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Summer Garden Otley

Picture of a cottage garden Otley.

Today I drove through the town of Otley, just passing through and the weather was grim. Just as a contrast a photo that I took in Otley back in September. This small garden in the town centre is just so beautiful with a riot of flowers. It was perhaps not the best day back then and I have tweaked the photograph in PS.

Today it rained heavily, again and was also blustery too. There was quite a lot of water on the roads and also around some of the fields. Heres a picture that I took above Otley of sheep in the snow two years ago.

Whitkirk Manor Almost

Picture of sign at the Manor House Whitkirk, Leeds.

Here is a sign on the gate post at the Manor House Whitkirk.

The light was rather harsh and only covered half the picture of the house, so I passed on this one. I did take some other shots, any picture is better than none at all.

I feel sure I took some photos some time back on a Spring or Summer day. I will look when I get some time, my earlier photos were catalogued with a less than systematic effort. To be fair, when I started this blog it really did not occur to me that there might any kind of demand for my back catalogue.

Perhaps like me you recall the church cat that I met on a previous trip to Whitkirk..

200th Anniversary of Bronte Wedding

Picture of Bronte Marriage Church.

Today is the 200th anniversary of the marriage of the Reverend Patrick Bronte and Maria Branwell who was to become his wife.

The wedding took place here in Guiseley Parish Church on 29th December 1812. In the above photo taken by me this morning is the rail at which they took the wedding vows and above the rail a wooden plaque celebrating the marriage here. Also between the rain and the wooden plaque there is a copy of the marriage certificate of Patrick Brontë and Maria Branwell.

On marriage to Patrick, Maria was aged 29 and the couple would go on to have 6 children before she died of cancer aged 38 on the 15 September 1821. Their marriage lasted fewer than ten years but within that time the legacy of the four younger children (the eldest two Maria and Elizabeth died before the age of 12) was set in place. Today those four, the three sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne and their brother Branwell live on in the classic works of literature set right here in Yorkshire.

To celebrate this anniversary the bells of the church here at Guiseley were rung this morning with a 2 and 3/4 hour full peal.

Garforth Church Banner

Picture of Mothers Union banner at Garforth church.

Last year I visited many churches around the city of Leeds and indeed further afield. Some of these churches I visited because it was the week of Treasures Revealed in Leeds.

Many other churches I visited because I have an interest in old church buildings generally but especially those dating from the Edwardian period and earlier.

I hope to visit many more churches over the coming year 2013. Here is a picture from last year of the Mothers Union banner inside the church at Garforth near Leeds. The church is St Mary the Virgin an Anglican church in the town of Garforth.

I have posted pictures of other Mothers Union banners of a Leeds church, that being in Headingley.

Moles in Yorkshire Countryside

Picture of moles on a fence in Yorkshire.

Here we have a photograph taken by me some years ago. Before I would have considered myself a photographer.

A couple of good friends and I had walked up above Malham and walking down a lane some miles away I saw these moles hung on the farmers fence. I had not seen moles hung like this since the days of my far away youth. Since that day the nearest here is the nearest I have got to seeing or taking a photograph of a mole.

Personally I would much refer these furry little animals to go about there daily life undisturbed.

Leeds in Summer

Picture of Leeds in Summer.

Ok enough of the rain, at least on this blog for the next 24 hours it will by dry and sunny.

Here is a picture of Leeds city centre basking on a beautiful early summers day. This is a small public park in the business district of the city. All around this square are located the offices of solicitors and chambers of barristers.

Censorship and the Web

Whilst I am not generally one to leap on a bandwagon, I must declare that I agree with Wikipedia on censorship and the web.

There are currently two bill going through the US Congress Pipa and Sopa.

Now you may think that what the US government does is of no concern to us here outside the States. I disagree, imagine that your 18 year old son puts some clips taken from his favourite films and uploads them to the web. No real harm in that and I would agree, however supposing the US movie company decides to make an example of the uploader and gets an American court to agree that there is a case to answer....

The first that you might know about what your son has been up to in his bedroom is when the FBI and the local police turn up to search your house and arrest your boy. Under the current UK / USA extradition treaty the "crime" does not have to be an offence here. If the US court want you son to stand trial I would not hold out much hope of the British (for example) government backing down over the treaty.

Think the above is rather unlikely then check out the story of Richard O'Dwyer a Sheffield student.

For more about Pipa and Sopa this story from CBC in Canada gives their view.

Frosty Flower

Picture of frosty primula flower in Yorkshire.

Walking through a local park yesterday morning I passed some rather frosty flowers.

