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After days of rain
swollen beck roars to the Aire
once powering mills
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by Scooj
Tag: Leeds
Leeds
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Rain-soaked dull sandstone
constant looming overcast
home of my father
.
by Scooj
6958. Wharf Street, Leeds
There is something very comforting about wandering around a place that I don’t know very well, and stumbling across the familiar artist, in this case, not just familiar, but Bristol’s fabulous Mr Penfold.
Mr Penfold has had a great deal of success with his commissions, and being invited to decorate this large building in the heart of Leeds must have been a real feather in his cap. It is interesting that alongside his colourful designs there is a lot of ‘white space’ which acts as a perfect counterbalance to his shapes and patterns. The building could risk looking too busy if all of it was ‘pimped’ a la Monsieur Penfold.
I felt very much at home in my ancestral city, in the company of artwork from a Bristol artist, and the sun was shining. What’s not to like about such an occasion?
6950. New Station Street, Leeds
This was a most wonderful surprise as I headed towards Leeds Station to catch a train back to Bristol. When I arrived, I had left the station from another exit and so hadn’t spotted this enormous and rather famous piece by Nomad Clan. It is quite difficult to give a sense of scale, but the mural spans several floors on the side of the building.
Photographing this piece is near impossible, and definitely one for those with drone cameras. Owls are a symbol of Leeds and appear on the city’s coat of arms, and can be found all over the centre. These greyscale owls are obviously in recognition of this and beautifully painted against a full moon and a lightbulb. One of the owls also has a crown – it’s a graffiti writing thing, which gives this high-end piece a bit of street credibility too. Like I said at the start, simply wonderful departing gift from the home city of my late father and his family.
Leeds
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My ancestral home
a place where spelling my name
isn’t a problem
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by Scooj
- My surname is from West Yorkshire, and it is such a refreshing pleasure not to have to spell it out when checking in to hotels, or confirming restaurant bookings etc. It is not a common name in the south.
Sand Martin
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Deep in Leeds centre
sand martins sound their return
railway arches sing
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by Scooj
Mobile view
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Northbound train journey
two fields of russet ground crops
small puffy white clouds
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by Scooj
Long-distance taxi ride to Leeds
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My ancestral home
deposit daughter in halls
on to my cousin’s
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by Scooj
The first day…
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Tears before bedtime
leaving home is difficult
University
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by Scooj
Cousins
I thought I’d try something a bit different, inspired by some lovely poetry I read here. This is the first poem I have written since school (other than Haiku). Be gentle.
Cousins
So different were we,
I from London and you from Leeds.
I remember one time
when we went out walking,
you pointed up to the sky and cried
‘eh up, there’s kite’
I didn’t know what you had said at first.
We are not so different now
you and I,
our age has smoothed out our differences
our age has brought us closer
it is our age that now defines us.
by Scooj
Natural adventures 