Family Album

Layla has four siblings. They were all placed with families through the same dog rescue programme, so we get to share photos now and then. So here is the family.

Layla

Bella

Billy

Marty

Peach

And here is their mother, Mango.

Contrast

I liked the contrast between the lush conifers and the bare trees in front. This was on a steep hillside on the North York Moors.

More moors

 The moors were very dry last week. This will have changed with the downpour we have had since. 

North York Moors

Had a great walk in Riccall dale in the North York Moors last week. This is just to the east of Helmsley. It was good to be experiencing spring again. (Today it has gone back to winter with howling rain)

Leeds

When Rowan was at the hairdressers I had another Leeds walk. This old building near the city centre is for some reason still standing. It cuts a dash.

Wolds 2

Another shot from our wolds walk, looking west down from the escarpment to the vale of York.

I went a walk with the dog in the week at Escrick. It is a pretty non-descript route, but very pleasant; I saw a red kite, a little egret and a kingfisher in less than an hour, all of which were a surprise. 

Wolds

Rowan, Layla and I were back in the Wolds at the weekend. Lovely day. This is Hagworm Wood; a great name.

Digging

I have been digging out some old posts in the back garden ahead of the geodesic dome being assembled. It is good to have an attentive assistant.

Roadside

On a bike ride last week I saw this old stone by the roadside for the first time. Seems to date from the 18th Century. Hard to find out anything more about it. I'll keep trying.

Dali

I have been sorting out some books. I found this. My last year at school I won the Geography prize. I could choose a book of my choice for the prize (assumed to be about geography). I chose a book on Dali by Dali. Surreal.

Notting Hill

 Rowan was back in London for a few days. She took this shot at Notting Hill Gate tube station. Pretty damn good.

Ouse 3

Here is the team on the walk last week. 

I did a Quaker desert island discs zoom thing yesterday evening. We each chose one track, one book and a luxury. It went well. I do hate zoom though, looking forward to being with a group of real people in a room all talking at once.

Ouse 2

Taken on the same walk as yesterday's shot. The combination of stillness, bright light and cloud makes for some great reflections. This is a bridge over the Ouse that was built to replace the ferry in 1929.
 

Ouse

Friday Danielle and I took the dog a walk down the Ouse to the Humber. Strange walking next to a tidal river, in the morning it was flowing apace uphill with tree trunks floating in it, then in the afternoon it was racing to the sea. This shot was when all was calm and still.

Back in the swing

Last Monday I walked back with Danielle from one of her rare visits to her office in town. It was the first day post-lockdown and we passed the York Tap at the station. "Do you want a pint?" "Yes".

Home Life

Rowan works upstairs when she is with us (since Xmas, this lockdown) and Layla goes up to hang out with her each morning. 

Fire!

We had friends for tea in the garden last week. It snowed. So I lit up the fire-basket. As you can see Layla was treating it as a learning module. We had her clipped last week and she definitely prefers it as the weather hits the heady heights of 9 degrees.

Pass

Rowan passed her CFA exams for work. The pass rate is only 40% so she did well; we had a bottle of vinho verde with dinner to celebrate.

 There is still evidence of last summer's fire on Hatfield Moors.

The moors

Hatfield Moors were looking good last week. This is where the peat was excavated from the moors until the industry was shut down early this century. It is slowly reverting back to type.

Hatfield

I got back to Hatfield Moors for the first time since the autumn. There was a big moorland fire there last summer, and the result has been to drive fire breaks through some swathes of scrubland. It had to be done, but was a bit of a shock.

Just to give a context of why I like it so much. I walked with Layla for over 5 hours, a really great walk full of everything. In that time I passed one other human; had a good chat with him about the moors, then carried on. That such an amazing place should be so unknown is incredible to me - wouldn't want to change it though.

Cactus

Sitting in the lounge yesterday when the sun broke through the clouds and lit up the cactus plant.
 

Deep Dale

Rowan took this shot of Layla trotting and me trudging up the steep side of  Deep Dale in the Wolds. A great day again.

Wolds 2

 Went back to the Wolds with Rowan on Easter Monday. Danielle was busy studying. Beautiful cold windy sunny day. Great to be back in the dry valleys (I'd forgotten what walking up a steep hill was like). 