The last few mornings here in Leeds it has been pretty cold, much nicer when the sun has warmed things up a bit.

I spoke with someone I know yesterday and he said he fell off his canal boat into the canal a few days ago! He said he was fine but that the water was very cold, having lost his footing on the ice on the boat and fallen over the side.

Essex Girl

This is Sophie, a girl from Essex hence the title. I saw Sophie on Town Street in Horsforth a few days ago, after a little chat I asked if I could have a photo for this blog.

Sophie came up to university in Leeds and now lives here in the city working as a fund-raiser for a well known national charity. It was a bright and sunny day but pretty cold and Sophie was dressed for the weather.

I must add that I would never have guessed that Sophie hailed from Essex and that I thought perhaps more Sloane than TOWIE.

Hi Sophie. It was nice to meet you and thanks for saying yes to the photo.

Bay Horse Pub Meanwood

Picture of the Bay Horse public house in Meanwood, Leeds.

On my way back from somewhere last week my SatNav took me slightly adrift, wanted me to take a road no longer accessible by motor vehicle. Going around the block to find another route I passed this public house, the Bay Horse, in what turned out to be Meanwood.

I know nothing of the history of the Bay Horse pub, it looks old but cannot find any details. I will look it up next time I am in the Leeds Library in the city.

The slight diversion had another unforeseen benefit. Whilst parked up to get the above photo I got chatting to a man who keeps bees nearby and he said I could go and look at them at work in the Spring.

Cottage in Meanwood

Picture of an old stone cottage in Meanwood, Leeds.

Just along from the Bay Horse pub in Meanwood there is a row of quite old cottages.

There is a date on the stone lintel above the window of 1720. I think this cottage will look quite different in a few months when the leaves arrive with the Spring.

More Snowdrops

Picture of snowdrops in a Yorkshire churchyard.

Before todays afternoon of heavy rain it was a cool but bright and blustery day here in Leeds.

I managed to visit a church not to far from me that has some quite nice old stained glass windows by Powell Brothers of Leeds. I knew the church would be open around lunchtime but did know the reason. I soon discovered there was a funeral in place when I arrived so I mooched about the churchyard.

The only flowers that were not artificial in the churchyard were some small clumps of snowdrops in flower. Nearly two weeks back I posted about the first snowdrops I had seen here in Leeds this year.

Clock Church of St Stephen

Picture of clock on the Church of St Stephen at Kirkstall, Leeds.

Today I passed by the Church of St Stephen in Kirkstall, Leeds and had a quick look around the churchyard despite the drizzle.

I used to live not far from this church when I was a student, but I have never been inside this church.

The exterior looks quite dark and the rain made it look darker. There are several trees around the church I mostly got round the branches by the oblique angle in the above photo. If you look at the photo you can see a couple of out of focus branches in the shot.

The clock seemed to be working, if a few minutes out and as I left it rang the hour.

Before I left I photographed a couple of memorial headstones in the churchyard, I will write about these tomorrow. Today I passed by the Church of St Stephen in Kirkstall, Leeds and had a quick look around the churchyard despite the drizzle.

I used to live not far from this church when I was a student, but I have never been inside this church.

The exterior looks quite dark and the rain made it look darker. There are several trees around the church I mostly got round the branches by the oblique angle in the above photo. If you look at the photo you can see a couple of out of focus branches in the shot.

Theme Day - The Water's Edge

Picture of Roundhay Park lake, Leeds.

This photograph shows the boathouse and the cafe on the Waterloo lake at Roundhay Park, Leeds. I took this when I last visited the park perhaps 3 weeks back one sunny afternoon.

Halloween at Calverley

I noticed this in the window of a cafe in the village of Calverley on my way into Leeds this morning.

Autumn Leeds Churchyard

Picture of St Stephen Kirkstall churchyard in Autumn Leeds.

Yesterday was a damp and very dull day here in Leeds. Driving through Kirkstall I stopped off at the church of St Stephen to have another look at the churchyard before the leaves have gone.

By chance as I passed the church doorway I noticed someone waiting, the meter reader come to read the church electricity meter. So I got to look inside the church of St Stephen and the treasurer told me a little of the history.

The North window is I think the best one and a stunning example of the art of making stained glass windows. There is a coloured drawing of the window hanging on a wall opposite, I believe done by the makers James Powell and Sons of Whitefriars, London. I will photograph these on another day that is not quite so dull. Stained glass photography I find does not need a sunny day but you do need a reasonable amount of light behind the glass. I have photographed the windows in many churches here in this bit of Yorkshire, some for my Leeds photography and this blog and others further afield because its a subject that interests me.

