Bruce The Dog

Picture of Bruce the Belgian Shepherd Dog.

I was walking around Armley Park, perhaps better known as Gotts Park in Armley, Leeds a couple of days ago when I encountered the above dog.

Bruce as I discovered from his owner was 3 years old and was a rescue dog, by that I mean Tony his owner rescued him. I think they both got a great deal, Bruce is a lovely dog and Tony clearly enjoys having him.

Bruce like many dogs enjoys playing ball, but prefers to hang on to it and chew for a while before giving it back.

I have been working on a replacement on wordpress of Leeds daily photo, it is now up and running, but needs a little more work.

Wakey Wheeled Cats Public Debut

Picture of member of Wakey Wheeled Cats roller derby team at the Great Yorkshire Showdown.

They say its not the winning but the taking part, well this week that is especially true for the members of the Wakey Wheeled Cats flat track roller derby team. This week they took part in the Great Yorkshire Showdown at Huddersfield and it was their public debut at the sport.

There is a camaraderie in roller derby that is missing today in many sports, win or lose you will see girls from different teams hugging each other after a bout. I may be wrong but I think the Wakefield team are the newest here in the North of England and it was good to see them in action here in Huddersfield.

At the end of the various bouts I saw this member of the Wakey Wheeled Cats their No 30, sat on the floor amongst the teams luggage and I could not resist this photo. Again not up to my usual standards the light was very yellow.

I have been working on a replacement on wordpress of Leeds daily photo, it is now up and running, but needs a little more work.

Roller Girl Footwear

Picture of a pair of skates worn by a roller girl at the Great Yorkshire Showdown at Huddersfield this last weekend.

I have made picture black and white but tweaked the green coloured laces.

Sheffield Steel Rollergirl #17 Holly Hotrod

Picture of the Sheffield Steel Rollergirls No 17 at the Great Yorkshire Showdown.

With the No 17 on her arm, this is I think Holly Hotrod, at least thats who I think it is having consulted the Sheffield Steel Rollergirls website.

No 17 was photographed during a bout against Liverpool's first Roller Derby team, the Liverpool Roller Birds.

Perhaps one day I will get the hang of low light moving sports, but as sport photography is not really my thing I just try my best and take quite a few shots. In an effort to make the above photo look not too bad I have played with it in photoshop a little.

Newcastle Roller Girl

Picture of member of the Newcastle Roller Girls.

On Sunday the Leeds Roll Dolls hosted hosted The Great Yorkshire Showdown, hours of flat track roller derby.

After the first bout between the Leeds Roller Dolls and the Newcastle Roller Girls, I caught up with this member of their team outside the building. The daylight was so much better than the terrible lighting inside the Huddersfield Sports Centre.

This Newcastle Roller Girl is I their No 27, and her skate name is Whippi Longstocking. Normally when I get a snap of a roller girl I get them to turn around once because their roller derby name is emblazoned on the back of their t shirt.

The Great Yorkshire Showdown - Leeds Roller Dolls

Picture of members of Leeds Roller Dolls B Team in a bout at Huddersfield.

Yesterday, Sunday The Leeds Roller Dolls took part in and hosted The Great Yorkshire Showdown.

Teams from Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Lincolnshire, Middlesbourough, Sheffield, Wakefield and our own Leeds Roller Dolls, introducing the New Second Travel Team came together at the Huddersfield Sports Centre.

The Dolls invited me over to see them in action again and I was pleased to be able to say hi.

I knew there was a team in Sheffield because I chatted to a member wearing a Sheffield Steel Rollergirls shirt at the last bout I attended but I had no idea there was a team in Wakefield, the Wakey Wheeled Cats.

The Leeds Roller Dolls may have been fielding their B team, but they were determined to show the other teams they meant business. I think the doll in the above photo shows this!

I will be posting more from the The Great Yorkshire Showdown over the next few days. There were some new faces to me, so excuse the lack of details. Also the lighting at the Huddersfield Sports Centre was horrible, making everything look yellowish, not ideal for reasonable photos.

