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" Rain Stopped Play "

Date & start time:      28th - 29th April 2020.  

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

Places visited :          Local walks and into the garden.

Walk details :              Usually half to three quarters of an hour, so we can stretch our twelve legs.

Highest point :           "Watching the flowers in the rain".

Walked with :              Myself and our dogs, Dylan and Dougal, with Ann too on some of the walks.

Weather :                      The high pressure departs and there's change in the air.

© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number PU 100034184.

 

With the high pressure system moving away there's a change in the air as the constant sunshine gives way to more changeable weather.

Hopefully if it does take a turn for the worse it might include a bit of welcome rain for the garden and the fields.

This was the picture I showed on the last web page . . . just add some moisture to the air and  . . .

The same shot a few nights later as that low evening light is refracted into a rainbow.

High over the High Stile Ridge . . .
. . . rising from its 'pot of gold'.

- - - o o o - - -

The change in the weather meant a change in the light . . . so we move from red and yellows to more blue/greens for a while.

A female chaffinch with its less flamboyant colouring, on our garden bird table.

One of many starlings that are visiting the table at present.

Looking closely at the photo it seems we may have visiting woodworm as well !

Seen through the lounge window, our resident mouse in the flower bed.

Each time I weed the bed I discover their little tunnels through the soil, but they seem to cope with the disturbance each year.

A fast dash takes him to a gap between the stones.

Another of the family members appeared at the foot of the bird table very soon after,

taking advantage of the food knocked down by the birds from the table above.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Also on on the ground

this time because he's too large for the table

is a visiting male pheasant

 

He seems to have a feather astray

but has not made any obvious effort

to comb it back into place.

 

He's always rather skittish

if he sees movement in the lounge window,

but I've been standing still watching the mouse

so he doesn't notice me this time.

 

 

- - - o o o - - -

Zooming in with the bigger lens . . .
. . . I think I've been rumbled !

The other thing that was being noticed was the overnight tray of hedgehog food so I've put a screen around it to hide it from the dogs !

By the way it is " Hedgehog Awareness Week" next week (3rd to 9th May 2020). Can you do your bit ?

- - - o o o - - -

Local dogs walks continue to all the usual places so I search for some different photos, this time with my phone camera.

An empty beer garden fronts the Kirkstile . . . the inside isn't any more populated either at present.

Following a web site request I submit the following in the way of research . . .

The Kirkstile Inn was originally a working farm and its origins are in the 1600s. As an Inn, it used to be known as The Hare and Hounds. The Inn always had a close association with the Melbreak Hunt and was always very popular with the farmers. The Kirkstile Inn is now very much patronised by climbers, walkers and tourists. It used to have its own brewery, but this transferred location in 2009 when the owners took over an existing brewery site in Hawkshead.

Information drawn from the Mellbreak Communities web site

For a while in the 19th Century the Kirkstile was called the Hare and Hounds, but the name Kirkstile takes it back to its eighteenth century name, and reflects the ancient name of Kirkstall, recorded for the cottage in 1550. Kirkstall means what it says; the place where the minister's and visitors horses would be accommodated during church events.

Information drawn from the Derwent Fells History Society web site and thanks to Derek Denman for the 1863 map.

Click here or on the photo below for their historic walk around Loweswater.

   
Click here or on the map for a larger version.

Unusually, there are a few cows in the small riverside field below the pub.

Someone has been doing some heavy gardening there recently . . . but then that can be done easily out here without breaking socially-distancing rules.

The view from Church Bridge with the low water levels in the river.

As I walk up the lane I notice that the wall has been recently repaired.

That part of the wall was continually being damaged, often by the movement of the hawthorn tree on windy days.

Sadly the tree has suffered a possibly terminal prune in preference to curving the wall around it to give it more space. Not the most green thing to do !

The walk was extended to include Crummock Water.

The view from the gate not the best due to the weather but better than it was an hour or so ago when a shower blew through.

The lake level is possibly even lower than the other day when I was down by the weir.

Dougal enjoying retrieving a stick . . . or should that be a log.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Back home in the paddock next day . . .

 

The trees that I was given for safe keeping

are sprouting well this year.

the first is a rowan , the second a silver birch.

 

The second tree and its other silver birch partner featured in

the Cumbria Life Wedding Magazine recently

as they were originally used as part of the decoration of friends

Marc and Alice's wedding at New House Barn last year.

 

The trees have accepted the lesser publicity of this web site

in return for a more sedentary lifestyle.

 

- - - o o o - - -

The small stream still flows despite the drought . . .
. . . nevertheless the water weed still needs a little thinning !

The black specks are water boatmen in profusion, the rope holds a net to protect the tadpoles below.

