I am....

I am invisible

 I am ancient rock

 I am wild grass blowing in the wind

 I am shadow

 I am spirit  

 

 I am not here

I am gone

Get your boots and bring your camera!

My - doesn't time fly when you are having 'fun'?
Times goes faster the older you get.
Time passes by when you are busy.

Heard those excuses before?

I can not believe it was over two weeks ago that we were in the lakes and I've hardly said anything about our adventures. I shall make some amends right now :)

Would you like to come on a walk with us?   

I have snuggled up in my crochet blankie, the fire and the cat are keeping me company..... 

Right, are you ready?  

Have you  laced your boots?

Packed a picnic lunch? 

Ok... let's go!

Breath in the crisp morning air, feel it as it chills your throat and lungs. Feel the tip of your nose and the edge of your ears tingle while the light  breeze curls around your neck. 

Notice the rough crunch of the reindeer moss under your fingertips as you open the aged wooden gate. Turn left into a single tarred track flanked by still winter thin hedges. 

Turn left again on to a farm lane which behaves just like a ribbon of tar laid directly on to a sheep filled field. Hurry past a cheerfully noisy campsite leaving the holiday makers with their televisions and barbecues. They won't get to see what we will. 

I'm sure you'll find this as amusing as we did, don't forget to bring your camera to capture moments just like this :)

We'll walk through dark woods on secret causeways,  where wild stoats will hunt noisily in the undergrowth and pop up with such a surprised look when they realise we have watched them within touching distance.  

By the time we reach this point, we'll stop for that picnic lunch I suggested you bring. We'll sit for as long as the sun warms us, coz that breeze still has it's icy fingers tickling our ears.  Then once we've eaten our sandwiches and drained our cups of tea, we'll turn towards the hills and walk a goat track clinging to the edge.  It's ok, don't be afraid, the views will fill your heart and feed your soul. 

Breathe.

Touch the sky. 

Feel  whole. 

Connect with the earth. 

Connect with yourself. 

Should you find that last pull enough to make your breath a little ragged, 

sit here on this stone memorial bench. 

Open your eyes and just drink in the view.

The silver sparkle of the sun on the lake will leave you breathless as will the mountains as they crowd around protectively - there is such beauty here that you will just want to stand and stare and absorb the magic.

Once you have managed to tear yourself away from this lofty path 

we'll begin back down into the woods and field. 

We'll turn right and follow a rough water washed stony track studded intermittently with little arrows, encouraging you along to pastures new.

Feel  mixture of sorrow and curiousity when you spot this vixen lying dead in the reeds.  

With no visible signs of injury and no obvious damage, wonder how and when she died.

Feel sad for her but know her spirit continues to trot along secret fox routes as she did before. 

Only this time she is not a threat to the chickens or lambs that share the fields.

Leave your sadness behind as you turn into this valley dominated by a snow sprinkled Blencathra.  This valley is filled by sunshine and music..... courtesy of a farmer who has cranked up his radio in his tractor and is sharing his love of country and western music with everyone within a 5 mile radius. 

We will be serenaded for several miles by nasal twanging reverberating over the countryside.

At the head of the valley, I will point out the hill on the right, we are camping on the other side.

Our walk is heading home, but first we'll have a rest here and admire the view.

Sheep dominate the fields, although lambing time in the lowlands has well and truly started, here in the hills, the sheep are expectant and the farmers poised.

On the final stretch, when your legs are aching and your feet weary, your heart will be lifted by the sight of a red squirrel as it scampers up a tree right in front of you - oh what magic!

Then as we reach the camp site, the sun disappearing down behind the hills, 

we will feel tired...

But oh what 'a good tired'.

Stick the kettle on, 

brew a mug of tea and sit back and smile, 

you have just spent a wonderful day with us, walking the hills.

You are delightful company - please come again :)

Are ewe hare-ing out of sight?!

This evening, Himself, Youngest and I took to the hills to catch the evening light.
As we walked, Youngest and I chatted.
Each telling stories and sharing tales from the day's activities.