Easter Day

After the family walk yesterday we managed today to have an Easter Sunday meal for the first time I can remember. Danielle and Rowan prepared it and it was great. Helped, for me, by watching the Tour of Flanders with a pint of Ainsty Ale. A good day. Here is the meal before we descended upon it.

Family walk

This was the first time we had all been a walk together outside of York since Christmas. Lovely day up on Garrowby hill in the Wolds.

Whoopers

Whooper swans on Thorne Moors yesterday. They have wintered here in Yorkshire and are about to leave for summer in Iceland. A lovely noisy sight.

Red Deer Skull

Monday I saw the first butterflies of the year. Brimstone, tortoiseshell and peacock.

Tuesday was First Shorts Day (late but welcome) and to celebrate I went to Thorne Moors for the first time this year (outbounded by lockdown previously). It was great to be back there on such a beautiful spring day. I saw whooper swans a plenty and discovered a new path - henceforth to be know as Skull Path on account of the red deer skull which we (Layla and I) found. I took this photo, Layla chewed another of its bones. A great day.

Back on the road

Lockdown rules have changed in the UK, so we can now go further a field to walk, cycle etc. This is good news. Yesterday I took the dog to Bishop Wood and to say she enjoyed the freedom of the forest would be an understatement. I was pretty happy to. The water table is very high at the moment, so this pond, which has never existed before in the forest in my experience, appeared out of nowhere. It will be gone in a week or so I think. The height above sea level of Bishop Wood is a max of 7 metres.

NYC

It is just about impossible to get tired of taking pictures in New York City. This was taken on only my second visit to the city in 2004.

The Outgang

This is a part of York called the Outgang which is the way from the city to the pasture. It has a slightly lawless feel to it, emphasised in this shot by the BMX jumps that have sprouted amongst the trees. I like it.

Bridge

 This bridge over the River Derwent (which was in a mild flood at the time) is a great bit of architecture.

Tillmire

 I went a long walk with the dog this week, and got to the Tillmire, a piece of old heathland bog south of York. In the middle of it there is this pond, which really does feel like an oasis, complete with geese. I had never seen it before despite having cycled within a 100 metres of it many many times.

Daffs

 Various daffs around the garden are making their appearance. These are in particularly good nick.

Hemingbrough

 The majestic Hemingbrough steeple behind the majestic Layla, taken a couple of weeks ago.

DC

 Nine years ago, in Washington DC at one of the memorials.

Dorset

 Dorset. Quite hard to make Dorset look anything but benign, but I thin these dead trees achieve it.

Southend

I did some work in Southend in 2012, the light was great and a seaside town out of season is often a good subject matter.

Science

 Found this in my Glasgow file, from the science museum. I like it.

Dundee

 Cycle tour to Dundee with Ted and Dave in 2009. This is Scot's ship on the Tay waterfront. 

Sheep walking

Sheep get an unfair bad press - not that daft at all. A group crossing a river in single file, in the Highlands. Taken in 2007 when we were on a family bike tour.

Arthur's Seat

Top of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh 2007. It has to be the best city centre walk in the UK, off the train, stroll down the royal mile then up you go on a real hill walk.

Mull

Taken at Tobermory on the isle of Mull in 1994. I do remember discovering the joys of single malt whisky in a bar on that harbour. 

Strensall

Took this on Strensall Common last week. It is a beautiful place and it was good to walk there once more.

Vaccine

Had my vaccination yesterday - very pleased to get it. Today I woke up feeling exhausted and have spent the day in bed! A price worth paying by any reckoning. 

River Ouse

 A walk by the Ouse last week. The river is tidal here but still a good way from the sea. In the still mist it appeared other worldly.

Portraits

This shot is from my walk on Hook Moor last week. The whole landscape has a strangely unreal feel, and that is what I was trying to catch here.

I did a portrait session yesterday. First since last summer, and necessarily outdoors in a forest. Went really well. Great to be back at it.

Railway Pond

The pond really changes with the seasons and the light. The cold misty morning last week gave me this vista as I walked to get the paper.

More Leeds

It was great to be in Leeds last week, and see the terraced streets climbing the hills. Amazing architecture.

Oxford

This was taken somewhere near Oxford a few years ago. Not sure where but I can see why I took it. Not exactly dreaming spires.