A sign

New signboards seem to be springing up all over the place, part of the various agencies' attempts to improve the visitor experience for people coming to the World Heritage Site of Saltaire. This colourful board was designed by pupils at the nearby Saltaire Primary School. It has been erected adjacent to the lock at Hirst Wood, to commemorate the bicentenary of the Leeds-Liverpool canal. It depicts the famous Five Rise locks a little further along the route at Bingley, as well as the lock basin and lock at Hirst Wood. The colourful flowers at the bottom are reminiscent of traditional barge decoration. The Canal and River Trust have also erected a new information board nearby, which tells the history of the lock and the area around it.

Cyril's spot

This spot, between Saltaire village and the lock at Hirst Wood, is a favourite stretch of the canal for me and features in many of my regular short walks. The canal bank here is often favoured by fishermen. I can only assume that Cyril Senior, immortalised in a small memorial plaque on the canal's edge, was a fisherman who loved to sit here in the quiet and try his luck with a fishing rod. Who can blame him?
Cyril is an uncommon name nowadays but it was my paternal grandfather's name too. I have a bit of a soft heart for Cyril as well as this stretch of canal.

Saltaire URC

One has to take advantage of the midwinter weeks when the trees are bare and Saltaire's historic United Reformed Church can be seen more clearly through the tracery of branches. The added advantage, of course, from this viewpoint on the canal towpath (as I noted a couple of days ago) is that the brightly painted ice-cream boat that is normally moored here and interferes with the view, has been temporarily removed to its winter berth. I've used an HDR effect on this image, since the dynamic range between light and shadow was so great.

Five simple rules to be happy...

One of my favourite photos from 2016 with one of my favourite quotes.

Easier said than done, I know, but a brand new year is traditionally the time to make resolutions. The world would perhaps be a better place if we took a few steps in this direction.

Softly pink

A slightly misty early morning shot... I just love the quality of light that is created when weak sunshine is diffused by mist. The little tree appears to be full of pink blossom (and seemed thus somehow appropriate for a New Year post) but in fact it was the pale pink berries of some kind of rowan, I think. The gleaming new fencing all around is a legacy of the floods last Christmas that wrecked this area close to the river.

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy 2017.

(Let's hope there is some better news than 2016 seems to have brought across the world.)

Milnerfield trees - and controversy

Two trees in the winter sunshine. I've photographed these two in all seasons (click the 'two trees' label below) and I like how winter reveals their structure and shape so well.

The trees are in fields above the Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Dowley Gap, just past the aquaduct. Behind and to the left, the newly bare branches reveal a few buildings, which belong to Milnerfield Farm. The farm dates back to the 1860s, originally built by the Salt family on their Milnerfield estate. It has been run continuously as a tenanted dairy farm since then. The landlords have recently submitted a contentious planning application to demolish many of the existing farm buildings and build a business park for innovative technology start-up companies, backed by Bradford University and the College. According to press reports, the farmer was not even notified of this prior to the application's submission, which seems very mean. There is, inevitably, a lot of local opposition to the plans, preferring to retain the existing farm, which is in the green belt, and fearful that any change would open the way to housing developments in the area. I am not sure when the final decision will be made.

Don't feed the birds

The flock of geese that live around the river and canal in Saltaire has got bigger and bigger over the past few years. There are Greylags and Canada Geese and it appears to be the latter that are now causing a particular problem. I wrote, back in 2011, that there were only a couple of Canada geese but now there are something like thirty. Thirty birds cause an awful lot of droppings and they are really messing up the park paths, grass and cricket pitches. People do feed them - unhealthy bread mostly, as I wrote yesterday - and this practice is discouraged, though it seems to be having little effect on people's behaviour.

Feed the birds

People have been feeding the birds in this spot by the bridge in Saltaire for the past couple of hundred years, I have no doubt. Mostly it is white bread that gets thrown. The message that bread and cake is harmful to ducks and swans (and also gathers unhealthy bacteria and pollutes the water) does not seem to prevail. Some of the narrowboats sell special duck food and it is always better to give them peas, oats, sweetcorn or lettuce. (See here.)

Note, the gaudy ice cream boat that is moored here on the canal for nine or ten months of the year has been transferred to its winter moorings up at Shipley Wharf. The stretch beside the church looks so much more photogenic without it.

The fence

You may recall that this area suffered terrible flooding a year ago on Boxing Day 2015. (See here) There are still a few homes and businesses struggling to get back up and running but, by and large, everything has recovered, thanks to enormous efforts from local communities. The Bingley allotments where my friend has a plot were badly damaged. I had the idea to make and sell greetings cards (see here for the story) to raise funds to help them replace some of the fencing and sheds. I am proud to say that we raised over £1000 from the project. It has contributed to the sparkling new metal fence, in my photo, which separates the allotments from the public right of way that goes into Myrtle Park. A large section of the old Victorian railings was swept away by the floodwater.

