Killin 2

This is the view from the grounds of the cottage we were in, with the Ben Lawers range range in the background. It was great to be back in the Highlands, there is just so much to explore and discover.

Killin 1

Our first day we had a walk through the forest and into Killin where we got some locally smoked salmon. We walked back via the old railway line that our cottage backed onto.

It was good moody weather, with this felled part of the forest looking a bit like Macbeth's blasted heath to me.

Rowan Cottage

Our first time away from home since January when we went to DC and Pennsylvania. We had a week in a cottage near Killin in the Highlands. The weather was good (one wet day in a week) the location great and the walks and bike ride fantastic. It was also the first time we had taken Layla anywhere but home so I was a little anxious as to how she would get on. I needn't have worried, it all went well.

I had chosen this cottage on the Sustrans bike track that we had ridden with Rowan when she was 9, for obvious reasons, and it was well fit for purpose. We could walk straight out of the cottage, past red squirrels to the forest where tracks and paths spread out for miles.

Fungi 2

 Saw this on Thorne Moors last week. I think it is a Fly Agaric, which is poisonous. It looks it.

Parasol

I like the idea of collecting fungi from the forest in the autumn. But I am never confident enough to risk picking any, let alone eat them. I saw these parasol fungi in the North York Moors. You can eat them apparantly - I let them be.

TSE

Just digging around for some old favourites. Taken in 1986 at Moscow Station on a Monday morning. I was about to board the Trans Siberian Express, end point Kharvarosk on the China Sea, reached the following Sunday. Great Trip.

Back live, friends Paul and Kelly came to stay last week, complete with Barnaby the dog. Nice to catch up.

Cannes

Taken at the Cannes Film Festival in 1982 at the competition screening of Werner Herzog's Fitzcaraldo. I was there with Gurmeet, a disabled man who managed to blag his way into anywhere. So he and I are in the right hand of this shot I took in a mirror before the screening. Within five years he had managed to get his own movie made starring Faye Dunaway and the bloke out of Gregory's Girl - not bad going.

Geese

Had a good walk on Thorne Moors this week; got totally soaked but it was worth it. A lot of geese activity as wintering birds arrived (I think), Marsh Harriers patrolling, red deer scurrying.

Wedding

Cousin Gill's son Adam got married to Catherine last week. Great that my Auntie Alison got to be there too.

Off Road

Edward and I went an off road ride last week, on a loop route to the bridle way that is used as the course for the Kiplingcotes Derby, the oldest horse race in England. We had a great ride. It is rare that I have a photograph of me on the bike, so here it is.

Sheep

I do like this sculpture of sheep droving in the City. So I persuaded Rowan to take me in front of it. Milo famously barked at an abstract sculpture of sheep in the Dales, so this would have driven in nuts.

Tour de France

I went down to see Rowan and watch the final time trial stage of the Tour de France in her local hipster cycle cafe Look Mum No Hands (vegan bugers, IPA, oatmilk late etc). We also had a great walk around her locale. It was a lovely day - and the cycling provided the greatest TdF finish since 1989. 

Hatfield Fire

Hatfield Moors had a bad wildfire this May. It is amazing how quickly nature recovers and bursts through the charred blackness to cloak it all in green again. Not this tree though which stares across the moor in burnt monochrome.

Harvest

The Tomato Harvest continues, although the end is in sight. Been a good crop this year, always gets a bit chaotic by this time of year but they still taste good.

Pond News

The volunteers who look after the pond, have managed to get hold of some old station type benches. Danielle and Layla pose for me by one of the benches.

The Restart

 I had my first post-Covid portrait session on Sunday: it went well, distancing not a problem.

Meantime here is Layla in Needle Eye wood in the North York Moors.

North York Moors

I took this shot on the North York Moors the other week. I like the low angle and the brooding sky.

Had some people round for a SD glass of wine in the garden the other day, we'd met them through the dogs. Layla and their dog Juno play for as long as you give them. 

Otter

I took Danielle to walk on Thorne Moors for the first time. Fair to say she is not quite so bowled over by it as I am, but we had a good walk on a great sunny day. We saw an otter on the path, that Layla then got a scent of and tried to follow. Later on there were a number of red deer hopping around the path ahead of us.

Then when we got home this young Sparrowhawk was in the tree outside the kitchen. My guess it she had just had a meal of Goldfinch and was digesting.

Hatfield and the North

This week I was walking on Hatfield Moors with the dog. This is the part of Humberhead that is usually less interesting from a bird watching point of view - the Cranes and Hobbies I have seen have been on neighbouring Thorne Moors. This week though I was surprised when I saw a Great White Heron (aka Great White Egret) fly imperiously across the moor in front of me. It was magnificent, unexpected and a great sight. According to the RSPB there are only 35 in the country. So I checked I had got it right and I had. 

There were plenty of geese on the ten acre lake at Hatfield, when they all took off at once the sound was something to behold.

Vacation News

Rowan was on holiday on the Greek island of Santorini with a couple of friends. A significant lack of tourists mean she enjoyed it a lot.

After Life

We had friends Adrian and Cathy round to socially distance watch a film - the brilliant Japanese film After Life by the director of Shoplifters. A great film.

This photo is from our walk on the Wolds last week - one of my favourite ash trees at Huggate Wold.
 

Mexican Standoff

 

Layla and the Highland Cattle. Showing off her newly cropped coat Layla was fascinated by the beast which responded with some great cattle noises.

Crowle Moor

Crowle Moor is next to Thorne Moor, and has a slightly different feel to it. This shot captures it, I hope.

I saw a Marsh Harrier when I visited this week.

