Northcliffe Park

The main entrance to Northcliffe Park is situated on the busy Bradford to Keighley road at Shipley. The upward path from the park gates takes you away from all the traffic noise, past playing fields and allotments and onto this high ground, very pleasant, even on a dull autumn day.

Remembrance Sunday

A dull and damp but not particularly cold morning for the remembrance day parade and wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in Bradford. The picture shows the parade returning to Centenary Square and City Hall after the ceremony.

Scroggling The Holly - Haworth

The start of Christmas shopping was marked by a 'scrogging the holly' event in the main street of Haworth today. Local children were accompanied by a stout gentleman called a 'beagle' to the church steps. Apparently a beagle was an officer of the law before we had policemen.

Delius Sculpture

I was taking a look at the Delius Sculpture in Exchange Square the other day and I noticed that you could see a reflection of leaves on a nearby tree in the glass panels. The sculpture itself is based on a skeletal leaf.

Stage Door - St. Georges Hall

I was passing St. Georges Hall in the centre of Bradford earlier today and noticed that the stage door was looking a bit tatty, in need of a coat of paint, and that the step was quite worn. How many people, I wondered, must have crossed that threshold since the building was opened in 1853, famous people, John Barbirolli, Janet Baker, the rock group Genesis. I remember Genesis coming to Bradford, it must have been in the late 1970's, they were probably the biggest rock band around at the time, fans queued all night for tickets, it was a really big thing. I used to sit at the bar in a pub opposite St. Georges Hall, the manager of St Georges would sometimes come in for a drink. Shortly after Genesis went on stage he came in for a drink, astonished pub-goers wanted to know why he wasn't watching the concert. He replied that he did not like pop music, any kind of pop music and that he would rather listen to Elisabeth Schwarzkopf any day of the week, he really didn't like pop music, any kind of pop music, not even Cliff Richard.

Patient Gull - Whitby

The gulls at Whitby can sometimes be a bit of a nuisance. This one was quite patient, it waited next to this couple eating fish and chips until eventually the chap turned and offered the gull a piece of his lunch, naturally the bird accepted.

Whitby Goth Weekend

I visited the seaside town of Whitby at the weekend for one of the twice yearly Goth events. Goths from all over the country gather in the town to parade up and down the narrow cobbled streets, posing from time to time for the large number of photographers also at the event. I've been to these Goth events before, and you do see some unusual things, like the babies in the picture. They are not real babies, they look just like real babies, you think they are real babies, but they are not, they are incredibly lifelike dolls, creepy or what!

Anti-Capitalist Protest - Bradford

Not exactly on the scale of the London protest, but Bradford has its own anti-capitalist demonstration in Centenary Square. The picture was taken last Sunday morning, there may be more tents there now.

Autumn Colour - Lister Park

It doesn't seem long since I was stood in this spot looking at spring flowers, and now it's autumn, I don't know where the summer went. Still, autumn is a nice time of year, and there should be a few more weeks before the trees lose all their leaves, so we may as well make the most of it.

BMX Bikers - Belle Isle Road

I was driving back from the Halloween parade at Haworth on Sunday when I spotted these BMX bikers practising at the side of the road. I'm no expert on BMX, but these lads looked pretty good at it.

Halloween Parade - Haworth

I spent an enjoyable couple of hours in Haworth this afternoon. A Halloween parade was taking place in the village, starting at the bottom of the cobbled main street and working its way up to the church steps at the top of the street. The kids taking part in the procession seemed to really enjoy it, so did the spectators, and so did I, I'm a big kid really!

Jogger - Lister Park

Lister Park is popular with joggers, some completing just one lap of the park, others managing three or four laps and looking like they have just had a good workout, and then there are the super fit, like the runner in the picture, lap after lap and not even out of breath.

What's Your Hobby?

I have often wondered what people get out of their hobbies. Take fishing for example, all that time sat waiting for a fish to bite, or not to bite, or take my daughter's hobby of cross-stitching, all those hours spent with a needle and thread. A less common hobby is the static engine, the owners of these engines like to display them at car shows or other events like the one at Ingrow Station on Sunday. The owner will generally start the machine up in the morning and then sit behind it all day, reading a book, drinking tea, or just staring into space.

Brian Blessed?

This was one of the participants in the Bronte Tractor Run on Sunday, quite a character really, he reminded me of the actor Brian Blessed, he even had the same kind of laugh!

Bronte Vintage Tractor Run

The Bronte Tractor Runs Group raise money for charities such as the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Sue Ryder Hospice. Around twenty tractors took part in one of these events on Sunday. The group assembled on the outskirts of Haworth before heading out on moorland roads to Hebden Bridge and then returning to Haworth later in the day, collecting money for charity on the way. The beautifully restored tractor in the picture was made by International Harvesters and could possibly have been made at their Idle, Bradford factory.

Posforth Gill

My apologies to any regular visitors to the blog as I haven't been posting much recently due to work pressures. This little waterfall is just off the main footpath from Bolton Abbey to Simon's Seat and is one of my favourite places in the Yorkshire Dales. The picture was taken a few years ago on film and although I have returned to the same spot year after year I haven't been able to capture the scene as well as on this first attempt. I'm hoping to get the blog back on track soon with subject matter a bit closer to home and a bit more up to date, but hope you don't mind the little autumnal interlude.

March for Jobs

Jobs are a bit hard to find at the moment, particularly for school and college leavers. This young man is taking part in a five week march for jobs, starting in the North East of England and finishing in London on the 5th of November in a recreation of the Jarrow march of 1936. Youth unemployment, high university fees and a feeling that young people in general are being neglected by the government are some of the reasons for this present day march.
The photo was taken in the market square at Ripon in bright sunshine. A couple of hours later I drove past the marchers on their way to Harrogate, the weather had deteriorated into torrential rain and gale force winds, and boy did they look wet, I mean really wet!

Bradford Grid - Bradford Urban Garden

An exhibition of photographs taken in the bradford area is currently on display in the Bradford Urban Garden. A group of amateur and professional photographers have created images using the family albums and personal recollections of Bradfordians as their inspiration. The project is ongoing and a map is being used to document the area grid square by grid square.

Bradford Hungarian Cultural and Social Centre - Diane Bielik

I visited the old Hungarian Club at Walmer Villas in Manningham on Sunday. The club closed down around a year ago and is this month hosting an exhibition by Photographer Diane Bielik. The photographs were taken at the club in the final months before its closure and are displayed as large posters pasted directly onto the walls of the rooms. I didn't want to show any of the photographs for copyright reasons, so here is a picture of the hallway of this fine old building.

Bradford City Run

The third annual Bradford City Run was held today. The half marathon started in the city centre and followed a route which took the runners through the streets of Bradford and out into the countryside before finishing at Cartwright Hall in the grounds of Lister Park. Here is one of the front runners crossing the finishing line.