All aglow

The Saltaire Living Advent Calendar windows are still lit around the village until the 5th January. This one is not an 'official' advent window but the owners of this house nevertheless always make an effort with their decorations. This particular window is at the far end of Albert Terrace, the cobbled lane alongside the railway line, and as such is highly visible right along the length of the street. It is lovely to see such a warm glow emanating from the little Christmas tree and brightening up the view.

The heron stands guard

It's a relief to see the river level as low as this at this time of year. (Such a contrast to Boxing Day last year! See here.)  The resident heron on the weir beside Roberts Park was barely getting his feet wet, a couple of days before Christmas.  Repairs are still ongoing at the riverside flats and offices in the New Mill. You can see the amount of wall that has had to be rebuilt where the river breached it on Boxing Day 2015.

Christmas gifts

'On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. 

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts 

of gold and of incense and of myrrh.' Matthew 2:11

My Christmas gift to you is this beautiful stained glass window, depicting the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. The window graces the Hope Chapel (named after the first vicar, Rev'd Frederick Beresford Hope) at St. Peter's Church, Shipley - my home church. The church was consecrated in 1909 though the window was added slightly later as a memorial to a parishioner. Much of the fine detail is painted on the glass and it has wonderfully rich colours.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you receive gifts today, those wrapped in paper perhaps and, more importantly, those less tangible but nevertheless very real. 

Wishing everyone a very joyful and peaceful Christmas. 

'It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold....

And man, at war with man, hears not

The love-song which they bring. 

O hush the noise, ye men of strife,

And hear the angels sing.'

E H Sears 1810-76

Nativity

The Annunciation

I was out walking on the Saturday before Christmas, enjoying some winter sunshine. My route took me through Bingley and Myrtle Park, where I stumbled across the beginning of the local churches' Walking Nativity. I'd not seen it advertised but I presume, as in past years, it was mostly organised by All Saints Church, with a cast drawn from several local churches. It looked quite professional, with a real donkey in the procession. We've had several Walking Nativities from St Peter's (though not this year) but we never included an actual donkey!

Mary and Joseph start their journey to Bethlehem.

Visting Santa

My son-in-law captured this lovely picture when my two little granddaughters, in that time-honoured traditional ritual, visited Father Christmas a few days ago. I love the tenderness shown by my five-year old to her little sister (and the care and attention that Santa seems to be giving) and I love the heartwarming innocence in their faces. I vividly remember the excitement and slight apprehension I felt as a child, doing the same thing.

Salts at Christmas

Salts Mill is a magical place to explore at Christmas. (OK, it's a magical place to explore at any time of year...) The huge, high rooms can accommodate massive traditional Christmas trees and there are usually three or four across the different floors. It's all done very tastefully, with none of the glitzy excess that you tend to find in city shopping malls. If your budget can stand it, there are some lovely gifts to be had too - lots of gorgeous books, of course, but also stylish things for the home, unusual jewellery, outdoor wear and beautiful gifts with an artistic flavour like calendars, notecards and art supplies. I hope you've done your shopping by now... It's getting a bit late.

Sweet treat

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2016 - The seventh advent window, at 3 Albert Terrace, no doubt brings a smile to weary commuters walking home from the nearby railway station. This is just a small segment of the whole, since I thought the detail was worth highlighting.  The entire window is a knitted delight, with robins, snowmen, penguins, holly, mistletoe and even a couple of alpacas all crafted from yarn. Cute.

We three kings

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2016 - This bold offering is in the window above the door at Saltaire's United Reformed Church. The simplest and most graphic designs tend to be the most effective, I think.They've achieved lovely rich colours in this.

A hoot

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2016 -  Another hugely professional and attractive advent window at 23 Albert Road. The owl and snowflakes are painstakingly cut from tissue paper and glued onto acetate, before being backed with white sheeting and lit from behind.

Fairytale in New York

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2016 - Window number 4 at 57 Albert Road has more than a nod to the Pogues hit, Fairytale in New York. Wonderfully creative and a very effective window, this is one of my favourites this year.

Salt of Saltaire

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2016 - Window number 10, at 75 Albert Road, is another masterpiece of art by the painter David Starley. This year his subject is the statue of Sir Titus Salt, Saltaire's founder, in Roberts Park, with the tower of the famous United Reformed Church in the distance. A sprinkling of snow transforms the scene into a winter wonderland.