One missing.

 Halloween 2018 has finally dawned. I look forward to this every year. This dawn turned out a bit more exciting than I hoped.

I went down to the jetty and noticed swan feathers in the half light. I did not think anything of it and took a few photos as always.

 Then I came upon blooded swan feathers.

 And noted one white swan was missing from the morning swim.....

 I walked to the other side of the tarn and found it injured.....

One of the old guys from the boat house gave me a card for the swan rescue . I called and emailed them and sent these photos. I do not know what has gone on, but it is not good.

 As I walked back to show the old guys these photos...the swan swam off a little. So I do not know if it will be alright. The old guys tell me that they were all fighting yesterday.

So that is dawn at Yeadon tarn on Halloween 2018.

We are going to Spofforth castle ruins and Weatherby today. so catch you later .and hopefully I find out what happened to the swan too.

Friday.

 Friday night and I just got paid. I came straight home to collect my camera and went over to the tarn.
As I entered the house all was quiet as everyone else was asleep.
Monza dog was not at the top of the stairs as usual and so did not notice me going out again. This was my Friday night. this is always my Friday night now. How very drastically life changes.

 The moon followed me home, so I could not resist these photos. I did not see anyone else on the paths. The lights were all still on in the pubs so I am guessing that is where they all were. ....

 Friday night and I just got paid. This was it! though we had been to Otley in the morning for my usual junk shop rummage and an ice cream in the October sun in the market square.

 The moon was very beautiful . It was also very cold or bracing if you like. I had gloves in my pocket but can not operate the camera wearing them.

 After ten minutes...that was enough and i quickly headed home to the silent house. I made some toast....tea......and still Monza dog did not wake up.

 I pondered where to go on Saturday morning. Halloween has been moved to this weekend for commercial reasons and I hope to avoid the trash. Where to go? Bradford industrial museum? Saltaire canal and park?

 

 Earlier in Otley......

 thousands of knitted poppies.....

 Quite something isn't ?

 2018! 100 years since the end of the first world war. We went to see this display on our way around....

 We went to look in the church too. The Vicar was there waiting for people to go inside the church after the poppy display. There was no one else in the church .

 Everyone else was crowding around this display taking photos on their mobile phones.

 Lee did the same.

Then to the Twenty pence shop we went. I got another Spanish character doll for yes! 20p!

Otley also has a market on Friday!

We celebrated the pay day with an ice cream lolly in the market square. Really know how to live life to the full don't we?

Yesterday and fairy doors.....

 Yesterday's photos for this morning. I looked out, felt the cold air and put on the heating. Lee was up in the night not sleeping again and says there was snow flakes coming down as he had a smoke outside. There is nothing so interesting this dawn.....grey in fact. So yesterday's photos it is today.

 The boat house looked to be empty. No old guys making bacon sandwiches this day. The swans waited for the first old guy to bring them treats.

 I took a few quick photos....

 and the swans floated obligingly by in the foreground here...

 The day light is coming up about 7.20am at the moment. A lot later than I am liking. Very dark wintery morning in October....

 Halloween approaches....for commercial business of making money it is being celebrated this week end. I have pumpkins to carve...I am holding off as Halloween is not actually until Wednesday... I also have a day off on the day.....I am going to wear my Goth outfit that I have planned with Purple and black roses .....On Wednesday! we have been asked to dress up this week end. I have made the decision not to. Yep! I am turning down the excuse to wear a costume......as I do not like the commercialism AND we have been asked to donate to charity if we wear "costume". So I have to pay to look daft in public. I think not.

 A lady along the road walks her dogs every day some where different. One morning as I was coming back from taking photos at the Tarn She asked if I had seen the fairy doors at Micklefield park.

" I always think of you when I see them" she stated.

 So over to Micklefield park we went to find the fairy doors......

 Micklefield Park was the gardens for this old manor house you see in the background here. Micklefield house has a varied history and is now owned by Leeds city council and used as offices.

 We had no idea where the fairy doors were...so we toured the whole park in a vast circle following paths through the old gardens.

 The original house here dated back to 1616. David Marshall built a new house here in 1662 and there is a sun dial that dates from 1691 with the initials M.A.M. carved into the stone.
William Levens then lived here in the 1700s and his nephew William White in the 1800s and rebuilt parts in 1847. 1863 the house and estate were sold to William Kutter. It was rented out to John Venimore godwin who lived there until 1870. Kutter sold up in 1871 to Thomas Arton.

 Lovely is it not? it is still used as offices. If you work here I guess you fet to eat lunch in the garden.

 Any way. We searched the whole park. It was Lee who spotted the fairy doors just as we were about to give up and go home.....so here are the fairy doors at Micklefield park.

 Not known who put them there. but as they are fairy door I guess we would not know this would we?

 The fairy door opens up and there is a small space behind. I think the idea is to leave "wishes and notes" as an offering to the fairy's.

 This one had Buzz Lightyear behind it.

 The Fae door legend.

This is a legend of a travelling door that was presented to a human. So that they had access to the Fae world and could enter through the door any where. Like a fairy worm hole in space kind of thing.

