Whiskers and reflections ⚪️⚫️
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Edwardian AI
This early twentieth century picture postcard image of the approach to Halifax Railway Station has the look of something that has been created by a cut-price AI image colourising programme. It wasn’t; it was created by the Edwardian equivalent, a cut-price studio assistant with instructions to make the hills green, the sky blue, and the horses look happy. It wasn’t true, of course, but anyone who…
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Nostalgia Noir
I can vaguely remember taking this photograph of Broad Street in Halifax from what must have been the top of the Bowling Alley in the late 1960s. It was back in the days of slow films and fast cars. You’d have to acquire a special Photoshop filter to get such crude results from even the most challenged smartphone today. They’d probably call the filter “Nostalgia Noir”.
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The Silent Sentinels of Albert Promenade
There is a specific kind of stillness you only find at the edge of a gritstone escarpment.
This shot from Albert Promenade in Halifax captures the “Rocks"—the ancient Millstone Grit that forms the backbone of the Pennines. While the Promenade was a Victorian creation (opened in 1861 by Henry Charles McCrea), the geology beneath it dates back to the Carboniferous period. These rocks were once sand and sediment in a prehistoric river delta, compressed over eons into the rugged edges we see today.
I love the contrast between the man-made railings and the wild, jagged geometry of the stone. It’s a reminder that while the town below is always changing, the spirit of the landscape remains timeless.
Explore the history and the lens: The Calderdale Photographer: Capturing the Timeless Spirit of Albert Promenade’s Ancient Rocks
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International Bagpipe Day
The sound of bagpipes filling the air as day dawns is enough to bring joy to the hearts of many. Others, they may not feel quite the same. It seems that one either loves the pipes or not at all. There is not very much middle ground. International Bagpipe Day is the time to find out where you stand and join those who love them!
History of International Bagpipe Day The Bagpipe Society has been sponsoring the celebration of International Bagpipe Day since 2012. They have helped to bring the bagpipe to new players since 1986. It is important to them that the history and playing of the bagpipes is not lost. Putting this day together was with the hope of bringing awareness of the over 130 different types of bagpipe throughout the world.
For the first International Bagpipe Day in 2012, there were reports of events held in some unique places. In South Africa, pipers gathered and played in an underground canyon. In Greece, they played on Athenian hill. The Society even heard of events in countries where previously it was thought that there were not many pipers or any at all!
If you aren’t familiar with this ancient instrument, bagpipe is a term that means a wind instrument that uses enclosed reeds to produce sound. Air feeds the reeds with a constant flow of air from a reservoir in the form of a bag. In each area that it is found, the bagpipe may change in sound and shape. This is an ancient instrument and is claimed to be represented on a Hittite slab dated to 1000 BC!
How to Celebrate International Bagpipe Day Celebrating the bagpipe when this holiday rolls around can take many forms. If you have ever wanted to try your hand at it, don’t wait! This is the time for you to find your local provider of the pipes and take a lesson. You could be the next great Piper! It could happen, you never know, right?
There is a multitude of information available about this instrument. A great idea to celebrate is to learn more about it. A quick internet search will bring up resources like The Bagpipe Society. You can follow the history of this unique instrument through the millennia to present day and from country to country! There is much more information than you could learn in just one day, but it’s a great time to start.
Another way to celebrate is to find out if there are any events planned in your local area. Grab the family or friends and go check it out! You may just find that you were missing out on all the fun. If you ask, it may even be possible to try it out and see if you can make a sound with it!
Bagpipes have a long history that spans the ages and spans many regions. It is an instrument that has weathered the test of time and surely deserves to be honored on International Bagpipe Day!
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Hope
Yes, it’s a bit dark, but the world is a bit dark at the moment. The question has to be: are the steps leading us into or out of the darkness? I took the photograph on Hope Hall Terrace in Halifax. Enough said.
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Sometimes on a Friday Music:
Mat Hughes’ song Yard Sale features what I feel (really *feel*) is a wonderful vocal accompaniement by Izra Fitch.
Mat once did a piano stem for me and this gets me wondering about looking into a vocal accompaniement for something else I have.
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Forsooth
Shakespeare Street, Halifax : A lane obscure, yet bearing a name of renown, once did serve as a stately portal to a playhouse, a haunt for souls who sought diversion and wisdom. Long hath it languished in adversity, and now is it haunted by sots and knaves.
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Sarah’s Place
When I was growing up in Montreal, the wise parents of a friend let us teens use their living room as a place to meet, talk, and listen to music. We were left undisturbed to share our lives with each other.
Somehow I knew at the time how important this was for all of us. I was just beginning to play guitar and write songs and Sarah’s Place was perhaps the first.
I’m rediscovering and appreciating the importance of this song in my life and, without too much polishing, will someday record this song by a 16 year old.
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Just some mall elevators. Felt like something out of a 90s sci-fi movie or something. Maybe it’s just me.
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Times Certainly Change
Getting somewhat annoyed the other day by some toxic pronouncement by a global potentate, I banged my fist down on my desk, and my smartwatch informed me that it looked as if I had taken a fall and that it would send for an emergency ambulance. Just think, sixty years ago I would have had to catch a bus to Halifax and find some cast-iron street hydrant in order to achieve the same ends. Times…
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Any Lane
My photograph dates back to the early 1970s and shows one of those streets near the bottom of Lister Lane and Hopwood Lane in Halifax. The precise location doesn’t matter – it could be any lane in almost any northern town: with cobbled streets and an obelisk of a mill chimney.