York Daily Photo

Anyone coming up?

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Sun, 29 May 2011 00:31:00 +0000

At the end of Goodramgate, you come to this staircase leading up into Monk Bar, the strongest medieval defense tower along the city walls. The Richard III Museum is at the top of the steps, housed in the tower, and from here you can also walk the walls to Bootham Bar.

Lady Peckett's Yard

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Fri, 27 May 2011 20:43:00 +0000

It was weird weather in York yesterday, warm but sporadically rainy and very grey. I had to go in to town to the bank, and walked past the entrance to another of York's snickelways, Lady Peckett's yard, on my way. I nipped down it to take this photo, and stayed there for a few moments looking around and feeling like I was back in time. The grey weather contributed to the atmosphere. (I would however have dearly loved to have moved those bins in the background, out of the photo, but they were too big and heavy, with no where else for them to go!)

This snickelway was once called Bacusgail (1312) or Bakehouse Lane. but was later renamed after the wife of a former Lord Mayor of York.

Mini Food Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:11:00 +0000

There's a mini food festival on in York at the moment. The Autumn Harvest Mushrooms stall in particular caught my eye because of the wide variety of mushrooms on offer there, both fresh and dried. They're based in South Yorkshire, and can often be found at farmers' markets across the county.

A Tranquil Oasis

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Fri, 20 May 2011 23:01:00 +0000

The photo of the benches I posted yesterday overlooks this public garden, which is off Peasholme Green opposite the Black Swan pub. The building in the foreground on the right is the School House Gallery which exhibits contemporary ceramics, and behind it is the Quilt Museum and Gallery. The garden was recently redesigned by the York Conservation Trust.

Peaceful Spot by the City Walls

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Thu, 19 May 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Can any Yorkies out there guess where these benches are? They're pretty hidden away and off the beaten track. A photo of the view they overlook is coming up tomorrow.

That's part of York's medieval city walls in the background, with the luxury of a railing to make people walking around it feel safer. Not all parts have railings, but I think those bits are mainly where there's a grassy landing on the other side!

Penny Lane

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Wed, 18 May 2011 23:01:00 +0000

This is one of York's snickelways, called Penny Lane, which I nipped through today taking a short cut across the town centre. I love the medieval brick on the left, and the wavy line of the Victorian wall on the right.

Having just looked Penny Lane up in Mark W Jones' Snickelways of York book, I've found out there are supposed to be hub-height indentations in the walls made by the wheels of hand carts people once used to wheel through here. I can't see any on my photo, so will have to go back for another look!

Low Petergate

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:09:00 +0000

A classic York street scene, with the Minster in the background. Low Petergate has a mixture of chain stores and independents.

Explicit Language For Sale?

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Sign in the door of Give a Dog a Bone, another one of my favourite shops on Fossgate which sells all kinds of funky gifts and fun bits and pieces.

1950s Lounge in York Castle Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Mon, 16 May 2011 07:00:00 +0000

History meets nostalgia in many of the recreated rooms in York's Castle Museum. This is one of them - the 1950s lounge. I could feel quite at home in here.

A Fossgate Favourite

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:06:00 +0000

"The Hairy Fig, purveyors of fine fodder" a gorgeous little shop on Fossgate, right next to the entrance to the historic Merchants Hall.

Boat on the Ouse

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Sat, 14 May 2011 01:23:00 +0000

Thanks to those who left a comment yesterday and welcomed me back. After blogger's misbehaviour today they all seem to have vanished.

Clifford's Tower before a storm

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Thu, 12 May 2011 01:36:00 +0000

Poppleton Station

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:50:00 +0000

Look, my village has a station where the man pops out of his little house to open the barriers when a train is coming.

The village I live in is called Upper Poppleton. Nether Poppleton is a little further down the road. The station is just labelled Poppleton, probably so that neither village feels left out.

York Village Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:43:00 +0000

I currently have the best of both worlds. I moved in June to a village on the north west outskirts of York, with the city on one side, and open countryside on the other. It takes me literally only 5 mins by train to get into the city centre.

The photo is of a section of my village's name, from the station platform. Anyone want to guess what the whole thing is? (A clue: There are 2 villages next to one another with "POPP" in the name. Say them both out loud. Mine is the one that sounds like bubble wrap popping).

The FuTuRe of Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:51:00 +0000

The number 4 from Acomb to the university and Science Park is the poshest bus in York. It is called the FTR which immediately made me think farter. But no, the letters ftr are actually a reference to the FuTuRe of travel.

The FTR is a bendybus, with spacious seats, plenty of standing room, and a TV screen which displays messages such as "For the comfort and safety of FTR passengers, please do not eat, drink or smoke in the FTR." This one kept coming up a lot last night, which was irritating, because I had a vegetable samosa and bottle of diet coke in my handbag, and was trying to suruptitiously pic-nic. Not straightforward. The FTR is the only bus in York to have a conductor, who comes to take your fare once you've sat down. Every time he got up, I had to quickly freeze my jaw in whatever chewing position it happened to be. Which is why I hadn't finished before the end of the journey.

I justified my samosa-eating recklessness by telling myself that despite the FTR TV warnings, my samosa didn't actually pose a safety threat or inconvenience to any of the other passengers. This was before a pea fell out though, and rolled right into the middle of the sparkling purple FTR floor. I must have jolted in horror because the pea was closely followed by a potato cube and several other peas. Fortunately my stop was coming up, and I was able to exit quite speedily.

For some rather better pictures of the FTR than mine, do check out this gallery)

Ruby un-hibernates

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:10:00 +0000

I have been hibernating. Right through the tail end of last winter, right through summer and most of autumn. Then for some reason I decide to tentatively poke my camera through the back door in the middle of a rainstorm.

It's slashing it down in York today. This view of the remaining apples on the tree in my garden is the best I can do.

