June

Rannerdale June 2013 79A0490

The bluebells were very late this year but were spectacular. It was particularly nice for guests at the end of May who usually miss out on the bluebells, to see, and smell, them at their best. This year you could even pick out the dense blue on the side of Rannerdale from the house. The photos of Holme Wood and Rannerdale bluebells were taken by John MacFarlane.

Holme wood beech and bluebells _79A0569

Now it is the turn of the cow parsley and pink campion which have suddenly shot up and taken over the hedgerows making the roads even more narrow. There are also lots of buttercups in the fields (and sadly on my lawns as well!) I was up on the fells the other day and noted that the cotton grass was out: I smiled as I was reminded of a poem by Richard Frost from his book, Over the Hills: I met him creating his own ‘Fringe’ event at ‘Words by the Water’ in March.

Wordsworth’s Daffodils – Not

Much more like stars, this cotton grass
shining silver in the sun,
dancing in the breeze amid the dark dead heather
and well distributed in constellations.
not clumped and lumped beside a lake,
beneath the trees
and not golden either.

Theatre by the Lake’s Summer season is now well under way. I have been to see ‘An Inspector Calls’ which was an excellent production with a very effective set and I also thoroughly enjoyed ‘Vincent in Brixton’ in the Studio.

In my last blog I mentioned that I have now got a little cat, Peggy. Several people have asked how she is getting on: she has settled in beautifully and gets around very agilely on three legs. She is good friends with Wattie whom she follows around and even tried to come on a morning walk across the fields with us!

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A few months ago, my son Paul announced that he was coming to visit me in September.  Not usually one to plan so far ahead, there was of course a reason behind this: the route of The Tour of Britain cycle race had been unveiled, and it is coming past the end of our lane and through Loweswater on the way to climb Honister Pass!  Interest and enthusiasm in cycling continues to grow, and with more guests bringing bikes to the cottages, I am hoping to provide further facilities for them in addition to the lock up bike store I already provide.

I enjoy going out on my bike although I go at a more leisurely pace than many and my challenge is Scale Hill rather than Honister. I went out for a ride this morning down the valley and saw three squabbling oystercatchers at Southwaite Bridge and heard a curlew on the Hopebeck Road.