On a different note, a chance remark as we parted led to another story for this Leeds blog about some alms houses in Kirkstall but I will have to find them another day.

Steps Woodhouse Moor

Picture of steps on Woodhouse Moor, Leeds.

These steps are on Woodhouse Moor just across from Harrison's almshouses. I walked up them a few days back heading across to the University and as seems normal I was the only person using them. I have more than once pondered these steps, partly because they are more like a staircase but mostly because they do not seem to serve any purpose. I guess that sometime long in the past there was a building here on this bit of Woodhouse Moor, there is nothing now and no indication of what might have been there, just a covering of cinder.

Quite close to this spot is an old cast iron box, not sure what it was used for but I guess it could have been for an electrical supply.

The day I took the above photograph it was pretty miserable, dull and damp too.

Whoops

In this I suspect I am not alone, my photography is a journey. Sometimes something works and sometimes like the above picture, it cleary does not.

This is my old Olympus camera in action, its rather dated but I like it because with 3 lenses in my bag including a macro its pretty light for those days when I just like to carry it around wherever I may be. One of the snags with this older Olympus rather than my heavier Canon gear, is that the lens hood can show up in the picture.

Recently down by the canal I dropped the lens hood and it rolled away across the towpath and bounced into the canal, whoops. But its OK I thought its light plastic it will float and so it did for perhaps 2 seconds before sinking into the murky water! Oh well I thought pretty minor loss, easily get another lens hood. I casually mentioned it to a friend with a canal boat nearby and thought nothing of it. I got a text a couple of days later, the water had been clearer and it was lying on a swath of coloured leaves, he had seen it and fished it out.

I would be the first to admit I am not the best photographer in Leeds, far from it. Thats fine by me, I am and will most likely always be unpretentious by nature. There was a period, a year or so back when someone would comment, anonymously of course, that they would not have done it like that. At first it wound me up but then I thought, its easy to have a photography website with perhaps as few as 10 photographs showing off your work. I would not be too difficult to find a dozen great photographs and showcase those. That is not what my Leeds photography is about. Its about the days when the weather is just dull and damp rather than dramatic. Its also about everyday life here in the city of Leeds and the surrounding towns and villages so I often feature cats, dogs anything that I might think could be of some interest or not.

The above photograph was taken around a week or so back in Roundhay Park.

Autumn Tree - Woodhouse Moor

I love the colours on trees at this time of the year, but its not quite the same on dull and rather dank days. This tree is in the park on Woodhouse Moor next to the tennis courts.

Leeds Bonfire 2012

Picture of poster for Woodhouse Moor bonfire night 2012.

I noticed this poster in the trees on Woodhouse Moor yesterday promoting the Bonfire Night Fireworks in the park here in Leeds. Remember, remember the fifth of November goes the old rhyme. Leeds city council run bonfires and fireworks across Leeds in many of the cities parks.

I have been to the fireworks held at Roundhay Park several times and I thought they were great. The fireworks at Woodhouse Moor are on Monday the 5th of November with the bonfire at 7pm and fireworks at 7.30pm.

Guy Fawkes whose plot is remembered in the old rhyme, was born in York and was executed in 1606 for treason in trying to blow up parliament with gunpowder would be perhaps surprised that more than 400 years later he is still remembered. Almost every week here in the UK there is another story about the misdeeds of our politicians, showing if nothing else how little they understand about how they are viewed by the populace here. They just do not get it! First it was the expenses scandal, followed by flipping their houses to gain the most money and to me this problem seems to be common to far to many of them.

Yellow Flowers

Another plant picture today I do not now which plant these rather pretty small yellow flowers belong to at a guess from where I saw them possibly a herb?

Normal service will be resumed ASAP once I have killed that pesky virus.

Mint Flower

This picture of a mint herb plant in flower is not at all the photo that I would like to post but I have recently had a computer virus!!!

I am struggling to access the web at the moment, so please forgive me if my daily post here are erratic. The virus turned into a major problem when I tried several different anti virus programs to remove it this made a minor problem much worse!

48 Albion Street Leeds

Picture of 48 Albion Street Leeds.

Previously I have gone out of my way to ignore places like Starbucks on this blog about Leeds because they represent everything that is, in my view, wrong with our towns and cities.

This attitude is I think wrong in the sense that this building in the above photograph currently occupied by Starbucks, is I think rather a nice old stone built building.

This is the corner of Albion Street and Commercial Street in Leeds city centre, the light building on the far right of the photo is The Leeds Library of which I am a member.

I took the photograph a few days back on a nice bright and sunny day unlike today where it is 10/10 cloud and muggy here in Leeds.

