Babes and bluebells

It was 14 April and I had not realised that the Leeds schools had another week of the Easter Holidays left. (Bradford's schools had already returned.) It meant there were more children around Bolton Abbey than I had expected (which means photography can be more difficult) but the bonus was that there was a coffee van parked at the Strid, only there at holiday times. It was very pleasant to sit sipping a cappucino, overlooking the water. I snapped the little group of youngsters from the back, so I don't think that's violating any principles. I thought they looked very sweet in their wellies. 

I chose the top path from the Cavendish Pavilion to the Strid, which took me right through the middle of the bluebell woods. They were just beginning to unfurl, not yet at their peak but still leaving a flush of blue across the woodland floor, as though someone had dashed a brush of watercolour paint across. There were plenty of wild garlic leaves too, with a few of their white flowers starting to poke through.

Square eyes

My mother used to warn/threaten us, as children, that we'd 'get square eyes' from watching too much television. (Worries about 'screen time' have been with us for decades!) Nowadays, I sometimes decide I'll take my 'square eyes' on a walk, just for a change. It's funny how imposing a restriction, like setting my camera to a different ratio, can sometimes make me more creative, or at least free me up to look at things a little differently. 

I made the most of a bright, dry morning with a trip to Bolton Abbey - and timed it perfectly. The rain started just as I drove away from the car park to come home! It was all very beautiful, quite possibly my favourite time of year when the new leaves are bathing the trees in varying shades of soft green and amber, interspersed with a few bursts of blossom.  

I just blissed out and really enjoyed finding square compositions. When I got home and uploaded the photos, I wasn't sure that my bliss in the moment had translated into all that many wonderful images, but it doesn't really matter. I had fun. 

Lantern Parade

As part of the World Heritage Day celebrations in Roberts Park, Cecil Green Arts collective organised a lantern parade. The puppets are amazing. Lots of children had attended workshops to make illuminated willow wands and colourful paper lanterns too. The atmosphere was wonderful as they paraded around the park at dusk. It was actually darker than it looks on some of my photos, but I've lightened them so you can see some detail. 

 

Kirkgate Bateria!

Kirkgate Bateria! are a relatively new, local, percussion group bringing 'high-energy Afro-Brazilian drumming' to our celebratory events. Here they are in Roberts Park, playing as part of the World Heritage Day festival. Seemed like they were having fun and it was certainly an infectious rhythm. I did video them but the clip turned out to be too big to upload. Boo. 

World Heritage Day

World Heritage Day brought a day of celebration to Roberts Park, marking the special milestone of 25 years since Saltaire’s inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There was music in the bandstand, a craft market along the promenade and a fun fair and street food stalls on the lower field. 

Conversations were going on at the Dog Show: 

and I spotted a small dog that must surely be called Yoda? 

There was a lady playing a rather lovely vintage hand organ ....

   ... and Sir Titus Salt leaping around on his alpaca. He often turns up at our festive events. 

Meanwhile the cricket season has begun and Saltaire Cricket Club weren't going to allow a festival to get in the way of their fixture list. Thankfully there's enough room on the bottom meadow for the funfair and the cricket. 

More blossom

More cherry blossom! I can't get enough of it and I'm always sorry when it's over. Sadly it doesn't last long but we are lucky enough to have some quite large trees around here and can enjoy it. 

These pink trees are in the gardens - Alexandra Square - in front of Saltaire's almshouses. Built in 1868, the almshouses were intended for the aged and infirm, who were initially chosen by Sir Titus Salt himself (and later the Trustees), to receive housing and a small pension. Many of them are still used as social housing. 

And here's one a little closer to home:

I wish...

I wonder if today's parents of young children realise how lucky they are to have all the child orientated facilities that abound in our local areas? I would have given my right arm, when my daughter was a toddler, for a well-equipped, toddler-friendly playground, or a café where you could happily breastfeed or change a nappy, or a soft-play centre, or the choice of baby classes that nowadays exist - singing, dancing, art, baby signing, story telling and so on. 

