Cherry blossom

The cherry blossom is coming into flower around Saltaire. Different trees seem to come into blossom at different times. On the last evening of our camera club season, I took my camera with me to photograph the blossom on the trees beside the path leading to the church. (We meet in a church hall.) In previous years it's been in bloom, but this year, not a single bud was out. Perhaps it's because Easter is late this year so we haven't needed a week's hiatus in the meeting programme. 

In contrast, the blossom on the trees around Saltaire's almshouses is looking blooming lovely. 

Product photography

I seem to be running low on photos for some reason, so I thought I'd post one I took recently at a practical evening at my camera club. We had a guest speaker called Haydn Bartlett, who is a professional food and product photographer. He showed us how he sets up and lights his work, and then we took it in turns to photograph the set-up. (So I can't take any credit at all for what is shown, since all I did was press the shutter button on my camera.) I'm not sure that practical events work all that well in a big club, as all that happens is you queue for your 'turn' and then have to hurry to take the photo. With more time and thought, I'd have got a better composition. I did, however, end up with a cheery and inviting picture of a bowl of soup. To be honest, it's more likely to encourage me to make some soup than to take more food photos. I adore making soup, there's something quite magical about turning a few odds and ends of left-over vegetables (that might otherwise get thrown away) into a comforting, warming, nutritious soup. It's a kind of alchemy. 

Field Locks

Walking east along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal beyond Shipley, as you draw near to Field Locks, there's this rather ugly bridge that connects the various parts of Esholt sewage works. (It did make quite an effective mono image!) The sewage works itself is a massive site belonging to Yorkshire Water, processing waste for both Bradford and Leeds. Originally developed in 1899, it finally freed our local streams and rivers from being open sewers (though the problem of sewage overspill into our rivers persists even now!) The water treatment site is so large that at one time it had its own internal railway, which perhaps explains this bridge. 

Field Locks, beyond, are a bit more attractive. It's a three-rise staircase lock, demanding a lot of concentration to navigate. There are helpful instruction boards but I gather people often get it wrong and cause floods and wasted water. In the summer there are often volunteer lock-keepers on duty to help novice boaters. 

Three locks need a lot of steps... all touchingly worn down by the thousands of feet that have tramped up and down over the 250+ years they've been there. 

The overflow channel (which probably has a proper name that I can't at the moment recall!) looked pretty with all the lesser celandines blooming on the banking. 

There are 91 locks in total on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, with quite a few of them arranged as staircase locks like these. 

After all that excitement, it's a relief to cruise through the fresh spring greenery in Buck Wood. 

Dockfield to Field Locks

Another bright day persuaded me out to explore some more of the local canal towpath, taking photos for the mono project I'm doing with some of our camera club members. I tend to prefer the photos in colour, especially now the spring blossom is starting to flower. I felt like I got the shots I wanted, anyway, both in colour and mono, so it was a useful excursion. 

Rather than walk the whole way from Saltaire, which would have been an eight mile round trip, I decided I'd park the car at Dockfield. Here, on the eastern edge of Shipley, a few industrial units and a newish housing estate, built on on a brownfield site, lead the way to the railway bridge (the Bradford to Ilkley line). 

Once under the bridge, the scenery becomes more rural, though the looping wires and electricity pylons are a reminder that you're not far from suburbia. Gorse and blackthorn shrubs were full of blossom. The canal here was built along the valley side, above the level of the river which runs in the valley bottom. The railings in my photo below enclose an overflow drain that, if necessary, would discharge water down into the river. On the other side of the canal, the noise of a train was a reminder that the railway also follows the contours of the valley side on its way to Leeds. 

Eventually you arrive at the swing bridge that takes Buck Mill Lane from Idle and Thackley down to Baildon. This is an ancient route that used to involve a ford and stepping stones over the River Aire adjacent to Buck Mill, a corn mill dating back to the 13th century. The construction of the canal in the 1770s required a bridge to allow traffic to continue to use the lane. Eventually, in 1889, an iron footbridge was constructed over the river too, to make the whole lane safer. 

