Tower detail

I always think Saltaire's creamy stonework looks best against a stormy, grey-blue sky. Here's one of the towers (maybe chimneys or ventilation shafts?) that grace Salts Mill's south front. One of a pair, this has quite an ornate weather vane too. 

Shipley's best kept secret?

I happened to be walking home along Leeds Road in Shipley, just alongside the railway station, when I remembered someone once told me of a hidden graveyard on top of a knoll in that area. I had time to spare so I climbed up the slope and fought my way through the undergrowth to find it. 

It was originally the churchyard of the Bethel Baptist Church, which was built in 1758 and rebuilt in 1837, then demolished in the 1970s. The graves mostly seem to date from the mid 1800s. Most of the headstones are damaged and the area is now completely wild and overgrown. Judging by the amount of litter and broken glass, it's used as a drinking den, but there were only squirrels playing around when I was there.  About ten years ago one of the local councillors called for it to be tidied up and preserved but it looks as though that fell on deaf ears and nothing was done. A shame really, as it is part of the area's history and the remains interred there, many young children among them, surely deserve our respect. 

I am sure that most of the people waiting on Shipley station's platform, just below the graveyard, have no idea what is right above their heads.

Going, going, gone

It can be a bit disconcerting when I'm standing doing chores at the kitchen sink, to find creatures staring at me. There is a large spider that likes to weave its web right across my window (thankfully outside!) and then sit there, regarding me with a baleful glare. There's a (sweet) dog in the house opposite, very like my daughter's cockapoo though I don't know if it is that breed. It sits on their doorstep and fixes me with an unwavering, though adoring (or possibly hopeful), stare. Walk? Treat? Then there are these two house-cats next door opposite. I'm not sure what breed they are (Sphynx?) but sometimes when it's colder they wear little knitted sweaters. Very cute. They sit like a pair of bookends on the upper windowsill, staring me down. Who is going to blink first? On this occasion they were both there, and then one disappeared and then the other went too, leaving just the potted plant. It amused me.

A Raphael in Bradford

This is exciting! I had the great pleasure the other day to see this painting in Bradford's Cartwright Hall art gallery. It is known as the de Brécy Tondo. Bought in 1981 by George Lester Winward, from a country house sale, it was then listed as 'After Raphael: The Madonna and Child. Tondo.' (Tondo simply means a circular painting.) Winward became convinced that it was actually painted by Raphael, as a prototype for his Sistine Madonna altarpiece (below). (See also HERE.) He researched it deeply and had the painting evaluated, setting up the de Brécy Trust to continue the research after he died.

In 2004 the Tondo was analysed by Professor Howell Edwards, Emeritus Professor of Molecular Spectroscopy at the University of Bradford, who concluded that pigments in its paint were consistent with an early pre-1700 Renaissance work. Then more recently, Professor Hassan Ugail, Director of the Centre for Visual Computing, also at Bradford University, has concluded that studies using deep and detailed AI assisted facial recognition systems on the Madonna's face and that of the baby, and AI assisted analysis of the whole painting suggest 'undoubtedly' that the painting is in fact by Raphael himself. 

It is the most beautiful painting. I love Raphael's Madonnas anyway. When I went to see his 'Madonna della Sadia' in 2004 at the National Gallery (see HERE) I stood in front of it with tears streaming down my cheeks. Seeing the Tondo in Bradford gave me goosebumps! Painted around 1513, it is over 500 years old, and that alone is mind-bending to me, never mind the beauty of it and the tenderness with which the mother and baby are depicted. I shall have to go see it again before it leaves Bradford. It's a privilege to be able to study it. 

it's quite a coup for Bradford to have the Tondo's first public showing in Cartwright Hall. The young lady at the gallery's reception desk was palpably excited and proud to have it there. It is being exhibited for two months from 25 July. (See HERE for a newspaper article about it.) I'm sure one day, somewhere, it will be shown alongside the Sistine Madonna, at present in a German gallery in Dresden. If that was to be in London, I'd almost certainly go to see it again. 

The pink Porsche

I just happened to be passing Saltaire's church one day when I noticed a pink Porsche car driving up the path. It had been taken off a low-loader outside the gate and didn't have a number plate, so I can only imagine it was poised for a photo-shoot of some kind. I loved its colour. It's not often you see this, so your faithful roving reporter had to take a photo! The geese were unimpressed.