I had few friends with young children and when I once tried a local church playgroup it wasn't welcoming. (Even less welcoming to her father, on the days that he was caring for our daughter.) I used to take her to a local carpet shop that, for some reason, had a small ball pool where she would play happily for a while. I used to have to pretend that I was thinking of buying a carpet! 

Eureka, the National Children's Museum, opened in Halifax in 1992 and is wonderful for children (though quite expensive) but by then my daughter was already ten and on the top side, age-wise, to find it interesting. We found things to do, of course, but I used to find the ingenuity required was quite exhausting. Even the museums and galleries we used to visit were not nearly as child-friendly as they seem these days. There were no playrooms or free packs of paper and crayons to play with, as seems standard these days. 

Just locally in Saltaire, two new facilities have opened. The Baby Bean ('where little moments brew big smiles') is 'a calm and welcoming space designed for babies, toddlers and young children, combining imaginative play with a relaxed café environment for parents'. It's even screened from passers-by, to aid the calmness. It has a role-play village and a sensory room to engage the little ones. What bliss! 

Further along the street, Art-K offers art classes and workshops for children (and a few for adults too) to explore their creativity and develop their artistic skills. 

I so wish I'd had access to such things, as a young mum. 

Roberts Park blossom

I wandered down to this month's farmer's market in Roberts Park. There's usually a stall selling delicious, pressed apple juice blends. I don't drink much juice as it's not supposed to be all that good for you but, as an occasional treat, it's fine, I think. I'm trying the apple and beetroot, which is a pretty pink and very tasty. 

In the park, the mature cherry trees are a splendid sight, covered in blossom. 

I also spotted a little patch of cowslips, which remind me of my childhood. They seemed more common years ago. 

 

Atkinson Grimshaw

A brief 'summer' rapidly turned wintry again, with 10ºC difference in the temperature between one day and the next! Plus wind and rain... so I hopped on the train to Leeds civic art gallery to catch an exhibition that will soon be closing. I couldn't resist an internal shot of the gallery itself. The bright, modern mural contrasts interestingly with the classic white interior of the next room. 

The exhibition was 'Don't Let's Ask For The Moon', featuring work by the Leeds-born Victorian artist John Atkinson Grimshaw [1836-1893]. (A more Northern name would be hard to find!). Atkinson Grimshaw specialised in 'Nocturnes' - twilight and moonlight pictures - which brought him great commercial success. Many were waterside scenes on the Thames in London (below), Liverpool, Scarborough, Glasgow and the Aire in Leeds.   

On display were several Leeds scenes that I've not seen before.  'Boar Lane, Leeds by Lamplight' is evocative of the wet streets, slightly misty evening air and the gas-lit shops, with the lights of a steam tram halt in the distance. 

I really liked 'Tree Shadows on the Park Wall, Roundhay Park, Leeds', with the lone figure telling quite a story, I thought. 

Most of his work was landscapes but he also painted a series of works depicting mythical fairy-like creatures, including 'Iris, messenger to the Gods'. Here he was able to pursue an interest in mythology, a serious classical subject, sanctioning his painting of erotically charged nudes. No doubt they made him money too! 

I loved 'Snow and Mist' (below), which was much lighter and more minimal, one of the last paintings he completed. Overall, it was an enjoyable exhibition. I like his paintings, though they don't quite rank in the 'thrilling' category of art, for me. 

St Paul's Road, Shipley

St Paul's, Shipley's original parish church, was built in 1826, after the Church Building Act 1818 (known as the 'Million Act') granted money from the government specifically for the building of new churches to support the growing population. I think originally it was on the edge of the town but gradually housing grew up around it. I'm not sure but I'd guess the large property opposite (on the left of my photo; now flats or possibly a care home, I think) dates to around the turn of the 19th/20th centuries. It has that unusual corner tower, something that isn't commonplace around here. 

It also has a lovely, mature magnolia tree in the garden, which for a brief spell each year really adds some beauty to the scene.