Manchester Jazz Festival

The last few days has seen the Manchester Jazz Festival in and around the city centre of Manchester.

Here the fans await the action on a sunny Friday lunchtime ..

The attraction was Nicolette Elkinson who sang a collection of her own songs alongside classic and modern pieces.

Really really good - enjoyed the concert which was held outside in St. Ann's Square.

And here are some of the fans .... !!

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Stamford - St. Martin's

Saint Martin's church Stamford - founded 1146 and damaged by Lancastrian troops in 1473.

Here are buried many of the famous Cecil family - the earliest being William Cecil - Lord Burghley , who died in 1598.

My family lived around this area over a hundred years ago .................. long time ago !!!

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Stamford - Old world look ..

Typical stone buildings not far from the centre of Stamford ....

Gives the place it's old world look ....

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Stamford - Centre ....

The old heart of Stamford looking towards Stamford Baron ..

The bridge in the foreground crosses the River Welland.

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Stamford - River Welland

Another photo of the River Welland at Stamford.

Looking very slow and tranquil. Really peaceful .... I wonder what it is like in heavy rain ??

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Stamford - Candlesticks Hotel

A small hotel and restaurant in St. Martins Stamford - not far from the railway station and centre.

Stamford certainly deserves a visit ..

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Stamford - River Welland

Looking very tranquil - the River Welland at Stamford.

Time to go boating ???

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Stamford

We visited Stamford in 2006 and of course I have a considerable number of photographs which I hope to publish within the next couple of weeks.

Stamford stands on the on the old Great North Road from London to York and lies mainly in Lincolnshire with parts in Northamptonshire.

Above is a typical street scene in this very pretty town.

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England's Summer ...

Here we are again a typical English summer ....

Rain rain rain ...

Yesterday was like a November day.

Should I need to keep turning the central heating on in July ??

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Manchester United FC - Lucky escape

News from Indonesia this morning confirm two bomb explosions in the capital Jakarta at the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Hotels.

This has left 9 dead and at least 48 injured.

The Manchester team were due to stay at the Ritz-Carlton on Saturday as part of their Far East tour which visits Malaysia. Indonesia, South Korea and China.

Their game with Indonesia All Star has now been cancelled.

A lucky escape indeed ......

My sympathies go out to all those affected by this terrible deed .

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Bury - Regimental Museum

The Regimental Museum of the Lancashire Fusiliers at Gallipoli Gardens ( Broad Street Bury )

The gardens are a memorial to those that lost their lives in the First World War.

The Fusiliers won 6 VC's before breakfast in the 1915 Gallipoli landings.

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Bury - Manchester Road ...

Sitting on the corner is the Art Gallery and Library here in the centre of Bury.

Further down the road can be seen the Roman Catholic church of St. Marie.

Bury has a large outdoor market and quite a good selection of shops and even now new shopping centres are being constructed ..

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Bury - Sir Robert Peel

If you were famous then you may be lucky and have a pub named after you - Sir Robert Peel a famous son of Bury had this honour ..

A statue as well !!

Sir Robert was a Prime Minister and also a founder of the Metropolitan Police - hence the nickname for the police - Peelers -

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Bury - Parish Church

The Parish Church of Bury - St. Mary the Virgin in Market Place Bury

Impressive - it dominates the town of Bury.

Bury is part of Greater Manchester and is famous among other things for the large market that can be found here.

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Bury - Two Tubs Inn

Two Tubs Inn - to be found in the centre of Bury ...

Not an establishment I've been in - anyway not in my memory banks that I can recall.

Looking rather old and quaint ....

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Healthful Hartlepool

Do you want a day trip ? - Try Hartlepool - Natural beauties unsurpassed.

Go by bike - a B.S.A.

Then home for Daddie's Sauce.

All these posters can be found at Bolton Street station in Bury. Reminders of our past ....

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East Lancashire Railway - Return journey ..

Waiting on the platform at Bury for the return journey to Heywood.

Waiting, waiting waiting .......

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East Lancashire Railway - Getting closer !!

Bolton Street station at Bury - East Lancashire Railway

Loco approaches from the direction of Heywood.

Bound for Rawtenstall.

Lots of interest for us with our digital cameras ....

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East Lancashire Railway -Bolton Street Station

Bolton Street station at Bury is the hub of the operations for the East Lancashire Railway preservation society .

Here you find not only the booking office, shops and a bar but the workshops where much of the restoration work is done on the locomotives .

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East Lancashire Railway - Stop, do not go ..

Stop - do not go - the signal is down !

Bolton Street station at Bury .. home of the East Lancashire Railway.

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East Lancashire Railway - Busy station ...

The special " diesel event " has attracted quite a large crowd to the Bury station ..

The loco is not the only attraction - book stalls and the like can be found on the platforms and there is a pleasant bar aptly named the " Trackside " which serves drinks and light meals.

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Allotment 6

It's July and at last some fruit for our labours down at the allotment - actually veg !

Swede, beetroot and radish.

The radish has a sharper and stronger taste than the ones that you can buy at the supermarket - so home grown does improve the taste !!

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East Lancashire Railway - Luxury travel ... !

Preserved railways equal old engines and old carriages .... here on the East Lancashire Railway it's not different.

Once the height of luxury these carriages are still comfortable but the seating sometimes is in need of a bit of TLC ..

A smell of dust and smoke permeate ...

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East Lancashire Railway - Waiting for the train !

Today was - Summer Diesel Event - on the East Lancashire Railway - a railway run by a preservation society.

Originally opened in 1846 the railway runs 12 miles from Heywood to Rawtenstall but was closed to passenger traffic in 1972. It was reopened from Rawtenstall to Bury in 1991 and run by a group of rail enthusiasts. The extension to Heywood was opened in 2003.

Here we are in Heywood waiting for the train - in the background is the Navigation public house .

And here we are ...... 2H60 - a diesel loco ..... well it is the Diesel Event .

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Surprise move ......

It has been announce tonight that Michael Owen the 29 year old England striker will move from Newcastle to Manchester United.

This will be on a free transfer as his contract with Newcastle ended earlier this week and it is intimated that he has taken a cut in salary. Recently he has been plagued with many injuries and no doubt hopes that this current move will revitalise his career especially before the World Cup in 2010.

Previous clubs include Liverpool and Real Madrid.

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The local train station ...

Castleton is our nearest mainline railway station - about 5 miles away .

You can travel into Manchester or Leeds and get connections much further afield.

In the background can be seen the Blue Pits public house ..

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