click to enlarge
The camera is a Nikon DS3200 and I am getting used to it. You do have to tell it what to focus on - in this case the flower rather than the trees. Everything else it works out for itself. Brilliant.
Monday, 26 January 2015
Amaryllis in Focus
Daughter Lorna besides conspiring with her mother to get me a new camera for Christmas, gave us an amaryllis bulb. Today, the two came together to produce this spectacular picture, with minimal help from me:
Saturday, 24 January 2015
First Steam Train of 2015
Definitely an early sign that spring is just around the corner - Black 5 locomotive 45407 Lancashire Fusilier with the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express flew through Settle this afternoon en route to Manchester. Here it is passing through Long Preston, just south of Settle. Picture Matthew Stroh.
A Most Heartening mention on BBC Radio 4
Nearly choked on my cornflakes so to speak this morning when listening to BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live programme.
Among the people in the studio was Restoration Man George Clarke who was asked if there was any Restoration Man project that had come in on budget and on time. To my astonishment George singled out our project as the one and only that had ticked those two boxes. He went on to say very nice things about which modesty prevents repetition here.
Click on the link below. The whole programme is well worth a listen but our bit starts at 17 mins 0 secs and goes on to 19m 30s
BBC Radio 4 Saturday Live 24/1/15
I should say that it did not feel like on budget and on time at the time!
Among the people in the studio was Restoration Man George Clarke who was asked if there was any Restoration Man project that had come in on budget and on time. To my astonishment George singled out our project as the one and only that had ticked those two boxes. He went on to say very nice things about which modesty prevents repetition here.
Click on the link below. The whole programme is well worth a listen but our bit starts at 17 mins 0 secs and goes on to 19m 30s
BBC Radio 4 Saturday Live 24/1/15
I should say that it did not feel like on budget and on time at the time!
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
What a Lovely Tweet
Came across this entry on Twitter just now. How good it is to know that the tower is a welcoming feature of Settle to at least one homecomer.
- love living near Settle & seeing this when I get off the train! #SettleWaterTower @MrGeorgeClarke #TheRestorationMan
jessica strickland 
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Rainwater Harvesting and Other Complicated Things
Given the opportunities presented by a big empty box of a building that needed to be made habitable and comfortable we decided early on to embrace what new technology seemed useful and affordable within our budget. Nowadays this often means energy saving devices which embrace emerging technology.
So, we built in
a lift * *
underfloor central heating *
generous insulation
energy efficient glazing where allowed
rainwater harvesting * *
a catalytic flueless gas fire
induction hob*
heat recovery ventillation *
computer wiring to most rooms*
balanced flue gas boiler * *
low energy lighting*
burglar alarm * *
fire alarm*
All this is fine and dandy - when it works. Most are so useful that you don't half miss them when they break down.
Almost all of these things have at their core a computer - or computer like circuitry - hugely vulnerable to malfunction, much as your desktop computer. These are the ones with asterisks on the list. Often you just need to turn them off, have a cup of tea, then turn them on again. Re-boot them in other words. Those with two asterisks come with recommendations for periodic 'servicing'.
All in all we have come to realise that we have bought ourselves a lot of trouble and expense to keep this stuff running, let alone the capital and opportunity costs. If we indulged in all the service contracts we would be a good deal out of pocket.
Things came to a crunch a week or so ago when the rainwater harvesting system stopped working. The suppliers Kingspan Envireau wanted £292.96p plus V.A.T. to come and have a look at it. I have to say that they had been very helpful in the past with telephone advice and parts. Not this time though. £300 odd charge- take it or leave it. My pleading that it would pay me to abandon the system and switch to mains water cut no ice. It had been a similar story with the lift a few months ago. No more friendly telephone advice from Evo Lifts.
Well, the internet came to the rescue in both cases.
For the rainwater, I got in touch with the trade body and explained the dilemma. Within a couple of days the problem (with an ultra sound sensor) had been diagnosed and put right at a fraction of Kingspan's price. All credit to the UK Rainwater Harvesting Asssociation and to Edward Daykin at www.ecoserve-uk.com
The lift was fixed, again at a fraction of Evo's call out charge, by local firm Foulds Lifts of Colne
http://www.fouldslifts.co.uk/
Caveat emptor.
So, we built in
a lift * *
underfloor central heating *
generous insulation
energy efficient glazing where allowed
rainwater harvesting * *
a catalytic flueless gas fire
induction hob*
heat recovery ventillation *
computer wiring to most rooms*
balanced flue gas boiler * *
low energy lighting*
burglar alarm * *
fire alarm*
All this is fine and dandy - when it works. Most are so useful that you don't half miss them when they break down.
Almost all of these things have at their core a computer - or computer like circuitry - hugely vulnerable to malfunction, much as your desktop computer. These are the ones with asterisks on the list. Often you just need to turn them off, have a cup of tea, then turn them on again. Re-boot them in other words. Those with two asterisks come with recommendations for periodic 'servicing'.
