unsettling news

Ok this is five minutes from my house. I still don't know who it is. Unsettling. Don't think it's hit the national news. I've been phoning friends to make sure they're ok. No-one's heard anything. Just counting my blessings...

everyone's knitting yogurt!

From Calderdale freecycle in last few days: 2 apparently unrelated posts, from Hebden Bridge.

WANTED: live yoghurt starter (HX7)
Morning,This might be an unusual request! I am trying to make yoghurt at home but having difficulty getting it to'yog'. I have a suspicion that the starter culture I'm using is dead, so it would be really handy if anyone here makes yoghurt at home and can give me a small sample to use as a starter ... if I still can't get it going with one I know works, then I can look into other reasons for my lack of joy.
I live in [...] Hebden, so need to pick up from this area.
Cheers, Bryonny

RECEIVED: Yoghurt maker
Received with thanks the above which is working away as I type.
regards Peter

'cept they don't know how to spell it properly , of course ;-)

ps: why don't I always have the writing this big? much more readable, dontcha think?

beach

This is our beach. It doesn't have sand but it's just down the road. It has an island. And stones to skim across the water. It's the perfect place to go on a warm summer's eveining.

And you can play chase the shoe.

And be little mer-men.

World on your doorstep: Saturday

It was WOYD weekend, Hebden Bridge's music festival, and on Saturday morning we had inevitably got roped into doing the parade at the last minute, which started on our way down to the park, anyway, and Charlotte wanted a hand (or five) to hold the giant firebird puppet. It was great watching all the amazing puppets emerge into the car park, ready for the parade.

There's me, holding a wing of the firebird, which is more complicated than it looks, especially when you have to flap, and the gap gets narrow and there are trees to negotiate. I hardly noticed what route we were taking, it took so much concentration, and I got so hot I had to hand my coat so a passer by, who, of course, had disappeared in the crowd when it started raining, (but later re-apeared). (pic by Chris Ratcliffe of HEBWEB, where there are more).


That's the boys approaching a scary giant puppet, and the acoustic tent in the distance, where we saw several acts, including...
Dawn and Bill (the plumber!)

And it was worth sticking it out till the (bitter) end to huddle under umbrellas round the main stage, watching the legendry Victor Brox.
I then whizzed... no dragged...the kids home for tea and bed, and went out to see some more live acts around town in the evening, which got quite late...

ethical nightmare

If I had blogged last night about yesterday it would have been a moan about how I ended up with several large bags of shopping containing split bags of sugar, broken eggs and melted ice cream, after a fraught Lidl expedition, during which I suddenly realised at the busy check-out that I was supposed to be at the other side of Tod and also at home, having treble-booked myself. ("I'm just getting off the bus outside your house..."; "I'll be at the cafe, I'll wait..."). But I can laugh about it now, and it all turned out OK, with a surprise trip to the reptile house, and the final acquision of sand and gravel.

Anyway, today was a long day wandering round Hebden, taking in the latte and Piers and Tom busking as pirates, getting the wind in my ears, and visiting the Big Green Market, full of ethical consumerism (and free fruit!). I was quite wiped out by five and had to take a nap (full of disturbed dreams of a cynical nature) before heading of to Lud to cook for new friends.

sun and snow

Someone didn't want to go to the farmers market. But we needed honey and Floradix.

And it was fun down by the ducks and pigeons being fed white bread by tourists, while double espresso was being consumed.

And the snowflakes were very big and swirly.

floods

We went out to check out the flood waters in Hebden, after the rain had stopped. Hebden Water was quite high: here is the duck-feedy place and riverside walk.

We missed the best bit of flooding this morning, on market street, but we had to walk on to see the spectacle of the lorry that had got caught in the floods and crashed through the wall into the river Calder. The road was closed in both directions, due to flooding, so there wasn't much traffic and most of the shops and schools were closed today.

Freddie is beginning to get the hang of our street: it's quite steep, to put it mildy: most adults come in and gasp for five minutes after walking up it.

