Skipton Gala & Pies

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Hortoris

 

Skipton Gala Food
If you want Steak & Kidney Pie, Chips and Mushy Peas you will find it on the blackboards at the Dales Cottage Cafe behind Rackhams or more correctly on the plates inside.
Skipton and Settle based butcher Drake & Macefield’s traditional pork pie, ‘which has galloped away with a glut of awards in meat industry competitions’ will be available in Gala format on 13th June 2009. (My Uncle was a welder for British Rail in Skipton he used to put the top on Pork Pies.)
Copper Dragon Burgers are a temptingly on offer from the local brewery bar bistro. Washed down with Golden Pippin or Black Gold they are what your left arm is for whilst your right arm is busy.

Visitors Exercise

The Gala will be at Aireville Park from 1.00pm just at the left end of the map. In addition to the canal side walks Skipton is the base for many more good walks and forays.
An alternative to walking is to (Indian War) dance at the gala to ‘Custer’s Last Band’. The Lone Ranger will have his faithful side kick ‘Tonto’ jogging around the park throughout the Gala as he likes to keep his Injun’ running.

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Pommie Sheep Shears

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Hortoris

‘Ey up Luk out sheep – cars on t’road’

As William Wilkinson Ltd, Burgon & Ball began manufacturing scissors and shears back in 1730 in the Spring Works, Grimethorpe Road the heartland of Sheffield. For 279 years some of the finest sheep shears and cutting tools in the world have been ‘Made in Sheffield’ and shipped to Australia, Argentina and the Malvinas (sorry to all the Yorkshire Expats out there I mean the Falkland Islands).

As sheep fleeces may be short and wiry or long and soft depending on the breed so the design of the shears needs to accommodate the specific need.  As with many things, the secret of success lies with  experience, expertise and a through understanding of all the issues involved. Different countries require different tensions on the blades or differing lengths such that over 50 separate patterns are available for sale. Cut from the best quality coiled steel there are then 22 manufacturing processes before they can be shipped ‘Outback’.
Today Burgon & Ball are the largest manufacturer of sheep shears in the world.

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For more on Yorkshire Sheep

Garden Tools
Quality garden tools are now a key product range carrying on the name of Burgon and Ball. The Topiary shears are based on the old trusty sheep shears. The scythes and knives were added to the range as a result of acquiring another manufacturer Tyzack Sons and Turner.
For a statue to a shearer (or shearess) in this case see the picture of the Lady Gardener in Dewsbury.

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Yorkshire Forward Looking Backward

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Hortoris

Yorkshire Forward was our very own unelected Quango that some wanted to see as a regional government. Accounts for 2008 show a spend of £377,900,000 or about £ 76 per person in Yorkshire ( a nifty bit of extra taxation spending).    Nearly £14 million  was spent on  435 directly employed staff at an average cost of £32,172 per person or about enough for 650 extra qualified nurses .

Yorkshire and Humberside represents about 8% of total UK output and has below avaregae wages. In the reorganisation of  regional development agencies (RDA’s) Yorkshire forward was closed and some functions transferred to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP’s)

Your local rates bills (Council Tax) may have  arrived recording an average gross spend of about £2,800 per head by your council plus more spending on your behalf by the Police, Fire Service and local precept recipients. My council tax was explained in an opaque manner and the result is ‘as clear as mud.’

Some of the above spending is provided from central government taxation and it is hard to evaluate the cost of central government per head of population without even considering the European budget.  Within those two budgets are a host of mysteries and doubtless excesses. When our elected representatives can’t even manage their own expenses and our unelected quango pays itself 50% more than the average nurse how will we ever get accountability and visibility.

More investigative journalism, better media reporting and open and honest public servants would be a good start.

