ABC Wednesday:M is for Millbrook

This is Huddersfield Road, the main road through the village of Millbrook near Stalybridge, Cheshire. The first four of these photographs were taken about a year ago.


Near the bottom of the road is the Post Office, a survivor when many other village post offices have been closed.


From Millbrook are footpaths that lead into the Brushes Country Park.


Just higher up Huddersfield Road is the now derelict former Millbrook School. A new modern school was built a few years ago not far away.


Here is how it looked in 1991 when it was one of the stops on the Whit Friday Band Contest circuit.

I recall reading in the local paper a few months back that the building had been bought and was to be transformed into a medical centre, but my recent research on the internet has not revealed any information about this so I don't really know.

You can see the general state of the building and more of the area on Streetview. I think they visited the area around June last year.

For more M posts visit ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday:L is for Leeds Centenary Bridge

The Leeds Centenary footbridge is a cable stay bridge, with a single support tower on the southern bank of the river. It was opened in 1992 and was the first bridge to be built over the river in the city centre for over 100 years.

This is the approach from "The Calls" area.


The bridge spans the river Aire and here we are looking upstream towards the city.


Looking downstream here towards Crown Point Bridge.


In the opposite direction looking from Crown Point Bridge back towards the Centenary Bridge.

For nighttime views of the bridge see Leeds Daily Photo.

For the view downstream from Crown Point Bridge see sithenah.

For more L posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Shot Sunday:Pole Bank Hall

Two days ago my Friday Bench was from Pole Bank Hall.

Behind it was this large tree casting a huge shadow.

Blogger has done its occasional trick of rotating the image.

I usually circumvent this problem either by waiting for blogger to get its act together and eliminate the glitch or post the photographs in some other space.

Here however it looks quite fetching so I've left it as it is. You can see the whole tree and shadow the right way up on Hyde Daily Photo.

For more shadows visit Hey Harriet

A vintage view of Pole Bank Hall can be found on Old Hyde.

Friday Bench (35):Pole Bank Hall

This week's bench is from Pole Bank Hall, Hyde.

In 2008 I took you on a Perambulation of Pole Bank.

Once the home of the Ashton family, prominent mill-owners, the hall is now a private nursing home. The grounds, however are a public open space.

This bench overlooks Pole Bank Pond and you can see how it looks now on Hyde Daily Photo.

A vintage view of Pole Bank Hall can be found on Old Hyde.

My favourite benches discovered recently include Imac's by the Llangollen Canal, Jenny's at the Denso Marston Nature Reserve, Dimple's in Idahoe and Eric's in Paris.

ABC Wednesday:K is for Knipling

Lace shop in Tønder, Denmark, 1988.

Thanks to all those who made such great responses to last week's post Just because ...

For more K posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Shot Sunday:Peak Forest Canal Towpath

Last week's shadow shot was of a muddy field near Bridge #8 on the Peak Forest Canal.

As I said then, I turned round and recrossed the footbridge.

These are shadows that were falling across the towpath on the other side.

You can see the full view looking North from the bridge on Hyde Daily Photo.

For more shadows visit Hey Harriet

Streetview Finds (1)Milford Highway

Googlemap's Streetview has opened up how we look at the world and I'm going to share a few of my finds from time to time.

I recently showed you my photos of the Homer Tunnel between Te Aneau and Milford Sound.

Well the googlecar didn't get that far. It went several miles up the road but eventually decided to turn round here. Perhaps the road ahead was blocked by snow?


View Larger Map

ABC Wednesday:J is for Just Because ...

Just because ...

These week I'll let my readers complete the sentence.

For more J posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Shot SundayFootpath to Church Fold

Today's photo is again from the walk I took on a sunny but cold Sunday a couple of weeks ago. This footpath on the East side of the Peak Forest Canal is signposted "Church Fold".

Well there may be a footpath across this muddy field and back to Woodend Lane, but that is thick mud under those shadows.

I turned round and recrossed the footbridge you can see on Hyde Daily Photo.

For more shadows visit Hey Harriet

Friday Bench (34):Overlooking Haughton Dale

This bench in Haughton Dale is near a footpath that leads from the Peak Forest Canal towpath down to the river Tame at Gibraltar Bridge.

The view from the bench can be seen on Hyde Daily Photograph.

Other benches that have attracted my attention recently include Bob's in Little Langdale, Steff's in Stuttgart, Jacob's at Lake Sumter Landing and Yvi's in Basel.

ABC Wednesday:I is for Inner Farne

Inner Farne is the largest of the Farne Islands which lie off the coast of Northumberland.


It is home to shags, puffins, arctic terns and other birds.


These photographs are from my one and only visit on 23rd July 2001.


Apart from the Inner Farne Lighthouse, all the buildings on the island date from the monastic period. In 1540 a Prior named Castell built the "Pele Tower" to house the monks who lived on the island. The Tower is now home to the National Trust Wardens who live there for nine months of the year to look after the Island and its wildlife.


In 678 Inner Farne was home to St Cuthbert. After 12 years as Prior of Lindisfarne, St.Cuthbert retired to Inner Farne until he became Bishop of Lindisfarne in 684. He returned to Inner Farne when his health deteriorated and died there on 20th March 687.


A church was built on the island in 1370 dedicated to St Cuthbert and is open to the public today. Inside is a monument to Grace Darling.


Some other photos from my trip to the islands from Seahouses can be seen at Farne Islands 2001.

For more I posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Shot Sunday:Woodend Lane

I had a lovely walk last Sunday in bright sunshine and captured these long shadows on Woodend Lane.

For a more normal view of Woodend Lane see Hyde Daily Photo.

To find more Shadow Shots, visit Hey Harriet.

ABC WednesdayH is for Homer Tunnel

This week I'm returning again to my archive of photographs from our journey to the Land of the Long White Cloud.


On Day 14 we travelled to Milford Sound with Ron Peacock a National Park Ranger. It started to rain as we left Te Aneau and steadily got worse. As we headed towards the Homer Tunnel we saw waterfalls appearing over what is normally just bare rock. Then as the rain got heavier and the surrounding rock-faces got steeper the waterfalls multiplied into an almost continuous curtain.


As Wikipedia informs us, the tunnel pierces the main divide of the Homer Saddle connecting the valley of the Eglinton and Hollyford Rivers to the east with that of the Cleddau to the west. The tunnel is straight, and was originally single-lane and gravel-surfaced. The tunnel walls remain unlined granite. The east portal end is at 945m elevation; the tunnel runs 1270m at approximately a 1:10 gradient down to the western portal. Construction of the tunnel began in 1935 but it wasn't completed and opened until 1954.


Here is the Eastern portal after we had passed through it on our return journey. Yes there it is down in the bottom right of the photograph. At the bottom of the mountainside are piles of dirty snow.



For more H posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Haijinx is back

haijinx was an international web-based journal that focused on "the hai in haiku". It was created by Mark Brooks in 2001 and staffed by an international band of editors. It featured haiku, articles, reviews, poet spotlights and detailed author bios.

In March 2004, the original issues of haijinx were pulled from the web due to broken links.

On February 14, 2010, Mark relaunched the haijinx portal with a new haikai twitter feed, @haijinx.

Now the pages from the original issues have been archived, as I discovered when Google alerted by my haiku published on page 3 of Vol.1 #1 Spring 2001.

To find out more about putting the hai back in haiku visit haijinx.

Shadow Shot Sunday:Ashburys Station

A few days ago I caught a train out of Manchester Piccadilly towards Glossop. It is an electrified line. Power is passed from the overhead cables to pick-up arms on the top of the train.

When we stopped at Ashburys station, I couldn't help but notice how the shadow of one of the pick-up arms fell so neatly on the platform fence.

To find more Shadow Shots, visit Hey Harriet.

Friday Bench (33):Godley Hill

Today's bench is situated next to the Godley Hill War Memorial which you can see on Hyde Daily Photo.

My favourite benches discovered recently include Lois' in Tallahassee, Frederik's in Ystad, Robert's in Athens and Yvi's in Basel.

ABC Wednesday G is for Geirangerfjord

Today's photographs were all taken from the ferry which runs between Hellesylt and Gerianger. It was just a short section of our 2005 Cruise.


Many spectacular waterfalls descend the sides of the fjord. These are known as the "Seven Sisters".


On the opposite side is "Friaren", also known as "The Suitor".


To get an impression of their size, compare this photo of a yacht at the bottom of the falls with the one above.


Even more amazing are the tiny farmsteads that cling to the fjordsides. This is Knivsflå.


How anyone can reach these farms either from above or below is extraordinary.


This one is Skageflå.

For more G posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Shadow Shot Sunday:Ellie at Windy Harbour

Yesterday on Hyde Daily Photo I posted Hightailing it on Werneth Low.

As I explained there

Last week a friend, who regularly walks her dog on Werneth Low, took me up to Windy Harbour on the Eastern edge of the Low.

so here today is Ellie and her shadow.

Hereabouts a "Low" is a "high" place (compare with the Scottish "Law") and usually refers to a hump-backed ridge. Windy Harbour is indeed a windy place. "Harbour" means a place of shelter. Alas the old buildings here which afforded refreshments for a couple of centuries were demolished in 2000 and despite plans for a new building, it remains desolate.

For more shadow shots, visit Hey Harriet.

ABC WednesdayF is for Füssen

We visted Füssen in 2002 on our 9-day tour of Europe by coach.


Day 6 was an included tour to Germany and Neuschwanstein Castle. Along with the Glacier Express, this was one of the things that had attracted us to this particular tour. Christine was familiar with the castle via a 3D computer jigsaw puzzle. Having spent many hours completing the jigsaw and exploring the inside of it in virtual reality, we were anxious to view it in actual reality. We were aware that the castle was accessible only via numerous steps, so we didn't expect to take the grand tour. Nonetheless we had expected to see the outside of the building and its grounds. It turns out that you cannot visit the castle at all except on the guided tour. Those of us who elected therefore not to go to the castle, spent five hours free time in the relatively flat town of Füssen.


We were dropped off on the outskirts of the town by the bus and railway station. We walked down two streets and crossed over the main road. An alleyway led into the old-town. At the end we found the Café Rosengärten. A sign outside proclaimed the availability of menus in English, French, Italian and Spanish. It sounded welcoming. We ventured inside. For a nice mid-morning snack we decided to try the pancakes. They were like Dutch pancakes — full plate size, topped with fruit, syrup and ice-cream — filling and delicious.


The old town consists of two or three long pedestrianised streets. It was thronged with people; not just tourists but also older locals walking their dogs. There were benches at regular intervals so we could take our time and wander around slowly, stopping frequently. Many of the buildings are four or five storeys high, brightly painted and often ornately decorated.


By the time we'd wandered around the streets and shops for a couple of hours we were ready for something to eat and sat down at one of the pavement cafés. We tried to order one pizza between the two of us, but the waitress was reluctant. So we went back for the second time to Café Rosengärten, where we were welcomed. I had a sausage and potato salad. Germany has a reputation for sausages. This was slightly larger than what passed at home for a "jumbo sausage". It was perfectly cooked and tasted gorgeous — even better than some of the best Cumberland sausages I've ever consumed. The salad was full of a variety of vegetables and was a super accompaniment. Christine had a different salad and Swiss sausages which came sliced. The café toilets were downstairs but spotlessly clean.

For more F posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Friday Bench (32):Audenshaw Trough

This week's bench is a circular bench wrapped around the concrete base of a transformer pillar built about 1900.

It stands behind the Audenshaw Trough on the junction of Manchester Road and Audenshaw Road. It is of cast iron and consists of a circular pillar on a 20th century concrete base topped by a street lamp. The face is split vertically into panels and horizontally into three stages. On the front it bears the Manchester coat-of-arms and a plate records the maker: the British Electric Transformer Company. Another plate records the restoration by Norweb in 1983. Enriched cast iron panels are on the top stage. The conical top is above a bead and reel band. The structure is topped by a hexagonal lamp on a decorative spindle. At one time it had three lamps which used to the light the way for trams.


You can see the full pillar in all its glory on sithenah, or in the opposite direction on Geograph.

My favourite benches discovered recently include Mo's lichen-covered seat in London, Aileni's at Newport Beach, Kitty's in Prospect Park and Aonghais's in Brooklyn.

ABC Wednesday:E is for Euston Express at Edgeley

This is a Virgin Express train at Stockport.

Stockport station used to be known as Stockport (Edgeley) to distinguish it from Stockport (Tiviotdale). The latter was on a no longer existing line whose route has been largely claimed by the M60 motorway.

All trains passing over the famous Stockport viaduct must stop at the station. The only other stops on this route from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston are usually Macclesfield and Stoke-on-Trent.

For more E posts visit ABC Wednesday.

ABC Wednesday:D is for Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound is in a remote corner of New Zealand. It is reached by taking first a ferry across Lake Manapouri to West Arm. There you transfer to a coach for the drive over the Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove.


At Deep Cove you leave the coach and board a catamaran for a cruise on Doubtful Sound. Although given its name in 1773 by James Cook, the fjord was unexplored until the Italian navigator Malaspina commanded a Spanish scientific expedition in 1793. His name is remembered in Malaspina Reach, the area between Hall Arm and Crooked Arm. It was here that we were joined by some bottlenosed dolphins who sailed with us and provided a spectacular show jumping out of the water and somersaulting back.


As you approach the Tasman Sea, there are clear views of the Nee islets, named after a Spanish botanist. On the southern entrance, beyond Febrero Point are two rocks known as the Hare's Ears.

You can read more of our 2001 journey to New Zealand on The Land of the Long White Cloud.

For more D posts visit ABC Wednesday.

A brief hiatus

My computer crashed yesterday and it will probably be the middle of next week before I get it back.

I don't have any scheduled posts ready so won't be updating or posting new photographs until my own computer is back up and running again.

Guess I'll have to read a few books and watch TV for a while.

Hope to back before too long.

Friday Bench (31):Tenerife 2006

Four years ago we escaped the beginning of February and went to the warm climes of Tenerife.

This bench was in one of the shopping plazas in Playa de Los Americas. I have to admit now that it was the cactus I was taking a photograph of and I've cropped it so you can see the bench and the plant. I did a different crop excluding the bench but including a shop window on the other side when I published the photo Shopping Plaza Cactus along with others on my account of Tenerife & La Gomera.

My favourite benches discovered recently include Inverness Daily Photo's on Ness Islands, Misfit's in Liberty, Daryl's in Battery Park City, Steffen's in Stuttgart and AB's in Saarland.

ABC Wednesday - C is for Cycling in Copenhagen

These are just a few of the cyclists we encountered when visiting Copenhagen in 2006.


Cycling is so popular in Copenhagen that there is a blog Copenhagen Chic specifically devoted to the activity.


For more C posts visit ABC Wednesday.