Boyd's photo diary. |
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Sat 29 Mar 2008
This morning Frank called and gave me a medal which used to belong to
his Grandfather. He didn;t know anything about it but said there was an
article in the Chorley Guardian a long time ago about a similar medal.
Its an 1897 Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee medal but the inscription on
the back is interesting. It says Humphrey H. Whittle Mayor of Chorley
1897.
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Mon 24 Mar 2008
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For an Easter
Monday excursion drove with Barbara to Great Langdale to check
out the old stone bridge at Middlefell Farm where some scenes
from the film ‘Brief encounter’ were filmed. The nearest car
park was the Old Dungeon Ghyll but it was packed to capacity so
we drove the short distance to the bridge where I reversed a bit
up the track towards it and we had a very quick look before
driving on to Blea Tarn car park where I’d planned to stop and
walk to the tarn. The car park was pay and display and the
extortionate rate of £2.70 for the minimum period was enough to
put me off, so we moved on. This sort of corporate greed just
makes people abandon their cars on the side of the road while
they go for a walk. |
Blea Tarn and sleet from the car
park |
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the summit of Wrynose Pass |
By now light snow
had started so a walk to the lake wasn’t a good prospect anyway.
Driving on I set off up Wrynose Pass and found that the weather
cleared by the summit where it was sunny but cold in the snow.
Descending the other side to the Duddon Valley we called in to
see a wonderful exhibition by the Duddon Valley Local History
Group held in the Seathwaite Parish Room. For me the most
interesting exhibits were the 2 school diaries from 1907
onwards. They made fascinating reading and gave a peek into life
in a long lost age. |
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Duddon Valley Local History Group exhibition. |
The Seathwaite Parish Room. |
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After a fairly
clear drive via Settle we arrived in Worston near Clitheroe and
the Calf’s Head Hotel for an early evening meal. The service was
excellent, the food excellent and the prices very reasonable. |
The Calf's Head Hotel |
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Sat 22 Mar 2008
While out for run this morning noticed that the bridge over the River
Lostock at Lower Copthurst had been hit again, presumably by a car, and
part of the wall knocked down. Safety barriers had been put across the
gap but the displaced stones were not on site. I only hope they’ve been
removed for safety until the parapet can be re-built.
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Sat 15 Mar 2008
The Outdoors Show - NEC Birmingham.
I was at the bus stop to catch to 06:08 bus to Preston, but it didn’t
turn up. It’s a good job the next one did at 6:28. I wandered across
Preston to the railway Station where I caught the 7:44am to Birmingham
International station. It was nice to get a quiet seat and I enjoyed the
ride while reading. By the time I got there the train was full with
standing room only. At the station it was just a short walk through a
covered way to the NEC National exhibition Centre. I was there to see
‘The Outdoors Show’ and being over 60 in for £9. The layout was similar
to previous years and I made sure that I got my ticket for the ‘World
Theatre’ lecture I wanted to see. Julia Bradbury and Tim Emmett were on
together so I got a ticket for the 11:15 show. I wandered around the
stands to check for new innovations. The main one was the Satmap Active
10 GPS unit which only appeared for the first time last year. It’s a
hand held unit with moving map screen. The Memory-Map stand had some
nice looking Nokia Phones with similar moving map functionality. The
Nokia N72, 6110 and N82 seemed to be the favourites. The OS 50K maps are
also available for the whole of the UK. After a long queue of over half
an hour I was in the ‘World Theatre’. Julia Bradbury was just the same
person as we see on TV and the climber Tim Emmett was someone I’d not
seen much of, but his climbing skills were extreme. Several video clips
were shown of the TV climbing programme they’d made together and also
some hilarious out-takes from Julia’s Wainwright Walks series. Later in
the day I made sure I was at the ‘Mountain Essentials’ theatre in good
time. It turned out to be a large tent with bean bags to sit on. The
speaker I’d come to see was Doug Scott speaking about his Ogre climb in
Pakistan. The presentation was up to his usual high standard and really
should have been on in the main theatre so more people could have
enjoyed it. Another display nearby was playing the most obnoxious and
annoying music at very high volume and even with the microphone Doug was
struggling to compete. By mid afternoon I headed back to the Rail
Station to catch the Carlisle train which was packed when it arrived and
no spare seats were available. Fortunately quite a few got off at the
next station and I was able to get a seat.
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Wed 12 Mar 2008
I’d booked on a one day Digital Printing course at the Epson head office
in Hemel Hempstead, Herts. There were no suitable trains so I was faced
with the prospect of an early start followed by a 200 mile drive along
the worst stretch of the M6 motorway. The night had been windy and I
wondered where the problems would be on the journey. I didn’t have long
to wait. I’d been on the motorway for 10mins when the signs warned that
junctions 20 – 21 were closed at the Theldwall viaduct. I had to leave
the motorway at Warrington and find my way thought the minor roads. I
managed to get to Epson by 9:10am and was surprised to see how few
people were on the course. Our main host was Mark Payne but the main
speaker was Jonathan Briggs who is an independent consultant. It was
very refreshing to hear someone speaking who really knows his stuff and
there were times when I was struggling to understand the technicalities.
But overall I got the gist and now I need to get my hands on Photoshop.
The drive back was almost a fraught with two stretches of the M6. A long
drive but the Print Academy Course was worth every penny and every mile.
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Sat 08 Mar 2008
While out for a bike ride I noticed that Riverside Cottage at Pinfold
Lane Euxton was being renovated. It was nice to see such a fine old
building getting some attention after years of being empty and boarded
up.
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Thu 06 Mar 2008
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A day out in
Edinburgh.
I caught the
7:30am bus into Chorley then the 08:16 train to Edinburgh. The
first part of the journey was cramped and I had to stand all the
way to Preston. A lot got off there so I found a good seat on the
right of the train so I’d be able to watch the Howgills passing
bye. When I got there the tops were in cloud and the rest was
misty. I was surprised how empty the Lowlands of Scotland are,
all the way to Edinburgh. |
North Bridge. |
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Inside the National Gallery of
Scotland |
It was about
11:20am when we pulled into Waverley Rail Station. It took me a
little time to get my bearings as the station complex covers a
huge area. I emerged onto Princess Street and set off towards
North Bridge. I crossed over and followed an intricate route
through narrow streets and down steep steps to Market Street
then on to the National Gallery of Scotland. Apparently it was
opened to the public in 1859 but a plaque inside says the
foundation stone was laid by the Prince Consort 30 Aug 1850. 9
years seems a long time to complete the building. |
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The Scott Monument competed in 1844 |
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The paintings
were fantastic and I had a very enjoyable time. I tried a £1.70
cup of coffee in the cafeteria which was good but not much of
it. The garden area outside was a good spot to eat my packed
lunch but the weather was a bit windy and some drizzle was in
the air. After a walk along Leith Street and York Place I
visited the Scottish National Portrait Gallery where I was
surprised to find that I was allowed to take pictures in the
entrance area, which was nice. It was another wonderful
experience and very few members of the public were visiting.
Back at Waverley I caught the 15:52 train back to Chorley, which
is a direct service. |
Inside the Scottish National
Portrait Gallery. |
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When I caught the
crowded train in Chorley many people were standing. The woman at
the window seat decided to sterilise the seat next to her with
her bag. Are people so insecure about having a stranger sit next
to them that they'd see people standing before giving them a
seat? |
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Sun 02 Mar 2008
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Decided to drive
to Pendleton and the Swan with Two Necks in the evening for a
Mother’s day meal. We were only intending to have a round of
sandwiches. Many people were eating and there was a menu up on
the wall so I bought a round of drinks. We were then told
that food serving had finished a long time ago. The menu had no
serving times on it. I explained that we had just bought our
drinks and could they do us some sandwiches. The woman serving
said ‘no, they’d finished’ and quite rudely ‘we should have
asked’ about serving times before buying our drinks. It won’t
happen again because I’ll never go there again. A couple who
were sitting next to us suggested we try the Calf’s Head in Worston a couple of miles away. We did and found the exact
opposite. A warm and friendly atmosphere drinks much cheaper and
good food at excellent value. |
The Calf's Head, Worston. |
Nuclear bunker break in! The old 1950s cold war observation chamber on
Denham Hill Brindle has been vandalised. The access lid was open as I
passed this morning.
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The break in. |
Looking down the shaft. |
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Sat 01 Mar 2008
While out on an evening walk along Town Lane I took this snap of the M61
motorway bridge piers by the streetlights.
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