Farewell 2013........ Welcome 2014

So, another year draws to a close and a new one beckons.  Andy and I have much to be thankful for as we enjoy good health, share the companionship of a small but close and loyal group of family and friends and are fortunate to be in employment.  During 2013, we’ve been able to travel, experiencing some of the spectacular scenery that the UK and Europe can offer and we’ve been glad to assist Nerea on the next steps of her life adventures. Here’s hoping that during 2014 we can continue to appreciate the small things while growing older disgracefully!! 

Muddy Waters

During my cycle to work, I pass the confluence of the River Caldew with the Eden at the Sheepmount. Despite the Eden carrying the additional waters of the Petteril, which joins her in Rickerby Park about a mile upstream, the bedrock allows the water to retain its clarity, even when in spate. The chocolate coloured Caldew  tells of a different  journey down a silty, river bed from Skiddaw through the Caldbeck fells. Today, as the two rivers met, the contrast was spectacular with two distinct colourways jostling for supremacy, Eden’s clear waters the eventual winner, racing onwards to the Solway

Looking forward to a wedding

Large gatherings are no longer a regular occurrence in the Bradbury family. With brothers and cousins living hundreds of miles apart, grown up children leading independent lives and, simply meeting normal everyday and work commitments, it’s no longer easy to assemble “en-masse” in a single location. So it was with great delight that over Christmas, we received the news of a summer wedding. Andy’s niece Hannah, is to marry Marcus with a joyful family celebration in Devon!  It will certainly outshine the festive but somewhat depleted gathering we had at Grandma’s yesterday when just 8 of us met for supper.

Christmas across the miles

We were able to have a quick Christmas morning Skype chat with Nerea before she made the most of Christmas in the snowy regions of Canada. She spent the rest of the day on the slopes with Alex and a crowd of Steph’s friends before returning home for a festive turkey meal.  Boxing Day involved a hair cut and colour so when we Skyped at the weekend, she looked great.  She’s been getting quite a bit of work so is pleased about that as it all helps her to stay solvent! It’s just a pity our “pressi” parcel hasn’t arrived!

Hebrides

Since our first visit to the Hebrides several decades ago, it’s occupied a special place in our hearts.  Grandma joined us a couple of years ago for her first visit and she too became captivated with the magic of the breath-taking beaches, the changing horizons and overwhelming sense of isolation.  So, it was wonderful to receive Peter May’s book, “Hebrides“ from her at Christmas.  Filled with glorious photographs taken by David Wilson, it’s a veritable treasure trove of Hebridean culture and history, discovered by journeying through this remarkable landscape alongside Peter and Fin Macleod, his protagonist from the “Lewis” trilogy.

Food, glorious food

Food, glorious food! As if our delicious Christmas dinner was not enough, Boxing Day lunchtime saw us entertaining Fiona from work before we headed to Brampton to meet with Chris and Kirsty, Isobel (Kirsty’s mum) and some of their other friends for a “light” supper. Today we had a further lunch time visit from Fiona along with Lynn, another colleague, so we again ate handsomely!  Andy then went to watch the start of the Four Hills ski jumping with Robin. Cathryn had provided yet more food as plates were in evidence when I arrived to join them some time later! 

Happy Christmas from Bannerdale Crags

With Nerea away in Canada and Grandma over in Newcastle, we decided to do something completely different for Christmas Day and go for a walk in the hills before feasting on steak and chips for our evening dinner!!  We headed off to Bannerdale Crags with Molly and a hearty, packed lunch to enjoy the snowy solitude before returning home for present openings by our log stove. We then Skyped with Nerea before dinner and a quiet evening with Dr Who and Downton, eased along with a little glass of something.  It was unlike other recent Christmases, but still quite lovely!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!  This weekend saw the start of our Christmas festivities as we purchased our tree on Friday.  Ordinarily, we have a cut one from a local farm but this year, we’ve bought a growing Fraser fir complete with tub.  Then it was off to a festive ceilidh in Cockermouth on Saturday followed by a delicious pre-Christmas, Christmas dinner at Robin and Cathryn’s last night.  Then finally, tomorrow will see us following our tradition of decorating the tree and making mince pies to the lessons and carols service from Kings College.  Happy Christmas, everyone

 

Hoping for a Christmas weather miracle

Maybe because we get a lot of it, the weather definitely defines us up here in northern England.  Living on the western side of the country, close to mountains, the sea and a wide river estuary, there are a lot of opportunities for weather to dominate our lives. Inevitably, there is a lot of relief rainfall which can cause our rivers to rise and fall dramatically in a matter of hours but we are also affected by warm westerly fronts which collide frequently and  dramatically with colder weather from the east.  Here’s hoping for a fine weather miracle over Christmas!

Put on your dancing shoes!

