Hebden Bridge
This post is very much about the Yorkshire bit of our lives
at the moment. It is another month before we go back to France, and I need to
avoid spending time just planning what happens when we get back there. It is
very tempting to fill Yorkshire days, especially winter Yorkshire days with
thinking about how I’m going to develop the garden in France and who will be
staying in which bedroom when the large number of planned guests turn up at
various stages from May onwards. So, to avoid that, I am spending time enjoying
living in Yorkshire, which has the added bonus of being closer to the children
and the grandchildren.
Hebden Bridge is a truly interesting town. So many things
happen where you find yourself saying....“ only in Hebden Bridge....”
things like:a broken down car at traffic lights.....within seconds, 6 people arrive to help push the broken down vehicle to the side of the road, and to help the driver determine the problem;
cut hair from my husband’s barbers, collected by artists to create art
installations, bird lovers to build nests, and a bird loving teacher to provide
materials for her next adult nest building class;
free cups of tea and biscuits at the Thursday morning cinema
showing of whatever happens to be on at the time, and entrance still only £5.00;
geese and rare breed ducks wandering the streets around the town centre, completely ignored by residents, much photographed by tourists & brilliantly planned steps by the river from which children feed the ducks ;
geese and rare breed ducks wandering the streets around the town centre, completely ignored by residents, much photographed by tourists & brilliantly planned steps by the river from which children feed the ducks ;
more than a dozen gorgeous places to stop and have coffee,
or fabulous fruit and herb tea infusions, despite the fact that it only takes
10 minutes to walk around the whole town.....but they all seem to be busy, hope
they’re all thriving;
some great eating places, ranging from a greasy spoon to
really posh, and everything in between, Greek, Turkish ( fabulous by the way
),Italian( 2), Thai, French, Pakistani, Chinese, fish and chips ( posh and less
posh but excellent) several excellent pubs serving very interesting food,
nothing like the normal boring pub pile em high steak and chips places....etc
etc;
the canal, the river, the gorgeous railway station where
people arrive early for their train because of the great bacon butties, the
alternative technologies centre, the trades club for live music, the health food
shops, the independent craft shops, the market, my reflexologist, the footpath
up to Heptonstall , Hardcastle Craggs, all within walking distance of our
house..........no doubt, it is a good place to be......and Manchester city
centre is 25 minutes away by train.
So....looking forward to being in Caunes again soon, but
relishing the time spent in this lovely bit of Yorkshire, as the signs of
spring appear.
Stop it! Although I am loving living here in Andalucia, nothing can take away the pleasures of Yorkshire for me. You have really captured the good things that I miss here! I shall read this post more than once. Thank you !
ReplyDeleteAxxx
Well, Annie, I've just been for a Sunday morning mooch... I missed out so much.... the theatre, the gravity defying houses perched on the sides of the valley,the Sunday flea market,the Yorkshire soap co. shop with the never ending stream of bubbles coming from the door causing passing children to screech with delight, the old sweet shop selling stuff from big glass jars.....and so many friendly faces, nodding and saying hello....just lovely. I need to remind myself, from time to time...that I am very lucky to be able to have this dual life.
ReplyDeleteJanicex
Another lovely post, Janice which has sent me off to Google to check out a few things I thought I remembered about Hebden Bridge, like the 'top and bottom' houses. Coming from another millstone-grit town across the Pennines in Lancashire, I love the transformation brought about by something as simple as sand-blasting. The original colour of the stone is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThere are still lots of over and underdwellings in Hebden Bridge Perpetua. They blend in with the landscape so much, they sometimes ( in the rain) look as if they are practically dripping down the hillsides. On my walk today, I saw one row of houses that look like tiny 1 and 2 storey cottages from the front, but are on 5 and 6 levels at the back. How people built these houses back in the 18th and 19th century I can only imagine. Hope all is well with you. Janice.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to that part of the country, but you are making it very tempting. I really do need to do longer visits to the UK so that I can see a lot of the country that I never did when I lived there.
ReplyDeleteWell, Ayak, you'd be very welcome here, anytime !
ReplyDeleteInterested to find your blog. I'm English but lived in Washington DC area since '87. We're thinking of spending 6 months a year in Hebden Bridge. It's reassuring to find people living a similar lifestyle!
ReplyDeleteHello Jill, if you do find yourself in Hebden Bridge, get in touch.... janwhud@aol.com I'm in France at the moment, and so far, am loving the split living. Are your original English roots in Yorkshire ? J.
DeleteHi Janice, I love the photograph of the lock. Is that Black Pit Lock? Did you take it? Thanks Richard.
ReplyDeleteHello Richard... I cant remember off hand which lock it is, and am in France at the moment so cant check....but yes, I took the photo J.
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