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Curry on Bradford

Posted on January 9, 2017 by tejvan

World Curry Festival

Bradford (and their small neighbor Leeds hosted the World Curry festival 2016. Local Bradford lad Zulfi Karim said  ‘The World Curry Festival is a long-held dream for me in which I saw a true celebration of one of Britain’s and the world’s best-loved dishes. But it’s not just about food it’s about a coming together of cultures, too. I’ve traveled the world tasting hundreds of dishes … all the ingredients used to make these delightful curries are found in our supermarkets, it’s just that people don’t know how to use them. And that’s what the festival is about, teaching people how to cook curry.’

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Do you remember those old films with Barbara Windsor, Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims and the cast of Carry on ……. Well now we have a sequel to ‘Curry on up the Khyber’ called Curry on Bradford.

 

Funny Old Curry on Bradford

  • Westfield and the Bradford council need a extra hot vindaloo to get them going!
  • Old curry number one hits Livin’ Dhal – Cliff Richard, Tikka Chance On Me – Abba and You Can’t Curry Love – Diana Ross and the Supremes. Blowing in the Wind was disqualified
  • Chicken Tarka Masala is meant to be like Tikka but this is a little ‘otter.
  • I hope readers who have got this far are not disappointed by the title Curry on Bradford. This is Yorkshire you know and you aren’t going to get a curry on anyone, you will have to pay for it thissen.
  • Curry on Bradford’s school meal menus can be wiped off with a wet cloth if you can find a school posh enough to have a menu.
  • Food on Jet2 flights out of Leeds Bradford airport are a bit plane.

Curry Capital of Great Britain 2011

  • To win the title ‘Curry Capital of Great Britain’, Bradford had a spicy fight against contenders such as Leicester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester.
  • The restaurants for curry on Bradford were Prashad, Aagrah Shipley, Kipling’s and Shimla Spice in Keighley. (Curry on Keighley isn’t quite as hot).
  • Curry on Bradford as you know you can win again in 2012 as you can chose from a wide range of curry houses including those listed in the Bradford Curry Guide
Posted in Our Yorkshire, Wit and Humour | 1 Comment

Bradford Fascinating Facts

Posted on January 9, 2017 by tejvan

Bradford is a major city in West Yorkshire. During the Nineteenth Century, Bradford was at the heart of the Industrial revolution and, for a time, was centre of the global wool trade. The British Wool marketing board is still based on Canal Road.

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Photo: Tejvan

Bradford currently has a population of 531,000 (2011 Census), and is part of the West Yorkshire Urban conurbation, which in 2001, had a population of 1.5 million. Bradford District is the fourth largest metropolitan district after Leeds, Birmingham and Sheffield The district has the largest proportion of people of Pakistani ethnic origin (20.3%) in England. The largest religious group in Bradford is Christian (45.9% of the population) and nearly one quarter of the population (24.7%) are Muslim. source data.gov 2016.

Bradford MDC incorporates towns and villages including Ilkley, Keighley, Bingley, Wilsden, Shipley, Haworth, Cullingworth, Denholme, Thornton and Queensbuy

Bradford history facts

Bradford – is derived from Old English broad ford – The ford is at the site of the current Bradford Cathedral.

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Bradford by Tim Green from Great Horton

  • 1251 Bradford granted market charter, centred on Kirkgate, Westgate and Ivegate.
  • 1311 A survey of Bradford recorded the presence of a water mill, fulling mill, and 28 houses at its centre.
  • 1642. During the civil war Bradford was occupied by Parliamentarian forces under Thomas Fairfax, though Royalist forces successfully besieged the town, leading to its surrender.
  • In 1801 population of Bradford 6,393 – centre on small craft industries, such as wool spinning and cloth weaving.
  • 1820s and 30s, Bradford received many German Jewish immigrants who settled in Mannignham, leading to the creation of an area known as ‘Little Germany’. German immigrants played a key role in the financing of industrial expansion.
  • By 1851 the population of Bradford was 103,778 – making it one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
  • As Bradford grew, it absorbed small townships which were previously separated, such as Manningham, Bowling, Thornton and Horton.
  • Bradford was a boom-town of the industrial revolution and often considered to be the epicentre of the global industrial revolution.