 

Heather

The heather is out on Strensall Common. Layla very pleased that the recent rain has replenished the ponds and puddles.

Flying Kites

The Red Kites were pretty amazing in the Wolds, these three were doing beautiful un-synchronised soaring.

 

Wolds walk.

Danielle and I went a walk in the Wolds on Bank Holiday Monday (we had the valley to ourselves). A truly beautiful morning (felt like autumn mind). Layla had a great deer chase across the slack.

24 Years

 Married 24 year today. We had a meal in and a bottle of Amarone, very pleasant.

We miss my Mother, both Danielle's parents and my Uncle Geoff who have all passed away since our wedding day. Very glad that we saw Great Aunt Maxine in January this year, and are in regular touch with Auntie Alison.

The Canal at Stainforth

I do find reflections in water endlessly fascinating. This is never going to be a shower but I think it is interesting. I have flipped it so that the reflection is at the top of the image.

Croatia

1987, I was cycling in Croatia in Yugoslavia, visiting people I had met on the Walk three years previous. On a beautiful still morning I came to what I thought was going to be a bridge over the river, to fund it was this singular cable ferry. A great way to start the day.

Colliery

We have just finished watching Mrs America, a 9 part drama about feminism in America in the 70s. It was brilliant, fantastic writing and acting, and much better than it sounds like it might be.

I visited the site of Hatfield Colliery north of Doncaster. It was one of the last deep pits to shut, and is on its way to being obliterated altogether. It was not uplifting. But I did manage to get a shot that captured the sordid post-industrial decline that we seem to take for granted.

Peat

Got another walk in on Thorne Moor this week. A lovely warm sunny day. 3 hour walk, saw no one else. This is one of the tracks across the Moor which used to have a light railway line on it for the peat extraction trains to take the peat back to the processing works. You can still see one of the wooden sleepers in this shot. The whole area has been recolonised by nature since the extraction was stopped.

Spuds

The Desiree potato crop is in. Really prolific, and not too many manky ones. This is a small portion of the crop. 

DGFs

Pretty sure these are a pair of Dark Green Fritillary butterflies. I was shown them by an expert in Bishop Wood.

Timber

Went a walk with Danielle in Bishop Wood last week. They have been felling trees for the last month or so, leaving stacks of larch and pine around the forest. 

Soup

 Dealing with the courgette glut is always a challenge. This year I followed a soup recipe (a major departure for me) which included cheese. It was delicious. A keeper.

Berries

I planted some fruit bushes a few years ago. Some have not survived, one in particular is doing really well. Unfortunately I cannot remember what type it is - not a raspberry, but similar. Tasty too.

Harvest

The tomato crop is coming in from the greenhouse, pretty good for me. Should keep us busy for a few weeks yet.

Food

 Some neighbours are starting up a vegan burger van business. They offered free tastings to all in the street. We had a great time, and the food was really tasty. Not the best time to start such a business but we wish them well.

More Forest

I don't think this shot works as well as the one I posted yesterday. If I exhibited both then it would soon become clear from comments people made which one struck a chord. So until then all opinions welcome.

 

Fog!

I took the train to Yarm and rode back via the North York Moors. The weather started off with a foggy drizzle, then a drizzly fog, then cloudy sun. The track went through Cod Beck Forest where I came across these pines. Fair took my breath away.

 

Hot Dog

Considering she was conceived in the Egyptian desert by Egyptian street dogs, Layla has a surprising dislike of the hot weather. Luckily she is smart enough to avoid the sun (not a given with dogs, or people come to that). She has found a nice spot here where she can also guard the front door.

Post Bike

 I went a short ride on my ex-postman's bike in the heat at the weekend. Had a drink in the shade. All pretty bucolic.

Tandem

We got the tandem out for a ride yesterday. Good to be on it again. Unfortunately I had packed the wrong valve size inner tube. So when the inevitable flat occurred we were in trouble. God had deposited us by a  petrol station and a Premier Inn. The latter had some gaffer tape that I was able to wrap around the inner tube to give us enough air to make it home. All good in the end.

Heat Wave

It has been a hot few days. I was on the roof watering the cougettes and squash plants, down below Danielle and Rowan had lunch, Layla chose the shade.

Four ways to wear a mask

 Taken at Kings X this week. From the right we have 

1 Mask covering face correctly

2 Mask covering beard

3 Mask covering mouth

4 Insert your own description

London

 I went down to London to deliver a photo and catch up with friends Victor (at Exmouth Market) and Mark (at Granary Place). Great to see people in relative normality.

BIY

To keep all the cables for the TV, cable etc etc tidy I have used copper piping. As there is already copper panels in the lounge it has worked pretty well. 

Sign of the Times

I was riding on this bridleway just outside Retford last week. I have never seen that road-sign before - no four wheel carriages?

Montenegro

Photo of the Week 14 - Forestry Workers Montenegro.
Taken in 1984 on The Walk from Greece to Spain. I had left Pec in Kosovo and headed into the mountains that form the border with Montenegro. As this was all still Yugoslavia at the time there was no border. But if felt different. The first people I met in Montenegro were these forestry workers up in the mountains for a month in a hut; one of the workers was a woman which was unusual. They were very welcoming, shared food with us and were happy to be photographed. I had a tiny Olympus camera - no flash - so used available light which fell beautifully on the woman's face. After lunch one of them walked down the mountain to show me the path leading to the village far far below.
Find out more at https://palmourphotographics.blogspot.com/p/photo-of-week.html

Reeds

Taken on Thorne Moors last week. Sun, reeds and solitude.