HAPPY NEW YEAR (31/12/11)

We are enjoying rain, sleet, ice and snow at Tan Hill.

The camper has pride of place.

The road in is passable so no problem……it is a little icy.

A good sunrise. I’m enjoying the calm before the storm. I have the world pretty much to myself. By lunchtime the place will be manic.

Happy New Year I hope it is trouble free and prosperous for you all.

See you again in 2012.

THE LORDS SEAT (28/12/11)

Today we have sunshine and showers. The latter are vicious wee things with hail. It’s about a fifty fifty split. I’m on my own again. Bob has headed off to the wilds of Scotland and Sue has headed home for the New year. The laundry is done, the lens rag is almost clean, there are some obstinate stains which make me suspect I mistook it for a hanky on one of our darker cooler wanders.

I looked at a post this morning which inspired me to find another. I don’t go in for Reflection Wednesdays and Thankful Sundays. Nor awards. They do boost site visits but I am incapable of the discipline required to earn one. I am just a blogger. Folk come and folk go! I welcome the folk that pop by.

These two are relatively new to blog land and the first is TREVOR. He is a regular blogger but posts irregularly . He posts quality framed pictures. I wish I could be as disciplined. I also wish I’d thought of this as a post theme.

The second is a lass who can really rant…..it is brilliant. Made more so by her having the face of an angel or whatever an Indian Angel is…Buddaress? I thought I could blow one but she is a super star. The David Beckham of the ranters and railers. Have a look here…..RUBY…… A super nova of the ranting world. She will hopefully respond by giving her real name……..no matter. A gem she is.

Back to today……A short walk in windy squally weather.

The woods round here have several little huts. Charcoal burners shelters Sue says. Whatever she says has to be gospel.

Here is another…………I had a look inside and it’s an old Privy……..a two seater. Obviously for his Lordship and her Ladyship. Their Lordships seats!

It has it’s own private midden. Wonderful are old shit houses.

  There was a bit more light today so I stood in Turners spot and fired away. Freezing I was. He still painted it better. I have given it my best. Fifteen images have gone into this plus a load of cloning and mucking around.

I must make an effort this next year to get out more!

Tomorrow we are away to Tan Hill. I have to go. I’m on a promise. I hope she remembers those Niagara pills. Worked a treat last time. If she forgets then a cuddle is always good. You ladies are thinking….typical!….Not at all. I do the espresso coffee and the cooking. She looks after all the little problems! The very little things or thingys …….. So There!

Before I go what is this?

I saw three lots of it over three miles. It’s as big as half a handful. Mostly on Larch but one lot on Beech. Help please.

If I don’t post before the New Year, then I wish a Happy and prosperous New Year to all of you.

WE WENT TO CHURCH TODAY (27/12/11)

We spent  a night listening to the pitter patter of rain. It’s not cold just really miserable. The Wharfe is full up and I am fed up. We need a bit of light.

The river Wharfe…………it is purported to mean twisty in Norse.

On we plodded, up path and down path. Eventually after the only muddy bit I came to this.

A wonderful monument to Frederick Cavendish.

It is complete with it’s own little fountain. This was the best I could do with it.  I messed about for a good while but still ended up with blown highlights. There are hoards of people around today which is not improving my temper. I don’t know where my ‘Goodwill to all Mankind’ has gone but it is noticeable by it’s absence.

On we pottered and arrived at church.

First I arrived at the churchyard. Now I’ve seen some funny things in my time but never graves in the form of picnic tables. It seems all the rage around here though. Different! I perhaps ought to settle here, folk are as daft as I am.

First I did the inside of Bolton Priory. It’s a great pity that Henry VIII destroyed so much of these beautiful buildings and that the locals compounded the vandalism by pillaging the stone for barns and houses.

No trip round ruins is complete until I have a view through an arch. Three arches in this case………it must be Christmas.

This is it……………….A grand edifice.

  Despite the odd spot of rain and the all pervading gloom I enjoyed the walk and so did the dogs. They were black when we got back but the estate provide a boot wash come dog wash. Very handy, not that Molly and Alfie showed much appreciation.

