Monday 15 January 2018

HEADING FOR OGDEN WATER



On my other blog, Message in a Milk Bottle, I've posted photos from time to time of a little of the countryside within reach of Halifax.

So you may already have seen a view from Jerusalem Farm






or from Burnsall in Wharfedale











Path between bowling greens with park-keepers mowing the grass in Todmorden, West Yorkshire



or caught sight of the beautiful bowling greens in Todmorden with hills beyond; not that bowling greens are exactly countryside!


But on this blog, Loose and Leafy in Halifax, I've so far concentrated on the town itself; for that is my immediate context - home. Perhaps now I should widen the field and introduce you to more of the wonderful and very varied countryside near at hand.

We're heading for the green deep in  a fold between the fields and moorland.
And as I do, I should also point you to Everyday Life. Lyn has been writing and posting photos about this part of England since 2009 and has been warming my heart to it ever since I first came across her blog. Our experiences and approach are very different and the reasons I moved to Halifax are broadly based on money, culture, work opportunities and a need for change. The choice of Halifax specifically was largely down to chance. So arriving here is pretty random. However the strong images of some of the country walks she has introduced us to over the years have been nudging away at me. "Cor," I've been thinking, "that's not an 'arf bad place to live!" Blogs have a lot to answer for!

In previous posts I've mentioned the Greek Village books of Sara Alexi. There are masses of them and in the same way as we have moved from Dorset to Halifax, people in the village don't necessarily stay put. In the first book (The Illegal Gardener) one of the main characters is Aaman from Pakistan who finds work re-shaping an English woman's newly acquired garden. Later, in 'Saving Septic Cyril' he and his wife travel (legally, this time) from Pakistan to England where they rent a house in a tiny village near Bradford.


Bradford is quite near Halifax. Indeed, they are linked vaguely by a sequence of fields and villages; and between the two we can look down the hill . . . beyond the sheep . .  not to to where Aaman and Saabira live (for their place is much smaller) . . . but to a village which makes me think of them. (Saabira and Aaaman are, by the way, in my mind, perfectly real people.) 



Through the village and a bit further . . . Ogden water. A fifteen minute drive from my house. What can I say in a short post? That we walked round the reservoir. That when we go back, you can come too.

(Quite a large stretch of water along the right-hand shore was frozen.)



Wherever I live, wherever I go, there are places where I like to be alone; I feel almost possessive about their isolation.

And there are places where there are so many people I can't cope and want to go home.

But here - it was such a jolly atmosphere I felt swept up in the happiness; masses of people walking beside the water before or after their Sunday lunch - and the woods ringing with laughter. There were people of all ages, little children, parents, older people; and teenage boys who were putting great efforts into shuffling awkwardly round slushy patches so they didn't get their flash trainers spoiled in the mud: people bringing Christmas trees to be re-planted or turned into dead-hedge wind-breaks. And, hurray, hurray, no cyclists! I've nearly lost friends over this cyclist issue. As a pedestrian I've had bad experiences with cyclists both in Dorset and in London. I have only one recurring nightmare and that's of hoards of cyclists bearing down on me waving their arms and shouting. It's horrible.


I've always liked the look of wind turbines - but am not yet entirely convinced they are the way forward. Having complained about cyclists I'll try not to raise your hackles further by worrying about their proliferation. Hopefully they are nothing but an early stage in the development of 'green' power and with any luck won't last long. But against a dark sky they are pretty impressive don't you think?

25 comments:

Lyn said...

Oh wow, thank you for your kind words about my blog!
I'm glad you are exploring the country side around Halifax in your blog now and I look forward to reading more....I've never been to Ogden! It's on my list now.
Xxx

Coastal Ripples said...

Just found your blog from Sarah's Down By The Sea. You are living in a lovely part of the country and I look forward to seeing more of your favourite places. The art of travelling vicariously through blogs:) B x

Anonymous said...

Another lovely post, Lucy. There is some cracking countryside in your new neck of the woods. Thanks for posting such lovely photos and interesting thoughts.

Anonymous said...

A most enjoyable post and lovely pictures. xx

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Lyn. I'd certainly recommend it. It looks like a long walk when you start but it isn't really. More of an easy amble in pleasant surroundings. (A bit muddy in places.)

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Coastal Ripples. Glad you've found Loose and Leafy. Until last summer it was in Dorset, now it's moved along with me to West Yorkshire - very different! Miss the sea but glad to be here.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Countryside Tales. Yes. Lovely and varied countryside. Lots to explore.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Mike. Glad you enjoyed the post and the pictures.

Down by the sea said...

Each area is unique, it is so different to Dorset but so lovely too and you still have so much more to explore and take us along with you! Sarah x

Linda said...

