Sunday 8 January 2012

A Wintry Swaledale.





This afternoon we felt like giving Tess a change of scene so we set off in the car into Swaledale in brilliant wintry sunshine for a walk at Grinton leadmines. Tess loves it there as there are so many exciting smells (it is a favourite dog-walking spot) but we never dare to let her off the long lead as the heather (it is on the grouse moor) is quite high and we think we would lose her in it.

Then we went on into the dale. A few weeks ago there was serious flooding here and so many of the stone walls are down. Good news for the stone wallers trade I suppose but bad news for the poor farmers who have to foot the bill - we had just a small piece of wall rebuilt last year and the cost was almost a thousand pounds.

I took a few photographs through the windscreen as we went along. The sun gradually disappeared and was replaced by heavy cloud and drizzly rain. When we crossed the Pennines at the Buttertubs Pass (the highest point) we were up in the cloud and it was quite scary.

Still, we enjoyed the drive out - me especially as I spent another night in hospital on Friday night - I had an attack just after bedtime - seems to be something to do with the balance of my inner ear and always occurs just after I lie down in bed. I was out again by lunchtime on Saturday but still feel a bit queasy.

It is nice to think we are getting well into January with fairly good weather (ie not cold) - each week brings us one week nearer the Spring. Today I have two crocus out and one clump of primroses in flower - can't be bad.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Yorkshire! Such a shame about the walls being destroyed.

I hope that you are recovered? What causes it?

angryparsnip said...

So happy I checked the computer before going out and saw your post...
reading about Yorkshire always makes my morning and bring back such lovely memories. And so different from where I live.

Hope the inner ear gets better... soon !

cheers, parsnip

mrsnesbitt said...

Take care Pat - what causes the attacks? A lovely drive out too - I enjoyed it, been stuck in sewing curtains all day.
Dxx

Heather said...

I had a touch of 'positional vertigo' once which affected me when lying down and again getting up - it is horrid. Do hope you will soon be feeling well again.
Beautiful photos as usual - Yorkshire is so lovely whatever the weather is doing. You are ahead of us with spring flowers - no sign of crocus yet,but I have some nearly snowdrops and the primroses are out.

Bovey Belle said...

What lovely photos. A neighbour's snowdrops are just starting to flower and I noted Primroses a couple of days past Christmas Day, plus my Primulas have been flowering over the winter too.

Look after yourself - scary to be back in Hospital!

rkbsnana said...

Oh, rats! Hate to hear of your vertigo problems. Hits me at times (not severe though) and it is a miserable feeling. Glad you enjoyed an outing. The photo on lower left almost looks like a painting

Tom Stephenson said...

Swaledale cheese is nice too. Hope your dizziness gets better soon.

Eryl said...

Sorry to hear about your hospitalization, and hope you are better now.

Now I have finished all my work I may go out in search of snowdrops this week, we once had tons in our garden and then they disappeared, lord knows why.

John Going Gently said...

these brown/green winter scenes get me down just a little..... I do miss the vibrant colours of summer

Unknown said...

Am glad Tess got a bit of fresh territory to roam :) And wow! Talk about an expensive bit of farm construction. I wonder if that's why rough stone-shrub hedges are favoured here.

jill said...

Lovely photos Pat,I love it around where you live the country side is so breathtaking.I suffer with menieres disease which is a dizziness and balance disorder and can be very nasty,hope you are feeling better soon.Love Jill xx

Anonymous said...

Your photographs are lovely - I looked twice as they looked liked paintings, such wonderfully coloured landscapes. The aftermath of havoc caused by weather conditions can be crippling on the purse strings and one has to admire the farmers’ resilience.

Titus said...

Lovely views, and do look after yourself, please!
I laughed at the thought of losing Tess in the heather - Titus bounces along like a kangeroo when he's in any vegetation over his eye-height.
I was surprised by the number of fences down here when the river flooded. The trapped debris must have made the pressure of water push them over.

George said...

Sorry to hear about your inner ear problems, Pat, but glad you are able to get out and enjoy yourself in winter. Be well!

Dartford Warbler said...

There is a bleak beauty about Yorkshire in the winter. Sorry to hear that so many dry stone walls collapsed in the floods.

Hoping that your dizzy/ queasy attacks will come to an end quickly. Take care.

Hildred said...

Those winter colours are gorgeous Pat. We are a pristine white here, after a lovely and welcome snowfall yesterday. We hope you are feeling better!

Cloudia said...

yes, rebuilding the stone walls of the Hawaiians is a lost art only being rediscovered today: no mortar, not stone-carving, just placement and weight. . .

The temple platforms (He`iau) are amazing piles that once had ceremonial structures/ altars on top. . . .


You shots and words got me to dreaming-


Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

> < } } ( ° >

><}}(°>

Rachel Phillips said...

Check the date of the last dizzy spell and see if it was at the time of the Full Moon. Either that or use two or more pillows and watch out at the hairdressers.

Hope you are feeling better.

MorningAJ said...

Our local farmer (We were Vale of York) used to mend his own walls. Of course it depends on how much you have to do whether that's an option these days. I used to love watching him selecting all the right shapes and laying them in the gaps.

My dad used to make scaled-down 'dry' stone walls for model train layouts and such. They needed to be glued together though because of how small they were.

Gwil W said...

Thanks for sharing your lovely photos. Having myself actually seen a ghost once, I'm looking forward to your ghost story with curiosity.

Mary said...

Do hope you are feeling well again dear, that must be really scary to experience......hope they treated you well in hospital!

I loved the stone walls when we were there in the Lake District last Spring - they seemed to go on for miles and miles....well guess they did and they are worth a lot of money if that's how expensive they are to repair!! Is this due to lack of qualified/experienced workers, rather like thatchers? Sad when these amazing old artisan trades start to disappear - some of those lazy youngsters who complain of no jobs should take up these crafts - it would benefit all!!!!!

Lovely pics, and I'm wishing I could be walking across the moorland with you.

Take care, be well - hugs Mary

Crafty Green Poet said...

sorry about your attack, hope you're feeling better.

Lookslike a lovely trip, hope Tess enjoyed all the smells!

steven said...

weaver, i had no idea that the walls came down like that AND that they were so very expensive! so beautiful though . . . . . .

it's me said...

Always enjoy the landscape photos--beautiful country!
Hope your vertigo is resolved quickly--

Unknown said...

lovely scenes of the landscape. Hope they're finding something that will help the problems with your inner ear!