28th October, 2018....British Summertime ends in style!

What a beautiful weekend of chilly but sunny weather....forecasters did warn of a temperature drop to accompany the 'clocks' changing, but somehow people don't mind if the weather is a glorious as this...…

Furness Abbey looking beautiful in the early morning light.....

...and just look at those colours in the lanes and on the tracks around the area...…

….stunning!

Abbey Mill Café getting into the seasonal mood...……

… and nice to meet up with friends for a sunny morning coffee! And Happy birthday to my niece, who is 29 today!!

It's that time of year again.....

….my 'poppy' was a lovely gift from Steve Hillman himself!

23rd October, 2018...Brantwood and Belsfield- a slice of half-term history!

After the torrents of rain last weekend, Monday began with a picturesque trip to Brantwood with the year six children.....still a lot of flooding in the fields along the side of Coniston...…

...and the Gondola landing jetty was fully submerged...

….but Coniston and the fells looking beautiful as always!

And there was Brantwood in all its glory!

The kids enjoyed exploring the house and gardens....

….but their favourite bit was sampling the Lakes Hand Made ice cream complete with the cafe's resident tame but wild birds!

Later, this week, we ventured to Bowness and The Belsfield Hotel- former home of Henry Schneider the great iron entrepreneur from our town. I loved the story of how he used to get his private steam yacht from the ferry pitching opposite his house, down to Lakeside, then use his own private railway carriage to take him to his offices in Barrow! It is a lovely building and the grounds are stunning.....

….but I doubt Henry Schneider saw this view from his bedroom!!

Busy but not too bad in Bowness this half-term...…

….plenty of Christmas being rolled out though!!!

14th October 2018....Calm after Storm Callum!

Phew!! Forty-eight hours of high winds and torrential rain...but it's finally over! Storm Callum came and went leaving much of Furness with mini-floods and strewn leaves everywhere. Poor bride at Abbey House on Saturday...I don't think she saw the light of day! But it's looking lovely at Furness Abbey this morning in the damp morning light...…

Look at the beck...it burst its banks in a few places yesterday by all accounts!

Very muddy and wet underfoot....lovely!!

And all the better for catching up with Jackie and tea and scones!!

Lots of familiar faces out and about this morning- head teachers, ex-teachers, other wedding photographers...and these two! Everyone loves Furness Abbey!

We are heading up to Brantwood this week with lots of children- quite nerve racking...but not as nerve racking as next week's SteveHillman wedding ….here...….

...beautiful venue, but a FIRST for the SH camera!!!

7th October, 2018..".Hill-tops like hot iron glitter bright in the sun!"

So the famous John Clare poem goes...….that's just what it is like down at Furness Abbey at the moment.....

'Hill-tops like hot iron glitter bright in the sun,
And the rivers we’re eying burn to gold as they run;
Burning hot is the ground, liquid gold is the air;
Whoever looks round sees Eternity there.'

Took nana out for her daily constitutional- she's 77 at the end of the year and still looking at herself in the reflection of the car and saying 'Does this colour make me look old?'

Happenings this week have made us all realise there's nothing more important than family!

A distinct nip in the air this morning....must have been chilly for these Furness Abbey campers....wish they'd leave the site clean though!

Had a visit to Furness Academy earlier in the week.....it is a great facility for the 11-16 age group...

...and I am in my element in a science lab as you know!!

It's the season of sunsets...….

...and Steve Hillman sunset photos!!! We've got more than we know what to do with!!