Favourites from 2025 #2

More of my more memorable moments of 2025, these from the second half of the year:

A quiet, green, summer wander in upper Wharfedale.

An atmospheric sunset.

Playing around with a shallow depth of field in Salts Mill's antiques centre.

A truly stunning performance of 'The Railway Children', part of Bradford's City of Culture 2025.

A fascinating insight into the William Morris & Co stained glass in Bradford Cathedral.

A close look at some interesting civic sculpture in Leeds.

Lovely light in my local woods.

Heavy horses at Keighley Show - and a blacksmith hard at work.

A memorable celebration - 'Bloom' - in Shipley's market square, another City of Culture event.

Edinburgh Castle, a reminder of a few days exploration further afield.

Also in Edinburgh, a quirky view of one of the exhibits in Andy Goldsworthy's exhibition. 

A perfect and colourful autumn day in upper Wharfedale.

The Turner Prize exhibition, hosted in Bradford as part of the City of Culture 2025. This was the winning entry, raw and expressive, from Nnena Kalu. 

A couple of night shots in beautiful Paris. 

And finally, an enjoyable little 'early music' concert in Salts Mill. 

Favourites from 2025 #1

 

It's that time of year when we look back over the past twelve months and choose our 'best' or 'favourite' photos. I don't think, for me, 2025 was a particularly outstanding year photographically. I haven't travelled widely and I seem to have been too busy simply enjoying myself and taking photos along the way, rather than putting photography front and foremost. Another day and I would probably choose an entirely different selection but here are some that stuck out as among my favourites from the first half of the year. 

Blue sky and bare, sunlit branches = welcome light in the depths of winter. 

A trio of black and white studies in Saltaire.

The welcome sight of snowdrops.

A mono square from a memorable walk in Calderdale. 

New buds on colourful stems.

A moody and textural shot in attractive light inside Heptonstall's museum.

Bluebells in Calderdale.

The hazy, fresh greens of Spring.

Two most enjoyable events from Bradford's City of Culture 2025 feast: 'The Bradford Progress' - music on the canal, and beguiling wool cloaks from Ann Hamilton's 'We Will Sing' installation in Salts Mill. 

A re-enactor from 'The Sealed Knot Society' bringing the English Civil War history to life.

My favourite border at Harlow Carr Gardens. 

Wolf moon

Clear skies and cold nights... I woke in the night and I thought the lights were on outside as it was so bright but, when I looked out, it was luminous moonlight. When I woke again as daylight dawned, the full moon was right between the houses and the church tower. It was the Wolf Moon, a 'supermoon', which occurs when the moon is at its closest point to earth in its elliptical orbit. 

Splendid to see, though I really don't have the right camera equipment to do it full justice in a photo. 

Frigid

Over the New Year it was very cold here though also quite bright, with a few bursts of weak sunshine that lit things up quite nicely. The whole of the UK is in the grip of Arctic air, though we've not yet had any snow in Yorkshire. 

I managed to hurt my back on NY Day (doing exercises that are supposed to help strengthen my back!) so I was pretty stiff and sore. By the next day it was still sore but I was a bit more mobile, so I went for a three mile walk. My back is always a bit stiff, just some days hurts more than others, and I find regular walking seems to help on the whole. 

I was well wrapped up but the wind was icy. I haven't ever really found a satisfactory way of stopping my mouth and nose getting cold, so that when I get back in the warm, my teeth hurt! I've tried scarves and a stretchy buff, but then it's hard to breathe and they get all wet, urgh. Despite the discomfort I enjoyed the walk. 

(I'm a bit short of 'blog fodder' and not getting out anywhere very exciting at the moment, so don't worry if I'm missing for a few days here and there.)

River - again

I met a friend at Bolton Abbey just before Christmas. It was yet another very dismal, damp day, though mercifully not actually raining. We spent most of our time drinking coffee and chatting, though we did have a short walk along the riverbank. A view downstream here is always quite attractive. We went as far as the ford where a lane crosses a small stream that runs down to the river. It wasn't really a day for photography but I enjoyed the peaty colours of the water running over the stones. Some tiny children were splashing in the shallow water, with delighted squeals; it looked fun. I might have joined them if I'd had my wellies on! 

Joy

Between Christmas and New Year the weather was 'quiet': mostly dry, little wind, chilly but not freezing and, on the whole, cloudy with grey skies. That meant it was fairly conducive to walking and I tried to go out most days, albeit for relatively short, local walks. It wasn't very thrilling though, with little really to lift my spirits. I was plodding up the steep hill to Northcliffe when I spotted this bright cascade of winter jasmine, one of the few shrubs that flowers here at this time of year. That did lift my spirits, a quick burst of happiness to see the cheerful colour and the exuberant life in it... and each quick burst of happiness stokes in me an underlying joy, a contentment with life. 

It left me pondering the nature of 'joy', what brings it, how to capture it when it seems elusive (especially in these long winter months, so devoid of light). I was thinking how the older people I know whom I most enjoy being with and who seem most attractive are those who have hung on to their curiosity, their sense of wonder, enthusiasm, gratitude and joy; lifted even by the smallest things and thereby having the capacity to lift others too. It's infectious. 

The last couple of months, as I've said before, had some tough moments for me (as well as many good things) and my own sense of joy and ease have been somewhat diminished. It's important for me to try and recapture some of that zest for life again in the coming year. 

I shall reread 'The Book of Joy', a conversation between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. (If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.)

I shall continue to get out and about: walking, visiting interesting places, trying new experiences when I can. I shall be counting my blessings - first and foremost that I can get out and about. I shall spend time with friends and family. I shall continue my hobbies: my photography, my blog and especially my new-found enjoyment of knitting. 

One of the areas I think I can improve is my enjoyment of food. I'm reading, at the moment, a book by the food writer Nigel Slater - 'A Thousand Feasts' - which has short essays each describing small moments of pleasure, mostly linked to food. He's a beguiling writer and it is proving to be a great pleasure to dip into, though making me realise how food for me has become simply a matter of survival and a chore, rather than something I truly enjoy. I sometimes read, for example, Vicki's occasional blog posts about food, or 'Librarian's' and wish they'd come and cook for me, their simple but wholesome and tasty meals always sound wonderful. 

So, more joy for me this coming year...  How about you? And how do you intend to find it? 

Wishing you all a very happy New Year, with much to be joyful about. 

River

'Time is a sort of river of passing events, and strong is its current; no sooner is a thing brought to sight than it is swept by and another takes its place, and this too will be swept away.'           Marcus Aurelius

'We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not. Ah, well! we may conjecture many things.'        

John Wesley Powell

Profound thoughts as we move into the New Year...

Pauline

There were a number of boats moored by Hirst Lock when I walked that way just before Christmas. (One of them was selling attractive knitted craft items.) I've never seen this historic widebeam barge called 'Pauline' before. Its (her?) history was detailed on a plaque (my last photo) - really very interesting. There can't be that many boats left on the canal that are over 150 years old. Beautiful to see and she still looks very well maintained. 'Fly boats' were apparently fast cargo boats that worked around the clock, or to a set timetable, delivering perishable goods and urgent orders. 

Play Misty for Me

Does anyone else remember the film 'Play Misty for Me'? A psychological thriller, it was made in 1971, starring and directed by Clint Eastwood. It was the scariest film I've ever seen! For some reason it came to my mind as I walked in Hirst Wood just before Christmas. It was misty, and everything does look spookier in those conditions but thankfully no ill befell me on my walk! 

The marcescent beech leaves brought a welcome touch of warmth, as did the 'wishing tree' at the entrance to the wood.