Colours

Britain has a proud railway heritage and we still try to cling on to many aspects of that. Here we are in the workshop yard of the NYMR (North Yorkshire Moors Railway) heritage railway system in the village of Grosmont. These wheels will have once belonged to a proud steam engine and might do so again thanks to the volunteers and people who work with and support the NYMR. Nice full size.

A glimpse of our local Oldham area monument here, called Hartshead Pike, from my old Panoramio collection. Standing at 940ft (286m) ASL it is one of our highest landmarks in this area and technically sits in the borough of Tameside. Long ago, I remember going in here as it was a small refreshment shop, now long closed and sealed up. I can still just about still see this from our house window. more info: www.ashton-under-lyne.com/history/hartshead.htm

Bright colours drive our eye and interest along these huts which in normal times would be streaming with outdoor seating for the visiting inhabitants. The Pip shows an alternative view. Enjoy full screen.

An old favourite subject for me in these Beach Huts. These here at Saltburn-on-Sea show the modern trend towards plastics. At least they still follow the tradition of bright colours. Of course all were closed in these days of Covid restrictions, with not a single visitor, but at least the Union Flag still flies happily. The Pip shows an alternative view. Enjoy full screen.

No matter how you approach the village of Staithes, it is a steep road to the bottom. Here we have one of the two ways down, called Beckside. The beck (river) can just about be seen here with the bit of white boat and runs down behind these houses on the left. As can be seen, fishing paraphernalia abounds all around the village but nowadays, I suspect most is just for the sake of the tourist. Enjoy full screen

One of the two main streets here, with a few shops and hospitalities. This normally heaving street is very rarely as quite as this which was fortunate as I managed to get the cobbled road free of footfall and traffic. Time has done its damage here as in lots of similar villages, I remember many more shop fronts here in the 45+ years that I have been visiting, now turned into holiday homes or an artist getaway. Ah well, it could be worse at least we are not seeing concrete shopping centres -yet. Around the corner, you come to the sea end of this lane, opposite the very distinctive 'Cob & Lobster' Inn. See PiP Enjoy. Herb

It’s still early here at Staithes and a little fishing is planned for the afternoon on the harbour wall. Before that though this chap must dig up a few lug-worms for his bait. In these days of Brexit exile there are a few out there who feel the need to still carry the flag with some pride! Enjoy. Herb

Another view from the water and sandy bottom of the harbour. The main sandstone cliff end is called Cowbar Nab and dominates the bottom of the village. Again we see the Cob & Lobster pub here which has in fact been washed into the sea on four occasions, the last time being in 1953. Another old view of nearly the same scene: www.sutcliffe.gallery/photo_3184675.html#photos_id=3184675 I hope you have enjoyed this visit to Staithes and no doubt we will revisit it again in the future. Enjoy. Herb

An area that we have now visited on a couple of occasions brings us to this delightful scene. I took dozens of pictures of scenes like this but I cannot share them all. This and the next photo gives you an idea though. Hyacinthoides non-scripta is a bulbous perennial plant found all over Britain. Over the space of a few weeks in spring, from mid-April onwards, bluebells set our woodlands ablaze with their bright blue flowers. The UK is home to more than half the world’s population of bluebells, making it our unofficial national flower. Their presence is a sure sign you are in a very old woodland. (Common bluebells are a protected species in the UK.) Picking the flowers and digging up the bulbs carries a heavy fine.) Enjoy full screen.

A glimpse into old England here as we spend a few hours at the small village of Grosmont in the North Yorkshire moors. This is a busy working home for the NYMR heritage Railway (North Yorkshire Moors Railway). Its main line runs from Pickering to Whitby via Goathland. Grosmont is the start of its recent extension to the seaside town of Whitby and also houses the lines big maintenance yard. Enjoy. Herb

A walk down to the waters edge here on this northern tip of the loch. If you look carefully you can see a pair of Canadian Geese swimming around. ~ My shoe soles were a bit sticky after this walk. ~ Not troubled by having to Covid socially Isolate around here! Enjoy full screen. Herb

A super rainbow here in Aberfoye, captured at this place after a sprint in the pouring rain. In fact this was here for some time and displayed a stunning double at times too. The big central tree provides a nice anchor in my opinion. As is often the case with such conditions, a blast of super sunlight provided the perfect foreground colours. Enjoy full screen.

A double rainbow shows us where the treasures are hidden, just near the fence post with the letter ‘E’. This was taken as part of a series, in pouring rain, a few hundred metres from our holiday cottage in Aberfoyle, Scotland. The clump of woods on the right side also highlights the tree of which my earlier sprint with the rainbow arch was taken too. (PiP) HFF, have a great weekend.

Enjoy with me this beautiful sun-setting sky and clouds. Taken last year whilst on the Yorkshire coast near Runswick Bay. Who could imagine a better sky scene than this? NB. ‘troposphere’ definition: the lowest region of the atmosphere, extending from the earth's surface to the tropopause, an inclusive height of about 6–10 km (to the lower boundary of the stratosphere). Enjoy full screen.

What can be nicer than to walk a coastal path with borders like this. Enjoy these wild flowers showing mainly orange crocosmia in the foreground. This taken on Point Lynas here on the Island of Anglesey. We also see the old jetty that allowed pilot boats to come alongside. The pilots guided shipping in and out of Liverpool, still some distance to the east from here. Enjoy full screen.

As we climb this steep path up to the old Windmill, we trample down under-foot the old copper mine workings debris. Around us is a scene straight from Tolkien’s Mount Doom area. Have a great weekend. Herb

We are back in Cumbria/South Lake District, so come along on an adventure along Barbon Beck through the woodlands of Barbon Manor. Along the hill sides we have new tree plants with foxgloves too. Yes the world is alive today, soon we will come to the church of Barbon village. See PiP for another connection. Keep safe. Herb

A mural over-washed with reflections from the canal waters below, in this canal tunnel at the village of Diggle near my home. The canal being the 'Huddersfield Narrow'. Enjoy full size