Traction Engine models

In a corner of the room where Bingley CC had their photo exhibition, there was a display of (to scale) working models of steam engines. The one above is a late 19th century agricultural traction engine, manufactured by William Allchin Ltd in Northampton. These machines revolutionised farming, often travelling from farm to farm, replacing teams of heavy horses, pulling machinery and driving threshing machines and saws. 

The one above had itself to be moved by a team of horses but, once in place, drove belts to power machinery. The chimney stack could be lowered to allow it to navigate low clearances in transit. 

This one is a replica of a late Victorian 'undertype' steam engine, generally used as a source of power in factories and mills. 

That below is a model of the William Allchin 'Royal Chester' traction engine, another late 19th century general purpose engine used in agricultural settings. 

I actually quite like all the old steam-powered machines - you sometimes see them at steam fairs - and to see them replicated in miniature in such faithful detail was really interesting. I'm not sure who these models belong to; it didn't seem to record that. 

Wharfe water

I'm always fascinated by the patterns that water makes, swirled by currents, blown by the breeze. These are a few shots of the River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey. 

I've put them into a grid as that is easy... but I'm not sure that a square format - steady and solid - is right for a linear, flowing river. So I went back and experimented again using a more elongated format. What do you think? 

Requiem for a tree (and a trolley!)

Following on from my post yesterday, when I went for my usual walk on Monday I was able to inspect the damage that the beautiful tree suffered in the storm on Sunday. In fact it is only one large limb that has sheared off but the rend goes right down the trunk. I guess there must have been some rot there so I wonder how long the rest of it will survive. It was by far the most colourful part of the tree. How ironic that I had chosen to feature it at the very time of its demise! (The debris had been cleared very quickly as it had been blocking the road.)

Still, there are other autumn colours to enjoy, though many fewer leaves, of course, after the gales. The fallen, wet foliage made some parts of my walk quite slippery but I was glad to be able to get my exercise during a lull in the rain. 

I had been to the supermarket in the morning, in the pouring rain ... what chaos! One might have thought it was a few days before Christmas! There were so many people there that there were no empty grocery carts left. I had to follow a chap to his car and wait until he'd unpacked before taking over his trolley. Then, once inside, I discovered quite a few things on my list were either sold out completely or had few items left and very short 'use by' dates. I suppose the awful weather must have interrupted deliveries and kept the weekend customers away. It wasn't an experience I would care to repeat... Then, to cap it all, on my way out of the car park, a lady suddenly swung her emptied trolley right out into the path of my car and scraped my paintwork! She had her coat hood up, as it was raining, and she clearly neither saw nor heard my car.  I was only going at crawling speed and thankfully only hit the trolley and not the lady, but it was a shock. She came from my blind side, out of nowhere. She was very apologetic, as was I, but it was an unpleasant little incident and I was glad to get safely home! 

 

Not so boring

Even the more mundane corners of our suburban landscape are lifted by the colours of autumn. 

As a PS, ironically but very sadly, I just learned the beautiful tree above succumbed to last night’s wind and has fallen. Isn’t that tragic? At least I’ve immortalised it. 

Big skies

Both my granddaughters had their birthdays recently. (It's hard to believe they're now 15 and 12... Where does the time go?) They're both a joy; it's wonderful to see them maturing into two amazing young women, both very bright and mostly quite sensible. Anyway, it necessitated a couple of trips over the moor road to Hebden Bridge to visit and celebrate with them. 

The highest elevation of the A6033 road is about 1420ft/433m and the surrounding moorland up there is a plateau, rising very slightly to 451m at the highest point. That means the views are distant but extensive, into Calderdale at one side and the Worth Valley at the other. 

Thankfully the weather on both journeys was fair, though the low sun at this time of year - right in my eyes as I drive south west! - is a bit of a nuisance. Coming home on one occasion, the cloud formation was amazing as the sun slipped down so I stopped to take these photos. We've changed the clocks this weekend and many journeys will be in the dark, so I was making the most of the light while I could! 

There was evidently rain falling somewhere in the Worth valley, which you can see from the picture above, but there was a bit of a pink and orange sunset too. I love those big skies up there. 

A celebration of walking and pubs

Salts Mill has an ongoing exhibition of work by our wonderful local photographer, Ian Beesley. I've written posts about him before (see HERE). Just recently there's been a small addition to the current display, as he has published photos and a little booklet called 'Take a Walk on the Mild Side'. Another collaboration with local poet Ian McMillan, it explores the urban pubs of the post-industrial north and the walks between them.  

On the strength of the exhibition I wandered into the bookshop and bought the booklet, which is, I suppose, in modern parlance a 'zine' - soft back, quite informally put together. For the cost of little more than a pint or a couple of coffees, it's a little gem that I'm pleased to have in my ever-growing collection of photo books. 

I inevitably had a good browse in the bookshop though I managed to restrict my purchases to just the one item! There's always a very good selection of books, nicely displayed - and in Salts Mill I always find something I've not noticed before. This time it was a selection of posters by Brian Wildsmith (1930-2016), an illustrator of children's books. Utterly delightful, I wish they'd been available when my daughter or grandies were smaller.  Here's The Snow Queen: 

 

Botanical garden

After viewing the Pop Art exhibition, I had a lovely walk around Lister Park, enjoying the sunshine. The sun did keep disappearing behind clouds but when it was shining it really brought out the colours. Yes, they were as saturated as they look here, stunning! There were a surprising number of flowers still in bloom, and some vibrant shrubs in their autumn finery. 

