14th September, 2014...English Heritage...what are you playing at?!

 

Not a good week for Furness Abbey and it's surrounding manors....English heritage have pronounced that there would be very little impact on the site if houses were built on this beautiful field in the background here...what utter rubbish....imagine thirty eight houses shoe-horned onto this field...what a disaster!

 

 

Let's hope the local council has the sense to rule against allowing these houses to be built...there is no need, and if pros and cons are truly balanced for a decision like this, the cons are far heavier.

 

 

 

 

A flat, grey, clammy sort of day today, but what a beautiful week of weather it has been...did you see the Harvest Moon the other evening...beautiful!

 

 

The Steve Hillman camera has been busy again at weddings over the weekend, and he was at a venue on Friday that he hasn't worked at for at least fifteen years...Lakeside Hotel.....

 

 

 

 

 

.....so as well as the wedding shots, he did get some lovely autumnal photography whilst eating his 'Billy NoMates' pack up by the side of the lake, whilst the bridal party had their meal!

 

 

The lonely life of a wedding photographer!! I don't think so....we walk around the town quite a lot, and we can't go anywhere without people stopping us and chatting...I always say afterwards "Who was that" , and the reply is always...'Oh, I did his/her/their wedding in....'etc! Steve Hillman Photographer is now as well know as Ray Hillman, Postman!!

 

 

 

Frank treated himself to an Abbey Mill Burger today......well...he has had a hard week at school! Haven't we all!!

 

 

This running group use Abbey Mill as their base now.... It's great to see these different fitness groups starting up around here...I can't run, but a 'Power Walking' group might be more my style!

 

 

Any policemen reading this, there has been a bit of sneaky 'flytipping' down here, by the railway bridge...it looks awful...

 

 

 

This is us walking along the river bed today...the beck has pretty much dried up, which is strange...and further along towards Bow Bridge, there are fish dying on the dried up bed...it's pretty gruesome because there is nowhere to put them. Has it dried up or has it been blocked somewhere????

 

 

 

 

How strange...!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7th September,2014...Mellow autumnal weather!

As usual, back to school means the start of Indian Summer....I'm in my 29th year of teaching now and pretty much every September has heralded a spell of delightful weather...warm days, long shadows, beautiful sunsets and chilly evenings...lovely!! Perfect day for a walk and lunch at Abbey Mill!

 

 

 

 

 

Look at that sky!! We did consider heading up to Windermere today to watch the Lancaster Bombers fly-past, but we didn't make it...I'm sure it will be televised later. I watched a program last night reviewing footage from the 9/11 bombings on the World Trade Centre ten years ago this week. It still beggars belief when you watch what happened....all you can hope is that whatever comes after death has value for the innocent people who died. Elizabeth Kubler Ross...interesting work on 'after-death'....superbly clever woman!

 

 

 

 

There have been some stunning autumnal sunsets this week....we've walked up to How Tun Woods most evenings, just to sit and enjoy them!

 

 

Frankie think's he's back on his summer holidays!

 

 

As everyone was crowed around Abbey Mill today, we did manage to see some birdlife. Really annoying though....we saw a Kingfisher flying up the beck but were not quick enough to capture it on the camera. We did see this greedy Jay looking for early acorns, and this Wagtail grabbing may flies from the surface of the water.

 

 

 

 

Fruits and seeds in abundance down here, although my roses at home have got a second wind, and are in full bloom again!

 

 

 

 

 

My dad is a fan of sloe gin....and there are plenty of them down here, if you know where to look!

 

 

Frankie... not that thrilled to be back at school, whereas I was very happy to be back....I like to be busy, and with thirty kids in my class this year I AM BUSY! I work with some lovely, kind-hearted people....they are generous, non-judgmental and hilariously funny...thank you to all those folk....you make my working life so much fun! And in the words of that very wise and clever woman,

Elizabeth  Kubler Ross.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31st August, 2014....Frank's got the 'end of August' blues!!

Where did the school holidays go? Today is the final Sunday for teachers and kids, and Frank is definitely not happy!!

 

Had lunch out with the mad gang last week, and we are all looking forward to returning to school.....we need a rest from sailing, making buffets and generally entertaining family!

 

 

Earlier in the week, after a sneak-peek at baby Darcey, we headed down to Abbey Mill Café to sample Jacqui's famous 'morning tea'.

