Yesterday we grabbed a sunny interlude between gales and rain, for a walk at Drumburgh.
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| Colours of Autumn. |
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| Poplar Hawk Moth caterpillar. |
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| Looking across to Skidddaw and the Northern Fells. |
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| The boardwalk. |
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| Cranberries. |
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| Bog Rosemary. |
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| The return path ... |
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| One of the few butterflies we saw - Peacock. |
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| Water Lily in the sun. |
Another day on the fells ...this time down west. We parked at the disused quarry on the road round Irton Pike and headed up from that little quarry through the woodland and out onto Irton Fell. A boggy path onto Whin Rigg and ok ish views - the cloud was down on the big tops but we had decent views at lower levels. A reasonable breeze but not too windy. Heading along the ridge towards Illgill Head we passed a couple of lovely tarns with unbranched bur-reed. Along to the summit of Illgill Head for lunch, where we hunkered down behind the small cairn before returning. the highlight on the return - finding Stag's-horn Clubmoss....and some Chanterelles for tea!
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| A Gatekeeper - first one I've seen this year. |
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| On the way up Whin Rigg ...with Yewbarrow to the right of centre. |
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| Rocky and Rowan (look at that tongue) on Whin Rigg. |
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| The ridge along to Illhead. |
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| Unbranched bur-reed. |
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| And Illhead. |
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| Looking down over Waswater. |
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| Looking down the screes. |
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| Yewbarrow. |
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| The cloud came down just after we left. |
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| Stag's-horn Clubmoss...not common. |
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| A lovely strand of Stag's-horn Clubmoss. |
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| Chanterelles. |
Always wanting to try new things ..and I wondered how this piece would come out. Taken directly from one of my photographs of the Giant's Causeway, Click here and here for the trip, the piece represents a close up view of the columns, where the sea was splashing onto the concave tops of the basalt columns.
I learnt a lot during the process - as you always do when you push yourself and thanks to Roxy again, of RD Glass, both for her patience and letting me work in her studio and for her expertise firing the piece.
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| Half way through construction.... |
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| The finished piece ...and detail below. |
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| The previous pictures were with of the glass held up against a window, but it looks good just laid on white paper, so I can mount it using stand offs on a white board. |
A breezy morning, so a refreshing walk up Knott Rigg and onto Ard Crags. The heather, as I have said before, is beautiful this week. Great views.
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| Sail Fell. |
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| Looking along the ridge and down Newlands Valley. |
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| Spectacular heather aand rocks...the Bilberry leaves are just beginning to turn orange. |
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| Looking back along the ridge with the fells behind Buttermere in the distance. |
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| Rocky doing a controlled down as a tempting Raven appears on the horizon - Raven chasing is his favourite occupation! |
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| On the look out! |
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| Moss Force in full flow after yesterday's rain. |
Something of a change on the artwork front - a piece of patchwork and quilting based on the Somerset Levels. All the fabric is hand dyed and I was pleased I could still patch a curve! I really enjoyed the hand stitching too and doing a smaller piece meant it got finished and I didn't get bored!
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| The 'pieced' textile. |
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| Finished...and details below. |
We are 'Rowan sitting' for Molly this week, so with a good and not too hot, forecast, a walk on the fells ...parking in Braithwaite it was up to Barrow Door and on to Barrow. We than returned to Barrow Door before going up onto Stile End and Outerside. The heather was stunning - and very 'polleny'. Then up the valley to the col between Sail (glad not to be going up that zig-zag path to Sail) and Scar Crags. Lunch at the top, accompanied by the seasonal flying ants, before descending to Causey Pike. Superb clarity and views and two happy dogs. Rather than being pulled off the end of Causey Pike by said dogs, we returned to the low point between Causey Pike and Scar Crags and took the far gentler diagonal path back down towards Outerside - a much better option!
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| Walking up to Barrow Dore with Causey Pike in the background. |
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| Blooming Heather. |
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| from the flanks of Barrow to Outerside with Crag Hill in the background. |
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| Rowan had regular stops to enjoy the heather! |
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| Rowan and Rocky. |
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| Bilberry Bumblebee |
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| Happy! |
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| Scar Crags. |
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| Looking down the ridge to Causey Pike.... |
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| Looking back up from Causey Pike to Scar Crags, Sail and Eel Crag. |
