13 February - Abbots Ripton to Carlisle

We set forth on Friday the thirteenth for our journey into Scotland. Our first destination was Carlisle, the western end of Hadrian's Wall.


Our first stop along the way was for a geocache, not a washroom break as the picture of Jeff might suggest. This was also our first glimpse of a countryside different than that around Abbots Ripton. I was never a fan of the prairies of central Canada, so, while the architecture of Cambridgeshire interested me the Fens did not.


It is difficult to describe my feelings when I first saw the Yorkshire Dales. There was a sense of solitude and even loneliness that I found I was drawn to and wanted to experience. Maybe it is the sailor in me that sees the dales as a sea to be explored and discovered. I truly would like to return and spend some time in the Dales, maybe in a farm house like the one pictured above.
I enjoyed the series of books by James Herriot and was thrilled to see where his experiences as a country vet took place. He truly loved the Dales and now I can see why he wrote so poetically about them.



After climbing to an altitude of 1452 ft. we made our descent into the Lake District. Our route did not take us near any of the beautiful lakes so if you click on this link, Photos of the Lake District, you will why the Lake District is such a special place.





We checked into a B&B near the city centre of Carlisle, got settled in and decided to explore a bit before dark. We had to pry our able driver Jeff off the bed with a promise of a pint sometime in the evening.


The only point of interest in Carlisle that really caught my eye was a plaque on a house identifying it as the birth place of the mother of Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States. But it was a pleasant city to walk around and we did get Jeff his pint at Pizza Express. It was Alexander's turn to choose a place for dinner and he chose well.
We made it an early night so we would be well rested for our tour of Hadrian's Wall in the morning.

05 February - The Second Great Storm of '09

Thursday morning revealed 3 inches of very heavy snow. It was very evident that this part of the country would again be paralyzed.
Rhiannon, a friend of the family came over to help Maeghan build a snowman. Jeff eventually went out to help as the base became too heavy for the girls. I went out when it became clear that Jeff was having a problem; he was leaning on the large snowball trying to catch his breath.
Alexander decided he would enjoy the snowfall by staring out the window; but was later convinced that he would be better off outside.I think he had visions of himself sitting in front his X-Box all day.
Louise called some friends and invited them over for a 'snow-day'.They soon showed up bearing bottles of mulled wine and were greeted with hot chocolate and muffins. Jeff started a fire on the patio and we gathered there to enjoy the goodies.
A wonderful way to way to the storm

02 February - The Great Storm of '09

I had hoped that this winter would be another first for me, my first winter without snow. It was not to be, but I was fortunate to be able to say I survived the Great Storm of '09.
I am sure you have read the news accounts of the havoc created by the 'heavy' snowfall. I too read or listened to those accounts and I kept looking out the window at the couple of inches of snow on the ground. I finally realized that it was a matter of perception. Heavy snow to a Canadian usually means 25 to 30 centimeters, while the English think of 5 centimeters as heavy.
As you can see from the first three photos, just how much snow it takes to stop all the buses in London, cause a 55 mile, yes mile, backup on the M25, and close Heathrow Airport.
Thankfully Tuesday was a warm sunny day that saw most of the snow disappear. Now it is back to spring with buds on the trees and flowers blooming

01 February - St Andrew's, Abbots Ripton

I finally remembered to take some photos of our village church. As you can see, even without lights it is a bright, airy building.
Records indicate that there was a christian church on this site in the eleventh century. The earliest evidence of the present building is of a church gradually reconstructed and enlarged during the third and fourth decades of he 13th century.
The fourth photo from the top is of a map of the parish produced on leather. Unfortunately it is behind a glass panel and difficult to photograph. The map was mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086.
The tower has a significant lean, but as the fifth photo from the top indicates, it has been leaning for some time.