 

 

Very nice it was too...and what a lovely morning....perfect weather and beautiful surroundings... I would definitely recommend getting down here for an early walk then breakfast!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure this is a little 'herdie' peering over the fence at us...but only one??

 

 

 

I thought it was interesting that Story Homes were the good guys on this week's DIY SOS Big Build in Cumbria. All the builders had their Story Homes jackets on and came across as thoroughly nice chaps... which they genuinely are I guess....and I felt I wouldn't want to stand on a Barrow building site where they were working, waving a placard protesting at the Manor Farm homes! Very good PR by Story Homes, and at a crucial time too, as planning has just been submitted to Barrow Council!

 

 

But again...we don't want to lose this view!!

 

 

Subtle signs of early autumn down here at the moment....

 

 

 

.......just ready for Wednesday's mini heat wave, when school kids have to don their new uniforms, shoes and head back inside.....to face teachers bombarding them with the NEW NATIONAL CURRICULUM FOR 2014!! Spanish for juniors; the Stone Age; Infants working on adding fractions; The Mayan a; Evolution.....whatever next!!! (Actually, I wish I was a kid again...we did alpha and beta maths, comprehension and a bit of textured painting...it's much more interesting now!). We haven't lost Furness Abbey from our local history studies though.....or Victorian Barrow....too important!

 

 

We thought we'd be helpful and fix the broken water trough in one of the meadows down here today...unfortunately it had been flooding for a long time and I got caught in the centre of the marsh it had created.....I wasn't allowed back in the Land Rover until I had binned the trousers!!

 

 

I've read a massive volume of books this holiday, but by far the best one was the latest Tana French novel, The Secret Place....She has five novels out now, all set in Ireland, and they are superb on every level...they have pride of place in my library at home, but I'm willing to lend them out!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22nd August, 2014... Manor Farm housing estate and Morecambe Bay!!

Summer is over...coats are on....SteveHillmanphotography has four weddings over the wet and blustery Bank Holiday...ooops....poor brides...hope you've got brollies and your veils pinned on tightly!!

 

Yes...this photo was of us on a trip to the seaside in August....

 

 

.....we just happened to pick the worst day of the summer to go!! I can remember visiting Morecambe as a kid...there was Marine Land, Frontier Land and Morecambe Lights....where did they all go? The iconic Midland Hotel is still there though and providing very nice afternoon teas!

 

 

 

And, of course, a visit to Brucciani's is compulsory......I can remember it's twin in Barrow......the ambience in there is straight from the 50's!

 

 

So.......Story Homes are planning their 38 houses on land near Manor Farm......and it's fair to say this has already provoked some (not completely polite) debate!! We often go and admire this view....

 

 

 

 

......so make the most of it, as by this time next year you might not see it again! When you say it like that, it doesn't seem right. When you look at the ever-expanding property portfolio in Wednesday's Evening Mails it also seems odd that yet more houses are being built, when there are so many for sale?? And I doubt Story Homes will be selling them at a low price.....my thirty year old daughter can never see a way she will be able to own a house, and I work with a lovely guy who's partner is also a teacher, so they have a reasonable income, and they have no chance of buying a house at the moment.

I wonder who Story Homes are aiming these houses at....I'm presuming they've done market research...?!

 

 

Anyhow, some strange markings have appeared on the site so I'm guessing the surveyors are getting ahead of themselves, as usual!

 

 

We did actually get some nicer August weather earlier this week, and Abbey Mill was quite busy....Mr. and Mrs. Leigh have finally located the café and were able to take afternoon tea! It's becoming quite a 'cult' this afternoon tea lark, amongst the more sensible non-drinking fraternity (if you know me, you will know that I have never partaken of alcohol, after learning from Mr. De Court in chemistry that it was a poison...I'm funny like that....Mr. Hillman didn't drink much either, after we got together! Our livers are pristine!)!

 

 

 

I'm hearing that this piece of land is for sale too??

 

 

Let's hope not!! I'm struggling to get up the side of the Amphitheatre at the moment...old age I presume.....don't know what Frank's excuse is....he's only TWELVE on Monday!!

 

 

 

And on this beautiful morning, as DAWN was breaking over the estate where we live.....

 

 

....we got the fantastic news that baby D number two was born....and it's a SHE....baby Darcey welcome to the world!!