Major pipeline replacement at High Brunthwaite

Above: Work is under way to replace a collapsing local section of the 155-year-old pipeline which carries water from Barden to Bradford. Beyond the Swartha Wood aqueduct, the pipeline runs above Silsden golf course towards Riddlesden. This picture was taken from near the ninth tee. 

Above: the winding scenic lane uphill from Brunthwaite has become the command centre for the construction site. On behalf of Yorkshire Water, engineering company Bentley is replacing the original local length of pipeline, built of stone from Brunthwaite quarry in the 1850s, with 900 concrete pipes, each 2.5 metres long.  
Above: weather permitting, the new pipeline is due to be in place by early December and all the reinstatement work completed in January. The original gravity-fed pipeline from Barden to Bradford at the time it was built was reportedly the longest raw-water aqueduct in the world, stretching for 30 miles. Silsden reservoir was built in the late 1850s to compensate for water taken from rivers and streams. The pipeline was needed to supply water to Bradford's rapidly increasing population.   

Warming up for winter as November starts with a record high

Above: The UK recorded its warmest November day on the 1st of the month when temperatures reached 22.3 degrees C in Wales. Locally, morning fog gave way to a glorious summer-like day with temperatures in the late teens.  

Above: even sheep were taken by surprise, casting shadows and wary glances at the camera. 

A fiery firmament to feed the imagination

Above: a dazzling display at dusk on October 28 followed a rare morning of rain during a week of mild daytime temperatures.

Logging on to fuel the herb boat

Above: sawing logs to provide winter warmth on The Herb Boat. The owner, who gave her name as Bunny, forsook a career in archaeology for an alternative lifestyle and cruises the country's splendid canal network. She trades herbs from the boat.

Families flock to Sunday Fun Day

Almost 200 families joined in a Family Day at Silsden Town Hall on Sunday, October 11. Pictured above left to right are April and Matthew Brown with baby Aubree and Ben and Jenny Brown with their children Oliver and Isabella. Matthew and Ben are brothers.Above: Helen and Michael Leighton with their sons Max, six, and Riley, three, enjoyed the bead-making workshop. Helen is a committee member of the Friends of Silsden Town Hall, which organised the hugely successful event.  

Above: brothers Jack, six, and Harry, eight, Goodman were among the runners-up and winners in the Lego Zone run by Bricks4Kidz.

Above: more fun at Mrs Beads' workshop. Mum Rose Sullivan is pictured with her sons Harvey, 11, William, six, and Oscar, three, and niece Chloe Brown. 

Above: Danny, five, and Elsa, three, Keep display their work in the Arts and Crafts Zone run by Wendy Neville and family, using recycled materials.

Above: girls with Lego creations (left) Harriet Driver, three, and Mia McLaughlin, three. Looking on are Mia's Mum Trish and Harriet's Dad Dave and sister Olivia, two.

Above: the Bush brothers and sisters (left to right) Charlotte, three, Thomas, nine, Cara, five, and Liam, seven. 

Above: wearing specialist head gear, Paul Sykes, of Keighley Plastic Model Club, shows eight-year-olds Elenor Parkinson (left) and Morrigan Ashton the intricacies of decorating parts for a model aeroplane.

Above: Keighley Plastic Model Club member Chris Ashton displays a model of a Vulcan B2 bomber. His father, a squadron leader in the RAF for 35 years, flew Vulcans in the 1970s.

Above: Keighley Model Railway Club (N Gauge Group) member John Oughton introduces Harriet Driver to the controls of the lay-out of Cleggworth Station, which is modelled on Holmfirth.

Above: Silsden Singers invited audience participation at the Family Day, which was held to encourage community use of the Town Hall and to promote activities that all the family can share. A Lunch Bunch cafe, run by volunteers under the leadership of Pat Colling, was constantly busy.

Above: Town Hall duty officers Darren Bullmer (left) and Ken Burns are pictured at the Keighley Plastic Model Club's exhibition.

Poor summer weather hits honey harvest

Above: a local beekeeper prepares to collect honey from his hives. It has been a disappointing summer and the harvest looks like being alarmingly down on 2014. A combination of wet and windy weather and cool temperatures at key times of nectar production meant bees collected significantly less to deposit into honeycomb cells in the hives.

Pastoral pleasures prepare us for autumn's arrival

Above: this horse chestnut tree in Keighley Road opposite the junction with Belton Road puts on a striking show every autumn, and again in spring when it bears white flowers in grand spikes.

Above: oak leaves in subtle yellows and browns. 

Above: crimson colours of an ornamental cherry.

Above: sycamores are widespread locally.

Above: horse chestnut.

Above and below: sycamores.

Above: ornamental acers make a fine feature in gardens.

Of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Above: early-morning fog of pea-souper density followed by strong afternoon sunshine was the pattern in the last week of September and the first few days of October.

Above: ahead of nature's spectacular show of harmonious hues, tantalising tints and exquisite sunsets, cultivated plants have held their colour well.

Above: tuberous begonias have blazed brazenly in borders. 

Above: the beauty parade at Priceholm at the entrance to the park is an unfailing annual treat.  

Above: laying low, possibly in the hope of avoiding a trip to market. 

Above: not quite time to batten down the hatches after late summer's gentle cruising.

Above: new life on the farm.

Above: doves were once a common rural sight.

Above: horse riding is a popular local pursuit with several well-kept stables and paddocks on the moors.