I loved this patch of pink cyclamen clustered around the base of a tree; delicate looking but surprisingly hardy, they remind me of butterflies or ballet dancers. 

A well-placed acer punctuated the green foliage along the streamside. 

I'm not sure that the neon green tree (above) is a native British variety but it was certainly striking, as were the bright pink leaves of the shrub below - possibly a variety of spindle tree (Euonymous).  

Of course, autumn wouldn't be autumn without a patch of purple Michaelmas daisies. 

 

Pop Art

The new exhibition at Cartwright Hall is 'Pop Art'. The Pop Art movement exploded during the 1950s and 60s. Inspired by popular culture, it was rooted in the growth of mass consumerism and advertising. New methods of printmaking made it cheap and accessible. 

In 1968, Cartwright Hall created and staged the First British International Print Biennale, and went on to hold eleven such exhibitions up to 1990, a notable showcasing of print as a medium and a round-up of some of the most influential artists of the time. 

The first biennale poster (above),'Tree and Grass', was designed by David Hockney, who was also involved in the selection of artists. His own involvement with the Pop Art movement encouraged some of the biggest names to exhibit. I don't remember seeing this print before. What struck me most was that the mark-making on it, though a little more delicate, seems to have a direct link to some of Hockney's work in the latter part of his long career, such as those iPad paintings like the Normandie prints that were displayed in Salts Mill (see HERE). 

I really liked this poster, designed for the 6th Biennale by Patrick Caulfield, with a noticeable Japanese influence. 

Of course a Pop Art exhibition has to include a couple of Andy Warhol prints: a version of his Marilyn Monroe posters and an iconic soup can. (I rather liked the pink wall too!) 

Finally, another Pop Art 'great', Roy Lichtenstein. This one is called 'Peace Through Chemistry', and may reference the use by the United States of 'Agent Orange', a highly toxic herbicide used during the Vietnam War that had devastating health effects both for the Vietnamese population and for US and allied veterans. 

 The exhibition is on until 27 March 2027 and is worth a visit. 

Lister Park views

Lister Park, which surrounds Bradford's civic art gallery, Cartwright Hall, is always good for a wander - and is possibly at its most beautiful in autumn. I've been enjoying it since the early 1970s, when I was a student in digs nearby. Eventually, I moved into an apartment overlooking the park for a couple of years.

Its statues of Diana the huntress (top) and the stag (above) are old friends. 

The park is full of beautiful, mature trees. There's a lake, a bandstand and lots of meandering paths. Back in the day it had an open-air lido too, though that has long gone, replaced by tennis courts and sports pitches. I visited recently to enjoy a new exhibition in the gallery and I delighted in a walk round the park too, luckily dodging the rain showers.

Rainbow

It was a squally, windy, wet day but I very much enjoyed the perfect rainbow that appeared (with its very faint double arc). It lasted for ages before fading. All shall be well...  perhaps. 

Sunday stroll

It was a dull but dryish Sunday morning (last week) so I went for a stroll, down Victoria Road and into the park. The trees by the United Reformed Church are very definitely heading in an autumn direction. The biggest tree, that used to be so colourful, sadly collapsed a few years ago but there are still enough left to make a good show. 

In the park the monthly Farmers' Market was in full swing. It's enjoyable to browse and see what is on sale, but all the produce is pretty expensive. £8 for a small jar of honey; Greek extra virgin olive oil at eye-watering prices! Mostly beyond my budget, save for the odd splurge. There are plenty of tempting sweet foods and pastries too, but I'm eating so healthily these days that it has ruined the pleasure of such things. I had some lemon cake the other day and didn't really enjoy it at all, as I visualised the resulting blood sugar spike! 

I often wonder what Sir Titus Salt would think of all these developments...  A pizza oven at his feet! 

Beyond the park, I walked along the riverbank through the nature reserve. The wildflower meadow has been mown. I wonder if it will ever become the pretty sight that one imagines when you say 'wildflower meadow'. It was just rough ground initially and, a few years later, still seems to end up dominated by very coarse grasses and plants, with not that many actual flowers. 

Crossing the River Aire on the footbridge near Hirst Lock, autumn tints in the foliage are gathering pace here too. 

Fall

Just a random shot of a random gutter full of autumn leaves... but isn't it beautiful, when you look closely? No two leaves are the same and the way they layer is both artful and artless. 

Let's find glory in the smallest, simplest pleasures...   

The River Wharfe at Bolton Abbey

The River Wharfe meanders through the whole length of the Bolton Abbey estate. As I noted yesterday, this time I walked downstream to Bolton Bridge. The bridge itself is quite hard to see clearly through the vegetation. There is a little hamlet here with a few estate cottages, farm buildings and The Devonshire Arms hotel, which caters for tourists, weddings and conferences. 

Seen from the bridge, the river here is wide and relatively slow moving. (It had a lot more water in it than last time I visited a few weeks ago.)

In contrast, up nearer to the Priory it falls over rocks and swirls in big meanders. 

No-one was going to be hopping over the stepping stones on this day! They were deeply submerged. Thankfully there is also a footbridge, which follows the line of a small weir.