West Yorkshire

[Sundae]

And finally!
I am on the wheel. I did have a slight "moment" when we were first elevated, as I stopped just one car from the top. I'm not terribly keen on heights you see, and I hadn't had a chance to get used to it. But I can do stoic. With a prevailing wind.

It was wonderful to see the pool from above. In my mind it was an ovoid. It's so wide and shallow it's hard to take in the shape at ground level. As you can see it's a perfect circle. And I'll bet it was busy earlier in the day. The temperature was already dropping by the time I got to the Wheel, but even I was still only in two layers of t-shirts with bare arms. Pretty pleased to put my jumper on by the time I got back to Leeds though.

[Sundae]

And the last two are of Bradford looking like a model village. I was enjoying it by this point, aside from the sheer terror of dropping my phone out of the capsule!

It was only a short walk to Bradford Interchange, and I got the train back to Leeds on my Rover ticket.
I went to pick up my watch, yay!
I kinda hoped the young lady who was working that morning would still be there, but I was served a (very decent) gingery fellow instead.
The lady that morning - girl even - complimented me on the whole glamour thing I had going on. Right. Woolly hat, scarf and over-sized jumper. It's the sunglasses and the silver hair I guess. She probably thought I was the same age as her Gran but looking good on it.
Anyway, the compliment kept me warm all the way to Saltaire.

After that I was off to the bus station and on the good old X84 home.
A wonderful day. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Sundae

A wonderful day. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

Glad to. Thanks for having us along!

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by glatt

Glad to. Thanks for having us along!

Glatt speaks for many of us...

[Sundae]

Yesterday, going to the cashpoint.
I should be able to see the Chevin. Completely obscured by clouds, which hung over the town all day like a cloth over a birdcage. I chose a completely anamolous day for my day out weather-wise.

Spring is coming.

[DanaC]

Those two shots of Bradford from above are gorgeous!

[fargon]

Sundae, the pix are gorgeous. Please keep them coming.

[Griff]

That was brilliant Cherry! Now I want to wander those towns...

[classicman]

Holy cow, I feel like I've actually visited now, even though I've never crossed the pond.
Thank you so much for sharing. Great job.

[Sundae]

Thanks for all your lovely replies.

Off to Tropical World tomorrow I hope. I have had a bizarre series of illnesses over the last month, which have had no connection with anything I've had to eat or drink that I can work out. The only shared factor is they occur/ start over the weekend.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I did have an offer of a camera (so kind) but DanaC and I are going to meet up so I can get my old one back. I'd love another of course, but only so I can sell it
I'm saving up to buy a pet rat, so I don't have to be alone any more. Feel free to PM me for my PayPal details if you want to contribute...
I have had no luck unlocking the mysteries of my phone camera, despite reading the manual online. But that's okay now I know the parameters I'm working to.

I won't say any more about tomorrow, just in case.
Except that if it happens it will be here.

Look what I have planned for Bank Holiday Monday...!
Medieval jousting in the heart of Leeds.
I have a ticket for the full day. I intend to go even if it means being stretchered in (note, it is Saturday evening and I'm not ill yet, maybe I have escaped the curse).

[Sundae]

You lucky people! I wasn't struck down ill at all, and so went to Tropical World.
Now you have more photos to wade through...

A word about Roundhay Park in Leeds. The place is absolutely enormous. For a park just outside a good sized city I mean, in England, which is short on space in general (England specifically, not Great Britain). It's 700 acres FFS. And it's not some sort of National Park where nature takes care of things. It's like your local park, but a heck of a lot bigger.

I went there a couple of times when I was in the nuthouse, but that was during the Winter, and trust me the wind is painful when it has 700 acres to whistle through before it hits your bruised face. I went as a pilgrimage, because both Jeremy Dyson and Neil Gaiman have used it as a setting for stories. Dyson lived in (or probably just outside of) Leeds, and has mentioned the place many times in interviews.

This Summer I will investigate the place properly. when it's warm and sunshiny for real. There surely must be some tame squirrels somewhere.

Today I used my Leeds Extra card to get into Tropical World for £2.
The full adult fee is £5, which I think is still worth the money, but I was warm and entertained for approx 1.5 hours for about the price of a coffee in Starbucks. I say it's a deal, it's a steal.

I imagine on a weekday in term time it's pretty quiet. I had to queue. But it was as I said above - somewhere to go to fill up a day which would have felt empty otherwise. When I came out the queue was HUGE, so I'm glad I went when I did (I would have been there earlier, but we won't talk about that).

[Sundae]

I have no idea why the queue moved so slowly.
I laid down my card, smiled and said, "One adult, please" and the girl took my £2 and gave me a receipt. It took about 30 seconds. Ah well.

In through the gift shop of course. I wasn't tempted.
But it was high and full of light.

[Sundae]

Then straight into the South America I think. I should have taken my notebook as well as my phone. I could still wear my jacket at that point, but the plastic strip cutrains already led into a warm wet heat.

I can't even remember of this is a toad or a frog. (Sorry Harvey Denton)
Toad I think. Amphibiously beautiful.

And a tarantula. Rose? Clod may be able to tell you what sort; there were a number of glass cages obviously occupied, but where the inhabitants were hidden away. Others to crowded about by. These were two that really caught my eye is all.

[Sundae]

Next the Butterfly Hall. Ramp up the warmth some more. Off with the jacket (careful gentlemen, I actually unbutton my shirt later).

It was wonderful.
The flutterbyes are huge, mostly dark so they're easy to see, and they occasionally alight on humans. I extended my hand to them a couple of times, but of course they're not my minions, so they quite rightly ignored me. I should have brought a dead monkey's hand (Elvis Costello ref)

Despite what I thought of as a large crowd of people, there was no crush and very little trouble getting photos or standing where I wanted to. It's well designed with lost of viewing places to stand. The sun came out while I was in there - came through the cloud haze properly I assume - and it became a magical space in Leeds in April.

[Sundae]

It really did feel tropical. Like a warm bath.
For someone who's had a hard lonely Winter in an unheated flat, it was heaven.

I'm not going to make you sick up in your mouth by comparing the butterflies to angels. To me, growing up when and where they were common, having a butterfly flap its wings close to your face means Summer and freedom and good times. Better than gelded harp players any day.