Viaduct

I got a walk in before Lockdown 2.0 starts on Thursday. This is a viaduct on the long-gone Axholme Railway that ran across the peat bogs to the Isle of Axholme. It is crossing 3 parallel drainage and transport dikes. I find its small scale really pleasing. 

Harrogate

I went away for a few days in Harrogate to concentrate on my Elmet book. It went really well, and I feel I now know what I have to do, and how I will go about doing it. Onto page 20 now!

The weather was terrible, which was great for me, as it kept me at my desk. I did get out to stretch my legs, and take a few shots of the town.

Taken near the old pump house - Harrogate was originally a Victorian Spa Town.

Leeds Liverpool Canal

This is the Leeds and Liverpool Canal from our walk with Ro & Pete last week. It is  a beautiful piece of engineering from the 18th Century that just seems to blend in with the landscape perfectly.

Dutch River

Looking south from the Navigation across the Dutch River (a straightening of the River Don carried out in 1635 by Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden) towards the wind farms on Goole Moors. There is much beauty here in the flatlands.

Layla

Layla on Hatfield Moors. She is becoming a good companion on my photography/walking trips. Our host in Scotland said of Layla "She's full of nonsense" which is also true.

Dead Straight

I walked along the Aire and Calder Navigation from Goole inland. It is an impressive wide dead-straight canal that reminds me of those in Belgium and the Netherlands. Once we had negotiated a group of old folk walking en masse, Layla and I had it to ourselves.

Family

I last saw my sister Ro and her husband Pete in February, just before a month of puppy-lockdown and 8 months of covid-lockdown. So it seemed about time the four of us met up for a walk. We were lucky: a beautiful day, a great walk on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the Pennine Way, and good to catch up with Ro and Pete. Layla was on good(ish) behaviour too.

Canal

I walked on a section of the Selby canal that I had not been on before. This lovely canal bridge with the looming presence of Eggborough power station in the background might make it into the Elmet book.

Cormorants

Seeing Cormorants land and perch on cables, with their webbed feet, is bewildering but not uncommon. This was on the River Aire this week.

Squashed

The squash on the right I planted and grew from seed. The one on the left seeded itself via the compost. En route to becoming squash risotto I think.

Benched 4

Last bench for a while. New York City, two old souls observing new developments 2015. Bit clichéd but I like it.

Benched 3

A bench and table looking across to Cleveland Ohio. They are trying to regenerate the city, but it is hard work, and hard to get right.

Benched 2

Deep in the heart of Elmet. A bit of a surprise, as it is in the middle of nowhere, but welcome none the less.

Milano

 

Rowan was due to go to Milan at the weekend with friends, that did not happen for Covid reasons, so they went for an Italian meal in London instead. Nearly as good I should think.

Benched

 I do like an empty bench shot. This was in the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey, with the River Aire beyond it.

Leeds Liverpool Canal

I drove Rowan to Armley again, in Leeds, to her hairdressers. I got a good walk in down the canal to Kirkstall Abbey. This is the canal, with the reflections and graffiti catching my eye.

When I was a student in Liverpool I decided to head off on a very old bike (my girlfriend's dad's) and ride the canal to Leeds. I had a sleeping bag (slept in a field above Blackburn) which was good preparation, but no repair kit which was pathetic preparation. In the end I had to ring my girlfriend's mum to collect me from Skipton. Good trip though.

Judgement

I quite often get asked to judge photography competitions. I enjoy doing it a lot (probably a bit too much), and yesterday I judged one in Poppleton just west of York. There were some really creative shots and I was happy with the three winners.

Danielle and I walked one day in the Wolds last week. This is Brubberdale, which looked lovely in the cloudy sunshine.

The Layla in the Lake

 Last shot from Scotland for a while. Words not really necessary. 

Squirrels

Day 1: "Oh look, Red Squirrels!"

Day 3: "They're not much different to Grey Squirrels really."

Day 5: "One's trying to eat the cottage"

Ghost Dog

 The forest behind the cottage was pretty amazing; Layla doing her best here to look supernatural.

Killin 5

We drove to Crianlarich Station (the only time we used the car all week) which is one of the best station locations in the land. Took the train to Tyndrum then walked back to Crianlarich on the West Highland Way. It was Layla's first time on a train; as with most dogs she assumed the central corridor of the train was for her personal use, but apart from that it all went smoothly. Tyndrum has two main line stations (one of the line to Oban, one of the Fort William line) and a population of 167.

Killin 4

As the day went on the mist cleared and the sun and the cloud produced plenty of dramatic light. No cars on this track, just walkers, cyclists, deer and sheep.

Killin 3

I set off early on a bike ride that took me along Loch Tay (where this early morning cloud produced some interesting effects) then up over a col to Glen Lyon which I followed right to the end (seeing a Hen Harrier on the way) then up over another col on a track before dropping down to Glen Lochay which I followed back to Killin. It was not a long ride but had 1000metres of climbing and I really enjoyed it.

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.