Leeds Museum - Discovery Centre

Picture of the Leeds museum discovery centre in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

I had forgotten that this place existed until I walked by it the other day. I first chanced across it from the top deck of the Leeds tourist bus on its press launch. Unfortunately they operate on an appointment basis, so apart from saying hi to the girl on reception I have nothing further to add till I make an appointment and look into it further.

National Baking Week

Picture of home baked cookies

This week 18 - 24 October has been the 2010 National Baking Week and I have at last found someone who does home baking. The above cookies are perhaps a little overdone, but when I called in on an old friend they were cooling down in the kitchen and I was offered one with a cup of tea.

Not having my camera with me, I borrowed one and emailed myself this photo and was given a couple to take away with me, they tasted just fine.

Starling - Detail

Picture of starling.

I am posting this because a friend wants to use the ecard facility and send this to someone..

I have been working on a replacement on wordpress of Leeds daily photo, it is now up and running, but needs a little more work.

Starling - Leeds City Centre

Picture of a starling eating crumbs in small park in Leeds city centre.

Starlings are quite attractive birds close up, I cannot recall ever feeding them part of my lunch before. Anyone who has lived or worked in Leeds city centre in the not too distant past will most likely recall seeing clouds of starlings swooping above the city. I do not know where they have gone but these days I rarely see more than 20 birds at any one time It took my a few attempts at this photo because the pigeon really wanted the crumbs and would just muscle in.

I have been working on a replacement on wordpress of Leeds daily photo, it is now up and running, but needs a little more work.

Carolynne Good at VQ Leeds

Picture of Leeds singer Carolynne Good performing at the VQ Leeds.

Carolynne was on Fame Academy on TV, but has now made her debut movie, The Last Days of Edgar Harding. I am a film buff and will be sure to look out for this film when it is released.

There were moving coloured spotlights around the stage at the VQ during the performance, not the best lighting for my camera, or rather my level of photography. I must look into the best technique for this type of situation.

There will be perhaps one more post about the recent 20th birthday at VQ, Leeds.

I have been working on a replacement on wordpress of Leeds daily photo, it is now up and running, but needs a little more work.

VQ Leeds 20th Birthday Bash - Continued

Picture of two ladies with an abundance of feathers pose alongside a human statue at VQ Leeds.

Towards the end of the evening celebrations at the Victoria Quarter Leeds, held to mark its 20th birthday since its opening I asked these 2 ladies to pose with the statue.



On seeing me photograph the group above, these local ladies thought that they too were worthy of a photo but that they would take a more hands on approach.



At the end the girls were just having a party all of their own.

Read more about the VQ Leeds 20th birthday

Roller Girls at VQ 20th Birthday Bash Leeds

Picture of dancers on roller skates at VQ 20th birthday bash Leeds.

I spoke with these 3 girls a couple of times during the evening at the Victoria Quarter in Leeds shopping district.



Another photo of the roller girls at the 20th birthday of the VQ here in Leeds. The girl on the right wanted in on the photo, why not!

VQ Leeds Celebrates 20 Years

Picture of aerialist Nichole Pearson performing high up in the VQ shopping centre, Leeds.

This last week the Victoria Quarter here in Leeds celebrated its 20th anniversary since opening. On Thursday evening they held a special event at the VQ, with a singer, dancers, a formula 1 car to name but a few of the things on offer.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by award winning aerialist Nicole Pearson, who performed her act high up near the roof of the building. Nicole trained at the Ecole Nationale de Cirque, Montreal in Canada and is a professional aerial artist specialising in corde lisse.



When Nicole finished her performance and returned to the floor of the VQ I had a few words with her about what she does for a living and for some info for the blog. I also asked Nicole if she would mind getting up in front of the metal VQ sculpture near the entrance for a photo. Being the trooper that she is she asked if I wanted a handstand... So here in the above picture is Nichole in front of the VQ sign, I should have been a little further back for this shot, but she just went straight for it even though she was rather tired from hanging near the ceiling a few minutes earlier.

