Alphabet Friday - Yeti

"Y" is for "Yeti" - sometimes known as The Abominable Snowman! It is not often that one discovers a yeti in Ashton, so it was a happy coincidence that, just before "Y" came along on the Alphabet Friday slot that I spotted this one in The Arcades shopping mall in Ashton.

Yesterday's photo gave a flavour of the Christmassy feel of the place at the moment and the focal spot under the dome, once the home of the brown Black Knight statue, is occupied by this non-traditional Christmas tableau. The yeti, the baby seals and some sort of giant snowball all move around to the sound of seasonal music.

The Arcades

The Arcades shopping mall in Ashton looks a lot jollier on the run-up to Christmas, with these illuminated festive frosty branches.

HMV on the left occupies the shop that was previously Dixons, while Game on the right occupies HMV's previous unit.

The Arcades is situated between the Open Market, the Ladysmith Centre and the Bus Station.

In the distance the red lettering of the Woolworth store is just visible (click photo to see larger version). The store is bustling this week with people looking for bargains with the big reductions on offer. From today the store is to begin a closing down sale. There were already a few empty shelves in there on Wednesday. It all seems very sad, as Woolworth's have moved from Stamford Street to Warrington Street and then to the Arcades, always keeping in the prime position among Ashton's shops. If no buyer is found for the chain, no doubt this key location will be quickly snapped up by another chain. Let's hope that the Woolworth's staff are the first to be offered jobs.

Ashton Open Market

A view of Ashton's Open Market ground on the run-up to Christmas. The walls of the newly re-opened Market Hall bear Christmas decorations and the banner on the clock tower proclaims that the Market Hall is now open.

See Live Search Birds Eye View of this location before the Market Hall re-opened.

Saying Boo

Who wouldn't say "boo" to a goose? This particular gaggle looks as if they wouldn't be very bothered if you did! They are clearly on a mission, walking determinedly past me!

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago at Crime Lake at the edge of Daisy Nook Country Park. Crime Lake last appeared on here in February.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

All lit up!

Although the Christmas lights in Dukinfield may be modest by comparison with those in some places, I think the scene in front of Dukinfield Town Hall looks rather attractive as darkness falls.

There are twin Christmas trees there and lights in all the trees on the forecourt.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Alphabet Friday - X marks the spot

"X" is for... well not many things in Ashton actually start with an X but then I realised that this photo had a very large X shape in it! I wonder if you can spot it?

Of course you can, but I didn't when I took the photo - I was concentrating on the decorative ironwork!

The photo was taken inside the John Neild Conservatory in Stamford Park, between Ashton and Stalybridge. The conservatory, which is 101 years old, is in effect a hothouse or giant greenhouse in which exotic plants grow, including this cactus display.

See Google Aerial View of this location.
See LiveSearch Birds Eye View of this location.

Now, where did I leave my lunch?

"Gee - I'm sure there was plenty of grass here yesterday. I can't think where it's all gone."

It's a tough life on the the slopes of Hartshead Pike, even in Wednesday's bright sunshine. It will be even tougher on Thursday morning as a lot of snow is forecast overnight!

[Update: The forecasters got it a bit wrong and there was no new blanket of snow this morning, just a bit of rain!]

Yesterday's Snow

After the snow, the sunshine. Hartshead Pike, on the ridge overlooking Ashton and Oldham, looks good in all sorts of weather conditions, but I think it looks magical when there is snow about!

There has been a bit of a thaw, so that some of the grass is now visible, but much of the snow is still lying. Down in Ashton a lot of the snow had disappeared although compressed icy snow was making walking hazardous on some pavements.

A big fall of snow is forecast in the area for between 2.00 am and 6.00 am on Thursday morning, so be prepared!

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Early Snow

It's been a few years since we had snow in early December, but this morning saw an inch or two. This caused the usual chaos to traffic as many drivers no longer seem to know how to drive in snow! In fact, many drivers stayed at home as shown by this photo, taken on the usually busy A635 Manchester Road in front of Mossley Railway Station at around 9.00 am today.

Click on the photo to see a larger version.

See Google Aerial View of this location without the snow.

Circles

December's Theme Day is on the topic of Circles.

Ashton being a mill town, where better to look for circles than in the yard of one of the old cotton mills? The circles here form part of the decorative iron work at Oxford Mills in Ashton's West End. The brackets on the left appear to have once supported a canopy over the loading doors.

The first part of the mill complex was built in 1845 by Thomas Mason. The building on the left of the photo was added in 1851, with a bridge section linking the two.

Thomas retired in 1860 and the business was taken on by his youngest son, Hugh, who showed great benevolence to his workforce, keeping them employed throughout the "Cotton Famine" of the 1860s and building good houses and other facilities for his employees.

Most of the buildings are still standing and in use, but no longer spinning cotton.

See Google Aerial View of this location.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the December theme day