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!

Quietly comes the sun

Up here in the north, spring time sunshine comes in on quiet feet. 

Gently warming the air until the evening, when, despite the beautiful sunset, 

there is a sharp nip in the air.

 Himself and I went down to the end of the garden to put the hens to bed. 

I lingered back, looking at the still sleeping flowerbeds. 

To my delight I found that several blooms had appeared since the weekend. 

Now, as the evening draws in, the fire has been lit and behind me

a small jug of spring.

Thank you for your lovely comments, I am always very touched and my heart goes squeeeeee when I receive them.  I still wonder why some one reads my wafflings and chooses to linger then join and keep visiting - thank you :)

The diary of a holidaying Cat

Dear Diary.

Day 1.
I sit.
The world outside calls me, my humans just smile benignly and stroke my head.
My pleas for freedom are misunderstood as cries for food - I eat (just to please them......)
It would be a shame not to of course, all those biscuits there....just for me.....
I digress.
My inner Yorkshire wild cat (well, I was a stray briefly) wants to frolic over the hills - I am trapped. (Oh well, back to eating biscuits).

Day 2.
I could get used to eating my biscuits with such a wonderful view.
Today I caught glimpse of my walking harness - oh hateful harness of cruel torture - how could a wild soul such as I be contained by such crude devices.
(oh oh careful catfriend - I should not show such *ExcITE*MenT* when I know my walkies harness is being put on! Woop Woop Woop!!)
I hunt the great outdoors - I forge forward bravely and pounce on something small I mean HUGE! I am Yorkshire WILD CaT! Fear me all who cross my path. (I might just eat you if you are an unsuspecting insect).

Day 3.

Strange creatures offend my Yorkshire-wild-cat soul. 

I growl fiercely.

(But from a safe distance coz I don't really want them to hear....just in case they like eating small domestic fluffy defenceless kittens - like me....) 

I might give my walkies a miss until those white fluffy smelly baaa-making animals have gone away.

Day 4.

Bright and early, I survey the horizon with my catscan eyes - those woolly things are not there...but the field is full of feather-covered twittery treats - I have to inspect.

Get up human - I need biscuits - get my harness - I want walkies NOW! (well, breakfast first - a girlcat has to be ready for wild cat action)

Ooh-err - white woolly fluffy baaa creatures - think I want to go back to our trundling box on wheels for a while please..

Phew, safe again, think I will nap here for a while and catch some sun rays.

Day 5.

Hateful imprisonment once again - how my humans show no respect for a Yorkshire WILDcat - sheesh. Never mind, I'll yell for food as soon as I step into the kitchen - that'll teach them to take me away from the hills.

Dear diary - it wasn't such a bad holiday day, think I might like to do it again :)

Experiments in time (lapse...)

76 photos

taken,

5 paces apart,

strung together,

giving a brief  moment of 

one of our micro adventures

enjoy xx

Mayburgh Henge

just outside of

Penrith town

April 2015

I hope that this time when I press 'publish' - that it works!

Doorways

Doorways.

What secrets are hidden behind?

A large estate's walled garden - is it a thriving green space 

or as so many walled gardens have become...

Derelict?

A secret ginnel - winding around a building

opening to a private space away from the main street.

 The original door way to the town's school

 which opened to pupils in 1670 and finally closed in 1971.... 

now a delightful museum 

(a story for another post).

A petite secret door -

To where?

What's there?

A functional access route to the back street

or

a portal to a magical mysterious space.

An interesting demonic door knocker 

alongside an enigmatic wooden figurehead. 

How wonderful.

So many different ways to express personal barriers.

Some firm and forbidding.

Others inviting and intriguing.

Next time you are out and about - have a look. 

Notice the different, the new, the strange and the delightful. 

Be prepared to be entertained :)

Welcome to the weekend, 

Hope you have fun, hope the sun shines for you and

thank you for popping in and lingering a while - xxx

Return to the norm

Work. But let us not talk about that,

no, lets talk about this instead.

I escaped,
with my boys for a few

beautiful

beautiful

days.

And we.....

.......Breathed in bracing mountain air.

Watched the twinkle of sunshine on water.

Walked further and higher than I thought I ever could since my knee injury.

Caught glimpses of magical wild animals so close so close.

Skimmed stones.

Held sticks.

Tasted the air.

Shut my eyes.

Felt the sky. 

Am so very grateful that I was

with my boys.

I am back, hello,
I missed you.

I am holding slices of the most delicious sunlight deep in my heart,
I want to share them with you xxxx