Beyond the swing bridge, the canal loops round in a rather more attractive stretch through Buck Wood. Meanwhile, the railway disappears into a long tunnel, Thackley Tunnel, reappearing at Apperley Bridge. 

Paddling

On such a lovely, warm, spring day, the mirror pool in Bradford's City Park was predictably full of youngsters enjoying a paddle. Given that we are so far from the coast and seaside, it was a brilliant idea to provide a safe water feature within the city. It has been a big hit with families. A bonus is that it can be drained to provide a flat area for events and parades, when the need arises. When the City Park was first mooted, I have to confess I thought it would be a bit of a waste of Council funds but I've revised my opinion, seeing it is so well used. Bradford has a high level of family poverty so a free attraction like this must be a blessing for many youngsters and their hard-pressed parents.  

The Peace Artistes

Bradford City of Culture 2025 saw an action-packed weekend - and the weather was brilliant for it, warm and sunny. In the city centre there was a 'Big Brass Blast', part of a weekend celebrating the wonderful tradition of brass bands, both traditional and contemporary. The Peace Artistes Street Band fall into 'contemporary', I suppose, though they've been performing their brand of sassy, lively street music 'rocking with rhythm and pulsating with passion' since the 1980s, (which by my reckoning makes them quite a tradition in themselves.) 

The huge and wonderfully curvy sousaphone has the additional quality of reflecting the surroundings in a rather interesting way. 

World Heritage Day

Saltaire was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and so every year we celebrate 'World Heritage Day'. At one time the celebrations used to be quite innovative and educational, showcasing different aspects of the village's life and history. Lately it's seemed to be much the same every year, and is a mini version of the Saltaire Festival, which happens in September: music, food stalls, a small market and a few folk in costume walking about.  Not much to complain about though, when it happens to fall on a really beautiful spring day. Roberts Park was full of folk enjoying the sunshine. 

I saw advertised that it was a 'steampunk' event and I managed to find this elegant trio, though there didn't seem to be many others dressed up for the occasion. Spiderman was there, gave me a thumbs up! 

It's really hard to avoid busy backgrounds in photos at these kinds of events - and children photobombing! I don't like to show their faces without parental permission, so I try to avoid them. The donkeys were advertised as being 'Blackpool Seaside donkeys', so maybe in the summer they give rides on the beaches. As a child, I used to love having a donkey ride and can still 'feel' the rough fur under my bare legs. These two had towels... not so prickly I suppose.  

More signs of spring

About a week ago, I had a visit from a friend of mine from the Netherlands. We've known each other for something like 45 years and, though we rarely meet now, when we do get together all those years drop away. He was en route to walk the Dales Highway, one of our long-distance footpaths, wild camping along the way... so his backpack was about as big as me and looked about as heavy too! Thankfully, he was able to leave it for a while at my flat and we had a walk along the river bank in the sunshine. It's still rather cold but the brighter, lighter days are really encouraging the blossom and wild flowers. 

Magnolia blossom is coming out and hasn't yet been browned by a frost. Hopefully it'll last a while. It looks gorgeous against a blue sky. 

In the woodland edges, lesser celandine was mingled with white wood anemones, the combination even prettier than either flower on its own... a constellation of white and yellow stars. 

The river was reflecting the blue of the sky, though disappointingly there were few birds about. 

My friend's knowledge of wildflowers and birds is extensive. He even knows most of their names in English, so I always learn a lot on our walks. I was assuming the little flowers (below) were some kind of violet but they are actually called ground ivy due to their habit of spreading by creeping, rooting runners.  They have tiny flowers in a delicate blue, and little heart-shaped leaves. 

By Hirst Lock, the painted boat is planted with daffodils, though it's beginning to look a bit rotten in parts.  We were so busy chatting that I didn't take many photos but this handful sums up our walk.  

Crowds? What crowds?

