton.com)
A highly experienced artist, her response for C&M will use the 'silencing' context of felt as a metaphor for the absorption of sound and memory. Intimate works based on the original ledgers and sample books are placed in the wall cavities originally used by workers to store bobbins.

Gossamer web

Isn't this amazing? It was my favorite exhibit in the 'Cloth and Memory' exhibition. By a Japanese artist, it is made of individual rice grains threaded on cotton.

Yoriko Yoneyama – Japan
(yorikoyoneyama.jimdo.com)
Artist whose installation comprises a suspended web of dried rice threaded on fine cotton. Her intention is to link those overlooked elements which are essential to our survival and our cultural heritage: food and clothing - rice and fibre.

Cloth & Memory (2)

There's a wonderful exhibition on the top floor of Salts Mill at the moment (until November 3). Entitled 'Cloth and Memory (2)', it uses the huge space of the mill's original spinning shed to prompt installations and exhibits by 23 UK and international artists, using textiles as a start point.  I thought I was going to be underwhelmed at first, but in fact I found that by going round slowly, taking the time to see the detail and allowing each exhibit to offer me its story, it proved to be a most enriching experience.

The piece in the foreground of my photo is described in the catalogue as follows:

Kari Steihaug - Norway
(www.karisteihaug.no)
One of Norway's leading textile artists whose work has not previously been shown in the UK. Her installation is conceived as a dialogue with sizes: between the body and the room. It comprises of an unravelling woollen jumper, knitted from garments discarded or collected from flea markets. The installation stretches from floor to ceiling - drawing lines in space as the unravelled threads are wrapped around spools on the floor.

People patterns

I love looking down from the top floor of Salts Mill. People become something other than individuals, as a 'people pattern' emerges, changes, ebbs and flows.

________________

Sorry I haven't been commenting lately... I have just returned from two glorious weeks touring New England and Boston, USA. It was a wonderful trip and the Fall colours were stunning. Photos won't do them justice, but I hope to post just a few later on. In the meantime I will carry on with the posts I have scheduled, as I try to bring myself back down to earth gently!  I have a long 'to do' list, not least sorting out about 1500 travel photos... But I hope to catch-up with everyone's blogs in the next few days, (probably in the middle of the night as I battle my jet-lag).

Leeds Morris Men

The world of Morris and folk dancing is full of rich history and there many different and arcane traditions. Leeds Morris Men, also dancing at Saltaire Festival, dance in the Cotswold Morris tradition. This is perhaps what most people think of when you say 'Morris dancing'... hankies, sticks and bells and lots of jumping up and down. It's great fun to watch.  These dances are thought to have their origins in pagan fertility rituals, celebrating the coming of Spring and warding off evil spirits that might seek to prevent new growth and rebirth. They also have a 'fool', whose role is to build rapport with the audience, talking to them, introducing the dances, getting people to join in - as this little girl so ably did - and generally fooling about.

Spen Valley Longsword

Spen Valley Longsword were also dancing in Roberts Park. They practise a form of dance that was once common throughout the north of England, and is kept going by some dedicated teams across Yorkshire. All the dances involve intricate figures using the swords, some of the figures symbolising mock executions and resurrection. At the end the six swords are traditionally interlaced and held aloft. These dances are, I believe, all about celebrating the Winter Solstice and the coming of the New Year, new beginnings.

Roll back the carpet...

... and get dancing! Roll Back the Carpet are a Saltaire-based dance group, who practice in the Victoria Hall. Their style is rather different from our other local dance group, Rainbow Morris, as Roll Back the Carpet dance in the Appalachian 'Green Grass' style, which has links to American square dancing. It is called clogging, but in fact they don't wear the leather clogs we are used to seeing. Their shoes have heels and metal taps underneath to make a clicking sound so they need a hard, flat surface like the bandstand to dance on. It's energetic and they obviously have a lot of fun doing it.

They were dancing a 'Day of Dance' as part of the Saltaire Festival, teaming up with half a dozen other dance sides. Roberts Park was a lively place that day!

Festival gardens 7

This little Saltaire garden has a strong Mediterranean influence - lots of colour, some attractive pots and some imaginative planting, including grasses and shrubs in pots. The built-in seat looked inviting too - a good place to curl up with a book. I like the decking pattern, which adds depth and texture to the whole.

Festival gardens 6

Not normally open to the public, the garden around Shipley College's Exhibition Building is another of Saltaire's hidden secrets. As it is surrounded by a tall hedge, many people don't even realise it's there. (Although if you come to the village on a coach trip, as many people do, your coach would probably park in the adjacent road.  From the high vantage point of the bus window you would be able to peep in and see this little delight.) It is maintained by the college's horticultural students and its borders look attractive at this time of year, especially seen against the splendour of the Victoria Hall in the background.

Festival gardens 5

This was until recently a bare and forlorn patch (see here) in the middle of Saltaire village that once housed the Wash House and Baths. Now planted and maintained by volunteers, it has blossomed into a pretty, green garden that is much more attractive and provides a welcoming place to sit and rest as you explore Saltaire on foot. The transformation is remarkable.

Festival gardens 4

More imaginative displays from the same little yard that I showed yesterday.

Festival gardens 3

Another gorgeous gem of a tiny Saltaire yard, making use of ornaments, unusual bric-a-brac and little 'still life' set pieces to offset the planting.

Festival gardens 2

Another corner of the tiny but beautifully planned garden in one of Saltaire's 'workmen's cottages'. I particularly like the pretty little violet tumbling over the wall in the centre, with its heart-shaped leaves flushed with purple.

Festival gardens 1

Saltaire Festival once again featured the popular Open Gardens trail, a chance to explore some of the tiny but fertile backyards around the village.  This was my favourite garden last year and it was equally attractive and lush this year. I love that blue wall. Seeing it last year did inspire me to try a bit harder with my own patch, but the hot summer quickly frazzled the plants in many of my pots.

The Live Room

More music with a lovely backdrop. Caroline's, the club on Caroline Street, regularly hosts gigs under the banner 'The Live Room'. It was a natural extension, therefore, to put a stage in the car-park and host a series of singers and bands during Saltaire's Festival. The main festival stage was down in Roberts Park, but I preferred the music at Caroline's, which was mainly the kind of folk-based stuff I enjoy. Performers on Sunday included Love of the Brave, Jasmine Kennedy, Thea Hopkins, Alex Quinn and The Man in the Street.

I note with excitement that The Live Room is hosting Eliza Gilkyson next May. Ever since I heard her music in the soundtrack to 'Case Histories' on TV, I've liked her sound. MUST get a ticket! Have a listen by clicking the video:

The wheel issue

It is good to see that some people chose to travel to Saltaire Festival by two wheels rather than four. The number of cars and vans trying to make their way through all the milling pedestrians in Saltaire's narrow streets is a perennial nightmare. Not to mention the parking issue... I have learned over the years not to attempt to move my car from outside my house for the duration of the main Festival weekend.

Saltaire singing

Saltaire's famous United Reformed Church provides a lovely backdrop for this community choir, performing at the Saltaire Festival. The weather on the final day of the Festival was wonderful, sunny and warm. You can see, however, a hint of autumn creeping into the foliage.

Bollywood in Saltaire

This elephant is always a popular attraction. It used to stand on the roof of The Aagrah (a highly-regarded Indian restaurant) just down the road from Saltaire. Now it is brought out for special events.

It had a starring role in the recent BBC production of 'Bollywood Carmen Live', filmed in June in Bradford's City Park. Loosely based on Bizet's opera Carmen, this updated romantic tale had an Indian film star, Abhay Deol, in the lead male role.  He made a spectacular entrance, riding this elephant. With colourful costumes, pop-song mash-ups, a reworking of some of Bizet's classical music with a Bollywood twist and lively dance routines, it was a spectacular celebration of 100 years of Indian cinema and Bradford's status as UNESCO City of Film.

The elephant had a more sedate role as part of the Festival in Saltaire's Roberts Park, advertising the Aagrah food tents and cookery demonstrations.

Shipley is a great place to come if you like exotic food. As well as The Aagrah, another Shipley restaurant Shimla Spice has just won an award for Best Curry House in England.

Raku

If anyone ever wants to buy me a gift (!) I would gratefully accept one of these raku pots from Mary North and Brian Evans, The Old Brewery Pottery in Keighley. They were exhibiting outside Victoria Hall as part of Saltaire Festival's local Makers' Market. I adore the colours and subtle patterns produced by raku firing, a complex process that originated in 16th century Japan. (Read about it on the potters' website.) As well as making ceramics, they teach courses too. I'd love to have a go at it. (Another retirement project!)

Festival comings and goings

The second weekend of Saltaire Festival always sees the crowds out in force. This year, the main music stage was moved down into Roberts Park. No doubt many village residents were pleased, as it's not a lot of fun having people perched on your windowsill, drinking, whilst loud rock music throbs into every space. So the change was welcome in many ways but the downside was that I think it diluted the festive atmosphere in the centre of the village. Nevertheless, it didn't deter the crowds, as you can see from this shot of Victoria Road. There was still lots on offer in the village - the continental market, a few street artists, a vintage fair and music at Caroline's, among other attractions.

Duck food

Duck soup food was for sale on the same narrowboat that was selling the painted canal ware. As most of us were growing up, going 'to feed the ducks' in our parks, canals and rivers on left-over bread and cake was often a family tradition. (I guess most of us tried eating the stale bread ourselves too!)  What people often don't realise is that bread and starchy food can actually be harmful to birds.  OK, so you might only be giving them a couple of crusts - but, especially in places like Saltaire, there is a steady day-long stream of people doing exactly the same thing.  The birds are stuffed full of bread and the canal is often littered with soggy rotting lumps, causing bacterial and algal growth. The bread is not good nutrition for birds (ducks, geese, swans, pigeons and little birds too) leading to obesity, bloating and difficulty flying. The young can grow up malnourished and it discourages the birds' natural feeding behaviours. The waste also encourages pests. So it's not 'Let them eat cake' but 'Let them eat grapes, oats, birdseed, defrosted peas' - and yes, £1-a-bag duck food too. See here for the full article from birding.about.com.

Canal crafts

The Canal and River Trust volunteers usually bring a couple of boats and an information stand to the various festivals that are held in Saltaire. At this year's Festival, moored beside the entrance to Roberts Park, there was a narrowboat selling traditionally painted canal ware. The designs have a long history and often have local meanings. Many of them feature stylised roses like these colourful heart-shaped ornaments that the artist is painting.

Ivy

I do battle with the ivy to stop it climbing the stonework of my house, but in some parts of Saltaire it has been allowed to grow up unchecked - and it does look quite attractive, I think.

Love and peace

Don't ask me why the hairdresser in Saltaire always has a 'quote for the week' written up outside... Thankfully, the power of love seemed to be triumphing in the queue outside the bakery.

Harvest festival

This display of flowers and produce from Saltaire's Canalside Allotments looked so colourful and inviting that I couldn't resist a photo. There was also an interesting display about honey bees; there are beehives right at the bottom of the lane. I know bees are vital to our social economy, as pollinators of crops. What I didn't know is that worker bees are all female, they only live for four to six weeks - and one bee will only produce about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime!  See more fun facts here.

Bunting and bounty

Autumn's harvest is a good one this year after our fabulous summer. The apple trees are laden and the berries are ripe - and if you have a greenhouse on your patch, well, tomatoes are there for the picking.

Secret gardens

Suddenly we find ourselves in a secret garden... in fact, many gardens: the Canalside Allotments. These have been here since Saltaire was built.  The village houses have tiny gardens or yards but Sir Titus Salt and his architects wisely realised that people needed green space and a place to grow vegetables and flowers. These allotments are squeezed behind the church, between the railway and the canal. You might not even realise they are there. Privately owned, they are usually locked and out of bounds to casual visitors. There is a huge waiting list for one - hardly surprising, since they offer such a tranquil green oasis. I got talking to one lucky allotment-holder and she confessed to escaping down here on summer evenings, after a busy day, with a bottle of wine and a good book - so it's not all hard work!

They even feature in a book: My Cool Allotment by Lia Leendertz.

Down the lane

Come with me on a little journey... We walk down Victoria Road and, just past the railway station, we turn up the drive beside Shipley College's Mill Building, once the old Saltaire Dining Hall. We follow the lane that leads past the church, pausing to nod to Sir Titus Salt, laid to rest in his mausoleum.  Soon you would not think you were right in the middle of the village...

Stopped in my tracks

I popped into Bradford's Industrial Museum the other day to see an exhibition entitled 'Hard Graft: Yorkshire at Work'. It celebrates local history through the industrial technology, engineers and craftsmen who shaped our landscape. (Alan Burnett, I think you'd enjoy this too!) Based on a book written by photographer/illustrator Terry Sutton, paintings, photos and text are placed with key exhibits from the museum's collection. I found it surprisingly absorbing, so that I only had time for a brief trip into the museum itself.  I enjoyed this little corner of random but evocative bits of nostalgia. Those 'Halt' road signs used to be everywhere when I was a child. I never really noticed them disappear but they all got replaced by more modern Stop signs. The Esso sign reminded me of the Saturday job I used to have as a teenager, at an Esso petrol station - in the days before filling your car with petrol became a self-service operation.

Locked

'I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in.'
Virginia Woolf