Leeds Bus Station Clock

Picture of Leeds bus station clock.

This clock at the Leeds city bus station will be one of the first sights in Leeds that many visitors first see.

The clock is on a small brick tower in the middle of the yard where the buses maneuver into the bays to pick up and drop of passengers.

I took this photo some days back on a dull and damp day. The BBC Leeds building is on the left of the picture, behind the clock is a metal aerial like structure atop the DHSS building at Quarry Hill.

Intrepid Granny

Picture of Xie Houguo and bicycle in City Square, Leeds.

Walking across City Square when I noticed some young Chinese, possibly students photographing an older lady with a bike. I asked one of them what it was about and he said that this little granny had ridden her bike from China to England for the Olympics.

I thought wow, thats some trek for anyone but on further questions she had flown to Hungary and ridden the little folding bicycle from there apart from the ferry from France to Dover. No wonder these young people wanted to get a photo of this lady and her bike.

Xie Houguo aged 63, is a retired worker from the Chongqing Tap Water Company in China. Xie completed in 2007 a tour of China's 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions after being seriously injured in a road accident. In 2008 Xie was a torchbearer at the Beijing Olympics.

In the background are from left the newly restored Majestic Cinema building, the former General Post Office building, Bond Court and lastly the much newer 1 City Square.

Renault Twizy

Picture of Renault Twizy on Briggate, Leeds.

Walking along Briggate in Leeds shopping district this afternoon I noticed a small track had been laid out. Renault the French car maker were giving free rides in their new electric car the Twizy.

The Twizy is described as an electric city car (legally clasiffied in Europe as a heavy quadricycle) and has a range of 60 miles with a 3 hour charge period.

I was tempted to have a ride but there were kids queuing and they would have far more fun from this than me. With no road tax I would think this would be quite a popular car for people who perhaps commute across a city.

The young woman driver and demonstrator I spoke to said she had great fun driving it around, I can believe that. As for charging it has a standard UK plug on the end of a coiled cable, so you could charge it up at the office.

Pandora Girls

Just about everyone on Briggate in Leeds city centre wanted get a look at the Queen who was visiting the city yesterday morning.

The Pandora store at the top of Briggate was close to where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were walking and chatting to people in the crowd. As I walked past the store I saw that the members of staff were standing on the staircase trying to get a view above the heads of the crowd. I asked if I could take a photo and they said yes....

Yorkshire Spitfire Team - Flugtag

Picture of Yorkshire Spitfire Team at Red Bull Flugtag Leeds.

At this weekends Red Bull Flugtag Leeds held at Roundhay Park there was a team from the Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron their team name was Yorkshire Spitfire.

The Yorkshire Spitfire team was Captain: Kristian Parry his team being Anna Christensen, Lewis Caswell, Euan McFalls. Each team member being a member of the Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron, hence the real flying outfits. The team pilot is Anna Christensen, seen here in the above photo, with both the "spitfire" and her team mates without whom there would be no flight. Although Anna is the team pilot the chap on the left is actually an officer and pilot who flies in the RAF.

Picture of Yorkshire Spitfire flying at Flugtag Leeds.

Despite the stirring music and a gallant effort the Yorkshire Spitfire was only airborne for a short while before crashing into the lake. In the above photo Anna can be seen in mid-flight on the "spitfire" whilst the chaps get ready to join her in the drink. Luckily Red Bull take the safety of the crew seriously and they were fished out and taken to dry land shortly after this photo was taken.

Captain at Red Bull Flugtag

Picture of captain at Redbull Flugtag Leeds.

When is a captain not a captain? When he is on a Mini adventure.

The above chap may look at first glance to be a an airline pilot, but appearances can be deceptive! At the Red Bull Flugtag here in Leeds on Sunday BMW were promoting the latest mini cars and on hand they had some people dressed as either pilots or stewardesses. In real life this chap is an actor between jobs, living in London and came up to Leeds to play an airline pilot for the day.

I spoke with him earlier in the day and I entered the mini competition they were holding and later I saw him leaning on one of the cars and took this photo. I do not watch much TV, but I wish him every success in his profession and hope to catch him in some production.

Red Bull Flugtag Winners

Picture of Red Bull Flugtag Leeds Winners (courtesy Red Bull).

The last few days I have posted pictures from the Redbull Flugtag event here in Leeds at Roundhay park in the city.

This is I think the last post I will do from this great event, thanks Red Bull and also Tom Kirkby at hŏl'ǝr who was kind and sent me some photos from the event including the one above.

