One Year On

     It's almost a year since the mirror pool opening ceremony took place.  People still stop at the poolside, even on a cold and wet March day.  I think this group were on their way to the World Book Day celebrations in Centenary Square.

How do you see yourself?

  This is one of the interactive displays at the National Media Museum.  I'm not really quite sure what point the display is trying to convey, in one picture I'm nearer the camera, and in the other I'm slightly further away and at a slightly different angle, puzzling really.  I think I look a bit like a ghost in both pictures though, so if you visit the museum and see a strange apparition (with a camera), it could be me!

Beware Of Trains

     I spent a couple of hours at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway yesterday morning.  The heritage steam railway society was holding its annual Winter Steam Gala, a weekend (well, three days actually) of  special events on the Keighley to Oxenhope branch line.  The picture was taken at  a pedestrian crossing point just below Oxenhope station and shows locomotive No. 80002, which I believe is shortly to be taken out of service for a major overhaul, on its downward journey to Haworth and Keighley stations.

Too Much Energy?

     Some people have just got too much energy.

Sophie Ryder Sculptures - Cartwright Hall

     This is one of a pair of large scale sculptures by artist Sophie Ryder currently on display at Cartwright Hall.  The sculptures are made from galvanized wire, lots and lots of it, formed into these huge mythical creatures.   Unusual, striking, and impressive.

Chinese New Year Festival 2013 - Leeds

     There was not a great deal going on in Bradford this weekend so my wife and I took a trip to Leeds for the Chinese New Year Festival and the year of the snake.  It's quite a colourful event, held in the concert hall at Leeds Town Hall, a marvellous venue for a marvellous event.

Bradford Industrial Museum

     It was one of those nasty winter days yesterday, rain, sleet, snow, and strong winds, so I spent an hour at the Bradford Industrial Museum.  The upper floor of the museum contains a large selection of textile machines, from the earliest weaving looms to machines probably built in the 1960's, many of them manufactured here in West Yorkshire. These older machines were really built to last and were exported to countries all over the world and I wouldn't be surprised if there were still a few of them running in some distant region.  The machine in the picture was built by Smith & Sons, Royd Works, Keighley..

Jamia Markazi Mosque - Parade

     A parade was held in the Aire valley town of Keighley on Sunday to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Mohammad.  Several hundred members of the Keighley Muslim Association took part in the annually held procession which started at the Jamia Markazi Mosque in Emily Street and proceeded through the streets of Keighley, stopping at intervals for warm drinks, food and prayers.

Windy Westgate

     Westgate is at the top end of Bradford and it always seems to be windy up there, even when it's not particularly windy in the rest of Bradford.  Well it was particularly windy in the rest of Bradford earlier today, so it was very, very windy in Westgate.

Misty Morning

     Another picture from yesterday down at the river, taken before the sun had burnt off the early morning mist.  I haven't done anything to the picture in photoshop, except convert it to black and white.  All that snow has now entirely  gone.  A change in temperature and heavy overnight rain has melted it all away.

Overnight Snow

     Joggers, dog walkers (and photographers) were out enjoying glorious sunshine this morning after fairly heavy overnight snow.  This section of path runs alongside the river Aire at Thackley, the area of land on the left of the picture is to be built on at some time in the future, a shame really as this is a nice habitat for wildlife, and as you can see it's also popular with humans (and dogs, and photographers)!

Protest Against Shia Killings

     A demonstration  was held in the centre of Bradford last Monday to draw attention to the killing of members of the Shia Community in Pakistan.  Around a hundred protesters gathered outside of the Pakistani Consulate, some of them from the area in Pakistan where a recent targeted bombing took place, a bombing which claimed the lives of many Shia Muslims.  The demonstration was peaceful but the protesters were angry at the failure of the Pakistani authorities to protect the ordinary citizens of Pakistan.

Carol Singers - Setttle

Not Bradford, but about an hours drive away and the market town of Settle with carol singers in front of the Naked Man Cafe.

Juggler

This juggler was part of the entertainment at the City Park on Saturday.

Brass Band - City Park

This brass band made some very pleasant sounds at the ice sculpture event on Saturday.

Whale Of A Time

One of a number of ice sculptures around the mirror pool in the centre of Bradford yesterday.  The temperature was around 8C, so the sculptures were melting fast.

Ice Sculptures - City Park

Jamie Wardley hard at work creating an ice sculpture at the Bradford City Park earlier today, can you guess what it is yet?

Bradford City Run 2012

There was a good turnout last Sunday for the annual 5K and 10K Bradford City Run which started and finished in Centenary Square.  There were a few disappointed runners at the event though, hoping for a personal best and finding out that the course was only 4.5K and 9K due to a marshaling error!  I'm sure the course will be exactly the right length next year.

Santas Helpers

Santas helpers keeping the kids entertained in Shipley Market Square on a very cold Saturday afternoon.

Coraline - Outdoor Screening

A free screening of the animation film 'Coraline' took place in City Park last night, projected onto the UK's largest inflatable cinema screen.  The event was part of the build up to the 19th Bradford Animation Festival which is held in November at the National Media Museum here in Bradford.  The spectators were quite a hardy bunch as the temperature was around 5C.  I managed to stay for an hour, but decided to head for home and a warm bath when my fingers went dead and I couldn't work the camera any more!