We have had some beautiful spring sunshine lately. On one such day, mercifully without the cold wind that has kept the temperatures down, I went with a friend to Bolton Abbey. We'd forgotten it was the school holidays! The 'Easter Trail' was proving a draw for families, many with grandparents looking after grandchildren. The car parks were rammed but, such is the size of the estate, that it was quite easy to find walks with very few people. We didn't go far as my friend has a sore knee that's currently limiting her walking. It didn't matter; we had plenty to chat about and the Cavendish Pavilion has an endless supply of coffee, cake and sandwiches. Both our families are abroad for the holidays, so - unencumbered with grandchildren - we ambled, chatted, supped and enjoyed our freedom in the sunshine. 

Nature notes

It was wonderful to notice all the signs of spring in the nature reserve. It all feels late this year but in fact I think it is actually a more 'normal' year and it's been the past two or three mild winters that have led to early springs. 

Green leaves are unfolding; catkins are on the trees. This (below) is, I think, an alder. The long dangly catkins are the males and the tiny pink buds are the as yet unfertilised females. 

Willow is commonly known as pussy willow because of its furry catkins, grey at first and then changing to yellow when they are ripe with pollen. 

There were a few birds around. I'm sure there were woodland birds, though I can't hear their song so I don't easily spot them. The heron was unmissable, standing in the shallows. Goosander (female on the left, male on the right) were cruising the river.  This is the Aire, remarkably low in water for the time of year. We've had a rather dry March. 

In the woodland, wild violets were blooming. They are so pretty. I'm not sure of the exact species. The differences are minor. I'd hazard a guess at Early Dog Violet. 

There were patches of primroses too:

Lesser celandine shines brightly in damp places. Its petals open in the sunshine and close if it's going to rain. They flower early, providing an important nectar source for insects. In C S Lewis's book 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe', they mark the coming of spring after the White Witch's eternal winter: "Coming suddenly round a corner into a glade of silver birch trees Edmund saw the ground covered in all directions with little yellow flowers - celandines". 

Denso Marston Reserve

It's over thirty years since the Denso Marston nature reserve was created. The Denso Marston company makes radiators and thermal cooling systems, in a large factory adjacent to the River Aire in Baildon. The buffer zone between the factory and the river was turned into a nature reserve in 1991, for the benefit of wildlife and the local community. It's now cared for by a warden and volunteers, the Friends of Denso Marston. 

The seven acre site has a large pond, bog areas and woodland, with footpaths running throughout. Benches placed strategically offer quiet spots from which to enjoy the scenery and look for the wildlife. There are periodic working parties to maintain the reserve, guided walks and various events to introduce both children and adults to the variety of species to be found there. 

Despite the pond being right beside the back of the factory, it still attracts lots of wildlife. I saw mallards, a grey heron, and a moorhen scuttling across the pond, even though it was mid-afternoon and quite busy with visitors and dogs.

 

Baildon bimble

This summer we are holding an exhibition of work by our camera club members and I've had six prints selected to show. Over the years, I've found it much easier to get them professionally printed and mounted. It's more expensive of course but saves a lot of faffing about and gives a much better finish. So I had to call in on the picture framer that I use in Baildon. It was such a lovely spring day that I took the opportunity for a short walk down by the river nearby. 

Ford House Farm is a highly rated B&B. The fields around it were full of horses so there must be some kind of equestrian centre there too. I was mildly amused by the horses. In their winter coats and fly hoods, they looked like they were going to a fancy dress party! 

The path down to the river is one of those that has been well used for years, linking Baildon with Thackley, over a footbridge across the river. 

The river hereabouts can suffer from flooding and so it all looks a bit messy, with lots of debris - plastic and suchlike - on the banks and hanging from the tree branches. (I tried to choose the less messy bits to photograph!) Quite a few trees have fallen or had limbs broken too. Nevertheless it's a pleasant walk along the riverbank, connecting Shipley with Esholt if you walk far enough. 

Close by is the small nature reserve of Denso Marston, which has this rather lovely commemorative stone seat at one end, marking the gift of the reserve from the Denso Marston company to the local community in 1991.