Tales of Travels

I have had various trips recently including a visit to Glasgow that is preparing for the Commonwealth Games. There is some amazing wall art appearing around the city.

Netball

Hockey

Last Monday I walked up Cross Fell from Kirkland. Cross Fell is a mountain 893 mtrs. and is the highest summit in England outside the Lake District. The terrain alters as you climb. The views from the summit were superb, stunning panoramas and you could tell that the earth was round.

The trig point on the summit of Cross Fell

Dark mysterious peat bogs.

Shiny black 

Bubble effect rocks.

Foaming rocks

I can see Cross Fell from my house and I now smile when I think of the 8.54 mile walk.

These are views as I drove down Hartside. At this time of the year there is a variation in field colour. The grass length varies, some grass has been cut for silage and you can tell which fields have had fertiliser applied to them.

Looking towards the Lakeland hills

Looking towards Scotland

A view of Great Dun Fell.

Radar station for air traffic control for the north of England

I found this horse in the Trinity Centre in Leeds, a welcome relief from all the shops. 

Wire horse

Harrogate is hosting a stage of the Tour de France and this novelty wheel is a countdown clock.

How many cyclists can you see?

I also saw a gold post box. Post boxes were painted gold in certain towns where gold medal Olympians lived.

Golden post

The post box was in honour of Alistair Brownlee

There are so many lovely flowers coming into bloom. Bright coloured geums.

Bright red dramatic colours

Sunny yellow

The peonies are so majestic and regal.

Peonies come in many shades

This lupin is always very vibrant and flowers for ages.

Intense blue

The purple iris are striking.

Deep hues

Comfrey is now in bloom.

Comfrey has a very large tap root

Day lilies look very pretty.

As the name suggests each flower lasts just a day

Pink campions are in the hedgerows.

Pretty in pink

These pretty blue campanulas make lovely ground cover.

Purple bonnets

The broad beans are growing well with all the sun and rain.

The flowers are just beginning to form

The strawberries are in flower with promise of delicious fruit.

Dainty white flowers

Flower Power

What could be more pleasurable than planting out bedding plants in sunshine accompanied by bird song and the heady perfume of May blossom.

The flower border I created last year

A view of the border from the opposite end

The May blossom this year is superb, the country lanes are white corridors and the verges all have dainty white cow parsley fronds that blow in the wind.

Bountiful may blossom

Hawthorn trees bedecked in may blossom

Cow parsley also known as kesh.
 

Danity clusters of white flowers

All that remains of the dandelions that a few weeks ago dominated the verges are the dandelion clocks.

Translucent globes. Blow the dandelion clock. The number of blows to disperse the seed heeds is the time of day

There is a saying 'oak before ash you're in for a splash ash before oak you're in for a soak'. This year the oak tree has come into leaf first so that means we should get very little rain.

A majestic mature oak tree

Classic leaf shapes

The ash tree is just coming into leaf.

Ash leaf buds bursting

Lilacs are bursting into flower and have a gentle perfume. They come in different colours from dark purple to lilac and white.

Lilac coloured lilac

Star shaped florets

Dark purple lilac

I have some pretty aquilegias in my garden that vary in shape and size.

 A fairy bonnet with lovely colour blends 

Spiky purple flowers

The intense red of this poppy is stunning. Look at the detail in the flowers construction.

Poppy power. The poppy flower closes up at night 

The alliums are just coming into flower.

A purple drumstick

I had afternoon tea at the Inn on the Lake on lake Ullswater. This summerhouse is used for wedding photographs.

A summer house with a view to die for

A classic photograph.

The hotel jetty on lake Ullswater

A view of the fells next to the lake.

Looking from the lake towards the fells

Farmers have started to sow maize which they plant under plastic. The mirror fields are now back in view.

Rippling mirrors in the landscape

Crazie Maisie has returned from the health farm. I think she has more curves than she did previously, maybe she ate too many cakes.

Do you not wish you had a figure like mine?

This is the  first wall mounted head that I have made. I have mounted on the wall at my house.

Egyptian man

Sun and Seeds

This moody sky I saw last Friday when I was travelling over Hartside.

A view from Hartside looking towards the Eden valley

On Tuesday we had our first summers day, glorious blue sky and temperatures in the 20c's. This has been followed by rain showers so everything is growing like topsy. I have had a busy week weeding and planting.

In the Artful Garden I have planted radish, beetroot, rainbow chard, peas and turnip. Most of the vegetable beds are now full with just some space left for courgettes and runner beans.

I have all my bedding plants on my patio at home waiting another week before I plant them in the garden.

Plant trays brimming over

The horse chestnut trees are now in flower.

White candelabras

This clematis is in full bloom.

Boozy Floosie in front of the clematis

I love these dainty yellow Welsh poppies that are so fragile.

Poppy power

The fern fronds are starting to uncurl.

Fern curls remind me of shepherd's crooks

The strawberry plants in in flower.

Hopefully there will be plenty of strawberries

I have to keep cutting the plants back as they are very invasive and grow through the cracks in the flags.

Tufted blue flowers

The fruit is forming on the gooseberry and red currant bushes.

Red currant flowers with berries starting to form

Gooseberries need to be bigger and less green before they are ripe

Rain water collects in the leaves of the archimelia mollis.

Rain drops are falling on my....

The Wirey Piper birds are having a problem perching in the tree.

Chirp chirp

These are the photos I am submitting as part of the Ravenbridge Stores Grand Photo Competition. 

Lady in pink

Lotta Bottle has been to the health farm and come back more glamourous. Her new hair extensions are causing a stir.

Hi Boys look at ME and not the bunny or the yellow dude

Just buzzing

Welcome to Kirkoswald