A Rainy Sunday Morning

It is Sunday and it is raining.   Heavily.    When these things coincide I like nothing better than to settle down in the roof room landing area - at the top on the topmost stairs, inside what was the water tank.

When the weather outside is evil it must be the cosiest place in Settle.

click to enlarge

It is not at all evident in the picture but a few millimetres of glass stand between this cosy space and a howling gale with squally rain thrown in.   Warm too with the heat of the floor below percolating up the stair well.

And the Sunday Telegraph too.   There is something very satisfying about embarking on an unread Sunday newspaper brimming with fresh crosswords, news, features and all the rest whilst turmoil reigns so close by outside.

The river Ribble through Settle has been angry today.   I do hope that no cavers have been taken unawares..

https://www.facebook.com/VisitSettle/videos/1416283608392084/

https://www.facebook.com/mick.watson.3496/videos/10155117268653185/

Eden Brows has Rails Again

Sorry to harp on about Eden Brows but what has been achieved there is little short of miraculous and absolutely vital to the future of the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle-Scotland railway to which the town of Settle owes so much.

This week the media were present in force at Eden Brows to record the re-paying of the actual railway lines across the mighty structure that now spans the site of the landslip fifteen months ago:

 Click pics to enlarge

Any Questions? at Giggleswick School

Last evening we went to join the audience for the live broadcast of BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? from the Richard Whiteley Theatre at Giggleswick school

click to enlarge

We had been to one of these before - at Beckfoot School in Bingley, by comparison with which the Giggleswick audience get 100% for politeness and good conduct.    That is not to say it was partisan. The applause was well distributed between the token Tory, Labour and Lib-dem.

Even more telling of course is when a speaker finishes and there is not a ripple.

Footnote:   Bumped into one of the panelists next morning admiring the water tower before catching a train to Leeds where there was a football match to be watched, apparently.    Had never been to the Yorkshire Dales before but vowed to return.   Had no plans to listen to the Saturday lunchtime repeat!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04wj9zf

Eden Wows

More amazing progress at Eden Brows in the last week:

 click to enlarge

The track bed is being built up to take the railway lines over the actual landslip section.   Meanwhile the tracks are being made ready on with side of the gaps (see earlier posting)

The picture below was from August last year:

RESTORATION MAN - RETTER DER RUINEN

Had a delightful surprise this afternoon whilst working in and around the garage.   A voice from the station drive called over "I know you".    I shielded my eyes against the sun (yes really) but recognition did not dawn so I replied "Remind me".    Turned out he was German and our TV programme had been shown on German TV a week or so ago.   And here he was - specially to see the place for himself!


http://www.kabeleinsdoku.de/tv/restoration-man-retter-der-ruinen/bilder/restoration-man-retter-der-ruinen

If you click on the link then chain along to number 5, there we are.

He duly became our fist Visitors Book entry of 2017.   He was fascinated by the place and had clearly been watching the programme in detail.   He pointed out to me the so-called George Stairs.

We had a long chat about shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings.   He was 34 and his sister lives here in Settle.   He was born in East Germany.   He and his mother had left for the west just two years before the Berlin Wall came down.   I said that I did not think that could be done but no.   If you had the right papers you could leave East Germany on condition that you never returned.   After the reunification of Germany the family did return and that is where he now lives - in former East Germany, Restoration Man and all!

We agreed that it was a crazy old world.

Eden Brows Latest

Things are really progressing at Eden Brows:

click to enlarge

The finished track level will be very nearly up to the top of that massive retaining wall.

Amazing stuff.

I posted the above picture on 3rd of March and just six days later this is how it looks just to the south of the landslip site:

and just to the north:

Re-flipping-markable.

It's Not That Cold

FoSCL's Settle weather station (there's one at Ribblehead too) is located on top of our tower.

http://www.mylocalweather.org.uk/settle/

I know that some of you refer to it and have been concerned for our well being these past few days with temperatures of minus 32 C and a windchill of minus 44 C appearing online.   I promise you it was not that cold!

The problem was with the temperature and humidity sensor which is located in the white finned thingy at the base of the weather station.

  It was dead and had to be replaced - at great expense to FoSCL too.   Prices are anything up to £115.   Anyway, thanks to John Livesley of MyLocalWeather we sourced one for (a mere?) £49.99.   It is fitted and the weather station now tells the truth.  

Have a look-see on the link above for what's  happening here right now, weatherwise.