We got back around one thirty and I did this post…….well I did a post and lost it. It just disappeared. The sun came out so the folk opposite decided to crack a bottle of wine or two in celebration. Then the people next door joined in……….it seemed churlish to ignore a party so I took a bottle. Sunshine and blogging obviously don’t mix.

I shall get out today but also it’s van clean and laundry day.

Have fun till later.

SHADES OF GREY (26/12/11)

Well! That’s another Christmas survived. I only have New Years eve to go and life will be back to normal……Hark at me!…….Normal? For a Romany perhaps! We were out before dawn as Alfie needed a comfort break. I don’t think he was too fussed but he has a delicate tummy and Moll and I were really bothered. A flatulent dog in a small camper can only be tolerated for so long.

    I just realized that I haven’t done a map……….it’s all the excitement. You think I’m being cynical but No! It’s been a very entertaining morning. I waited for some light and at around half nine decided I was waiting in vain so off we went to make the best of a bad job.

We walked down through Strid Wood to the river Wharfe. I have the dogs on a lead, I have one lead, they are tethered together. I let Molly off and she was away…….well. Bless my Soul! I’m Away To Hell In A Handcart!…There was a roe deer that I’d failed to notice. Silly me! Twenty minutes later she deigned to rejoin us.  Fortunately I hadn’t got around to letting Alfie loose. He can’t find his way back if he mislays Moll. It would have been a days job finding him. On we plodded along the river.

The dogs met a Weimaraner a grand young dog who tempted mine in for a swim. Weimaraners are water dogs terriers aren’t. Whilst trying to conjure up a suitably hideous expletive to attach to ‘Come Here And Now’ the dogs owner appeared…..a joggeress in black lycra………….Just like Christmas it was. Took my mind off the dogs and their imminent watery demise she did. She also had dog control mastered. Stuck the first two digits of both hands in her mouth and blew an ear splitting whistle and out of the river he came and off she ran. I’ve being trying to master this. All I get is a PHEW….PHOO sort of noise. Mind!…..As I watched her continue her run Phew! Seemed to fit the bill. I think I fell in lust.

On to the dull and dismal pictures.

The river Wharfe and as it disappears round the corner……………….

  The Strid, a diminutive of stride. The river goes from about two hundred yards wide to two yards. Stride and miss and you are meeting your maker.

It must be fifty or sixty feet deep with hollowed caves and allsorts of chambers under my feet to cope with the volume of water. It is said that no one who has fallen in has survived. It doesn’t look impressive but I was impressed. My imagination turned to Hades. Trapped for eternity swirling around in a subterranean cavern. It is not noisy and doesn’t make the earth move. It’s power and might are in it’s deeps. I’m happy I came to see it.

Cavendish Bridge. Yes it is Cavendish as in the Duke of Devonshire. He not only owns Chatsworth where we stayed last week but also vast tracts of land around here. Though I’m envious there is no way I would want the responsibility. He allows access so is a great bloke. He is also clearing trees to open up vistas not see in a hundred years. He is managing the land and putting in disabled access. A modern landowner who I congratulate.

   Cavendish Bridge again.

  Turner painted this panorama from this spot. I hung around for ages. No shaft of sunlight for me. Just about dead centre is Bardon Tower. The sun, sorry light, did hit it for a second……I missed it despite a half hour wait.

All images today are HDR. The water is popped back in as a two to three stop under exposure. Cameras lie but eyes don’t. I just tell fibs.

You all enjoy the rest of the holiday even if it is murky nasty weather.

CHRISTMAS DAY (25/12/11)

Merry Christmas to you all….Between now and the New Year I’m just going to post random pictures. …….No change here then!

The Stables Chatsworth.

Christmas dinner ready for the dogs.

Turkeys get smaller. My lunch….must remember to cook it.

Have a great day.

THE CRYSTAL BALL (23/12/11)

It’s cold and raining constantly today so it’s a good job I had a crystal ball and took plenty of images yesterday in what turned out to be a brief clement spell.

