" Our Christmas Day "

Date & start time: Sunday 25th December 2011.

Location of Start : The red phone box, Loweswater , Cumbria, Uk ( NY 143 211 )

Places visited : The sitting room, the kitchen, the bird table, Crummock lake

Walk details : Two local walks down to the lake and back.

Highest point : Good food, good wine, good company . . . and good presents.

Walked with : Gareth and Kathryn, Ann and the dogs, Harry and Bethan.

Boxing Day: We were joined by Hilton and daughter Hannah next day.

Weather : Best to stay indoors ( but we did get out ). . . wet and windy !

 

My birthday coincides with Christmas again (as it does every year)

so recently we have taken to opening my cards the evening before.

With a bit of luck I get a cake and candles . . . and this year my luck is in again, as it has been ever since the year I got married !

. . . and I always have family members to share the cake with !

- - - o o o - - -

And so to bed . . . that was a quick report !

- - - o o o - - -

Next morning . . . a few photos of our local wildlife enjoying their Christmas breakfast.

Blessed with not one but two red squirrels.	He's sitting on the main-course hazels so I'll have the side dishes !

Mmmm . . . black sunflower seeds . . . my favourite.	The blue tits hang on for their breakfast.

Our bird table is close to the house and therefore we can enjoy the view from inside.   We have to be careful letting the dogs out especially if the squirrels are feeding as they suddenly dash away which can't be good for nerves or their digestion.   The table also attracts flocks of small birds and occasionally woodpeckers too.   Hold your cursor over this picture to see what happens if you open the back door . . . even if you open it really quietly !

- - - o o o - - -

Before lunch we decided we really must venture out, in what was forecast as the drier part of the day.

The four of us walked down to the lake via High Park . . . Ann taking the picture here of course.

The wind was whipping across the lake and causing quite large waves and 'white-horses' to form.

These crashed against the dwarf wall by the pump house and the spray was blown right across our path.

Through the gate we could see the full force of the swirling winds

catching the wave tops and lifting the spray high into the air.

The small section around the corner was so exposed that we calculated that we wouldn't get round and stay dry.

As not everyone had full waterproofs, we doubled back at this point . . . "and returned home a different way" . . . very wise men today I think.

Christmas pressies . . . always a popular time of the day.

The base of our tree was looking decidedly bare as we had opened most of the presents by now.

Harry has a new Christmas soft toy . . .	. . . and Gareth a bonus Father Christmas hat.

He was so pleased with it that he was prepared for others to share it . . . and get equal enjoyment from the experience.

She looks delighted !!!

Three cheers for digital . . .

It took me five goes to get both dogs and the red flash of the " Ho Ho Ho " in the same photo.

Film would have cost a fortune.

It only took one photo (or maybe two) to get this picture of Kathryn and myself.

Joined by Mr Paterson this evening, we toast "Merry Christmas" to you all.

- - - o o o - - -

Boxing Day morning . . . the day dawned wet and windy again.

We were joined today by Hilton and his daughter Hannah.

Oh where was the cold, snowy, white Christmas of the last two years ?

We took a slightly longer local walk up past Kirkhead and through the woods, so as to avoid the worst of the wind.

Anyone seen Ann ? . . . Hold your cursor over the picture to help her up !

Venturing out onto the open ground overlooking Crummock Water.

The wind is as strong as yesterday, if not stronger.

Another gust carries more spray high into the air.

This photo will be featured on the August page of the Loweswatercam 2012 Calendar

. . . but when I took the picture that time it had sunshine and lovely blue skies.

Back to base . . . and chance to play with the Christmas Presents.

Gareth was given a marble run . . . but he had to build it from scratch . . . a bit like grown-up Lego.

It features an Archimedean screw ball lift . . .	. . . which raised the ball bearings to the top and spat them out !

Has the construction gone according to the plans for this most-technical of technical construction sets ?

Is this a rare picture of Ann enjoying a slightly trivial pursuit ?

No . . . she was introducing Bethan to the moving ball run . . .	. . . " Where did that one go ? "

The battery powered motor meant the marble run was self-perpetuating.

The balls rose in the elevator and glided gently down to the end of the run . . . in a never-ending sequence.

"I told you it would work ! " . . . . Great present.

Now to take it all apart and design our own layout and see if we can make that work too.

- - - o o o - - -

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Fuji Finepix or my Canon G10 (or indoors, my1100D) digital camera.

Resized in Photoshop, and built up on a Dreamweaver web builder.

This site best viewed with . . . Christmas good cheer.

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Previous walk - Saturday 24th December 2011 Loweswater Christmas

A previous time up here - 25th December 2010 Christmas Walk to Aira Force

Next walk - 1st January 2012 New Year in Buttermere