Tuesday 7th February 2012, 12.50pm (day 166)
No, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sit and let today’s weather pass unused. I’ll catch up on Sunday instead. It was worth it.
Plenty more pictures from today have been uploaded onto my other blog.
Being 42
Life, one day at a time
Category Archives: Landscape
Full Moon, from the train home
Monday 6th February 2012, 4.50pm (day 165)
Not much happened today but there was some great light and a stunning full moon (well, one day short of full) in the evening. Had to snap it from the moving train as I made my way home, but even if it is a bit of an odd shot, it will certainly do for the daily pic. That’s the moon’s third appearance on the blog, I think.
Another Hebden Bridge sunset
Wednesday 1st February 2012, 4.20pm (day 160)
Spent the whole day at home grading papers. Ah well, at least there’s the view from the house to keep me (and the blog) going on such an otherwise monotonous – and cold – day.
Spurn Head
Thursday 26th January 2012, 11.50am (day 154)
From Mike Parker’s book, Map Addict (2009, Harper Collins):
Page 3: “I’m the one who will annoy anyone I’m sharing a flight with by repeatedly jabbing at the window and telling them which town we’re flying over, just because I recognised its shape and road pattern from decades of map scrutiny…”
Page 81 [referring to Spurn Head]: “Driving down this tiny thread of land is like walking a tightrope in a gale. The concrete road is poor and rutted, with drifts of sand blocking the way and sea spume whacking your windscreen like a scorned lover. At times, the road is virtually all there is between the two banks of angry, choppy sea falling away on either side. There is no safety net…. It is one of the ugliest, rawest places of beauty I have ever experienced. And it is quite wonderful. Twenty years it had taken from running my eager finger along my first Ordnance Survey map to standing on the point itself, but it was worth every minute of the wait.”
Latrigg, early morning
Monday 16th January 2012, 8.30am (day 144)
Fourth and final day in the Lake District, with glorious weather throughout – a stroke of great luck, seeing as we booked the weekend months ago, taking a gamble. Just proves that the British weather can do pretty much what it wants, at any time. Today I set off early, wanting to get one more walk in but still needing to be home at a reasonable hour. The sun came up as I made my way round the southern slopes of Blencathra and caught this view of the half moon over Derwentwater and the little hill of Latrigg: one I still have to bag for my project. 154 done now, 60 to go.
The saddle of Blencathra
Saturday 14th January 2012, 12.05pm (day 142)
Taken at about 2,800 feet up. (You want that in metres – work it out!) I was very proud of Joe for having got up his first really substantial mountain. I also note, on this shot, quite how tall he is getting.
Not the Lake District, but so what
Thursday 5th January 2012, 1.10pm (day 133)
Today was one of those miraculous days of brightness after days of rain (and more forecast). Let’s not dwell on Virgin Trains’ inability to get me to the Lake District, as I had planned. I had to turn back at Preston. It didn’t matter. I went out walking at home instead, up Stoodley Pike and round to Cragg Vale. Windy, but spectacular day. See all the best photos from it on my Flickr site.
Phone mast, late afternoon
Wednesday 28th December 2011, 2.40pm (day 125)
Few chances to take a good photo today until the sun began to go down. When you live in a valley the sun drops earlier than elsewhere and today the mast that is otherwise a minor blemish on the view marked the point at which it dipped below the horizon. Stonehenge – mobile communications mast – same thing? (From our house on Dec 28th each year, at least.)
Morecambe, Christmas Eve
Saturday 24th December 2011, 2.05pm (day 121)
And so this is Christmas…. we effected a transfer to the in-laws’ this morning. They live in Morecambe, a strange place, quite run down in many ways but located on a slice of genuine physical beauty, the bay to which it gives its name. I’m happy with this pic but I suffered for it – this was taken into the teeth of a vicious gale.
Moon over Hebden Bridge
Thursday 15th December 2011, 8.30am (day 112)
I don’t feel I’ve been here much lately. However, I’ve now got four weeks at home – more-or-less – so get used to photos of this place (and occasionally Manchester). On mornings like this, it’s no hardship – though the rest of the day was rather worse.
