Statue of Elizabeth II

A visit to York (on a very rainy day) gave me the opportunity to visit the Minster and see the new statue of HM Queen Elizabeth II, unveiled by King Charles III last November. The statue was intended as a tribute on the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, to mark her 70 years as monarch. Unfortunately she died just after it was finished and so the unveiling was delayed until after the mourning period. It has been placed in a niche on the cathedral's West Front, adjacent to the wonderful 'Heart of Yorkshire' west window. (The heart shape in the tracery can clearly be seen in the image below.)

The statue looks tiny in the vast expanse of the West Front stonework, but in fact is 2m tall and weighs almost two tonnes. It was carved from French Lepine limestone in the Minster's own stoneyard and designed by master carver Richard Bossons, one of the Minster's stonemasons. 

Inside the Minster there was an interesting exhibition detailing the statue's creation, from initial design through the modelling stages to the carving of the final sculpture. The larger-than-life-size model is on display so that visitors can see the detail close up. Made of polyurethane, modelling clay and plaster, the model provided precise 3D measurements, which were then machine-cut into a block of limestone. The master carver hand-finished the detailed carving. Her Majesty is depicted wearing Garter Robes. 

Long time readers of my blog may remember that my daughter and I were lucky enough to get tickets to watch the Garter Ceremony at Windsor Castle in 2013 (see HERE) so we did see the Queen in similar robes. The Order of the Garter is one of the oldest and most senior orders of knighthood in Britain, consisting of the Monarch, senior members of the Royal family and 24 Knights (both men and women), chosen personally by the Sovereign to honour those who have held public office, made an outstanding contribution to national life or served the Sovereign personally. 

Peace

I went to a family funeral yesterday, a much-loved member of my parents' generation who lived to just 20 days short of his 97th birthday, though sadly suffering from dementia in the last few years. 'A good life, well-lived' sums it up; may he rest in peace. The funeral was in County Durham so I had an early start and a long drive. As always, it was lovely to catch up with family members I haven't seen for a while. By the time I got home, however, having negotiated the pre-Bank Holiday weekend traffic and the ubiquitous roadworks (where there is hardly ever anyone actually working, to justify the  - in this case - eight miles of traffic cones and a speed limit, followed by a 20 minute jam at temporary traffic lights), I was exhausted and inwardly screaming. Gone are the days when you might have 'a drive' just for the sheer pleasure of it! 

A cup of tea and something to eat settled me somewhat and, since it was a lovely evening, I then went for a short walk. Enjoying the golden rays of the setting sun restored my equilibrium and brought me peace.  

It is currently staying light until almost 9pm, so evening walks are back on the menu. I enjoy how the low sun illuminates things differently so I literally see familiar places 'in a new light'. 

School strike day

Anyone who is keeping up with the UK news probably knows that we are in the midst of a series of strikes by public sector workers, angered by low pay, the cost of living crisis and abysmal working conditions. It's rare that our health service workers strike but we have had nurses, junior doctors and paramedics taking action recently. School teachers, rail workers and postal workers have also been on strike. Yesterday was a school strike day, so in order that my daughter could do at least a modicum of her own paid work (at home) I went over to see what I could do to help. My older granddaughter is happier these days spending time with her friends and they seem generally a sensible lot so they are allowed to walk into town (only 15 minutes away) to the park or a coffee bar. It feels a big step towards independence but you have to allow it eventually. In this age of mobile phones, they at least have easy access to parental help if need be. She texts to say what they're up to and her phone can be tracked if necessary too. 

Anyway, that meant I had the pleasure of spending some time with my younger granddaughter, who is now eight. After some discussion we opted to visit a small 'butterfly and jungle experience' attraction in nearby Halifax (Manor Heath Park) and we had a really lovely time. There is a series of large greenhouses, kept warm and humid, where they grow tropical plants. There are pools, a stream and waterfalls threading through, home to fish and terrapins. There are also some large butterflies flying around in the greenery. We spotted quite a few, including some gorgeous blue ones, but they proved impossible to photograph with a mobile phone. The plants were more accommodating! There were some orchids and bromeliads but I don't know what many of them are. Perhaps they'll be familiar to those who live in warmer climes. 

We call these unusual, waxy plants 'flamingo plants' but I'm sure they have a more 'proper' name. We thought they looked as though they'd been coated with nail polish, so shiny. In one of the ponds there was an exquisite bright pink lily, quite unlike our native waterlilies which lie flat on the water. This was more like a lotus, standing erect. 