We stopped to laugh at the antics of the lambs and chuckle at the size of the still expectant ewes. 

When suddenly Himself noticed a hare.

Look...look... we whispered, too busy watching to think of taking a picture.
We stood quietly until the hare reared up and stared back at us and in that split moment we all thought....where's the camera? Before we could even act, the hare dropped and loped away across the fields.

Hence the rapidly disappearing tail shot......

So I resorted to taking blackthorn blossom instead.... at least they didn't run off at the sight of us!

Thank you for dropping in and sharing an evening walk with us :)
hawthorn  xxxxxxxxxxx

Evening Walk

I was feeling restless.

The day had been beautiful while I'd been at work.

Now home... I could not settle.

We'd eaten. 

I'd washed up, 

the boys were doing homework.

I definitely felt capricious.

I needed to get out. 

Eldest chose to accompany as we took to the hill behind the village and watched the sun go down.

I feel better.

Thank you very much.

 Thank you for your lovely comments of my latest pictures - it is amazing what a camera service and a new lens can do for photographs and the photographer!

Quite a few of you have asked what my camera and the new lens are.

It is a Sony a230 and the original lens is a Zeikos UV 55mm lens, my new lens is a Tamron 70-300mm (Sony compatible) - nothing fancy, not hugely expensive but  the happiness levels are amazing high :)

In case you hadn't noticed, I took a few photos.......
xxxxxxxxx

Sun-shine filled weekend walking

If that was our weekend, we've greedily used it all up.

What happened?

Well, Youngest has just completed his two day DofE walk and is now in full recovery mode on the settee.

There was an awful lot of organising and packing of haversacks and planning of menus and first aid kits leading up to his challenge.

 I was on a  course on Saturday and when I returned home, Himself, Eldest and I had a most wonderful sun-filled, bumblebee accompanied afternoon in the garden. We sat lazily enjoying the sun and the bees filled the air with their buzzy-ing and busy-ing around the spring flowers.

 My camera has just come back from a week away for a bit of a service. It was so brave and I was so pleased when it came home, that I bought it a pressie. Yes, I bought my camera a gift...not for me......for my camera.

 A new lens.
Can you tell?
Let me give you a hint - I was sitting in the sun (I may have mentioned this) and the bees were on the other side of the garden.... Oh by the way, there will be a few photos in this post.

 I think my camera is very happy - I know I am.

Happy sigh.
Then as the afternoon gently became dusk, we went out for an evening picnic up in the Dales. On our return journey we stopped so I could take a photo of the most delicious warm peach coloured sky.

On Sunday, we went for a walk - well, more of a potter while we waited for Youngest to compete his walk.  As we arrived, I fancied having our lunch up by the cairn...it did mean a bit of a pull up that hill...puff...puff...but it was worth it smile emoticon

When the boys were young, this rocky ghyll was the lair of dragons and home for fairy folk.

As the boys grew, the dragons faded and the fairy folk become invisible..... fortunately I see them still.

From the cairn, out of the biting wind, we sat with our backs against the moorland grasses. Below the village where we were to meet Youngest.  Suddenly we saw he'd returned and Himself set off to bring him up to our picnic spot. I took this picture with my original lens......

 .....and this photo - with my new lens.....now you know why I am so happy with it! (That tear shaped green is in the middle of the above picture)

I trained my lens on my boys right up to the car. I am so so so loving this new toy of mine - did I mention that this post might be a little image heavy? 

 After our picnic on the side of that sun-drenched wind tousled hill, we returned to the village.

 We crossed the bridge and spied a small nursery field. There were two beautiful Jacobs ewes and their SIX lambs - six gorgeous little lumps of lamb all sunning themselves - I could not resist taking their pictures.

 

We also spotted this little feathery harbinger of summer! Yay! 

I am quite happy that yes - this ONE swallow is definitely making our summer - especially on such a glorious day  smile emoticon

Like I said - our weekend was deliciously sun-filled. 

Thank you for popping in and spending time with us, Monday tomorrow - bring it on!