Advent windows #6

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

The decorated windows in Saltaire Methodist Church contained a heartfelt plea for a better New Year for us all. The unbelievably tough (in so many ways) years of 2020, 2021 and 2022 are consigned to the fire. 

The second window heralds a clean sheet, a new year, with people coming together with light and hope. 

However the last few years have felt to you, if you're reading this I'm sure there is something to be grateful for. We emerge from the trials, hopefully stronger, certainly glad for those around us who have helped to keep us going, even in the smallest of ways. I'm grateful for all my friends, particularly those I've come to know through my blog. There are those who've commented (and you have no idea how much I value your comments, letting me know you are out there, often many miles away, and have a little bit of interest in my world here.) Those who rarely comment but just quietly enjoy 'tuning in' occasionally are also a gift. And there are all those whose beautiful photos and thoughtful writings have so enriched my days. In the mornings, when I wake up, I usually take a mug of tea back to my cosy bed and read your blogs. It's so interesting to see what's going on, all over the world; places and people that are at once so different and yet share so much in common. Thank you all. 

Wishing us all a much better 2023 - happier, healthier and much more peaceful. Thinking especially of those still struggling, with so much courage and dignity, in Ukraine, despite the inhuman bombardment from Russia. I'm praying for a peaceful end to that conflict this year. 

 

Heavenly peace

A peaceful view of the canal between the two mills: Salts Mill and the New Mill. It's a view I've captured hundreds of times and yet it never quite looks the same from one time to the next. On this day there was barely a breath of wind to disturb the surface of the water. I've processed the photos in a rather softer and high key manner than I normally would, which I think emphasises the tranquillity. There were few people about, though it was mid-afternoon; chilly, so maybe that was putting people off going out. 

I love this place!  

Festive wreaths

I went round the village one day 'collecting' Christmas wreaths (only as photos!) It's lovely to see the pride people take in decorating their homes at this festive time. It's also amazing to see the many different creations possible in such a simple shape. 

Advent windows #5

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

Here's another window with a literary connection, and a bold and graphic design. Its creators, Luke and Katie, chose 'A Christmas Carol' because the novel is a Christmas classic and fits with Saltaire's Victorian heritage. In December 1854 (the year after Salts Mill opened) it was performed on stage at St George's Hall in Bradford by Charles Dickens himself. 

Today's second window doesn't, as far as I know, have a published explanation, but it's rather cheery and neatly works with the 1930s leaded glass in this house's window. There was a car parked directly outside in the narrow street, which made it difficult to photograph, so I thought I'd include the reflection in the car's roof as an added extra! 

The third window is simple but bold. No prizes for guessing what the building is! 

 

Robins

Beloved of Christmas cards, our native 'robin redbreast' is with us all year round but most noticeable, I suppose, in the winter. Their bright red-orange feathers make them stand out against the paler backdrop of frost-tinged foliage. On a recent walk around Harlow Carr Gardens, I was cheered to see several hopping about. Many of them were very tame, especially those around the outdoor tea rooms, waiting for people to drop crumbs, which they'd then hop in and snap up with little fear. 

Christmas in Salts Mill

Salts Mill always looks festive at Christmas time, with several big, decorated trees: in the foyer, in the 1853 Gallery, in the Bookshop and the Diner. Even the bust of Sir Titus was sporting a festive garland, appropriately made of holly. Holly was a favourite of his and he amassed a huge collection on his estate. You find holly trees of different types in the hedgerows and woods all over this area. There are some right across from my house, full of berries this year. 

 

Light

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'  John 1:5

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas, from my heart - in the heart of Saltaire. 

Fight the fight; 

Be the beacon;

Shine your light. 

Waiting for Father Christmas

(For the avoidance of doubt, the photo above was taken at Harewood House - not my home!)

Tonight's the night! Don't forget to leave out the sherry and mince pies for Father Christmas, and some carrots for the reindeer.  

I can't help but wonder how many children will be disappointed this year to find that, by the time Santa Claus has paid for reindeer food to power his sleigh and an increased minimum wage for his elves, not to mention the cost of importing gifts after Brexit, there really isn't much in his sack. 

Thankfully, I and my loved ones are among the ranks of the relatively privileged in the UK and we mustn't take it for granted - and it's not about the gifts really, is it? I've long felt that Christmas is a bit too commodified, so I try to keep a sensible balance. When you factor in all the ills in so much of the world, not to mention what we've all come through in the last few years, then a good night's sleep followed by food on the table and the company of family and friends is all I want. Who could ask for more? 

