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.