Things have changed since last I blogged. I now live in a village to the north-west of York, with Mr Ruby, Erik (my eldest son), and the two younger ones who are now not so young. Life continues. And I am still Ruby :-)

Pextons - a fine local shop!

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:01:00 +0000

I'm lucky to live near a good parade of local shops, just a few minutes walk from my house. Last night they were a real God send. It was nearly 5pm, snowing thick and fast, and I suddenly remembered I needed to make a tray bake for my youngest son to take to school the next day. I had a recipe handy for carrot and orange cake, but no carrots and no suitable cake tin! So I put on my boots and coat, and went to get what I needed at the shops.

The photos are of Pextons on Bishopthorpe Road, a hardware store selling all sorts of useful things for the home - including a cake tin in just the size I needed for my recipe.

Exciting news!

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:07:00 +0000

Today's photo is of our blue bag and green box, provided to householders in York for our fortnightly collection of recyclables. What could that have to do with exciting news? Bear with me, it's coming.

I make sure that I use both the bag and box shown above, but also do more besides, such as avoiding excessive packaging in the first place, using my own bags and shopping trolley for my shopping, shopping locally, and on one occasion, I even left my excess packaging behind in the supermarket.

The changes I made were as a result of following my friend Karen's Rubbish Diet Plan - which is about slimming the bin, not the waistline! There is a hideous problem in the UK (as in other places) with too much rubbish being sent to landfil, and ensuing environmental problems.

Karen, who blogs as almost Mrs Average, started her blog The Rubbish Diet at the beginning of last year after a new year resolution to create less waste, and a decision to participate in the local council's "zero waste" week - where the aim was to generate NO RUBBISH as a household for a whole week. In fact the only thing she ended up sending to landfil that week was just one sticking plaster!

Anyway, back to the exciting news as advertised in the title of this post. Karen's blog The Rubbish Diet has just been shortlisted in this year's Guardian Media Awards! The award is an Innovation Award and you can see it for yourself on the Guardian's website here. Scroll down right to the bottom, you'll find it under the heading "Independent Media."

WOW! Congrats Karen, this is much deserved recognition for the Rubbish Diet, WOO HOO!

I like the Knavesmire in the mist

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:07:00 +0000

I posted a misty Knavesmire photo not so long ago, but went back to take more. Here's one of them (click on the Knavesmire label at the bottom of his post if you want to know more about it from my previous entries).

I got to London and back with no problems yesterday, and one highlight of the day was that I saw Feargal Sharkey somewhere in the vicinity of Goodge Street. My friend Karen, who is very good at celebrity spotting, pointed him out to me. So ever since, I have been singing - mainly the first song in this list, which is very catchy, but also the second two which bring back my early teenage years:
A Good Heart Teenage Kicks My Perfect Cousin

(Just so it's clear, Feargal Sharkey has nothing whatsoever to do with the Knavesmire, it's just that I'm thinking about seeing him yesterday while putting this photo up!!)

London again

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:01:00 +0000

Make way! I am going to London today! I need to be there to attend a luncheon at 11.45am, and will, I hope, be boarding my train at 8:12am.

Snow, rain, floods and all kinds of awful weather conditions are forecast so this photo of a Japanese bullet train in the National Railway Museum here in York is on my blog for good luck!

Not that I know how one of these would fare in British winter weather conditions. Our own trains tend not to do that well either, of course, and I will be amazed if I get to York Station tomorrow and see lots of "on time" trains on the board. I am kind of expecting lots of cancellations. How I hope I'll be pleasantly surprised!

(There is of course also the possibility that I might get there and not be able to get back. That would be interesting.)

More snow

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:01:00 +0000

Just when the last lot of snow had just about cleared, it's done it again! My daughter gave a huge sigh when she saw it, and told me; "School is freezing when it snows and some of the stricter teachers won't let us keep our coats on in the class room." Thermal vest for her today then :-D

Army Climbing Wall in Parliament Street

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 00:02:00 +0000

The army recruiting team were in York for the recent residents' festival, with a climbing wall that moved on a conveyor belt sort of set up - so you could climb and climb but never get to the top. It could be tilted forwards and backwards to vary the gradient too.

LJ had a go, but don't worry, I'm not letting him join up. He'd hate the haircut, anyway :-D

The Roman Bath Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:01:00 +0000

In the centre of York is a pub called the Roman Bath, named as such because the steam room of a Roman bath house was found underneath it in the 1930s. The excavations have been turned into a small but very interesting museum, and last week I went for a look.

This was the bath house in the military fortress of York rather than in the civilan side of town, so there are no decorative mosaics and some tiles bear the insignia of the 9th legion who founded York in AD71. (OMG! This place was once full of naked 9th legion Roman soldiers sitting in the steam!)
I liked this model of the fortress and stood here for a while working out where everything was. That's the main gate at the front which was in St Helen's Square, and the tower on the front left must be the multangular tower. I think the square building in the middle is about where the Minster is, and I think the bath house must be that barely visible building on the front right, just peeping out from behind the wall.

LJ enjoyed trying out the replica armour, shields and helmets in the museum. He found out that a centurion's helmet is very heavy!

Sumo Wrestling in Parliament Street

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:30:00 +0000

This was going on for a large part of Saturday morning at the Residents' Festival, with various bystanders lured out of the crowd to don a Sumo costume and wrestle. I should have volunteered. It would have been a good way of keeping warm. Live coverage of events was going out on Minster FM.

The Fountain

noreply@blogger.com (Christina S) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:01:00 +0000

There's a Facebook group I've been enjoying recently, called You Know You're From York When ... and number one on the list is "you meet up at the fountain." Above, is The Fountain. No-one meeting there on the day I took this pic, Monday at around 10am. It was way too chilly!