Lots to explore in your new part of England. Hubby grew up in Oldham and has wonderful memories of the moors.

liz said...

You are discovering lovely countryside. Not sure how it popped into my head, but I recall you writing about an ongoing joke when you were in Dorset: “Broadchurch” and “Midsomer Murders”. Now you’re in the locale of “Last Tango in Halifax”! The scenery in a couple of your photos reminded me of that TV series.
How did I miss your recommendation of Sara Alexi books? That should be remedied.

Phil Slade said...

I do so enjoy your discovery of life "oop North" and now you have experienced the dales there is no turning back. Did you used nto watch Mr Herriot in Askrigg? You should.

Gove? Here goes. Like all politicians he is prone to lies, deceit and looking after Number One. For example his back-stabbing of Boris last time – not necessarily a bad thing IMHO as Boris is all mouth and trousers. Gove comes from a very working class background. His father was a fisherman in Aberdeen or thereabouts who with other lost their living when we handed over fishing rights to the EU, hence his “enthusiasm” for bringing back the UK fishing rights.

I do believe Gove is a genuine reformer. So much so that Cameron sacked him from Education when he proved to be too reforming by upsetting the established and cosy applecart of education and NUT. He has quickly grasped the unexciting nettle of Defra and I hope and pray he can institute desperately reforms to farming and the environment.

There, I’m an unashamed Tory and rooting for Gove but not necessarily Mrs May. What about you?

Al said...

That's a very pretty area - lovely photos.

Lady Fi said...

Wonderful countryside!

Caroline Gill said...

What a lovely and exhilarating post, Lucy. I don't think I really know your no-longer-so-new area at all, though I love the area around Keighley and Skipton. Halfway through January... I expect you will soon be seeing lots of lambs.

Lea said...

Beautiful country!
Thanks for your visit and comment on my blog. To answer your question about the Red-bellied Woodpecker. There is a small spot of red on its belly, but you usually cannot see it because of the way the Woodpecker clings to the sides of trees - the belly is pressed against the tree. And another Woodpecker already has the Red-Headed Woodpecker name - it has bright red feathers all over its head and neck!
Have a great week!

Roger Brook - No Dig Gardener said...

My own roots are in West Yorkshire - born under Castle Hill in Huddersfield so I loved to be reminded of your kind of countryside. We too find the wind turbines often quite stunning and Brenda says she would swap them for ugly overhead power lines. ( I bet there were not many of them in Dorset?)

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I would love to be able to use this beautiful post as an incentive to visit your area (but you would need to send me a Magic Carpet). It seems like an amazing place to stroll/walk/hike and I've also enjoyed your posts on the city ... a perfect combination.

I know what you mean about how meeting people in natural places sometimes makes you want to scream and run home -- and once in a while being caught up in a friendly happy one. I'm not sure how to analyze how that happens, but I've certainly had both reactions.

I'm unsure about windmills too -- I worry about their effect on birds -- but I've also taken many pictures of them against a blue sky.

Anna said...

Oh Lucy that looks like a grand spot for a Sunday stroll and your post really really conveys a sense of how much people of all ages were enjoying themselves. Fabulous weather too by the looks of it.

Alistair said...

Couldn't resist having a peek at message in a bottle.
Here on Loose and leafy in Halifax, Ogden water looks absolutely lovely, and the bowling green is top notch.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Great country; very scenic indeed. As for bowling greens not being country exactly, you are right, but they are a whole lot better than a parking lot, and it seems to me they perpetuate a tradition that is rooted in antiquity and is exceptionally pleasant, and characteristic of an English way of life that still endures.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Down by the Sea. That's one of the things I'm enjoying about this new Halifax blog - that I can take readers along with me in changing from one area to another. We can enjoy the contrasts together. It's good to have company while I explore . . . and great to find that by moving to a new blog there are new readers with new interests too.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Linda. Have not yet been to Oldham, though no doubt will in time. The furthest south I've been since arriving here is Rochdale - and didn't have much time to explore that so in a way it doesn't count.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

Hello Liz. I enjoyed Last Tango in Halifax. It's a shame they won't be doing any more. 'Happy Valley' is another series that was made in the Calder Valley. And now there's 'Ackley Bridge'. I tried 'Happy Valley' and didn't find it very interesting - though it was very popular. Perhaps I should count watching TV as research and take a look at 'Ackley Bridge'. I've not seen any of it so far.

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

At which point I decided I'd better take a look at Ackley Bridge. I'm not a school drama sort of person and was driven up the wall by the adverts which take as much time as the programme itself - but I saw two episodes. In the first I thought the main characters ridiculous. By the second I'd warmed to them. Whether I can take another bout of adverts to watch a third some time is moot.