It’s been a while since we went to a ceilidh so when Judith mentioned a pre-Christmas shindig in Cockermouth, we set the TV to record the Strictly final and dug out our dancing shoes. Our journey across to Great Broughton was atrocious, with rain turning the roads into rivers.  But, despite the localised power cut at Judith’s home, we still enjoyed a delicious candlelit meal before heading out to the Kirkgate and a fun filled, energetic evening of dancing.  We galloped, promenaded and stripped a few willows before time was called and we returned home, thankfully, in much drier conditions

Worcester

Occasionally, I visit some previously “undiscovered” places with work, and this week included an overnight in Worcester.  I’ve visited the office before but as it’s close to the motorway, never had the time or opportunity to explore the town.  On this occasion, I still only had an hour in the evening and a walk through on my way to work but it was enough to get a feeling that it’s a place I want to revisit.  Thanks to geocaching, I could target my limited time to places that appealed to my  love of social history, including……. the Worcestershire sauce factory!

Memories of Civil War

Lock

The Commandery (Former hospital)

Lee and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce factory

Industrial heritage

Vinegar Factory

Siddums

Siddums came to us over 15 years ago as a tiny kitten, half the size of his brother, easily recognisable as the “runt of the litter”.  After careful nurturing, he grew into a fine ginger puss, and despite a lifetime of respiratory problems, Sid lived life to the full, chasing butterflies, sun worshipping and being adored by his entourage. He was a hugely affectionate cat, seeking out laps to lie on or crawling up the chests of his chosen target, gazing lovingly into their eyes. Sadly, Sid died this week, peacefully, in his sleep.  Our splendid boy will be missed

Christianbury Crags

The view from Christianbury Crags was breath-taking on Saturday. Small pockets of mist lingered, a mysterious, evocative veil over the landscape. The Crags were once a well visited landmark but the development of Kielder Forest impacted on their accessibility, resulting in fewer people making the “pilgrimage”.  It’s quite a tough trek from The Flatt these days as much of the going is on rough and uneven ground through the rides, with man sized holes to catch the unwary.  But it’s definitely a walk worth making, as once up on the short ridge, there’s a sense of isolation and haunting beauty.

 

Thack Moor: England's newest mountain

Last weekend, I bog hopped up England’s newest mountain.  No, there hasn’t been a recent flurry of volcanic or tectonic activity in the area; just a survey of Thack Moor in the Pennine wilderness above Renwick.  The use of modern measuring devices has increased the height of the hill by 2cm and propelled it into the sisterhood of mountains, defined by a height of 2000ft.

Inevitably, it was a bleak and windy day, but the walk up the track to the unassuming summit  trig-point made my heart sing, the barren, empty, landscape being one that I truly love to explore

Bulls**t Bingo

Today I've been in a meeting that would have been a perfect contender for the Bull***t Bingo Game of the Year. I could have called "house" (or Bandwidth ) several times, with the amount of jargon that was polluting the air. By the time we'd "fully engaged", "developed an iterative process" and "landed the concept", I was exhausted. Not being a believer in “project speak”, I firmly believe that this move away from traditional language to jargon is nothing more than a technique to impress and exercise control by others who actually know little of the subjects they are “re-engineering”

Human Nature

On Friday I found myself in circumstances that  vividly illustrated the seamier side of life.  With clear evidence of chaotic lifestyles, by the end of the afternoon, I found myself  despondent enough to conclude that society was irreparably damaged.  Feeling somewhat melancholic but hugely grateful that my own upbringing had been in a loving family, with values that were consistent with a civilised society, I turned on the television that evening.  My spirits were immediately uplifted by the many random acts of loving kindness shown through the camera lenses   of Children in Need.  My belief in human nature was restored

Cascade Mountains

On hearing of the Cascade Mountains and Glacier Peak, it’s easy to imagine wonderful scenes of snowy capped peaks, where icy rivers tumble over rocky outcrops and trees stand sentinel against the skyline. And in 2014, we have every intention of seeing if our imagining lives up to reality as we are planning to undertake a walk along the Pacific Crest Trail with our friends, Dick and Barb. It'll be the first time we've ever been in genuine “wilderness” and we are looking forward to it with great excitement. We've started the research and are counting the days until August!!

Finally!

Some caches are memorable for a variety of reasons: a beautiful  (or even undesirable) location, a clever hide or an elegant puzzle. Some are merely frustrating!  And so it was with “A Real Puzzler” which fell firmly into the "maximum uanitate" category.  It all began so well with a straight forward code, a sudoku puzzle and some cartographic jiggery pokery. Then the fun began. We made two visits to what proved to be an incorrect location before returning for a third time.  After becoming increasingly dispirited, eventually I experienced a sense of jaded relief as I stumbled across it! Finally!

 

The First Snow of Winter

The first “proper” winter hill walk is always special and yesterday’s walk up Great Dodd delivered an unexpected bonus, for as we approached Troutbeck, we saw several fell tops covered in a dusting of snow. Once we were above the bog hop that was Bruts Moss, we hit the snow line and revelled in that unique, squeak of boot sole on snow.  Molly, as always, was highly excited, racing round on the sparkling, icy carpet in exuberant fashion as we trekked to the summit.  The absence of wind was uncanny, creating a feeling of deep peace in the beautiful stillness.