Continue reading →

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Yorkshire Flags

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Hortoris

Yorkshire Flags will be waving proudly on the first of August 2009. I hope we can see them for the rain and drizzle that typifies our summer so far . This picture was taken on Ilkley Moor as good a place as any (and better than most) for a Yorkshire Flag. For a fuller explanation of the ‘vexillology’, origins and heraldry behind the Yorkshire Flag look at the Yorkshire Riding Society

York stone makes the best Yorkshire Flags but they are a bit heavy to fly. These stones look like they have survived many a long year up on a moorland track above Windhill.
Our flagstones are now so popular they are also supplied from India (I think not in reality unless the Raj left a quarry name Yorkshire in one of the provinces).

Now for the biggest Yorkshire Flag

In the County Cricket Championship: Division One Table Yorkshire are currently 8th without a win in 2009. The headline in the Yorkshire Post could be ‘Yorkshire Flags’ every time we get a run chase or a tight finish. As long as we are still in Division One when the final flag is waved I suppose we will just have to stomach it.

Flagcrackers

The Flag Crackers of Craven are a Border Morris Set the practice venue is Farnhill Community Hall, at Farnhill near Kildwick – practice 8-10 pm every Wednesday. After all that practice and the fact that they will be 21 years old this October means the know what’s what when it comes to dancing on flags. Keep your eye out for a local performance this Autumn.

Mini Yorkshire Flags

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Mini Yorkshire flags for desktop

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Whale Meet Again

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Hortoris

Whale Watching

Whitby’s historical past is revealed in by the Abbey and the monuments that dominate Whitby’s east and west headlands above the harbour. For 84 years Whitby’s fishermen were engaged in whaling. The whale jaw bone arch on the West Cliff, pictured above, was presented to Whitby by Norway in 1963 (probably for having stopped Whaling and leaving it to Norwegians and the Japanese).

Whitby Whalers were doughty folk between 1757 and 1837 (when the last boat was sold). There is a full history ship by ship on Whitby Lad website.

Whitby Coastal Cruises now arrange whale watching trips and they claim ‘Minke whales are the main sightings but we have also seen humpback whales and an occasional pilot whale. Whales have been here for 1000’s of years, all that is new is that we are now taking the public out to see them.’

If you don’t mind queuing for Fish & Chips one of Whitby’s busiest restaurants is the Magpie Cafe but there are many excellent chippies around that offer great value for money. The ‘Whitby Whaler’ is now the eponymous name of fish and chip shops in Pudsey, Blubberhouses (why not) and other parts of the county. Poorpunsandbadbusinessnamesareus.com

Whale Watching by Nolleos CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Photos of Trough of Bowland

Posted on January 6, 2017 by tejvan

OK, so we’re veering outside Yorkshire’s boundaries. But, these are some photos of the Trough of Bowland

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A misty moor.

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sheep in distance.

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A full river in Trough of Bowland.

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Jubilee Tower at top of Quernmore hill, looking towards Trough of Bowland.
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When is a Bridge not a Bridge

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Hortoris

ribblehead-viaduct

The great landmark viaduct at Ribblehead. One of the seven industrial wonders of Yorkshire.

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‘I spy no bridge’ at Burnsall just dry stone walls and dales.

 

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How do you get up to this bridge ? It is in the Middle-sborough. Its the famous transporter pet – aufwiedersehen

 

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Hummer it Humber bridge

 

Continue reading →

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Great Public Toilets of Yorkshire

Posted on January 4, 2017 by tejvan

This public toilet in Lofthouse, Nidderdale is a grade II listed building. In fact it hardly looks like a public toilet but you can walk around the stone entrance and enjoy the delights of a grade II listed toilet. The toilet is even nicely decorated with flowers around the edge.

This is on the steep road from Lofthouse to Masham.

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