There were butterfly pupa in a tank, like little jewels hanging down. Fascinating. 

A banana tree caught our interest too... though my granddaughter assured me they'd seen plenty in Thailand! I've lived seven times longer than her but she has already travelled further. 

We spent quite some time leaning over bridges and watching the fish and wildlife below. 

This is what she was looking at - terrapins:

A coffee and a hot chocolate at the little café in the park was welcome. It's nearly May but it was a freezing cold day! Not that my little, fearless adventurer seemed to mind... 

Cricket

The cricket season starts in mid-April in England, so Saltaire Cricket Club's 1st XI were playing a match in Roberts Park on Saturday. Their opponents were North Leeds CC. The match was only just underway when I was watching, with Leeds in (batting) and Saltaire out in the field (bowling and fielding). Anyone who thinks it's a pedestrian game should watch the athleticism of those bowlers!  It is very pleasant to hear the thwack of the balls on bats again. Summer is coming! 

For those who don't understand cricket, we have tea-towels helpfully printed with the following explanation: 

'Cricket: As explained to a foreigner...

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out. When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in.
When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out.
Sometimes, there are men still in and not out.
There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. Depending on the weather and the light, the umpires can also send everybody in, no matter if they're in or out.
When both sides have been in and all the men are out (including those who are not out), then the game is finished, unless it's a game where they all have to go in twice.'

NB: Women play this game too. They are just as good as the men. 

Three in mono

World Heritage Day commemorates UNESCO's World Heritage Sites around the world, of which Saltaire is one, gaining its accolade in 2001. The UNESCO citation says: 'Saltaire, West Yorkshire, is a complete and well-preserved industrial village of the second half of the 19th century. Its textile mills, public buildings and workers' housing are built in a harmonious style of high architectural standards and the urban plan survives intact, giving a vivid impression of Victorian philanthropic paternalism'.  There is a wealth of interesting information on the Saltaire Village website HERE. 

These three photos offer just a hint of the reasons for Saltaire's listing, with sunshine illuminating the early spring scene. These were just phone shots, edited quickly with Lightroom presets. I don't usually do my mono conversions that way but in these instances 'quick' was easy and effective. 

The top photo shows Albert Terrace, that oft-photographed view of our remaining cobbled street, with Salts Mill in the background. The steps (below) are the worn steps down to the mill. 

And lastly, the old-style street lamps.

I've been experimenting with some collages too, so here are these three images as a composite (though Blogger isn't really the best platform for long, thin images! You can make it slightly bigger by clicking on it.):

Local colour

At one time when we had celebrations in Saltaire there used to be lots of street performers around: jugglers and fire eaters and suchlike.  There didn't really seem to be any this year, though Bradford Belles were there in their very colourful outfits, 'challenging the notion that women over 50 are boring!'

Sir Titus was also there, riding his alpaca:

Street food included burgers and chips, curry, Greek dishes and traditional German sausages (the wurst!) and, of course, 'Yorkshire Pudding Wraps', basically a roast dinner without the spuds and veg. 

In the midst of it all, our faithful friends the dogs (of all shapes and sizes) were excited, bemused or just watchful. I had the impression this beautiful Border Collie was itching to round people up! 

 

World Heritage Day in Saltaire

Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saltaire celebrates World Heritage Day each year. Like most things, the event has become more commercialised and less 'local' over the years. This year there was a fair in Roberts Park, with street food, a market and music in the bandstand. Saltaire History Society had a stall and were showing a short Powerpoint presentation about the history of Saltaire and why it was built. Sir Titus was possibly bemused by the roundabouts and children's rides around his feet! 

I'm not sure who was playing in the bandstand when I was there but they sounded quite good to me (though, being deaf, I'm not a reliable barometer as far as music is concerned!) Despite it being a really cold, dull and drizzly day, people seemed to be enjoying themselves. 