All in all we have come to realise that we have bought ourselves a lot of trouble and expense to keep this stuff running, let alone the capital and opportunity costs. If we indulged in all the service contracts we would be a good deal out of pocket.
Things came to a crunch a week or so ago when the rainwater harvesting system stopped working. The suppliers Kingspan Envireau wanted £292.96p plus V.A.T. to come and have a look at it. I have to say that they had been very helpful in the past with telephone advice and parts. Not this time though. £300 odd charge- take it or leave it. My pleading that it would pay me to abandon the system and switch to mains water cut no ice. It had been a similar story with the lift a few months ago. No more friendly telephone advice from Evo Lifts.
Well, the internet came to the rescue in both cases.
For the rainwater, I got in touch with the trade body and explained the dilemma. Within a couple of days the problem (with an ultra sound sensor) had been diagnosed and put right at a fraction of Kingspan's price. All credit to the UK Rainwater Harvesting Asssociation and to Edward Daykin at www.ecoserve-uk.com
The lift was fixed, again at a fraction of Evo's call out charge, by local firm Foulds Lifts of Colne
http://www.fouldslifts.co.uk/
Caveat emptor.
Friday, 16 January 2015
Snow White Trains
This is the mid morning train from Carlisle to Leeds calling at Settle at 1030 covered in snow. At this time of year you can tell what the weather is like on the mountain part of the journey. It was been snowing at Ribblehead today for sure.
The driver has popped outside to get warm. The snow has just started to settle in er, Settle.
And sure enough, this was Ribblehead this morning:
click to enlarge
And sure enough, this was Ribblehead this morning:
Thursday, 15 January 2015
A Restoration Man Date for your Diary
Wednesday 28th January 2015
Be sure to watch Restoration Man on Channel 4 at 8pm
to see the episode about Maj and Carol's restoration of the Pannal Water Tower near Harrogate. This has featured in this Blog quite a lot and it is quite a story, I promise you.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Pickety Buns (PG Certificate)
Today was another strike day on the S&C. The trains ran like clockwork but without the benefit of refreshment trolleys, whose RMT members strike remains unresolved. Fellow RMT members, the conductors on the line, went thirsty and flap-jackless. Nothing is ever straightforward is it?
This time the flying picket line was at Appleby station where an angry mob armed with iced buns pressed home their grievance. The buns, sure to crop up on E-Bay soon, had RMT iced on them.
enlargement may endanger your health but click if you must
David, stick to what you are good at - and I hope you will soon be doing it again.
This time the flying picket line was at Appleby station where an angry mob armed with iced buns pressed home their grievance. The buns, sure to crop up on E-Bay soon, had RMT iced on them.
click to enlarge if you dare
Centre stage is David Sampson - formerly the trolley supervisor, whose redundancy has caused the fuss. He may have lost his job but not his sense of humour; he used to refer to himself as 'the tart with the cart'. The picture above is from the RMT's website
and it shows David holding his buns Calendar Girls style.
Having given the matter some consideration I can declare that I preferred Celia Imrie in the role:
enlargement possible but unnecessary
And as for Jerry Hall in the stage production:
David, stick to what you are good at - and I hope you will soon be doing it again.
A Christmas Card Scene
This morning at dawn, Settle Station. Magical.
click to enlarge
The large buildings in the left foreground are the navvy hut and behind it Unit E - soon, hopefully, to be leased by the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line.
The Settle-Carlisle journey today will be a winter wonderland.
Saturday, 10 January 2015
Windy
From the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line weather equipment at Ribblehead Station
and Settle Water Tower
today:
Highest gusts of wind:
Ribblehead 74mph 251 degrees 0603 this morning
Settle 47.2 mph 167 deg. 0604
Average wind speeds:
Ribb 58 mph 263 deg 0604
Sett 31.2 mph 218 deg 0619
Do log on from time to time. Fascinating.
Wednesday, 7 January 2015
Shutter Windows Almost Done
The shutter windows by Wonder of Wood Ltd of Settle are almost finished. They look splendid and just as importantly they work as intended.
click to enlarge
Now that the latches are fitted and the shutters and seals are airtight we can begin to test the effectivess of our system. So far is is obvious that:
- the whole house feels, and is, warmer
- the main room has become useable in the dead of winter
- condensation on the original windows is much reduced or eliminated as the trickle vents to and from the outside, top and bottom take effect. We can adjust the air flow later in the light of experience.
- the wooden floors extend into the window bays enabling a wider view of the world out there
- they blend in almost invisibly with the original windows
- the inside of the house is appreciably quieter
- the locking mechanisms extend the full height of the windows, exerting pressure against the seals along their entire length
Altogether an excellent result at this early stage.
Monday, 5 January 2015
Europe After the Flood
If all the world's ice melted this is how the map of Europe would look:
click to enlarge
Reserve your place in Settle Station water tower now.
Sturdy, located on the country's only remaining north-south railway line. Magnificent views of the mountains and sea.
Special rates for former Dutch residents.
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