Random photos,

My friend often sends me photos on WhatsApp. I don’t know what is going to pop up in my messages until they appear. This time he sent me a series of pictures from Saltaire Food festival. Saltaire is near Bradford in Yorkshire. It’s got small, stone built terraced houses, mostly a living room and small kitchen and two bedrooms and a bathroom. I think they filmed the new version of “The Railway Children ” movie there.

At the end of summer it puts on a great market full of food stalls from all over the world. We went a few years ago and discovered Churos from Spain. Like a mixture of sponge fingers and doughnuts crossed with each other. We tried curries and paella. There was a giant lobster balloon. It was very busy when we went. If you are in the area it’s worth a visit.

Music and memory

A song I love. We are re-learning this soon,  I’m used to the unison version, but this has harmonies. I don’t read music well. But we will learn it by repetition and copying.

I love the Simon and Garfunkle version.

I’ve been to Scarborough and it’s an old Victorian resort and fishing town although the majority of it’s trade is mainly tourism these days. It is South of Whitby in Yorkshire. As you come down towards it from the North you can see it’s castle standing on the headland. There is a north and south bay on either side of the castle. The town is mainly old Victorian terraces which are 3 or 4 storey and either hotels or bed and breakfast properties.

We stayed outside the town in a caravan site. There are plenty of places to visit, like an old museum set back from the coast which has information about the local geology amongst other things. A lovely park that feels sub tropical and I think I remember a car and motorbike racing circuit at a place called Olivers Mount.

Settle to Carlisle line

Another image drawn on holiday, this one is from 1994 whan we were on holiday near Settle. We cycled around the area and I did this sketch in biro when we stopped to have lunch and look at the view I think. But this was 29 years ago so I may have misremembered. By looking at the notes it looks like I revisited in the October of the same year.

Robin Hoods Bay

A painting I did in situ in a house in Robin Hoods Bay in Yorkshire about 7 years ago. We were away on holiday and we’re impressed by the house which had it’s living room at the top of the building to give views of the cottage rooves and the sparkling sea in the distance. Sometimes I want to visit there again. .

Wandering

Wandering backwards and forwards on crutches to the bathroom and my armchair. I can’t help remembering when I was younger. We would set out on a cycle ride or a walk. We used to visit the North of Manchester, around the pennines. Into Wales and see spectacular mountains. Up to Yorkshire and around Ingleborough. Up steep slopes on our bikes then down one long winding valley that took us seven miles back down to our campsite (I was pleased with my map reading that day).

Being ill or injured is difficult. I can’t ignore it, but I guess I have to be a patient patient! But I want to do simple things like washing up. When I can support my weight I will, then cook, the eventually I will have to tidy up, hubby is trying, but he doesn’t quite get organisational ideas. Like putting shopping in the fridge safely! Or how to cook chicken when you have never done it in your life! Time heals I guess.

I wish I was out and about, that I could just stand at the sink and do the washing up. But I guess it’s less than five days since I pulled a ligament in my foot and about eight since the car door slammed into my other leg and cut a hole in it.

Robin Hoods Bay

When we stayed at Robin Hoods Bay and I came home with Shingles!

This was eight years ago, time goes so fast! We stayed in an upside down house with the lounge on the top floor so you could see the sea view. There was a very steep staircase and the hill the village is built on is very steep too. There is no parking on the main road through the village down to the sea so you have to park at the top and walk up and down to get to the house down a little side lane. I painted the view while I was there, sitting in sunshine looking out, enjoying the view…

Lion

A photo of a lion at Saltaire by my friend Timothy Hargreaves.

I think I remember him telling me that the lions at Trafalgar square in London were made by the same sculptor. There are on the hill going down to the entrance of Salts Mill in Saltaire, Yorkshire, and they look extremely magnificent in the Spring sunshine. I wish we had sculptures like this nearby. It’s very impressive and I think Victorian?

Saltaire fair

I want to go

My friend sent me this via WhatsApp and I wish I could go, but Saltaire is too far, it’s near Leeds, and I can’t drive that far. I also already have something on on 3rd June. However in the interest of sharing news I thought I’d post this here.

Saltaire is having all sorts of activities this summer. There is a food festival, and it has Salts Mill, a famous Mill that was built by a Victorian industrialist and benefactor. Salts Mill has a bookshop and Gallery and restaurant. It also has a collection of the artist David Hockneys art.

Jardiniere

This is the bottom half of a Jardinere I saw at Salts Mill, Saltaire in Yorkshire this week. I was attracted by the mythical beast. A sphinx perhaps? I love the strong red glaze and the crisp modelling of it. There is a top section which has a cherub or some sort of child modeled on it.

I would have included larger photos, but I’m running out of memory!

Salts Mill

A grey day in Yorkshire. Salts Mill at Saltaire. Looking at this old mill with its huge chimney you wouldn’t think there was an amazing bookshop, a cafe and restaurant and gallery’s there with work by world famous artist David Hockney.

Saltaire is near Bradford and Leeds, it is an old area of Shipley and the mill is surrounded by small stone terraced houses that only have a main room, a kitchen and a small bedroom and bathroom. Saltaire featured in a recently updated version of the classic film the railway children.

The mill sits between the railway on one side and the canal and river on the other side if it lower down the hill. The small houses are a beautiful example of a historic area. Saltaire also holds a food festival in the summer which attracts international visitors.

I wish Stoke on Trent had the courage to create something like this from its own historic buildings. This would be a blueprint we could build on.