Gnomes need homes

I visited the annual Christkindelmarkt in Leeds Millennium Square on Saturday, hoping to buy some authentic German Stollen cake.  (I bought some last year and it was lovely.)  Sadly, no cake to be seen, though plenty of other sweet treats - marshmallows, chocolates, doughnuts, poffertjes, sticky nuts...  There were many colourful stalls, none more so than this one full of cheeky garden gnomes.  Heigh ho, heigh ho.... Happily, M&S supplied the Stollen!

Sorry I'm not getting around to commenting on many blogs this week.  I will be back as soon as time stretches again!

Christmas shopping

Here's an unusual view of one of the main pedestrianised shopping areas, Briggate, in Leeds city centre.  It is usually thronged with shoppers but on Saturday there was also a fun fair.  I paid my £1 and climbed the helter-skelter to see what the view was like from the top!  Mind you, I chose to return sedately down the steps rather than take the quick route down the slide.  (I had my precious Nikon hanging round my neck!)  Somewhere among the crowds you will see a Salvation Army band playing Christmas carols - and also a fire engine.  The fire crew was in the Victoria Quarter arcade and seemed to be pumping out the basement of a jeweller's shop - I'm not sure why.  It all added to the fun!

11m Britons were expected to go shopping last Saturday, spending something like £1.05 billion. (I wonder how they work that out?)

Saturday morning lie-in?

'The 99%' camped around the Christmas tree in Leeds City Square seemed to be having a Saturday morning lie-in.  When I passed by, there was no evidence of 'Occupy Leeds' protestors, only sealed-up tents.  This is a small section of the global 'Occupy' movement, one of many such camps in UK cities, the biggest and most publicised being the one outside St Paul's Cathedral in London.  They seem to have identified a problem ('all the power and money [is] in the hands of a corrupt and self-serving top 1%')  but as yet I haven't heard any solutions.  Whilst not unsympathetic to them or their ideals, I suspect many of those involved across the country are serial activists - not so long ago they were all climbing trees as 'eco-warriors'. Methinks the 50% of the 99% who have jobs might be contributing to their upkeep (though it's sadly true that a lot of young people who would love to have a job can't get one right now).

The imposing building in the background used to be the main Post Office in Leeds.  Seems to me that we owe the 1% of Victorians quite a debt...

Glory to God

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying:

'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.'  Luke 2:13-14

To be honest, I find Christmas a time of greatly mixed feelings.  On the one hand, it's chance to reflect again on the beginning of the central story of the Christian faith, that God sent his son to be born among us, to bring us life.  And given my own thankfulness for my granddaughter's recent birth, that story this year has a special relevance.  It was a delight to see it enacted once again by members of our church, including the youth group, in our third 'Walking Nativity'.  You'll see we have some angels among us!

On the other hand, every year I seem to feel increasingly uncomfortable with the excesses with which we are urged to celebrate the festival.  Magazines full of recipes, presents, ideas for decorations seem to make Christmas something of a competitive sport.  I know there are many people who have a real gift for making Christmas special for their families and children and I'm not knocking that.  Nor am I deriding the joy and meaning that comes from dusting off the family's traditions and decorations - and the memories that come with them.  It just seems sad that the Christmas story (to me anyway) holds the antidote to the emptiness that it seems some people try to fill with alcohol, food or lavish spending - and yet time and again we fail to make the connection. 

To use that wonderful American expression... Just sayin'...

Three kings

The advent window at Saltaire's Methodist Church takes a suitably religious theme, that of the three magi journeying to Bethlehem.  This window was produced by members of the Art Group that meets in the Methodist church halls.  I like the boldness of the kings - such strong graphic shapes suit the medium, I think.

To see more of the windows from Saltaire's Living Advent Calendar, scroll through my blog or look at the web page hosted by the Saltaire Village website.

Festive tree 2011

Salts Mill in Saltaire has at least two Christmas trees each year: one in the 1853 Gallery, which I showed a photo of last year and one in the Book Shop.  I liked this one best this year.  It has candy canes and little toys and lots of 'Hohoho's, all rather jolly.  I'm hoping I get as many big presents as this from Santa... but I don't think there's much chance of that.  Anyway, they're all too big to be an iPad!

Upside down

I recently posted a photo of Saltaire's New Mill, taken from the canal towpath on the Shipley side.  I suppose that's really the iconic view of the New Mill but I guess there have been many photographers who have also noticed and caught this 'upside down' view of the mill chimney, reflected in the water of the canal that runs between the New Mill and Salts Mill itself.  Taken from the Victoria Road bridge, it also shows the sole remaining covered walkway that links the mills.  There used to be three.  To see the same scene the proper way up, look here!