The top 3 teams were: 1. To Infinity and the Pond 2. Come on Kes 3. My Whippy and His Team of Toppings

Much as I was cheering on the Yorkshire Spitfire team, I was pleased with the winners To Infinity and the Pond they really were a great creative team and deserving winners. Also I know that Anna and the guys will someday soon be soaring over the skies of Yorkshire and further afield with the Yorkshire Universities Air Squadron.

I could not help but notice the interesting wet weather protection the cameraman was using to protect video camera, looks to me to be bin bag!

Expensive Parking in Leeds

Leeds station short stay parking charges sign.

Walking towards the side entrance to Leeds train station today I out of curiosity walked over to the short stay car park just off Aire Street opposite the Princes Exchange office building. I was interested to see what the charges are like.

You can see the sign with the charges on in the photo above and to be fair for parking up to 20 minutes it is a reasonable 50p, up to 40 minutes it jumps to £2. Stay an extra 20 minutes giving you 1 hour and it is £4. After the 1 hour period they mean business because for anywhere between 1 and 2 hours will cost you £12. Overstay the 2 hour point and it is £35 for between 2 - 3 hours.

All the above means I rarely travel into Leeds city centre by car and am quite happy to use the rail service. I realise there are cheaper places to park but for me it still quicker and cheaper to travel in using the local train.

Leeds Train Station Rear

Picture of Leeds Train Station rear entrance.

The above photo shows Leeds train station from the rear, the station short stay car park and the motor vehicle drop off point.

The large brick and white stone building in the middle of the picture with a union flag is the Queens hotel seen from the rear. The cranes on the right of the photo are at the Trinity shopping centre development and slightly further right is the top of the bell tower at Holy Trinity Church on Boar Lane.

Moorhen - Victoria Quays

Picture of a moorhen at Victoria Quays, Leeds.

Walking down to the Calls for a coffee afterwards I strolled around the Brewery Wharf area on the Leeds waterfront and walked back to the city centre via Victoria Quays and Navigation Walk.

I love the small area around Victoria Quays with the former dock that is now a haven for wildlife here in the centre of Leeds. The yellow flag iris have now flowered, the bullrushes are in their prime and the was a moorhen and a couple of juveniles paddling around the dock.

You can see the moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) in the above photo in between lily pads that in places almost cover the surface of the old dock.

Victoria Quays Old Dock

Picture of view across Victoria Quays on the Leeds waterfront.

This is a view across the former dock that now is a very pleasant water feature and also home to some city wildlife too, at Victoria Quays.

The above photograph is taken looking toward Brewery Wharf in the middle at the back of the picture can be seen the grey coloured metal foot bridge across the river Aire from the Call to Brewery Wharf. I would be very happy to live in an apartment on this little waterside development.

In and on this small stretch of water there are yellow flag iris, bull rushes, water lilies, ducks and some moorhens. There is perhaps more wildlife that I have yet to see here in this little watery home of nature.

Here is another view of this water feature looking from Navigation Walk towards Calls Landing.

Great war death memorial plaque - explanation

I was looking around a church here in Yorkshire a couple of weeks back and noticed this bronze plaque resting on a small stand on front of the war memorial.

Considering the number made and sent out this is only the second one that I ever seen and the first that I could pick up and examine. It is a Great War death plaque (Dead Man's Penny) issued by the British government to the next of kin of servicemen/women who had fallen in WW1.

Designed by Edward Carter Preston following a competition eventually over 1,000,000 were made. The 12cm medallion was cast in bronze gunmetal with the words "He died for freedom and honour" and the name of the deceased individual. On the plaque there are an image of Britannia holding an oak spray with leaves and acorns, and an imperial lion, two dolphins representing Britain's sea power, also the emblem of Imperial Germany's eagle being torn to pieces by another lion.

The memorial plaque was not presented to the family with any ceremony, the postman delivered them.

Normally I would be happy to name the church but on my many visits to both local Leeds churches and further afield I hear many stories of church break ins and theft including the one where they broke in and stole a carpet. Therefore I have deliberately obscured the surname on the plaque and just left his first name Walter, he is I feel sure long gone but not forgotten.

The only other time I have seen one of these plaques is one where it was cemented into the stone memorial headstone that is in a west Yorkshire churchyard. We live in age where people steal the bronze plaques on town and city war memorials and the local scrap merchants turn a blind eye to the obvious source and theft. How they can sleep at night I cannot think.

On a similar note I discovered this short film that deservedly won an Emmy for Tom Aviles the news photographer about The Friday Squad at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN in the US. By chance the uncle of someone I know who served as a tank commander in WW2 was buried not long back with I think the Tuesday Squad there.