Wishing you joy and peace this Christmas night.

PS: I’m not quite getting my own wish! I can hardly believe it but I tested positive for Covid yesterday. After having avoided it all this time, it’s a bit cruel to have to be in individual lockdown over Christmas! I’m feeling pretty rough… I will look after myself and hope it doesn’t last long. 

Festive shops

I love the way Saltaire looks, early on a winter's evening. Despite the chill, the shops are lit and all look festive. Rad Studio is a lovely 'design-led gift and lifestyle shop' and always seems to have people browsing inside. It prides itself on offering something stylish and different; its displays are modern, classy and colourful. The shop opened in 2013 and seems to thrive so it must be getting a lot right. 

Salt Village Bakery is another long-standing outlet, open long hours and always looking bright and inviting. Next door, the bar called 'Don't Tell Titus' has red lighting that makes it look warm and cosy. The stylish blue Christmas tree is in the hairdressing salon XS Hair and Beauty.  

Further down Victoria Road, the Mill Building that used to be the Dining Hall for Salts Mill, opposite, is now used by Shipley College. Its floristry students have created festive wreaths and rather amazing Christmas tree dresses to decorate the windows. 

Advent windows #4

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

A few more of our Advent windows - the first a rather sweet scene of children decorating a Christmas tree. The bold silhouettes are a good technique to adopt when designing these windows; they have impact. 

There are some story book images too. Most people will recognise Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, following the Yellow Brick Road and heading towards the Emerald City. Lucy, the window's creator, says that 'The Wizard of Oz' was her dad's favourite childhood film. Despite being 80 years old, the film starring Judy Garland is still a family favourite. 

As to the window below, which says 'wishes do come true'... I guess someone is dreaming of a unicorn. 

Advent windows #3

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

Taking a shape cue from the lovely arched window in this house on Dove Street, there are colourful toadstools and gnomes in a stained glass window effect.  I think this is my favourite so far: bold, bright and graphic. 

People get inspiration from all sorts of things. Jyothi, who designed the window above, was prompted to pay a tribute to her grandmother's mulled wine recipe, which includes 'a healthy glug of brandy as well as all the classic red wine, fruit and spices'. To be honest, I'd have welcomed a warming glass of that as I stood outside in the cold, fumbling with frozen fingers trying not to drop my phone!

The rather zany picture below shows a pheasant wrapping Christmas presents. Hmmm. 

 

Frost

I think we are too deep in the valley to get the beautiful hoar frost on trees that I see on many photos (or maybe I just don't get up and out quickly enough). It's sheltered here and soon warms up when the sun comes out. Nevertheless, the slightly sub-zero temperatures we've been having have created a ground frost and even a little of the white stuff makes everywhere look different and rather magical. 

The heron had decided that roosting in the sun in a field was preferable to having cold, wet feet standing on the weir, where he's normally to be found. He was pretty hunched up, with feathers fluffed out, not looking too overjoyed about life. 

The river wasn't frozen over but the canal was, with various leaves suspended in the ice. 

Ice bound

We've had sub-zero temperatures for a week or so. Whilst much of the country has had snow, there's been none here yet, but it's been frosty and icy. 

The two boats (above) have been moored here for many weeks and are currently ice-bound so they won't be moving even if they wanted to. I think they've decided to stay here over the winter. I often see the owner chopping logs on the towpath. I suppose having a woodburner constantly fired up uses a lot of fuel. 

Nearer the locks there are a couple of boats that have arrived more recently. The cheery red wheelhouse cover was, photographically, a lovely foil to the cool colours of its surroundings. 

On the aqueduct you can clearly see how the canal, with fairly shallow and static water, is frozen over whereas the river Aire below is still running free. I was careful along this stretch. I know from past, painful experience that the concrete footway over the bridge can get very slippery. I was surprised to see a few boats from the rowing club out on the river. I wouldn't fancy my chances capsizing in that cold water! They obviously trust their ability to handle their craft. 

Advent windows #2

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022 

More colourful offerings, making the most of the many-paned Victorian sash windows of our 19th century houses to create a multitude of scenes. Traditional Christmas themes above, an Alice in Wonderland inspired window below. What I most liked about that one was that the family cat was still allowed to peek out of the window (bottom left pane). How thoughtful!