 

Playing on a bridge

The design of the new bridge over the lake at Harlow Carr Gardens references the DNA of the Thale Cress plant, the first plant to have its genome fully sequenced. Made of blond wood and Corten steel, it's rather interesting and allows room for a photographer to 'play' - so I did. 

 

A garden treat

I like to visit RHS Harlow Carr Gardens a few times a year, since there is always something new to see as the seasons change. I wasn't all that inspired to take photos during my latest trip with a friend (too busy chatting!) but still very much enjoyed wandering round. They are undertaking massive earthworks and reconstruction in several areas, which does rather spoil things, though when it's all done it will be nice. 

The jewel-bright calla lilies were massed in pots in the shop. Elsewhere, roses are in full bloom.

Several ponds within the gardens are home to a variety of waterlilies. This formal arrangement is the pond where a sacred lotus flowered a few years ago, but they need (apparently) very specific climate conditions to flower and there seemed no sign of it at the moment.

Grasses, blue painted timber and eryngium (Mediterranean sea holly) made a harmonious display. 

I was struck too by this blue grass (festuca glauca)... I can't think I've seen it before, very dramatic, though it did look a bit parched with all the hot weather we've had. 

It was my birthday in June and I managed quite a few small 'celebrations'. I don't usually bother queueing for coffee at the famous 'Betty's' restaurant at Harlow Carr; it's easier to grab a coffee at their outdoor café in the gardens, but this time my friend and I queued and I was treated to a cappucino and a delectable little carrot cake. It's all very elegant, with the serving staff in uniform in crisp white aprons. I don't usually bother posting photos of food on social media either but in this case I will, just to remind myself of a lovely treat. Yummy. 😋

The fire engine called

There was great excitement at the grandchildren's school fun day when the local fire crew from Todmorden arrived in their fire engine. They let the children climb in the cab and the crew space, and try on helmets and breathing apparatus. My grandgirls' grandfather was a fire fighter before he retired, which made it extra special for them. (I can remember years ago when their mum was a girl, she went with her dad to a 'Take Your Child to Work' Day! Thankfully they didn't go to a real fire but she still had a great time trying out hoses and learning about the firefighters' work at the Fire Training School.) 

I don't know if it's just me but firefighters, along with the police, seem to get younger all the time! 😂

The Ugly Bug Ball

My granddaughters' tiny village primary school is lucky enough to have access to a sports field just across the road. Their Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) used it recently to have a school 'fun day' with stalls and games, raising money for the school. One edge of the field is gradually being transformed by the children into an orchard and wildlife/wildflower trail, and it was this area that had been decorated by all manner of bugs and insects that the children had created. Bees, made from plastic milk cartons, buzzed around the trees. 

A big blue dragonfly hovered there and my youngest granddaughter was proud to show me the colourful butterfly she and her friends had created.

There was an army of bright snails: 

and an impressive cricket. The sign said they chirp faster on hot days - and it was VERY hot and humid - so I imagined the chirping was loud! 

 

Trig (and lunch) bagging

It's a few years since I walked all the way up to the trig point on Baildon Moor. It's only 282 feet above sea level but it's a long, slow climb from Saltaire in the valley bottom - and always windy up there! Trig points are triangulation stations, usually a concrete post with a metal disc in the top into which you can slot a theodolite, used for surveying in the days before aerial photography and electronic positioning aids (GPS) were available. There are over 5000 of them across Britain and some people make a habit of visiting as many as they can, a pastime known as 'trig bagging'. 

It wasn't a totally clear day but nevertheless you could see quite a few miles in all directions from the trig point. I could see Emley Moor TV mast, which is 26 miles away, supposedly the tallest freestanding structure in the UK at more than 300m, 20m taller than the Shard in London.  

On the walk up, I passed this ancient 'cup and ring marked' stone. These are examples of Bronze Age (2000 - 800 BC) rock art and have been found all over the Baildon, Rombalds and Ilkley moors, though their purpose isn't really clear. The markings have almost eroded away but there are examples preserved in local museums too. 