Spring flowers

Harlow Carr Gardens again...  An area of gently sloping banking among some mature trees has in recent years been planted up with an abundance of spring bulbs and spring-flowering plants. It looks very pretty: a multi-coloured carpet that gives an impressionistic effect. It's interesting that our spring flowers (certainly our native ones) mostly come in soft shades of blue, mauve, yellow and white. Against the fresh greens of young foliage, it's such a pleasing palette.  I loved these anemones:

Elsewhere, flower beds and containers were filled with tulips and hyacinths. The Fritillaria Imperialis (Crown Imperial) is a plant of the lily family, native to the mountainous areas of Turkey, Iran and across to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Himalayan foothills. It's rather spectacular:

Water features

I took a friend to RHS Harlow Carr Gardens this week to enjoy the spring flowers, before next week's forecast bad weather, which may well spoil them. They are doing a huge amount of redevelopment there and some of the newly landscaped and planted areas are beginning to fill up with foliage and colour, which is good to see. The pool and rockery near the entrance has heathers and some rather lovely grape hyacinths that were bigger than the usual variety and had interesting duo-tone pale blue and navy blue flower heads. 

The streamside has been cleaned up and replanted... and perhaps widened a little, I think. The gardens have suffered some flooding in recent winters so I think they've been trying to improve the drainage, all the time working out how best to accommodate the rapid climate change that is affecting our gardens and farms. 

I found some more information about the new bridge over the lake and my thought that it looked like a barcode, when I first saw it in the winter (HERE), is not far from the truth. It's actually a representation of the DNA strand found in the Arabidopsis thaliana or Thale Cress plant, the first plant to have its genome fully sequenced. 

Finally, NOT a water feature but I was amused at this squirrel, quite a young one by the looks of it. It obviously subscribed to the line of thought that goes 'if I stay quite still no-one can see me'... except that we could see it, clinging for dear life to a tree trunk. The adults always run round to the opposite side of the tree out of sight and then scamper up. This one was frozen to the spot. It was safer than it knew, sweet little critter.  

 

Space and beyond

Just messing about with a panoramic photo I took on my phone in Roberts Park. These 'tiny planets' do offer a different slant on life, spinning off into space. The cricket pavilion is foremost in the image but you can also see the Half Moon Café across the grass and Salts Mill in the distance. 

(It's altogether more successful as a space probe than Elon Musk's SpaceX Starship rocket that experienced a 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' yesterday. 😞  I can't quite understand how we put men on the moon in 1969 and have made endless, almost routine trips, to the ISS and yet these latest rockets keep failing. Is it that NASA and other space agencies won't share their data with a private venture? It's clear someone knows how to build and launch rockets, even if Elon Musk and Richard Branson don't. ) 

On another tack, I note that this is my 1000th post on this blog, not to mention the nearly 4000 on my previous blog. I never imagined when I started in 2009 that it would become such an addictive pleasure!

The Knife Angel

I made a quick trip into Bradford city centre specifically to see The Knife Angel, which is on show outside City Hall for a month as part of a national tour. Sometimes referred to as The National Monument Against Violence and Aggression, it was created in 2018 by artist Alfie Bradley and the British Ironworks Centre in Oswestry. It stands 8.2m tall and is made of a steel frame covered in over 100,000 knives (disinfected and blunted), given up to knife banks in amnesties or seized by police after a crime. In the process more than 250,000 knives and other bladed weapons were removed from circulation. Some of them are engraved with the names of individuals lost to knife crimes or with messages of regret and forgiveness written by ex-offenders who now work to reduce knife crime. 

It is touring the country to highlight the scourge of knife crime and to promote an anti-violence message, educating people about the harmful effects of violent behaviour for individuals and for our communities.  I understand that, locally, workshops and related activities are being held and over 1000 young people have been recruited as anti-violence champions. Laudable aims, though one wonders if it will do any good. Violence and aggression seem to be very much part of our societies these days, unwelcome though they are.  

 

Four abstracts

One day I challenged myself to find some 'different' views of Saltaire's familiar places. These are some of the images I created. They could be called 'abstracts', since they might fit the definition of 'relating to or denoting art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but rather seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colours, and textures'. They are also about:  extracting or removing (something, from its context). It's a way of playing, anyway, and freeing myself so that I might find something new in this small place where I have lived for almost a quarter of a century and where I have photographed extensively for the past fifteen years. 

The top image is reflections in the canal of Salts Mill and the last remaining walkway that spans the canal, linking Salts Mill with the New Mill. 

Below is shadows cast by the church's gates.  

Then, less abstract and not 'new' in itself as this is one of the perennial subjects I return to - reflections of trees in water. Yet it never stays the same for more than a second, as the water swirls, and the cloud patterns and the light change.  

 

And finally,  a variation of the top image, pushing myself to be a bit more creative: