Wake Up Call

The dawn chorus has phases  - whilst blackbirds seem to sing the overture - the final movements are provided by the jackdaws - several family parties lounge around my neighbours birdtable.  They raise me from my bed, smartly dressed in black a bright eye, and a soft grey nape, An elegant bird but noisy always chattering chack chack , the youngsters beg for seed, almost the same dress as their prents, but their grey is more vague and covers more of the back.

A trip to the Seaside!

We set off to anglesey on friday and saw a few things - Ynys Llawd - South Stack is where we started

and finished in Cemaes

and we did all this in between!

Do you what this is ??

-we don't

The Terns were in full nest swing - a few BHG chicks amongst them and one breeding Pair of Med Gulls!

Whitethroat in the old farm

Finally a few fish and chips

The gulls liked the left overs

Only seconds later!

The valley is beginning to turn green

Spring is here in our hills and valleys and here a few pictures to prove it !!

lots of lambs

and blossom

and just today

Spring is truly here!!

Some More Northumberland piccies

 

Inside Dustanburgh Castle - gives some idea of the scale of the place

 

A view towards Craster looking through its walls.

Another Castle

 

Lindisfarne Castle - perhaps the most liveable in castle in the UK.

 
 

A View from another Castle - The Forth Bridges from Edinburgh castle

Why go to Northumberland at all

  

 Perfect quiet beaches

 

Amazing Coastline

 

Seaside Villages

 

Amazing views

No reason really - I wouldn't go if I were you!!

Back from Northumberland

The view from Dunstanburgh Castle  looking towards Craster

 

The Castle is built on a lump of basalt sticking out into the North Sea and is the most romantic setting of any Castle possible,  it is a little walk across the edge of a golf course.  

Fittingly for Valentine's Day,  a romantic setting for

 

Fulmars courting on those cliffs under the castle.

Castles are a big part of the the coast there - most famous is of course

Bamburgh

This site was once the capital of the Saxon kingdon of Northumbria and has been fortified ever since - now the castle is divided into apartments, but the village is still the focus for many holiday makers.

Edinburgh was only a hour and a half away!

We vistited Holyrood Palace and walked the royal mile to the castle - pausing at St Giles Presbyterian cathedral on the way.

 

This was my favourite church though - the earliest building in the Castle - St Margarets Church

Back at Seahouses - the archetypical duck of the harbour - a spectacular drake Eider!

A snow scape

 

The view from the flat on our last day there - yes it is that snow stuff again - this time on the seaweed!

A stop off on the journey was this Mithraic temple at Broccolita on the Roman wall.  What remains in the temple are casts of the original altars and posts

But they still attract sacrifices  - now of a few pence - no wine or blood now

February

Snow again today - Last Wednesday It snowed too and as I was walking home - I was surprised all over again at how simply beautiful it all was. 

The birch trees covered in snow, the path - the colours had again fallen out of the world and left something so lovely, so moving, so much a rediscovery of grace and joy.  It had only been a couple of weeks since the Christmas snows had all gone but it was a new viosion - a new hope of perfection.  A rediscovered joy.

31st Jan 2010

Well, finally they did it - some brave/insane people went for swim in a local dam  They had to break the inch thick ice to do it - this was the third attempt and it finally warmed up enough!

My sister-in-law was one of 4 in the womens race!   It was a lovely day and well warm  for those sane ones who just watched!

In the words of Young Mr Grace "you've all done very well (and are completely mad!) "