Celtic designs and city skyscapes

Still on the theme of 'decorating for Samhain', the three of us (Himself was busy doing the loft conversion) got creative.

In between walking around the village for Lily (there has been several possible sightings of her  so we have been out all times of day and night in hope) Youngest and I have been carving pumpkins and Eldest has made a brilliant window display.

He first drew a skyscape on black paper, cutting many windows. He was definitely practising multi-tasking as he was watching Fawlty Towers at the same time.... !

We had, on one of our Looking-for-Lily walks, collected some very vibrant leaves, which Eldest then painstakingly taped and trimmed to fill the windows with colour.

I then taped it to our front window for him and we strategically placed fairy lights behind the windows and....

Just look at this!

before switching on the lights

The leaves made gorgeous colours and they really showed off all his 'windows' he had created - I am really pleased with his creativity.


Youngest and I ended up with two decorated pumpkins and a huge pot of pumpkin, chilli and garlic soup and home-made cinnamon bread - aaah heaven!

So, now the house is fully Samhain-ed and souped up.

PS - the possible sightings of our dear Lily are still coming in, I have just had another phone call saying that a cat was spotted - So without much of a thought apart from grabbing a coat and a torch, I set off, but  - nothing.  We do still have hope - how many deep red super furry fluff-cats live in our village?

Over the hills and far away.

To clear heads and exercise legs, we took the boys for a walk a few days ago. We picked up Eldest's friend along the way and set off for the hills. There was a brisk breeze which slapped at our cheeks as we piled out of the car and layered our walking gear on. Giddy dog was excited, squeaking and pulling on her lead as we strode  along the lane to the gated access to the moorland.

We were the only ones out. Youngest and the friend chatted  incessantly about anything and everything related to boy-favoured subjects. Ranging from harpoons to ground to air missiles, from fireworks to fast cars and everything else in between. Eldest added a word or two but seemed content to allow his brother to monopolise his friend.

Despite a definite autumnal chill to the air and the waning warmth of the sun, grasshoppers sang their last songs of the summer. Eldest managed to catch one too busy singing to notice him stalking up. A quick photo, then it binging off his finger and disappeared into the grasslands.

We chanced upon this handsome fellow. He obligingly let me burrow my face into his neck and inhale deeply. I know there is always a risk when snorting sweaty horse scent that the sweaty horse in question will object and bite, but, it is a risk I am prepared to take. I guessed he was a Percheron and was probably  quite used to being petted as we were not too far from a horse trekking centre. The boys too thought he was beautiful and made plans how they could keep a horse in the back garden (yeah right) I suspect they don't realise that a horse this size would eat the entire contents of the garden in a day. (I was able to stand beneath the crook of his jaw bone without having to bend my neck....) 

The weather constantly changed from brooding rained filled clouds to light whispy clouds that filtered the sun, making it feel cooler. We found a sunny spot and hunkered down for lunch. The boys wolfed their food and cheerfully slurped their tea. Within moments of finishing, they were ready for more walking, while I, with tea half drunk and feet resting was quite comfortable and not quite prepared to yomp off just yet!

I love the relics of old time farming. The gentle rusting over years and years of abandonment adds to their charm. In the brief flashes of the sun, these degenerating lumps of retired metal glowed with a warm russet hue.

We came off the hills as the sun began to sink a bit low and the air definitely became chilly. Our walk took us through the village of Kettlewell. Today it gave off the air of quiet rural contentment but during summer it is heaving with walkers and tea-room hoggers. Day trippers clad in brightly coloured walking clothes that have only ever walked from the car to the shops fill the narrow streets. Gaudy tourist attracting clapper boards jostle for pavement space, all trying to entice the wallets inside. But, as we walked through, it was just us.

We reached the car as the sun sunk completely, leaving a brilliant orange glow. Three hungry boys, still nattering, muddy dog and a feeling of release. Himself and I exchanged a look and smiled. A good walk.

In the absence of a prosaic title - weekend walk....

Dearest Himself spent a very long and very mucky Saturday emptying all the soot and rubbish and dust and cobwebs that had accumulated over 150 years in our attic so that he could continue with the loft conversion. And he was totally fed up.

So, on Sunday we escaped and headed for the Dales for a lovely walk. (we did have a false start which involved going shopping for our picnic lunch and not having any way to pay for it and having to dash back home to get wallets..erhemm)

By the time we reached..........

 .........................it was lunch time and the 

the boys were faint with hunger (they did however make an awful amount of noise insisting that they were faint with hunger!)

We pulled up to the village pound - one of our favourite picnic spots - for lunch. Benches and a picnic table sit within the circular walls with a few native trees and the most stupendous view.  Having amended the lack of lunch for the boys with a picnic feast , we set off and had a most delicious afternoon autumnal walk.

the pound gate - the gateway to our picnic

 Top left - Settle village, top and middle right - locals.

Bottom left - make shift boardwalk and bottom right - limestone country

 Youngest and his favourite hat

Loving his shadow!

Eldest - away with his thoughts in wonderful surroundings

We returned through the village as dusk fell - ready to go home having had a cathartic walk. Bliss. And I managed to get some knitting down whilst out and about - double bliss :) Will show you shortly xx

Well, Monday seems to have returned with its usual speed. Hey ho - supposed it means one day nearer the next weekend :)

Cat consternation

A deep growl rumbled up her throat. Ears pitched forward, tip of tail twitched once, then gave another brittle rattle.
The other cat sat up, her back sharp and fur raised. Her ears flicked around urgently as she looked at the older cat for guidance.

Lily, eyes narrowed and head lowering - growled again.

Pan, now uncomfortable at the tension, lowered herself and crawled towards her Lily for reassurance.

I, not reading the situation clapped my hands together to break what I thought was a cat on cat incursion. Shocked back to the present both cats scattered and hid.

Satisfied with the situation, I returned to my knitting.


Growl.

I looked up. Lily was sitting stock still apart from the smallest aggressive twitch of her tail. Pan was sitting alongside -  a slighter more delicate shadow, both their ears and whiskers pointing directly towards the window. I made reassuring noises but Lily continued her deep threatening grumble, issuing a direct warning.

Intrigued, I lowered my knitting and went over to the cats, dropping down to cat-eye level, I aligned my vision with their piercing gazes and pointing ears. Lily was visibly muscling up, Pan quivered but refused to flee.

There - through the window I could see their stranger danger. Smiling, I stroked their backs to calm the tension - I could feel Pan was uneasy while Lily was building up a storm of aggression. Pan slipped behind me and Lily, taking my stroke as support bounded forward to the window ledge and yowled a taunt at.......


two work men working on the roof across the road................bless.

What do you mean I can't eat them? Have you seen how small they are?!

In which we go walking and fall through a time warp

We made the most of the last of the sunshine on Saturday with a lovely walk in the Yorkshire Dales. Eldest was doing his second walk for his Duke of Edinburgh Award which entailed he, with a bunch of similarly dressed and haversack laden teenagers, to walk about 14 km to an overnight stop. Here they had to set up camp and cook for themselves then, on Sunday walk a similar distance to another designated point where they would collapse until various parents would scoop them up and whisk them home (insist on showers and a fresh change of clothing) and sort out their wet socks/shoes/tent/trousers and empty the crushed food remains out of the haversack.

As we were already out and about dropping off Eldest, we set off for our own walk too. Youngest misses (but won't admit to it) his brother and relies on us as a poor substitute. So we have to keep him busy.

After a bit of a slog up a gentle but almost never ending uphill slope, we stopped for a break.  All we could hear was the sound of the skylarks, the occasional sheep and Youngest nattering away.

We travelled along rolling green humpbacked hills and down in to a dark sharp gorge with steep edges. Back out into the autumnal sunshine we walked down into the village of Grassington and was transported back in time.

To the 1940s.......

 

Grassington was hosting a rip-roaring 1940's weekend. The place was heaving with costume perfect folk, sand bags and military encampments.

We were pleasantly entertained for about an hour as we walked through the sandbagged streets, listening to a wonderfully dressed chap, in his plus fours and round spectacles, as he belted out all the latest tunes. SS officers mingled with the US army whilst beautifully glossy lipped and stockinged legged women clipped along the streets in their kitten heels and fur stoles. Men saluted and barked orders, guns were slung casually over shoulders as were gas masks. A wonderful old perambulator was being trundled up the street filled with lacy baby bedding and a vintage teddy. Youngest was in heaven - he loved it, his eyes almost as wide open as his mouth as he checked out all the uniforms, military vehicles and weapons. His kind of day :)

On Sunday, as promised, we arrived to collect a weary Eldest who has picked up a rather nasty cold and in a fit of 'teenagerdom' didn't look after himself and now was cold and unsuitably dressed - all his warm gear stuffed in his haversack. *sigh* when will they learn?

Now, Monday, he is curled up on a chair with a book and the fire crackling away. He was so flushed and poorly this morning, I didn't have the heart to send him to school and even Youngest said his brother should stay in bed!

knitting progress

 

'Dancing cats' making the most of the fire

prrrrr

Any hoo - it is Monday, it is the beginning of a new week and I am going to use our lovely weekend to power me through :)
Have yourselves a good day - with love hawthorn xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A quick 'call' into an art gallery

We'd been out walking in the Dales all day and now that the unusually fierce afternoon sun was beginning to mellow and our legs were noticing the miles that had passed beneath, we finally returned to the car.

We drove out of the sun-drowsy village and it's daisy filled green and followed the narrow lanes to the Settle, it's larger but still village like neighbour. Settle has wonderfully tortuous lanes snaking through cottages perched on the sides of the hills. You have to squeeze through gaps originally designed for horse and cart between toll houses and tiny homes.

Suddenly after the almost claustrophobic jostle of housing, a little village green appeared hosting a huge tree, a telephone box, post box and bench. Himself grinned as he told us to go and visit the art gallery.

Art Gallery?

Where?

Here of course! 

It is call The Gallery on the Green and has events and special guests exhibiting their art throughout the year. When we visited - all the art work was on the ceiling so we all got a crick in our necks as we craned up to look at the pictures.

So that you don't have to suffer the same affliction, here for your perusal is the ceiling in all its arty glory!

So we duly signed the visitors book and returned to the car having enjoyed the delightful unexpectedness of it all :)

Enjoy the rest of your day, with love hawthorn xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx