Tag: Ribblesdale

A feeding frenzy in the Dales

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I’ve never heard such a racket in all my life. The noise from these sheep and lambs as they  followed the farmer dropping off feed would have drowned out one of those pesky RAF jets that regularly fly over the dales. If you ever wanted an example of poor motherhood then here it was… the ewes had little apprehension over abandoning their lambs for a feeding frenzy, while the youngsters ran crazily around the field, bewildered and screaming for their errant parent! The scene reminded me of a wedding I’d been to where guests had waited ages for food, had a little too much to drink in the meantime, then suddenly converged on the buffet while the kids charged around the dance floor.

Above Stainforth in Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Dales.

Put a Dent in your day

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Felt the urge to visit Dent today – I just fancied that lovely drive up Ribblesdale towards Hawes before dropping down into delightful Dentdale. I had lunch in this far-flung outpost of the West Riding and took a few stock pictures of the cobbled streets before heading over to Ingleton on the Kingsdale road. This must be one of the best roads in Yorkshire – despite its narrowness and there being several gates to open and close. (Note to self: get a mug, I mean companion, to come along next time.) The views are stunning and the waterfall, although gentle today, is an added bonus.

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Now I'm no expert, but…

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On a beautiful spring stroll around my Ribblesdale village this lunchtime I saw sheep and lambs, horses, a cockerel and hens, pigs, a pheasant, grouse, three different kinds of butterflies, cows, lots of birds… but no bull.

If you've got it – flaunt it, I say

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Some junk mail landed this morning from a well known catalogue store pronouncing its spring and summer colours and styles for 2014. I’d just come back from a morning stroll during which I sat in the St Mary’s churchyard in Long Preston, Ribblesdale, admiring some really uplifting spring colours produced by Nature – including this ornamental yellow daisy set against a purple berberis. Advertising material is normally planted unceremoniously and unread straight in the recycling bin here, but I thought I’d check how those skinny models were portraying this year’s spring colours… black, white, grey – any sign of colour was understated. Now I know yellow and purple might be a tad OTT for some folk to wear but I did wonder if any of the city-based fashion designers had ever witnessed a spring in the countryside.

All creatures great and Tiny

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I’ve taken my cat’s photo so many times that I’m sure he’s beginning to strike a few poses. As long as Tiny doesn’t start charging me model fees I’ll keep on sticking the lens in his face. It’s been very misty around Ribblesdale recently which is why I’ve been mainly photographing cats, horses, sheep, lambs and this flashy young cockerel…

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All's well that ends well…

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It’s been persisting it down almost all day here in Ribblesdale but wow, what an ending! This is the scene outside my kitchen window at 6.20pm tonight – no Photoshop work required. I’m sure there will have been similar experiences all over Yorkshire… well, it is officially spring after all.

New life experiences in the dale

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I flagged down a local farmer this morning to tell him that four lambs were in the middle of the road about half a mile away. He cursed and charged off so quickly on his quad bike that his shocked sheepdog passenger struggled to stay aboard. On this sunny but breezy spring day in Ribblesdale I had great fun photographing some of the other adorable lambs that hadn’t escaped from the confines of the fields. I’m not sure the chap in the third photo should be exploring such life experiences at his age… especially when his mum’s in the same field.

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A natural ending

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The end of another lovely day here in Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales. I particularly enjoyed watching the sun go down this evening. A pregnant ewe slowly settled down in the field in front of me, and half a dozen carrion crows squawked noisily before perching in the tree tops. With the last rays of sun reflected on remaining flood water and on the river, a more peaceful finale to the day I couldn’t have wished for. The moon is shining brightly now and through my binoculars I have a clear view of its craters. Don’t you just love Nature?

Nothing buddha best in the Dales

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The western edge of Yorkshire missed out on yesterday’s sunshine and bright blue skies but today more than made up for it. Penyghent and Plover Hill proved picture perfect as I drove along the Silverdale road from Stainforth in Ribblesdale to Halton Gill. There were great views down Littondale and even that boggy lump of Fountains Fell looked inviting. To top it all the setting sun is glorious as I type – and is being lapped up by the buddha statue in my kitchen…

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Sunset – all in the best possible taste

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A lovely sunset tonight helps me celebrate my 100th blog on this site. I’m standing by the Ribble near Long Preston, the river flowing heavily yet quietly under the bridge, a couple of horses grazing unconcerned in the next field. Before writing this I scanned through the previous 99 blogs to see what subject had pulled in the most visitors. It was the one I wrote at the beginning of February; I didn’t think it was anything special until I noticed I’d written ‘it gave me the willies’. Really, do I have to mention a rude word to get noticed on t’ internet? Goodness knows how many hits I’ll get when I mention the blue tits in my garden.