You might do better than I can at working out the songs referenced below:

 

Our Saltaire tradition

Saltaire Living Advent Calendar 2022

It's that time of year again: the season of Advent and (as my long-time readers will know) Saltaire has a tradition of making the whole village into a Living Advent Calendar. Windows in the village houses and businesses are decorated and each night in December, up to Christmas, one or two are 'opened' to make a festive trail around the streets. I like to go around once or twice to look at and photograph some of them, and share a few here. 

The best ones for photos are the bold and graphic ones, like Saltaire Village Society's offering above, of carol singers round a tree. Some of the more detailed scenes, whilst pretty to view, don't show up well in a photo. Over the years I've learned that my phone is as good as my camera for snapping them too. The camera needs a tripod in the dark and on our narrow and uneven streets that is quite a hazard. There are always some that are impossible to capture - placed too high or hidden by cars or foliage, but there are usually enough good ones to make a few blog posts. It's a lovely walk around the village, which I will share with you. 

All of the windows can be viewed HERE too, as they are opened. 

16 x 10

I suppose we all have our quirks (our 'little ways' as my daughter calls them), like what mug we like to use for our morning cuppa or which is our 'favourite' gas ring on the stove! We rarely talk about them, but I guess we all have some. One of mine, I realised, is that when it comes to my photos, I very rarely use a 'standard' sizing. I tend to crop them to suit the image itself. That's fine, of course, until you want to enter a competition or print one, when standard aspect ratios tend to be required. 

Occasionally I have found it stimulating to choose beforehand what I'm going to do - like when I went to Grassington lead mines and chose only to take square photos. It made me see things differently and I was pleased with the results. 

The photos here were all taken along the riverside in Bingley, on a recent walk. I've chosen to crop them all to a 16 x10 aspect ratio, just because I think it suits the scenes. It makes for neater looking blog posts too - but I'm not too fussed about that most of the time! 

These are surprisingly tranquil scenes, I think you will agree, given that Bingley high street is only a couple of minutes walk from here. In the top photo, looking north upstream, you can perhaps just see the mill chimney of the Damart factory. Damart, manufacturer of thermal underwear (worn, I gather, by the late Princess Diana as well as me!) has had its UK HQ here since 1967. The second photo is Bingley's Myrtle Park, which has a beautiful open space alongside the river, as well as a more formal park on the upper level nearer the town centre. There are still a few leaves hanging on on some of our trees. They won't last much longer now the weather has turned colder. 

I was a little puzzled by the swan gliding along (below), apparently in the trees well above the river - until I realised that there is a fishing lake hidden in the woods

Leaning over Ireland Bridge, there is a pleasant view of the weir and the backs of the very old properties clustered around the church on Bingley's Old Main Street. 

 

Christmas bandstand

Thanks to the volunteers in 'Friends of Roberts Park', who arrange numerous events throughout the year to encourage visitors and locals to enjoy our beautiful park. The other day there was a 'Christmas Bandstand' with various musicians taking turns to play Christmassy music. Mulled wine and crepes provided warming refreshment on what was a freezing cold day. 

Unfortunately I arrived late to the event, so I missed the choir that I most wanted to see! They were just finishing their last song as I got there, and then there was a bit of a hiatus whilst the next musicians set up their gear. They were enjoyable however, playing lively music that sounded (to my deaf ears, anyway) like it had an Irish folk base. Sir Titus Salt was seen to be jigging around merrily on his pet alpaca, 'Pepper'.

I think similar gatherings have probably been happening since our park's creation in Victorian times. I've chosen to use sepia-toning on these images to suggest that timeless continuity. 

Incidentally, my tardy arrival was because I was waiting for a technician who was to connect up my new 'smart' gas and electricity meters. He was behind schedule (as they often are!) He did come eventually, so now I have one of those display units in the kitchen that tells me how much energy I'm using from minute to minute - all the better to scare myself with! Sometimes I think it's better not to know. I wouldn't have chosen to have smart meters but I had no option as my electricity meter was effectively obsolete and had to be replaced.

Baubles

I spent some time at St James' Christmas Tree Festival trying to capture the shiny, colourful baubles and lights in pleasing arrangements. These things are never quite as easy as you think they're going to be! Most of the trees had flashing LED lights that made things even more challenging. But oh, so pretty. 

I loved this little munchkin's smiley face, so cute: