Friday 20 February 2015

Wintry scenes

The weather here is suddenly turning wintry again; after a few weeks of warmer weather colder weather is on its way.  This became quite evident as we went across from East to West today to meet our God-daughter in Sedbergh for lunch.  Luckily we had no hold-ups as we were late setting off after coffee with friends on our usual Friday morning meet and then a quick shop on the market with the farmer.

We arrived at our cafe destination to meet her only to find that a poor man was stretched out on the floor of the cafe attached to a defibrillator and attended by a couple of paramedics. We went to find another venue feeling it best to let the paramedics get on with their business without us sitting there eating our lunch - although there were a few other folk doing just that.   I hope the man (who didn't look all that old) is now on the road to recovery.

Coming home again in dull weather I took a few photographs to show you.   When you see photographs in travel magazines and the like they always show the Dales at its best - but in the Winter it can be quite a dull, forbidding place, and so it was today in many ways.

At Cotter Force the farmer took Tess for a walk (and a paddle) while I just took some photographs.   Both of these becks are tributaries of the River Ure, OUR river, which eventually flows into the Ouse and then into the Humber estuary.

As we came back through Hawes - a little market town which is a long way from anywhere, always busy - even in the depths of Winter - I took a photograph because it struck me that it is a perfect example of so many places up here where the cottages were all built long before the advent of the motor vehicle and hardly anyone has a garage although many of the homes have probably got two or three cars between them.   This means that the quite narrow roads are always lined with parked cars.   I wonder what our ancestors would think to it now.

There is a stretch of road after Hawes where the Ure makes an absolutely perfect meander and I managed to catch a bit of it, although again there is a blur because the farmer was going at his usual fast pace and I was photographing as we went, with the window open.




 

17 comments:

Penny said...

So nice to see such lovely views of your area.

MorningAJ said...

It's still beautiful - even on grey days

Sue in Suffolk said...

It really looks as if the clouds are touching the hills. So different to our part of the world

George said...

A little overcast and perhaps a bit cold, but the Dales are always lovely in their own special way.

Joanne Noragon said...

I like your river and I especially like your stone fences.

Gwil W said...

It's almost a Fawlty Towers sketch you describe; the man stretched out on the floor and people eating their lunch around him. I can see Basil and Manuel trying to cope and getting in the way of the medics.
Hope he made a good recovery. Maybe it was the hamster in the biscuit tin.

Twiggy said...

I love Hawes, haven't been there for years. Great photos.
Twiggy

donna baker said...

It is beautiful. I was surprised to see the black truck parked along the street. Though I drive a truck, I didn't think they did there with the gas prices and all. I know that sounds silly. I have been asked if there are teepees and covered wagons in Oklahoma.

angryparsnip said...

Gray or not just beautiful.

cheers, parsnip

Barbara said...

I love the views! The greens and greys make for a stark, striking beauty so unlike the brilliant colors of summer.
Thanks for sharing.

Hildred said...

From experience I know how fast you have to be on the button, and you have really done a splendid job, Pat. I was so impressed with the Dales when we visited Brownie, Charles' Radio Op, - he was the Postmaster for many years at Gee Cross, Hyde.

A Heron's View said...

I feel that the people in that cafe who continued to eat their meal while that very ill man was on a defibrillator were extremely callous.
Certainly you did the right thing by finding another venue.

Cro Magnon said...

Town planners of ancient times were all very short-sighted weren't they! Nice big market squares,but no car parking.

Yael said...

You live in a beautiful country, I like your photos and waiting for more.

Robin Mac said...

I remember going into a wonderful deli in Hawes, buying some yummy cheese - far too long ago to remember what it was. Love the photos.

thelma said...

Enjoyed the photos, know those moments of grey photos though, but that is part and parcel of Yorkshire. The burnt North York moors are a case in question, a landscape of unremitting 'browness' but beautiful in summer when the heather flowers.

ChrisJ said...

So typically Yorkshire and so beautiful no matter what the weather -- for me, even in the pouring rain. We are in the midst of a 4 year drought and cheer even if it's only sprinkles. It may be all we get for another six weeks.