Another month, another shot at finding those lighter moments that might make you smile or could even be so good that they make your heart sing. So, what did April do to make me put on a happy face?
Art at Oakwell Hall. I’ll keep this short and sweet because I’ve written a piece about it elsewhere. However, a local country park – and also the place where I volunteer as a Parkrun marshall – is hosting something called ‘Art on your doorstep’, meaning that 12 notable works from the National Gallery can now be found in the grounds of the park. They’re larger versions and copies, obviously, but I must say, they brighten every Saturday at the moment!
Blossom! That’s right folks, it’s that fantastic time of year when some of us are lucky enough to have blossom on trees all around us. I was reminded of this when I read an article on ‘Sakura’ or cherry blossom season in Japan. But while I have been out running locally, I couldn’t help but notice the sheer amount of blossom trees around where I live and some of them are spectacular. And talking of blossom, or indeed just noticing it, never fails to remind me of arriving in Washington DC for a trip a few years and our lovely taxi driver cheerily informing us that it was a shame we hadn’t been there a week earlier as the whole place was covered in blossom. Well meaning I’m sure, but maybe not something to tell your new arrivals about in a kind of ‘here’s what you could’ve won’ way! I don’t think he got the job with the Tourist Information office…
Saltaire. Saltaire, just outside of Bradford in West Yorkshire is a place I have a little bit of knowledge about due to frequently driving through it on my way to visit in laws. Built by mill owner Titus Salt in the 19th century, it was a place where his workers could live a happy life. But an article I read last month revealed a lot more to smile about with Saltaire. The article told how Titus Salt was ‘meeting every possible human need’ a century before the welfare state by providing education, improved hygiene and even pensions for his workers. Salt’s workers were known for their long service and within the village infant mortality improved along with lifespans extending. Saltaire is still a very picturesque place today, but dig a little deeper and we find that from its inception it vastly improved lives. Now isn’t that something to smile about?
An axolotl in Wales. I must admit that while I knew the name, I would have struggled to actually tell you what an axolotl was. So I was fascinated reading an article about a girl finding one in a stream in Wales. It was found near some rocks under a bridge as 10-year-old Evie Hill played in the water. When she noticed that it had damage to its tail and stomach she quickly caught it and took it to safety. Apparently, estimates reckon there are at most 1000 left globally, so while I wasn’t sure about the family keeping it as a pet, it does feel like a good news story.
The Boston Marathon. This was the story of the two runners who sacrificed their chance at personal bests in order to stop and help a stricken runner in the latest Boston Marathon. I understand the feeling of wanting to run faster only too well, so it was brilliant to see two runners sacrifice themselves in order to help someone who was obviously in so much trouble. The runner in question had collapsed just after the 26 mile mark and literally couldn’t get back to his feet. As more and more runners streamed past, kicking for the finish, two thought better of it and stopped to help. The three then finished together. Sometimes, people are just fantastic.
A day in Roundhay Park. With our school Easter holidays being in April it meant some much needed time off. It also meant the chance to do the type of things I don’t often have time for in term time. As she’s now living in York for her studies I don’t get to see my daughter that much, but as she was home for two weeks we decided we’d find a gap in her busy social life and have a day out together, like we used to when she was much younger. This time though there’d be less wellies, ball games and running around in the hope of tiring her out. So, off we went, just a dad and his grown up daughter, for a day out at Roundhay Park in Leeds. Roundhay Park was designed and built by the Nicholson family in the 1800s and now covers over 700 acres of land in north Leeds. In short, it’s beautiful and quite a popular place with our family. While we’d normally take a picnic, on the day in question we went on the hunt for somewhere to eat locally. However, after a wander around Roundhay itself, we decided it was a bit too posh and just doubled back to get something at the café at the Mansion restaurant in the park. It’s amazing what a sausage roll and a portion of chips in the sun will do for your mood! After lunch we went for a walk in the park, but unfortunately lost our bearings and took a wrong turn. It actually led to a lovely walk through a beautiful part of the park that we’d never discovered, but it also meant that we ended up a little bit lost and having to have a brisk walk across the local golf course while a bunch of people waited on the tee! All in all, a lovely day out in beautiful, sunny surroundings and in the company of someone who’s absolutely precious to me. Plenty of reasons to smile!
And there we have it once more! Another instance of ‘Five Reasons…’ where in fact, there was so much to smile about that I couldn’t just leave it at five. I hope you enjoyed reading!
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