My once-a-day exercise frequently finds me somewhere along the River Breamish. And now that Spring has very much set in, there’s lots of undergrowth to be careful of as you’re walking. So, I spend a lot of my time watching my feet, so as not to trip. Even as someone who enjoys taking photographs of whole landscapes, I have to force myself to look up. And it can be rewarding. There’s a lot to miss when we forget to look up.
A set of car keys was found on the railway line in Crawley Dene at 8:00am on 21 April (see photo).
The keys have been left at the Hedgeley Services Garage in Powburn where they can be collected.
Dream Catchers are used to encourage only good dreams for those that sleep under them. They’re usually placed over the place you would sleep, so that the morning light shines on the catcher when you wake.
One of my favourite films is the 2003 movie ‘The Last Samurai‘. While I find it memorable for all sorts of reasons – the stunning panoramas, the evocation of a strange and often cruel cultural practices – there’s a quote that sticks in my mind. The samurai leader Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe), is grounded in the old samurai ways and the Bushido code of honour. In contrast to his relentless warrior instincts, when confronted by Spring cherry blossom in his courtyard, he says:
Yep…says it all. April is the month for enjoying the new-born lambs in the fields. And it’s a wonderful sight to see so many sheep.
Mmm…anyone having that ‘Groundhog Day’ feeling? Like you’ve walked this path before? Like you’ve cycled this route before? Like your once-a-day exercise takes you pretty much around the same places…as beautiful as our surroundings are?
Well, perhaps we’ve just got to see things differently? So, I took my own advice and I looked at my green Dene afresh today…
Got to keep going – got to keep exercising – but so much easier when we have such beautiful surroundings – – –
On my walk around the stunning yellow Hedgeley yesterday, I also happened upon several sand martin that appeared to be in the process of exploring the banks of the River Breamish to choose the best spots for excavating their nesting tunnels. Being a social bird, hundreds of pairs can readily nest close together in a colony. On my walk, though, I’d guess I saw around 20 sand martin exploring one bank in the bend of the river.
So, what’s the colour of Spring for you? As a resident of the Breamish Valley I can’t help but think that you’ll say it’s ‘yellow’. I mean, just about everywhere along the Breamish Valley is yellow right now. The whole valley is smothered in flowering gorse, giving a wonderful scent of coconut drifting on the Spring air.
[Photos and poster provided by Robbie Burn 12 Apr 2020 and used with permission.]
Robbie Burn of Powburn has created an eye-catching poster that can be temporarily stuck onto your wheelie bin to say a BIG THANK YOU to our bin collectors who are carrying on, doing essential work on our behalf during the current COVID-19 lockdown.
Having just created his poster, it’s already being taped to wheelie bins in the area:
