The cold weather continues in Cumbria

Week three or is it four weeks now that the temperatures have remained below zero in many parts of the county.

Our regular walk to the park to check on the unfreezing puddle indicated that in part the water has become solid with ice. However, it is very thin and mum stopped us walking on it in case we fell through.

Interestingly, as can be seen by the photograph, the overnight snow has not covered the puddle over, so maybe some heat is still left in our thermal spring.

Maybe dad could buy the land and build a spa complex on it just for pooches.

We do get sore muscles and bad skin like humans, so why shouldn’t we get a bit of pampering…

Snowballs

Today Charlie learnt all about snow balls and chasing them. Mum tried like mad to make them so he could have something to run after.

The latest fall of snow was very powdery, just like false snow you would find in a shop window at Christmas or the stuff straight out of an aerosol can.

Mum had to warm her hands before picking up the snow so a little of it would melt and form a sort of icy-snowball.

Twitter

You can follow updates and exclusive reports as to what we are getting up to via our Twitter feed as well as via this blog. Why not become our friend so we can become yours.

The link to Twitter can also be found to the right of this page (the big blue stripe that says Follow Us)

Video

Dad has been busy with the video and stills camera over the last few days snapping away taking pictures of snow.

He has put together a gallery of some of the stuff taken over the last few days below for your enjoyment.

Both mum and dad are now very busy writing up various articles for some of their websites and just letting us lay by the fire, toasting slowly.

We take it in turns hot-bunking on the rug whilst the other gets comfortable in a cooler part of the house. Mum thinks that maybe we were marshmallows or gods in a previous life.  I suppose that dog is merely god spelled backwards. So following that way of thinking we must also be a wollamhsram. Whatever one of those is?

Until next time

Buster and Charlie

Gallery

Some of dad’s pictures and a video he has put together for Naturearoundme.com

Dalston walk – revisited

Rain continues to disrupt our walks on the fells or in potentially muddy places so earlier this week we re-visited a walk we did earlier in the year, March to be precise.

Our walk starts next to the print works in Cummersdale, between Carlisle and Dalston.

All seemed as it was when we last visited until we came to the area behind the Pirelli Tyre factory where it looked as if some workmen had been very busy.

Thousands of tree saplings had been planted in the field between the factory and the river.

Shielded in a white plastic tube, to stop them being munched by critters, the young trees formed a sort of artwork against the dark green grass.

We both looked at each other and decided it would be impossible to check every one of them out.

It must have taken a good few days to plant the trees. Mum wondered if they were to stabilise the flood plain and to drink up some of the water.

Information

Looking just like sticks, dad could not work out what kind of trees they are. We will have to come back in the summer to see if we can see any young leaves.

Following the path alongside the back of the cemetery and up the rise towards Denton Holme you can really see how much work has been done in this area for flood defences.

A new wildlife pond has been created at the edge of the stream known as Fairy Beck and a new interpretation panel has been installed.

This panel tells of the rich wildlife in the area, where all the seats are and details of a 3.7km circular walk.

Water

The full walk sounds like a good idea if it is dry for a few weeks.

Water is cascading down the weir after all the recent rain.  It looks quite a sight with the wall of water falling about a metre and it makes a bit of a noise.

When we visited back in March the water was clear and sparking white. Today, it was like the foam on top of a drink mum calls coffee.

All the flood defence workmen have left this area and it does look rather grand.

New boots

The bridge we saw in two parts now spans the river.  It even can handle our dads weight.

Painted in a green grey colour the metal construction is wide enough for bikes and walkers to cross in safety in to the Bousteads Grassing area of the city from Denton Holme.

That is about all for our update today as it is starting to rain once more.  Our return was a little bit quicker than our outward journey and we stayed reasonably clean.

Dad says he is going to buy some new trampling boots tomorrow so I think some long walks are on the cards to break them in.

Until next time

Buster and Charlie.

Miniature houses on Orkney

When mum and dad visited Orkney a few weeks ago they spotted two miniature buildings on their travels.

Upon their return they have, even with our help, been unable to find out anything more about them. So can you help?

Building one

Situated around 20m from the A691 from Holm to Kirkwall is what appears to be a wooden stately home built into the fence line.

Dad initally thought it could be a horse jump, due to the nearby fence similar to those you see at equestrian events.

Closer inspection shows however little damage to fragile chimney pots or any real scuffing of the roof.

It would seem as if this building has been in place since at least  2005 as this Flickr posting indicates.

Building two

On the coast close to the B9042 on South Ronaldsay and with great views all around,  is this castle fit for a princess.

Built from what appears to be masonry this building is what appears to be a fantastic play house given it’s scale.

Mum and dad were unsure what building the model was based upon but, given the grand tower and long roof it looks like possibly a cathedral or building similar to Westminster Hall in London.

Do you know of the history of either of these buildings? Let us know via the comments box below.

Other news

New website spirit-of-orkney.com is coming along well and has now started to develop some great content. It is hard to pull the humans away from the computer as they write up loads of notes and discuss where photographs were taken.

Maybe we will get to see this place sometime…

Thats all for now

Buster and Charlie

We go on a woodland walk near Caldbeck

Today we went in search of Montague Mouse and his woodland friends during a woodland walk at Wigton just outside of Carlisle.

Montague Mouse and his friends, Sebastian Shrew, Maudie Mole and Willie Water Vole live, along with a host of other characters, amongst the trees and shrubs of High Hall Nursery around 12 miles south-west of Carlisle just off the A595.

After parking the car, slightly in the shade to try and keep it a little cool, we were eager to go exploring.  A large noticeboard showed us what we could expect to see and a map of the trail ahead.

We started on the woodland path but after about 30m our attention was drawn to a distant voice coming from behind some of the trees.  Dad thought it was the ‘woodland folk’ and looked all around until he realised a lady was trying to get our attention.  She asked if we wanted a ‘ Find the Woodland Homes ‘ form.  

After a quick drink from a bowl of water supplied at the entrance to the forest trail we set off once again, this time armed with two pencils and a clipboard, in search of the front doors of the  woodland folk.

Recently reopened after the winter the woodland trail was in good condition and ideal for a scamper about.  The notice at the entrance to the forest walk asked if we could stay on our leads and take care to stay on the path.  

Our form had 30 empty spaces, so our challenge was going to be tough however, it wasn’t long before we spotted our first front door nestling at the base of a tree stump almost hidden by the long grass.

One down 29 to go.  Red, blue and green doors all come into sight as we get used to spotting them.  Some of them are low down others a few feet off the ground, but all are visible from the path.

Charlie becomes a bit of an expert and is soon searching for the doorways but he gets distracted as he can hear running water.  

The River Townthwaite is flowing nearby and it is a good job he is on his lead or he would be off down the hill for a paddle.

Red squirrels could occasionally be seen scampering across the path in front of us and in the trees many birds were busy singing their hearts out high in the branches bathed with early spring sunshine.

Crossing a small bridge we return to the car park with five empty spaces on our form.  There is only one thing for it, we will have to go around again.

So another quick drink and we start all over again checking off the doors as we find them.  This time the pace is a lot slower as every tree, stump and hollow is checked for doorways.

Now we are not sure if we were allowed to start the circular path again in search of the woodland folk, but it was a challenge we were going to achieve.

 I found the first of the missing doorways hidden at the bottom of a tall tree and it wasn’t long before all of the doors were found.  

Our celebrations were short lived when we came across another door not previously on our list.  This made 31 doors and only 30 slots on our form,  Oops.

Dad then recounted a phrase he learnt at school just before exams, ‘ Read the question!’

 

We had counted on our list some of the doors marked as ‘Stores’ where the woodland folk would keep provisions for the winter.  

This was incorrect according to the rules of the game, as only houses were to be listed.  

 

After the removal of a few ’stores’ we calculated that we still needed two doors to complete our list.

Esme the Earwig and Tomas Toad’s residences were soon found and our form was complete.

Our walk ended as mum filled in our names on the form and posted it in the competition letterbox  at the entrance to the plant nursery.

A small wooden bridge crossed a moat, designed to keep deer away from this area of the garden, where a small plant nursery was to be found.

Charlie was in his element sniffing all of the garden pots and curios displayed under the many tables containing plants.  

Watering cans, hanging baskets and even an old bike were arranged as if just lifted from a film set or department store window.

Dad said he could have spent hours photographing the bits and pieces especially in the early morning or evening when the light would be just right.

Mum said that many of the plants available for sale in the nursery were different to those found at the usual big garden centres, with many of them suitable for a semi shaded or woodland habitat.  She picked out a few for our garden, whilst dad sat on a small chair in the shadow of the garden shed and we lay on the warm gravel and enjoyed the sunshine.

Worth a visit.

We really enjoyed our walk and sniffs and if you are looking for a simple, easy, non complicated way to spend a couple of hours then High Hall Nursery is ideal.  

It is slightly off the beaten track, so few humans know if its existence. You will not find toilets or a cafe but  you are assured of a friendly welcome and it offers something different and unique from the run of the mill gardening hypermarkets.

We will be back hopefully later in the year to see the arrival of the autumn colours.

 

 

Entrance to the woodland walk and nursery is free (at time of posting).

The walk is just under ½ mile in length and takes you through woodland, which in Spring is full of bluebells, ramsons, and foxgloves, not to mention a variety of fungi.

Website A well written website with some great contents and many  links. You can also download audio files of birdsong and get details of membership of The Friends of the Woodland Folk.  http://www.highhallnursery.co.uk

The address is High Hall Nursery & Woodland Walk, Westward, nr Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 8NQ,

Telephone number 016973 44 308

Brochure available here

Opening Times (2009) available here

GPS data 

• Postcode: CA7 8NQ , 
• Grid Reference: NY269436 , 
• Latitude: 54:46:57N (54.7825)
• Longitude: 3:08:12W (-3.1367)

Putting the lights up in Appleby

We have had a busy day today with an early Sunday start.

Our day started with a car journey towards the East and our first stop was Appleby

Many people know this small town for the horse festival that takes place here every year.

 

Parking the car in the car park of the Appleby War Memorial Swimming pool we walked across the food defence barriers and onto the river path.

The path leads alongside the River Eden and towards bridge shown at the top of this article.

Flooding is a problem in this area and the height of the River Eden here is often used as a  warning to flooding risk further down the Eden in Carlisle.

 

Following the road from the bridge and into the town we make our way up the hill on our adventure.

Christmas is coming to Appleby as we pass the volunteers putting up the Christmas lights.

Hundreds of coloured lamps are being removed from their cardboard sleeves and then hung from the strings of wire around the town.

Half way up the hill we look through an open gate and into a lovely courtyard.

The courtyard is surrounded by a number of cottages, all with bright red doors, and form the Hospital of St.Anne.

Founded by The Lady Anne Clifford these houses, known as Almshouses are still in use and offer homes for widows from the area.

The cobbled courtyard is open to the public most days and is well worth a visit.

Outside the entrance to Appleby Castle is the High Cross.  It dates from the 17th Centures and has on the town facing side the inscription ’Retain your loyalty, preserve your rights’

A bench mark cut exists on the west face of the cross on the base just above the steps. These marks are used in map and survey works by the Ordnance Survey.

The windvane is dated 1936.

At the top of the lime tree avenue is Appleby Castle.

 

Sadly the castle can only be observed through the padlocked gates.  

Large white notices attached to the gates indicated the castle may not be open to the general public.  It is privately owned.

The castle was founded at the beginning of the 12th Century.

Lady Anne Clifford made the property her home and restored large parts of it.

To the right of the gates is the North Lodge.

When we visited a cardboard film character peers out onto visitors.

We walked back down the hill and back to the car as we needed to get to our next adventure in a place called Kirkby Stephen.  

More on this tomorrow, when will find out why our paws are a bit sore now and why we need a good nights sleep.

Until tomorow

Charlie and Buster.