Hepworth's Flying Fish

 

I liked this weathervane on a house in Hepworth, which had a ballcock on its underbelly to hold it up and a tap on top. Perhaps the handiwork of an odd -jobbing plumber-cum- fisherman....

Down Street

 

There are at least 40 London Underground stations, which still exist but are no longer used.

Closed for a variety of reasons, from low passenger numbers to re-routing, these stations have had interesting histories, with some providing vital refuge throughout the wars. 
 Down Street station  even hosted a meeting of the War Cabinet. Brompton Road is still used by the Ministry of Defence today. Aldwych station, for example, was used to house the National Gallery's collection during WWI and British Museum artefacts (including the Elgin Marbles), during WWII.  Aldwych has doubled up as a filming location for productions as diverse as The Prodigy's 'Firestarter' music video, and zombie movie, '28 Weeks Later.'

 

See http://underground-history.co.uk/front.php

Ghost Station

 

Ghost Station on the Piccadilly Line

 

Way Out

 

Forgotten Underground: Lots of interesting stuff online following discovery of Ghost Stations by Cross rail......

Greetings from Huddersfield

 

Well it was fair cracking the flags today here in Huddersfield......

Moo When Lights Change

 

Top one: Halifax prohibits riding horse and carts down the bypass; bottom one: cow traffic lights ( as seen on way to the Lakes)

Beware of the Sheep

 



Baaaaa,  Humbug

West Bowling?

Weather Vane on top of Bowling Hut at Rothay Park, Ambleside

Roe Deer at Twilight

 

White scuts, deep, black eyes and noses, peering out at us from the twilight on a bank on the way back from The Old Smithy fish & chip shop, Ambleside....

Whitehaven Brick

 

Whitehaven brick, found at Far Brandelhow jetty, Derwent water. (I left it there, on this occasion)

Grasmere Eye Witness

 

Hooked cutting tool at Grasmere Church Hall antiques & collector's fair. Taylors started making knives in Sheffield in 1838...

Pylons

 

The National Grid unveils its new pylon design. Apparently, the old design resembled " tapering gateways of temples in ancient Egypt", whilst this one looks like "two diamonds on a ski lift". 

Mortal Man

 

Pub sign at the Mortal Man pub, Troutbeck, where we toughed it out in the Beer Garden during a hail storm, awaiting the arrival of pub grub....

The Game

 Pot dug up in the garden of Iveing cottage, Ambleside...looks like a Victorian chap bowling...

Obscure Tools

 

To be honest, I didn't find as many of these as I'd have liked in an old gardening manual. Must try harder....

Robin follows the spade

 

A little pal, following me digging...

Pests

Been Diggin' my Potatoes, Spring Pest Watch

Cat and Mouse

 

Stony Batter weather vane is back up

Bits of Old Tat

Curious Fish pot

Bits of old tat, more diggings.....

Clay pipes

Cycle ride to bottle dump near Round Hill/ Dalton bank on the Huddersfield Broad Canal. Quite pleased I dug up two pipe bowls for once!

B is for Bull

Blue and white pottery fragments from Victorian dump near the canal...looks like a child's nursery cup. B for Bull....C for Cow?

Razzle Dazzle

 

 Mersey ferry "The Snowdrop" has been given a makeover by Pop artist Sir Peter Blake as part of plans to commemorate the centenary of World War One. Blake recreated "dazzle camouflage", invented to confuse the German navy....

Sekhemka

 

 



Sold for £16 million by  Northampton Borough Council sold to help fund a museum extension.
 Egyptian statue of scribe Sekhemka and his wife Sitmerit  is now subject to an export ban .....  donated to the museum by  the Marquess of Northampton in 1870. Not sure what to make of this, I'm sure this won't be the first or the last .....needs must?

Zatopek

Emile Zatopek, Helsinki Olympics 1952,the only person ever to win the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon events at one Olympic Games.  My Dad, aged 16, saw him run in the Helsinki Stadium and talked of the crowd shouting "Zat-o-pek, Zat-o-pek!!" Clip to follow....see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c4Z8cbcIiA

The Trunce

Before.........

 

After.......

50 years ago, Stocksbridge Park Steel FC came up with the novel idea of a training run , up hill and down dale and several times wading across the River Don. Now lots of people from running clubs join them  to run 3 miles, or thereabouts, through the muck, for no apparent reason.....