November 2007


My sister Claire and her boyfriend Nick were holidaying in Derbyshire last week, so yesterday travelled that extra stretch to visit Bradford for a few hours. I had a concert in the evening so it meant that we only had chance to do something during the day.

I’d been hunting around on the internet for somewhere we could go for lunch. It had to be a good Yorkshire pub with ‘proper’ (but reasonably priced) grub. In the end I decided that we’d try ‘The Moorlands Inn’ in Ogden, towards Halifax. It turned out to be more-or-less perfect. An ordinary decent pub up on the moors with good beer and honest ‘home-cooked’ style food. The portions were massive – I seemed to barely make a dent in my giant Yorkshire pudding filled with beef, roast potatoes, peas and carrots before I was stuffed. Unusually, Nigel was tempted by the veggie option – 3 bean chilli enchilada, which he seemed to enjoy. Claire also had the enchilada, and Nick, like me, chose the giant Yorkshire pud.

Feeling very full after lunch, we weren’t up to doing much, but I did want to go and take a close look at the wind farm on Ovenden Moor. We can see the wind turbines from our house (and indeed from many areas of Bradford that have good views), but I’ve long been curious to see them close up.

When we got out the car at the wind farm car park, it was bitterly cold and very windy (to be expected I suppose!). We walked over to the viewing platform, but it was too cold to stop for long or even remove hands from pockets to take a photo. I was pleased I finally got to see the wind farm, but unfortunately we could not see back to Bradford from the position we were stood.

Windfarm facts here.

After a short time we went back to the car and headed home. Nick and Claire stayed for a cup of tea then headed back to Derbyshire to get packed ready to go back to Aylesbury today.

It’s now the 9th of November. There is nothing special about the 9th of November, so why tonight have we still got loads of fireworks going off? Bonfire Night is on the 5th November and that’s the night to set off fireworks. It’s excusable to have a firework display on the nearest weekend to the 5th November… but if the 5th or the closest weekend aren’t suitable for you to hold a display, is it it really that important a celebration that you can’t maybe just give the whole thing a miss for the year?

Fireworks are anti-social – it’s so unfair on the likes of the elderly, pets and small children to have them going off every night for 3 weeks. The sooner they’re banned and everyone has to go to a ‘proper’ organised display on a few very select days the better.

But really, you surely have to be bordering on insane to actually want to go buy fireworks? ‘Oh, lets spend £100 on fireworks and enjoy a couple of minutes of loud and noises pretty sparkles that will set light to the garden fence!’ Yeah! Great! If you really must see them, why not splash out on a whole fiver and go see much better proper fireworks that someone else has the hassle of setting up and lighting. I’m sorry, but whenever I’ve been to a proper display it’s been vastly more impressive (and less dangerous) than a few pathetic back garden fireworks that someone (with obviously more money than sense) has spent a fortune on.

Some pics from last weeks ride can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8457638@N03/sets/72157602615443418/

On Flickr, I find it best to click on ‘View as Slideshow’ link.

And Chevin Cycles Ride Report.