RSPB Fairburn Ings

With all the kerfuffle of moving house last year, I didn't get out and about as much as I might have done. In the winter, too, I always seem to slow down and feel like I want to hibernate! I am, however, determined to motivate myself to have a few more outings this year. Between Christmas and New Year, I decided to take advantage of the one day that promised a bit of sunshine - no fog, no rain, little wind. I took myself off to the RSPB nature reserve at Fairburn Ings, midway between Leeds and Wakefield. 

It's many years since I last went and it has been expanded, so that it's now a sprawling and rather scrappy place of wetlands, bogs, reedbeds and scrubby woodland. It was, about 60 years ago, a mining and industrial area. Subsidence of old mine workings, combined with flooding from the adjacent River Aire (pictured below), formed several lakes and the associated spoil heaps are now being reclaimed as grassland and woods.  

The promised sunshine, didn't develop (at least, not until I was having a coffee in the visitor centre at the end of my walk!) It was brighter than it has been though, and there was some blue sky, but the sun itself stayed hidden behind a stubborn bank of cloud. 

As for birds, there really wasn't much about, at least not that I could see with my ancient binoculars. What there was - ducks, cormorants, gulls - sat on islands and mudbanks in the lakes, and I would have needed a telescope to identify them properly. That's one reason why I prefer smaller reserves like Rodley, where there are more hides and you can get much nearer to the wildlife. 

I did, however, enjoy a good walk, followed by coffee and a highly calorific flapjack (which undoubtedly negated the exercise!)  In the visitor centre they had an array of secondhand books too, so I scored, in very good condition, a book titled 'The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs' by Tristan Gooley - a bargain at £1. That should educate me to enjoy my walks even more. 

Spoke too soon!

Following on from yesterday's post (and as if to say 'you spoke too soon!') the weather suddenly decided it had had enough of the calm, boring stuff. On New Year's Eve, up and down the country, it turned much colder, with strong winds and torrential rain. Many of the NY celebrations had to be called off, including the Edinburgh Hogmanay spectacular. It wasn't too bad here though the rain lashed down all night. The neighbouring Calder and Wharfe valleys seem to have been hit harder, with some flooding of roads. 

Then suddenly, around 1pm on New Year's Day, the rain stopped and the sun came out. The interlude didn't last all that long but I decided to make the most of it with a brisk walk down to Roberts Park. The River Aire was just straying beyond its banks in the park, swallowing up some of the footpath. The weir was roaring magnificently. We shall have to see if it gets worse or better over the next few days, which really depends on the situation further upstream in the Dales. 

Calm

That period between Christmas and New Year is an odd time, isn't it? I never know what day it is, and 'normal life', for many of us anyway, seems to be put on hold. There's always leftover food that needs using up, demanding creative ways to make it interesting. Having done a big shop before Christmas, I tried to avoid shopping again for as long as I could. There's a peculiar satisfaction in using up every last carrot! I was aiming to get into good habits ahead of the New Year (having let exercise slide in favour of eating for the last few weeks) so I did a few quite long (for me) walks. It's something I want to continue. I'm very much at the age where it seems to be 'use it or lose it' in every direction! 

To make things even odder, we had a few days of really very mild weather, foggy and damp but unseasonably warm. I was throwing open windows in my apartment! Unheard of at this time of year but, compared with my previous house, it's really easy to keep warm here, in a newer and better insulated flat with other warm flats above and below. I'm glad of it but not yet used to it, and often find I can't accurately judge the outside temperature so I go out either under or over-dressed.

The above scene, along the riverside, was at the same time very ordinary, not much to see - and yet rather extraordinary too, for the time of year. There was not a breath of wind to ruffle the surface of the water. In addition, a few days without rain meant the river's flow had slowed, apparently almost to a standstill, so there was no obvious movement of a current. The flat calm made for some glorious reflections, with a transient patch of blue sky to liven it all up. Ordinary yes, but boring - no. 

So here I am, setting off to enjoy another year and full of gratitude for what has been, is and will be. I'm determined to have some adventures this year, and also to notice and enjoy every ordinary moment. It's a cliché  - but one I quite like - to say:

'The past is history, the future is a mystery.

This moment is a gift, which is why it's called the present.' 

2024 - 2025

So, we step softly into the New Year... Time to reflect on what has been (a very good year for me) and look forward to what will be. At this stage of life, one never does know what's around the corner but I'm planning to make good use of every moment of 2025 and savour it all as much as I possibly can. 

I've been looking back at my 2024 pictures and have, fairly randomly, selected one for each month; not necessarily my 'best' images but ones that bring back memories for me. 

January (above) was a stressful and frustrating month of waiting, surrounded by packing boxes, for news of when I could move house. I found calm and solace in a visit to our beautiful minster (cathedral) in York.   

In February - finally - I got the go-ahead to move so I was very busy. I have only ten photos from that month! One of them was this fine show of crocuses in Roberts Park. 

March held celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the opening of Bingley's Five Rise locks, where I enjoyed a cheery chat with a friendly boatman. 

In April, a merry band of us went into Bradford for a camera club outing to take photos around the city centre. 

May saw another camera club outing, this time a rural wander around Blubberhouses... so much fresh, green foliage.  

June - a visit to Castle Howard, on a memorably wet day! 

In July, I had a few days retreat near Kettlewell in Upper Wharfedale. The weather was mixed: wind, rain and sunshine. I enjoyed the latter! 

By August, I had more or less finished the refurbishment and got things straight my new apartment, and I was glorying in the sunsets I can now see from my balcony. 

September brought the annual Saltaire Festival and sunshine brought the crowds out to enjoy it. 

October was wonderful. I had so many lovely walks, enjoying the ever-changing autumnal colours. The light was amazing. I've had to include two October photos! 

November had its share of beauty too, most memorably on a fairly early morning visit to Rodley Nature Reserve. 

December included an atmospheric visit to Haworth, twinkling with festive lights. 

2024 was a very positive year for me personally. It involved plenty of hard work but also many lovely times out enjoying our beautiful countryside, the riches of our cities and historic buildings, and sharing good times with friends and family. I hope it was good for you too, and that 2025 will bring many blessings to you - and to our troubled world. 

Wishing you a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.