WOYD festival day 2

The second day of the World on Your Doorstep festival seemed to have a better atmosphere, better weather and more people. The sun actually came out a few times and it only really rained once or twice. It was quite muddy, though.

I hung out with [a very nice man I met a few weeks ago], for a bit. He gave me an open invite to his house later on, and Sarah said she's going to get me a stick to beat men off with.

I bumped into Brendan and the kids, who had goes on the big inflatable slide thingy.

I tried to wander off, as it was supposed to be my weekend off, and I watched a bit of music, but they finally found me in Guy's teepee, and I got left with three tired hungry kids, after tea time; I had already shared a bowl of soup. I sent Brendan off to fetch the buggy, which he had forgotton, and he did fetch some sandwiches, which Joy wouldn't eat as they were mushroom pate. They were quite clingy and bored for a bit, but then got into playing with their friends.

We watched some more music in the acoustic tent. Here is the American man with the funny hair (Daniel Orlick). He was quite funny and entertaining; he was on the main stage, too.

And I finally got to see Mabel (shame about the house) with her husky-diva voice. I couldn't hear very well, but Dawn said it must have been my ears.

This is the entrance of the acoustic tent, and, yes, Freddie was squirming on my lap, walking on my legs with his muddy boots.

When we came out of the acoustic tent Freddie made a beeline for the kids all playing about happily in the middle, chasing bubbles.

They did get quite muddy. I know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow: WASHING.

Freddie stood like this for about 20 seconds, while we were waiting for chips, before I took a picture of him, too.

We did some litter-picking at the end. It seemed a shame it was all over at 8 o'clock. Clare came back with some wine in search of a party so we had a bit of one before going home.

festival!

I spent quite a bit of time in the acoustic tent at today's World on Your Doorstep festival.
Dawn played with Simon.

Here is Mabel Blue, doing sound, who nearly sold me a house. I had a chat with her about it later on in the evening; it was OK.

This man was amazing. I do have some video, but can't quite manage that now, somehow. Sorry this is all a bit monosyllabic, but I'm just a bit, well, I've just been to a festival, OK? I saw a man with a T-shirt saying "Hebden Bridge: the drugs town with a tourist problem".
Chilled out at Guy's stall with friends quite a bit. I bumped into quite a few people, as you do. I even had a dance in the dance tent with Kelly.

By 8 o'clock I was pretty spaced out and I went back to Dave's for a bit of a rest and to dry out my clothes, which were soaking wet and muddy. I called in at the Trades club before coming home, but it was pretty late and I had had a good day.
Will wear wellies tomorrow. Anyone fancy coming to a free festival?

storm in a teacup

Sitting outside Squeeze in a sudden thunder storm with hail on Tuesday morning. The kids were at home, with Michelle, going for a walk to see the horses in the rain. I had been to the CAB, and was waiting for Meg to have a break so I could have a chat with her (this is sometimes the only way since she appears to have inadvertantly left home).

This would've been a nice picture had I not moved. Meg with Chiara.

kidfest

On Saturday we spent all afternoon down at the Arts Centre, at a kid's event as part of the Arts festival.

Fergus and Freddie got really into mosaic making with Dave (S). We must do some of this at the group.

Charlotte did puppet making: Joy made one after she came back from Judo.

And we watched a fabulous play with puppets and masks, by Horse and Bamboo. (Twice!)

And the sun came out! So the kids went to the park with Charlotte, etc while I helped Dave clear up the arts centre and get ready for his exhibition (which I unfortunately missed as I was too tired on Sunday).

garden party

Sunday we spent all afternoon and evening at Callis Community Gardens, at a birthday party, and the Open Gardens. There were loads of childrens activities:

A storyteller.


Crazy hula-hooping with Alice.
There was a jester, which I missed, as I ran onto Dawns boat with Freddie when the skies opened. This didn't deter the Jester; they all piled into a tent.


A paddling pool.


Guy did boat trips.

Sean did some pizza making.

The children all made their own pizzas...

...and ate them.

The big ones had a go at rowing the boat: Joy with girls.

Boys: Fergus, Rowan, Jamie and Jay.

It was a great day and we all got home late and shattered.