    The Crystal Ball…………It’s actually a Campbell Stokes Sunlight Recorder. I spent ages messing with it trying to get a decent image of Chatsworth House reflected in it. Hopeless. I never noticed the bird muck on it either. That’s me in the middle.

  A bit of the house. The bit I did manage to get a bad reflection of.

Another corner of the garden.

  Chatsworth Maze. It is amazingly complex if you’ll excuse the pun.

This modern screen I took a fancy to.

To finish up today I have a couple of stitched images.

The Emperor Fountain.

The view down the park from the house looking north or thereabouts. I know it has a lot of grass. I did it on purpose. I wanted to convey space. This will pop up large with a click.

Tomorrow I’m moving up to Bolton Abbey for Christmas. I was going to Ravenglass but there has been a change of plan. I will have to go and do a shop……I’m dreading it.

 

I PAID AND WENT IN (22/12/11)

It is a superb day. Mild and apart from one little downpour, dry and sunny. We were out first thing and spent an hour watching deer…….. eating grass…..fascinating.

We came back, had breakfast and I decided to bite the bullet and pay to get into Chatsworth gardens. They let dogs and cameras in, they don’t admit either in the house so that saved me a small fortune.

All images today are pushed pulled and shoved and are HDR. I like HDR. What's more I like doing slightly surreal images.

  The scaffold is slowly coming down. This is Chatsworth house.

So is this. in the shallow bit of the house there are two little square plantations click to enlarge and you should see ER. Stands for Elizabeth Regina. Anyone know who she is?

This is the Emperor Fountain. It’s gravity fed from lakes four hundred feet up on the moor.

Here it is again. they rarely turn it on full flow. I don’t know why. It will fire water ninety metres or three hundred feet into the air. It’s running at about a third throttle today. I knew there would be a fountain bow. Just had to walk round the pond till I found it and wait for the sun to pop out.Brightens the job up a treat. A formal little pool. It has a fountain as well but they had forgotten to switch it on for you. Most remiss of them!

The Cascade. It had five gardeners polishing it up. They agreed to stand to one side whilst I got a quick snap. Grand! Accommodating folk they are. The water usually flows evenly but they had reduced the flow for maintenance. There is more to this than meets the eye. The sound of the water falling down the steps alters as one walks up it. The pagoda type whatsit at the top can also spout water from ornamental dolphins and other orifices on it’s roof. If you click to enlarge you should be able to see the broken aqueduct I did about a week ago it’s just behind the top of the pagoda.

I’ve no idea what this is. It’s a low sun evening shot to get shadows falling left to right. It could be a good one. They shut tomorrow till March. I’ll come back and have a look on my birthday.

The Conservatory Wall. The tower just above the middle of it has a beauty of a clock and is the entrance to the stables. I couldn’t fit it in but I did get the Hunting Tower. It has been a hanging about day. Just waiting for the light. I just hope I waited long enough or short enough.

A wonderful day after a grim week. Perfect light so any discrepancies in quality are down to me.

I have enough images for another three posts……….I’ll most likely need them this winter.

Have fun or do your best to.

WET, WET, WET. (19/12/11)

This is going to be a quick post. It is raining and doesn’t show any sign of stopping. It was reasonable but cold first thing. Rain on frost so very slippery.

        Not this slippery………….these were purchased a year ago and the day after the expense the snow and ice melted. I should have bought a swimming costume.

     These are the answer on ice. They cost next to nothing and strap to any footwear I am using. Brilliant they are and when they wear down I can just screw another self tapper in. I could if I had any this size but that’s a minor detail.

I was out in the dark and found the deer. I couldn’t get closer than a hundred yards but not to worry. The stag is with these hinds still. I wish I could find them in daylight but they head off into the hills.

These are even noisier than the last ones but they can just about be identified as deer.

I came back in for breakfast and did another Christmas Card.

    Merry Christmas to all of you. I wish this Oystercatcher would learn to fly straight.

I’m hoping for a fine day tomorrow and a look round the gardens here. Have fun.