Thanks Nicole, you were great.

Stand of Trees outside Aberford

Picture of stand of trees outside the village of Aberford in Yorkshire.

I was walking along an old country lane near Aberford when I saw the above stand of trees in a recently ploughed field, it was towards the end of the afternoon hence the long shadows.

Magpie With Acorn

Picture of magpie breaking into acorn.

Whilst waiting for my train into Leeds city centre a couple of days back I stood and watched this magpie for a few minutes. He was perched on a fence post and was using the join in the different levels of the wood to help him get a firm grip on the acorn whilst breaking into it with his beak.

I have not really thought about what magpies ate except knowing that they often rob nests of the eggs or young of other birds. The fence in the photo was partly under a tall oak tree and into the above photo on the left can be seen one of the branches with oak leaves. To get a decent photo of a magpie you need a good sized lens, they are quite canny at flying off when they notice you.

This is the second magpie to feature on this blog, I posted earlier about the magpie verse and customs back when I had just started my Yorkshire photography journey in late 2008.

Weather Vane

Picture of a weather vane in Yorkshire.

Whilst looking at the alpacas on a farm not far from where I live I noticed this nice weather vane, featuring a small dog perhaps barking at a cow, above one of the buildings.

Cute - But Not in Leeds

Picture of a couple of alpacas on a farm here in Yorkshire.

I stumbled on these alpacas by chance the other day, I had stopped to get a photo of an old wall post box, when I looked around I noticed what looked like 3 alpacas in a field opposite.

I walked over looking for an entrance to see if I could get a closer look and perhaps some photographs too. The farmer was nice and said help myself, so I did. I have only seen alpacas once before other than in pictures, but these were quite curious and shy and were happy at around 8 feet from me. Which was fine by me, close enough for my lens. Also in the field were some sheep and very free range hens along with a couple of donkeys who thought that 8 inches was far more interesting.

I am not really sure of the village boundaries so these cute alpacas are either in the villages of Eldwick or perhaps Gilstead between Bingley and Baildon. I know exactly where they are in relation to the roads but have no idea what the road they are on is called.

One thing I do know because the farmer told me, one reason he keeps them is that the deter foxes, with his flock of lovely brown hens that makes sense.

Atlas at Abbey Light Railway Kirkstall

This photo shows another of the locos at the Abbey Light Railway at Kirkstall, Leeds.

This loco, their No 2 called Atlas was built here in Leeds at the Hunslet engine company in 1943 for the MOD.

Abbey Light Railway - Kirkstall

I caught up with the Abbey Light Railway in Kirkstall, Leeds on Sunday and rode one way on there narrow gauge railway.

The above photo shows their No 8 Gogo loco, a 20HP Fordson tractor on a railway chassis. I may not know much about narrow gauge locos but even I recognised the Fordson tractor that is the power unit on this loco.

The Abbey Light Railway runs along track from just behind the Kirkstall war memorial to a point a quarter of a mile away in the Kirkstall Abbey park.

This Sunday was the railway's diesel gala, where they showed off the various locos they have here at the railway. With the railways primitive passenger rolling stock the short journey gave me a real feeling of what it must have been like in the early days of travel by rail.

Tree Kirkstall Abbey

A view of a tree in autumn light at Kirkstall Abbey Park Leeds.

I caught Up with the Abbey Light Railway in Kirkstall, Leeds today and will post about that tomorrow.

Sweet Chestnut - Temple Newsam

Picture of Sweet Chestnut at Temple Newsam estate near Leeds in Yorkshire.

The Sweet Chestnut also called Marron and known in the US as the Spanish Chestnut is properly known by its Latin name Castanea sativa.

I was walking around the Temple Newsam estate near Leeds, when I noticed a sweet chestnut tree with some of the fruit having fallen and they were lying under the tree. The sweet chestnut in the above picture was lying on the grass before I moved it to the nearby wall for this photo.