The net seems to be working, either that or the ducks are social-distancing from the tadpoles too !

What was mud during the wet winter and a quagmire when we removed the turf, has turned to baked earth in recent weeks.

The wild flower seed I scattered has been frozen, drowned and now parched . . . we will see how well it has coped in due course.

My seed supplier answered my email by saying "you're suffering like most others, the flowers may be a little late this year".

Surprisingly last years primulas and pansies which I planted out instead of composting, have come up with colour after all.

- - - o o o - - -

 

Another busy day.

 

I've started filling a second log shed

with cut logs for the fire,

but the dogs still need a walk

and just as I do it starts to rain !

 

I wait for a break in the clouds

(which never comes)

so I get dressed like it was winter

and head out for a local stroll.

 

- - - o o o - - -

I feel like I've been dealt a hand of trumps !

As soon as I left the door the rain stopped and by the time I was heading back the sun came out.

Everything, or more or less everything give or take a few obvious problems, is all right with the world.

- - - o o o - - -

Hi Roger and Ann

Hope you are both keeping well. We were meant to be staying at Thornthwaite again this week, had hoped to make a dent in the final 11 of our second round of Wainwright’s. Found on YouTube last night some videos of the Lakes and watched a couple which was lovely, will do the same this evening.

A very dear friend of mine called Ann, sent me some photos of where she walked on Sunday and I thought you might like to see those, makes a change from my arable ones! She is happy if you wanted to use any of them. She lives in Hinwick in Bedfordshire and her walk took her by apple orchards for Saxby’s Cider in Hinwick and also through a bluebell wood. 

This old mill in East Bridgeford, now a private house, is on the highest land just out of our village. The rape hasn't got to the ‘perfume’ stage yet which can get very overpowering.  So very different to where you are, as I’ve said before we are missing the Lakes and do appreciate all your photos.

Love to you both,  Hilary & David.

- - - o o o - - -

Hi Roger & Ann, (and Dylan & Dougal),


Further to my picture of my wife on Low Fell I would now like to add an addendum after your ‘Mosser Road’ walk. Although the memory isn't what it was, the path down off Low Fell from that southern view point that day in ’82, (or was it ’83?), took us towards the ‘matterhorn’ although I don’t remember it. However, what does come to mind (after the traverse of Low Fell from Thackthwaite), is that lo-oong road walk back to the church and inn. Again, but this time after a long rest with some refreshments, the long road walk back towards Thackthwaite where we left the car.

Question. How old are the buildings and when were they converted to the Kirkstile Inn? Maybe you could give us a bit of history on your walks.   One day we'll be back to visit are old haunts, even though some of them are now out of reach for my wife.

I'll leave you some photo’s from our garden as we seem to spend more time in it during this rather sad time. Apologies for the first one, but I’ve never seen a Robin try to hover, and it was taken very quickly.

John, (W. Berks).

Hope I did you proud on the Kirkstile research . . . RmH

- - - o o o - - -

 

Dear Roger and Ann,

After the rain today I wandered up Reston Scar and up and over Black Crag before descending back to Kentmere - well after 7. It was glorious as the sun went down, but thought you might like 'Scarpering up the Scar!' (attached).

I think the flowers are white celandine seen on 'Rickety' Lane, Ings (near Staverley) yesterday.

Yours Peter

www.tubularfells.com - "A Map Made to Inspire

Thanks Peter, make sure you check out the final link below . . . RmH

Dear Roger and Ann,

So grateful to you for continuing to update the website with such lovely springtime images and details of your walks, the garden, etc. A true balm to the souls of all us Lakelovers. 

I wanted especially to thank you for including the excellent cartoon the other day (dog and owner looking out of the window). I have passed it on to many of my friends who are doggy people and without fail they have loved it. The cartoonist got it so completely right – wonderful.

I hope you and all your family keep well and we can only trust that in good time visits to the Lakes will again become possible again.


With very good wishes,  Rosalie, Dalgety Bay, Fife in Scotland.

Thanks for that Rosalie.  I'll have to collect a choice of cartoons ready for next time . . . RmH

 

- - - o o o - - -

 

Technical note: Pictures taken with either Ann's Panasonic Lumix TZ60, or my Panasonic Lumix Gx8 Camera.

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

This site best viewed with . . . time to research some of the Kirkstile information.

Go to Top . . . © RmH . . . Email me here

Previous walk - 25th April 2020 - Sunrise to Sunset and Crummock

A previous time with Peter at Staveley - 4th May 2017 - Staveley and Retson Scar    ( Goodness me, was it that long ago we did that walk ? )

Next walk - 1st May 2020 - Whinny Ridding and Guests