Just a short walk down from the trig point, beside a caravan site, an excellent little café has opened: Moor View Cabin. Friends had recommended it so I stopped there for lunch, choosing scrambled egg and smoked salmon on toast, with chives and dill mayonnaise - very tasty and beautifully presented. ☆☆☆☆☆ from me! Forgot to take a photo though! 

'LIFE' - Ian Beesley

Last September Salts Mill held a retrospective exhibition of the Bradford social documentary photographer, Ian Beesley's work. (See HERE for my post about it.) His photos hold a lot of meaning for me as they record the changing face of Bradford since I first moved here in 1970, as well as including a project about the closure of coal mines. (Coal mining is also a strong part of my heritage; on my mother's side of the family many of the menfolk were miners.) I thought at the time of the exhibition that it was a real shame that there was no accompanying book, so when I saw a Kickstarter project aiming to raise enough funds to publish a book, I knew I had to support it. Thankfully many others also supported it and the result is this wonderful volume. My signed copy arrived last week and I'm thrilled with it. Full of evocative photos, with Ian's characteristic dry sense of humour and wry recollections laced through the text, and some moving poems by local poet Ian McMillan, it is a tour de force.

The book has just been launched in the Mill, with a talk by Ian B himself. I popped in to see the new exhibition, which shows the various stages of compiling the book. I did wonder whether to go to the introductory talk but Ian is booked to speak at my camera club next season so I thought I'd wait for that event. I'm not sure for how long the current exhibition is on but I'm glad I took the time to see it. 

I also had time to browse in the bookshop (sorely tempted by another beautiful book about Minimalist photography - managed to resist!) but then tempted by a cappucino in Salts Diner, in their David Hockney-designed mugs. (It turned out to be Hockney's birthday on 9 July, he's 86. Happy birthday David!)

My walk home took me along the south front of Salts Mill. I've not been that way for a while... Still the same, still breathtaking. I love MY life! 

A wet Wharfedale walk

Changeable weather in July meant a wander by the River Wharfe turned into a WWW: a Wet Wharfedale Walk. It is, however, quite pleasant to swap the hot, dry days of June for something cooler and more refreshing. Our land needs the rain and a brisk wind meant that conditions changed quickly: sharp showers followed by sunshine. It all looked much more interesting than a landscape under a clear blue sky tends to do. 

We set off from the Strid car park on the Bolton Abbey Estate and walked upstream, following the Dalesway long-distance path. In the photo above, you can just about see Barden Bridge in the far distance. The River Wharfe was fairly low, meandering lazily over its gravel bed.  

The big sky and its grey, swirling clouds were shot through by the occasional blue patch, with an accompanying burst of bright sunshine picking out parts of the landscape.

Arriving at Howgill, we left the Dalesway, crossed the road and walked up a track, past some old stone barns and farm buildings. 

An attractively dilapidated old shed caught my eye; so many wonderful textures there.  

Our halfway point was, happily, the Brownie Barn, where a pot of tea and a brownie (Morello cherry - yum!) soon revived us. You could, however, see the rain approaching and our return along the lanes and down through the fields was a much soggier affair! 

The Art of the Potter

One of the current exhibitions in The Hepworth is: 'The Art of the Potter: Ceramics and Sculpture from 1930 to Now' and I found it very interesting. An array of glazed pots (above) was satisfying in its simplicity - such pure forms. There are, of course, many pieces by Barbara Hepworth always on display, including some of her huge sculptures. 

M and I decided that the little pot below was one of our favourites - me because I liked the colours and decoration and M because it looked like 'a little seat' that she could imagine her current favourite soft toy (always in her hand) could perch in! By Elizabeth Fritsch, it's called 'Spout Pot'. Elizabeth originally trained as a musician and you can see the influence of the saxophone shape in this pot. 

I loved the satisfying bulk of this stoneware pot too: 'Italo Calvino's' Moon' (2020) by Akiko Hirai.

And this trio of pots by Barbara Cass (1921-1992):

I'm also fond of Halima Cassell's work. One of her pieces is this textured, unglazed clay panel: 'Fan':

Where better to practise 'the art of the potter' than pottering round a gallery on a hot day? We had a very good time.