Temple Newsam - Trees

Picture of trees on the Temple Newsam estate near Leeds.

I passed a little time at the Temple Newsam estate near Leeds today. There are on the estate many trees and now autumn is here many of the leaves are yellowing or going bronze in colour.

Pet Smile Month - Missed That One

Todays picture is of a poster that I passed whilst walking through the small town of Otley yesterday.

I could not resist this poster about "Pet Smile Month" on the wall outside a Vets. I really do not know how I missed this one, although I guess not having any pets might have had something to do with it.

July was National Ice Cream Month and I missed that one coming too and I am a fan of proper ice cream!!

I also missed Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month in February and National Share-a-Story Month back in May.

August was Dog Adoption Month another one I missed and I do like nice polite non aggressive dogs... See photos on this blog!!

Just so we all know...

This month October is

Black History Month (UK)
National Squirrel Awareness Month
National German Heritage Month (Celebrated from September 15 to October 15)
Italian-American Heritage Month
Filipino American History Month
LGBT History Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Pet Wellness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
Diversity Awareness Month
National Pizza Month
National Pasta Month
National Dessert Month
Country Music Month
Family History Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
National Book Month[4]
Gourmet Adventures Month
National Car Care Month
National Pretzel Month
National Pickled Peppers Month[5]
Vegetarian Awareness Month
National Seafood Month
National Cosmetology Month
National Apple Month
National Depression Education and Awareness Month
Polish American Heritage Month
National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Month
National Popcorn Poppin' Month
Computer Learning Month
National Stamp Collecting Month
National Applejack Month
Cook Book Month
Gourmet Adventures Month
Hunger Awareness Month
National Caramel Month
National Cookie Month
National Country Ham Month
National Health Care Food Service Month
National Kitchen and Bath Month
National Pork Month
National Restaurant Hospitality Month
National Roller Skating Month
National Spinach-Lovers' Month
National Toilet Tank Repair Month
National Sun Dried Tomato Month
National Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Nonprofit Career Month

I think many of these are only in the US. Although I could easily get involved with National Squirrel Awareness Month BUT only the cute squirrel nutkin that is the red squirrel rather than those gray rats with fluffy tails that just have good PR.

Incy Wincy Spider

Yesterday morning was damp and misty down by the river and I saw several good sized spiders webs on some hedging.

The above photograph of a spiders web and resident spider was taken yesterday whilst I was out for an early morning stroll. I am no expert on the spiders of the UK, so I have no idea what type of spider it is.

Conkers - Kirkstall Abbey

Picture of the fruit of the horse chestnut, photographed at Kirkstall Abbey Park, Leeds.

Whilst walking around the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey a few day back, I noticed these on the ground cushioned by fallen leaves.

Near to where I live there are several mature horse chestnut trees and the conkers have been falling from the branches for the last week or so. I see people of all ages picking up the shiny new conkers from around the trees, I have not yet seen anyone playing conkers this year.

Airliner Landing at Leeds Bradford Airport

The weather today here in Leeds has been very wet with low 10/10ths cloud cover.

I went out to Leeds/Bradford airport to collect a couple of friends who were flying in on the above Jet2 plane.

I tried to photograph a plane taking off but by the time it was above the end of the runway where I was it was already in the cloud.

Carrot Cake

Fresh from the oven, my all time favourite, carrot cake.

My young friend Etty made this one and with luck I may get to eat a slice. It smelled delicious when I took it out of the oven.

Surprise Railway Kirkstall

A view of narrow gauge rail tracks at Kirkstall, Leeds.

I have lived in and around Leeds for many years now and although I never be a Yorkshireman, feel I have a pretty good idea of the places around the city.

I was very surprised to discover some narrow gauge rail track in Kirkstall just behind the war memorial not far from Kirkstall Abbey and its park. Since 1974 there has been a light railway here in Kirkstall. The Abbey Light Railway is run by volunteers and operates most Sundays along its 0.75 miles of track.

I will try and have a look at the railway one Sunday sometime in the next few weeks.