As I've said previously (but will repeat for the benefit of those who've not been following my blog for long) the New Mill chimney is a copy of the campanile of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in Venice, a gesture that took the Victorian Italianate architecture of Saltaire to a new level.  I still feel amazed at the grandeur of these industrial buildings, and indeed of the whole village.  Sir Titus Salt must have wanted it all to be such a grand statement.  He was fifty years old when Salts Mill opened in 1853 and could, I suppose, happily have retired with his wealth intact.  For complex reasons - political, social, economic and personal - he chose to invest his fortune in building the huge mill and its surrounding village.  It brought all his textile manufacturing operations together on one vast site and provided a much healthier and more pleasant environment for his workers to live in, away from the noxious conditions of the time in Bradford.   Salt must have seemed like Father Christmas to them!  (though there was of course a healthy dose of self-interest alongside his paternalism).

Hoots

I love this one, the tenth window in Saltaire's Living Advent Calendar.  It's only small - the transom window above the front door of a house on Rhodes Street - but I think it's really imaginative and rather sweet.  Some of the owls look like mere babies, but it put me in mind of this quote:

'A wise old owl sat on an oak;  the more he saw the less he spoke;  
The less he spoke the more he heard; why aren't we like that wise old bird?'

And - ha! - did you know the collective name for a group of owls is a parliament?!

Row, row, row, row the boat

Here's a rare sight - a rowing crew gliding through Saltaire on the canal.  Bradford Amateur Rowing Club has its boathouse on the River Aire up by Hirst Weir, on land given to them by Sir Titus Salt in 1893.  You can often see rowers practising there, but I don't think I've ever seen them on this stretch of water.  We've had a lot of rain lately and there are flood warnings on some of our rivers so I can only assume that the river itself is too swollen and dangerous to use at the moment.  The canal looks fuller than usual, actually.

I know little about rowing so I can't say for sure what type of boat this is.  The four oarsmen have two oars each so Wikipedia tells me that they are sculling.  They have a cox too though.  They must be dedicated, to be out practising on a Sunday morning in December in the rain.

Reindeer Race

Steady heavy drizzle didn't seem to deter the runners (and walkers) who took part in Epilepsy Action's annual charity 5km Reindeer Stampede in Roberts Park on Sunday.  The rain nearly put me off going out but it seemed a shame not to document the event (I missed it last year).  The light was so dull that I had a bit of a fight with my camera to get shots that weren't blurred!  Note the long lens the pro was using (bottom left) - I think he was probably from the local newspaper.  Runners seemed glad to reach the finish line by the bandstand, to collect their medal and a rather soggy mince pie!  I'm not sure what the resident alpacas thought of all the 'reindeer' running by...  I do salute those who organise and participate in such events, in order to raise money for good causes.  In these times of government cut-backs, volunteer action is even more important to support those whose lives are, for whatever reason, made difficult.

Two by two

It's time for another of Saltaire's Living Advent Calendar windows, I think.  This, the second window, is quite a contrast to the one I showed you first.  It's much more detailed, showing Noah's Ark with the animals going in two by two.  Very attractive and rather magical, I think this would appeal to children especially.  They'd be excited to discover all the different creatures - do you see the sea-horses?  The window can be found on Constance Street.  See my post of 2 December for an explanation of the Living Advent Calendar idea and a photo of the first window.

Star light

Family life has been so exciting of late (!) that I don't seem to feel like I need Christmas on top of it - and I sense that others are finding it a bit hard to get into the right frame of mind too, for one reason or another.  With the global economic gloom and the news from the Eurozone, everything seems rather depressing.  I have to say that I'm glad I'm not a retailer or market trader.  There was a Christmas market in Shipley yesterday but there didn't seem to be many shoppers.  I'm only going to be spending about half of what I'd usually spend on gifts and I guess that's true for others too.  Even the Christmas lights seem a bit sparse this year.  I walked all the way up to Shipley's main square to take a photo of the (very modern) Christmas tree, only to find it wasn't even lit!  Still I did find this star illumination against the background of Shipley's clock tower (the tower a 60's design that you either love or hate).  I did take several photos of the illuminations that were pin-sharp - but perversely preferred this one, where my hand slipped!

Rose & Co

Rose & Co's famous Apothecary shop in Haworth is like a step back in time.  Lit by sparkling chandeliers and always beautifully fragranced, the shop has old-style, rich mahogany and glass display cabinets.  It sells high-class bath, beauty and household products, some still manufactured to old-fashioned formulations.  The shop is a restored Victorian druggist shop and is reputed to be where Branwell Brontë bought the laudanum (tincture of opium) to which he was addicted.  He was also an alcoholic and sadly these addictions masked the tuberculosis from which he suffered, until it was too late to save him.  He died at the age of 31 and his sisters Emily and Anne also died of the disease within a year of his death.

Haworth Couldn't Wear Less

I imagine most people will have heard of the wonderful film 'Calendar Girls', based on the real life exploits of a group of women from a W.I. (Women's Institute) in the Yorkshire Dales, who had the idea to pose naked for a calendar to raise money for charity.  It sparked global interest - and since then several other groups have followed their lead and done similar things.  It seems that Haworth has joined the trend, with their 2012 calendars 'Haworth Couldn't Wear Less' (women only and men only versions!)  Believe it or not, this is part of the fund-raising effort for the restoration of the parish church, which is in a poor state and urgently needs repair.  Christmas present, anyone?

The photo above shows an advertisement for the calendar, behind the village stocks - with a picture of the men actually sitting in the stocks.  Stocks, of course, were at one time a common sight in English villages. Local troublemakers were pinned into them and exposed to the scorn of passers-by who often threw mud or rotten vegetables at the offenders.  No evidence that the calendar models got pelted with anything - but I'll bet there were some ripe comments made at the time.

Haworth in festive mood

When I'm trying to get into the mood for Christmas, a trip to Haworth often helps.  Its cobbled streets and olde-worlde charm somehow seem right for the festive season.  Most weekends in December they have some kind of theme going on.  Last weekend there was a wartime flavour, with a 1940s vintage fair and a Wartime Christmas Ball on Saturday in the Community Centre.  Next weekend will be even more spectacular, with carol-singing and a torchlight procession up the Main Street.  The Christmas decorations are cheery and even the red phone box seems to add a festive touch.

Haworth, of course, was the home of the literary Brontë family.  Patrick Brontë, father of Charlotte, Emily and Anne, was the parish priest of Haworth's church.  Branwell, their brother, used to frequent the Black Bull pub, seen in my photo.  He was a freemason and was the secretary of the local Lodge, which at one time used to meet in the pub.

Day care

I was reminded  of this when I read Alan's blog a week or so ago.  He was saying that his wife's 'default' activity is shopping, whereas his most definitely is not.  I'm sure that's true of a lot of marriages - and an enterprising pub in Shipley has recognised that fact.  Conveniently situated beside the Leeds-bound platform of Shipley railway station, it's ideally placed for a wife to settle her husband in the day-care centre before catching the train to the city shops. I should think it will be busy in the run up to Christmas.

Shadow rings

The window of Dot the Jewellers in Saltaire's Victoria Road provides an interesting play of light and shadow on a sunny day.

Trading from these premises since 2007, the owner John Bradley makes exquisite, modern, bespoke jewellery (mainly engagement, wedding and eternity rings) using computer-aided design.  I've featured the shop on this blog before, when they had a robbery in 2009, but thankfully that unhappy incident does not appear to have affected their trade.

The shop, Number 5 Victoria Road, started life as a general dealer's before becoming, amongst other things: a china shop, a butcher's, a lemon cheese maker's, a tea room, a fish and chip shop and a junk shop.  In 1993 the upper floors became the offices of a photographic agency, owned by Asadour Guzelian, which supplied photos to national newspapers.  It was apparently his intention to develop a photo gallery at street level (I would have liked that!) but that never really happened and the jeweller moved in.  The photo agency eventually moved to larger premises in Bradford's Little Germany.

Winter light

A familiar view of Saltaire's New Mill, with its ornate chimney.  I have featured this several times before on my blog, and yet sometimes I seem to see it afresh - in a new light, as it were.  I like the way the weak winter sunshine picks out the shape and lends a muted colour palette.

In a pear tree

For the sixth year running, Saltaire is sharing its Living Advent Calendar in the run up to Christmas - 24 windows around the village, illuminated with festive scenes.  Every day from 1st to 24th December a new scene is 'opened' at dusk and those so inclined can follow the trail around the village, discovering the wonderfully creative interpretations that our inventive residents put together.  This is the first one, on Titus Street.

Regular readers of my blog will remember me featuring some of the windows in previous years.  I think it's a wonderful 'new tradition'.  It certainly brings me a lot of pleasure as I'm sure it does others too.  It's even featured on The Guardian website already this year.

There are two associated celebrations:  this Saturday 3rd there is an event (featuring Hall Royd Brass Band) at the Victoria Hall at 6.30pm to mark the switching-on of the Christmas lights.  Later, on Christmas Eve at 7pm, there is carol singing round the village, following the Advent Trail.  No excuse not to get into the festive mood!

Bubbles

Living in such a historic place as Saltaire and keen to showcase its rugged beauty to those who have never visited, I sometimes think I may be in danger of 'talking up' the area as a whole.  There is lots that is genuinely attractive and worthy of photographing - but we have our share of 'ordinary' (and 'horrible') as well.  Oddly enough, I am always pleased to see those aspects of other parts of the world on other people's blogs.  It's interesting to see the similarities and differences and those are often more obvious in the 'ordinary' aspects of our towns and cities.  With that in mind, I am determined to capture a few of the less immediately attractive parts of Saltaire and Shipley.

What better place to start than an enterprise that I pass daily on my walk to work: 'Bubbles', the hand car-wash.  There was time when all car-washes in these parts were those fearsome drive-through type with huge rotating brushes that threatened to tear off your car aerial or any loose bits of trim.  My daughter,  as a child,  always used to get excited when the car was dunked in foam.  These days they seem to be a dying breed, supplanted by armies of young men energetically spraying and polishing.  Supposed to be less likely to scratch the paintwork - but I have my doubts!  Anyway, Bubbles is a cheerful looking place and seems to do a good trade most of the time.  A lot of my neighbours seem to stick with the old-fashioned methodology - a soapy sponge and a bucket or a hosepipe, on the street outside the house.  Much cheaper.  Much more convivial too; someone always stops to chat.