 

The legend is that a daughter of a brewer who was acused of witchcraft in her community was being hunted out by an angry mob. The daughter was awake....her mother was sleeeping. She saw a fairy by the door who beconed to her to come inside the door into the light behind. This she did. The mob arrived at the house to take the mother a burn her as a witch. Mother woke up and went to find her daughter. All she found was a door lying in the ground. She picked up the door and ran to the near by woods. the mob set fire to her house.
She put the door down by the base of a Willow tree and tried to open it. It remained shut. she could hear her daughter calling to her. The door remained shut.
She carried the door with her for the rest of her life waiting for it to open again.

 We found them. Micklefield park is rather lovely any way.....

Now the day is Friday. I get paid! It is Otley day........so see you later.

On the way.

 We pulled the car over onto a passing point on lane to Guiseley. These cute little horses were in the field. the white one looked at me kinda "what you?" then wasn't bothered. We stopped to get the view in the sun.....which did come out in spite of earlier wind and cloud.

 Monza and Lee waited for me to take photos....

 This one is towards Guiseley on the way to going to Ilkley the "lumpy" country way. The lane that way now has been laid with sleeping policemen. In a car it makes the ride very bumpy and causes Monza to bounce in the back even going at a mile an hour.
 We go this way a lot on the way and I never got a decent photo before. As we were out on a photo fest today we stopped the Fonz car.

 Next ....the Cow and Calf rocks by the Cow and Calf  hotel. Lee pulled over by the moor. This is far enough away from all the people in the car park for Monza to be calm and me to get photos with No people in them. I am right off people today. Really really more than my usual antisocial self.

 As ever. I took far too many photos....and there is not one person to be seen in any of them. I stayed quite high on the moor away from the car park and did not see anyone at all!!! great. ....And the sun came out which made the photos rather good!!!

 This was as close as I got to the car park...with Ilkley in the background . We have climbed up these rocks to see the sensational view....but not today. Monza dog would not make the steep path now anyway. (I just about can with determination)

 Cow and Calf hotel. This used to be a good pub. It now serves really expensive food. .....

 I just kept on taking pictures the view was so beautiful....

 Monza dog really wanted to get out of the car. There are sheep on this moor. So that is a NO!

 Next stop Ilkley.....Boyes department store first, where I bought some fabrics and lace to make retro 1950's inspired doll clothes....this is what I am working on at the moment. I have a Miss Revlon look a like doll that I bought an original (copy) dress pattern for and am making dresses, coats and underwear for her. Hence I had a great shop in the haberdashery department........

 Then a couple of junk shops on the way to All saints church and the Manor house.......

 Saxon cross and stained glass....

 Alter......The last visit here there was a lady handing out guides and making sure we behaved ourselves. This visit there was no one else....and the quiet prayer room containing the Knight's Templar effigy was locked.

 Never mind.....the sun was dappling through the windows making great photos for this day's visit.

 old family pew...There are still plans on the wall to modernise this church with glass and automatic doors etc. I do not know How I feel about that. Does everything in a modern world have to be digital!????

 When the plans first went up they were quite drastic and covered three notice boards....now it looks a lot less. Still at the discussion stage I hope.

 The lectern......

 Then straight out of the church.......

 To the manor house....

 Where I found the white cat enjoying the sun in a flower bed. He would not come out and was of the impression that he did not wish to be disturbed. I left him alone. I know how that feels!.....I was pleased to see him. I always go look for him when we go to Ilkley.

 A few more junk shops heralded nothing.....until I came to Oxfam and I was just about to leave when I spotted this little girl in a cabinet.
"there is a doll! I am not allowed it am I? Yes I want to look. Okay I will ask.......I can?!!!!"
And so Lee bought her for me. Just like that.

 A late 1950's possibly Palitoy doll. She has no markings, but in those days the box had all the information .  Definitely English and definitely 1950's . I have not looked her up yet as I have been sewing. I have other Palitoy dolls with similar face this is my conclusion.!

 Here she is by Betty's tea rooms and the bandstand just outside the shop I found her in.....

We checked the rest of the junk shops and then wandered to the Kings's hall. I wanted to see if we could look around....as I had never been inside.....

 I asked if we could look......and the stage was being set up for a Rod Stewart tribute for the evening...

 And this is the Winter gardens next door.....

 The guy setting up the stage asked where we were from......and then went and got us a book "celebrating 100 years of Ilkley's town hall complex" which is all the history and has some beautiful photos inside....

" Ilkley grew slowly as a place to visit in summer for the pure cold water at White Wells and the fresh air. Hydros were built, starting with Ben Rhydding in 1844. With the arrival of the railway in 1865 and the availability of attractive building plots from 1867 Middleton family land sales, the village grew from 1,043 in 1861 to 7,455 in 1901.

The community was developing a sense of self and its need for public buildings. By 1880s the local board were discussing the need for a council chamber and assembly hall. In 1890 a committee was established to organise the purchase of a field at Golden Butts for services like the abattoir, fire station and stables........"

"....1903 this committee advertised a competition with £100 prize to design the buildings.The cost of entry was a guinea. There were sixty entries. The Leeds architect GM Bulmer was paid £50 as assessor, In May 1904 the winner was announced, William Bakewell of Leeds for his plan called "economy"......

....the estimated cost of Bakewell's design was £13,000......"

From the book called Ilkley, The kings hall. which was given to me on my visit.