Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Hoad Hill

On Sunday we walked up "the Hoad," meaning Hoad Hill. At 436 feet above sea level it may not be a mountain, but Ulverston is at 36 feet, so it makes for a good hike from town.
The weather was forecast to be horrible (which is why we went to Carlisle on Saturday instead of Sunday). Of course, it was a beautiful sunny Sunday. I dressed in layers, the warm kind my mother would have advised rather than the stylish kind of my daughter. Long johns, turtleneck, heavy sweater, jacket, and cap. I got to wear my giraffe wellies. What a sight, I'm sure.
The (other) sights along the way were amazing. Our house in Connecticut had such short sight lines; it is wonderful to be able to see for miles here.




The walled path leading up the hill.







The clouds and sky offer such lovely shades of blues and grays. (The lonely walker is Hal because Rosi is dawdling with that darned camera!)

The sheep are marked (in spray paint?), like branding I suppose. This flock has yellow bums.
I wonder how the paint affects the wool value at shearing time. The ram, shown here, was up to no good, "bothering" the ewes.














Hikers beware of deadly BULLS.


Recently a "news reader" was gored by his bull and had to give up his program for a few days. So, beware. It's no joke.














Here's another caution to add to the list: pesky moving plants.























I will concede it's POSSIBLE that the "plant" MIGHT refer to construction equipment for work on the monument at the top of the hill. Currently surrounded by scaffolding (see below), this monument to Sir John Barrow is scheduled for unveiling in the upcoming year.

Barrow was a local boy who became a brilliant civil servant. He promoted British exploration of West Africa and the North Polar Region with attempts to find a north‑west passage from east to west through the Canadian Arctic.
(cite: http://www.sirjohnbarrowmonument.co.uk/sir_john_barrow.htm)
Think of Point Barrow, Alaska.

We returned to sea level by a different path:



a rockier and steeper one. Oh joy.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Parish Church

On Sunday, Nov. 8, we decided to got to church, now that our clothes have arrived, and Hal has a tie, while I have somthing ot her than my bluejeans to wear. All of the churches seem to start at 10:30 am. Bells were ringing before we left the house (why does this not surprise you?) so we went to the closest church - Parish Church (Church of England). It's a lovely church with stained glass windows and old woodwork.

It's a "low church" - informal. In fact, one side of the nave was set up with cafe-style tables and chairs. Young children seemed comfortable playing quietly there until called down to Sunday school.

Below, the bell tower and entrance to bell tower.

After the service, we were pleased that several people introduced themselves and "chatted us up." We were invited to bell ringer rehearsal on Monday evening. There are 6 bells, each mounted upside-down on a wheel. The ringer pulls the rope, and the wheel rotates 340 degrees, ringing the bell. Next time the rope is pulled, the wheel rotates in the opposite direction.




It sounds interesting. They ring from 10 am (or when they have at least 4 ringers) until 10:27. However, we want to try a Qigong class on Monday night.

Hadrian's Wall

We continued our travels through Lanercost and Banks to Hadrian's Wall.

First was Banks east turret.
Notice the horizontal straightness of the of the walls - and the vertical sides.







The walls were built in 2nd century AD, but have been scavenged for farmers' walls and buildings.














You're looking at "ordinary" walls quarried and laid by ordinary soldiers 2000 years ago!




Driving on, we came to Birdoswald Fort.














The walls here are even on one side, and ragged on the other. Scavenged on one side only?






















Left, a kissing gate.














The 19th century owner of this site conducted archeological digs performed here. He so loved the Roman ruins that he gave his son the name of Oswald. Oswald, in turn, sold everything. Perhaps it was revenge for the name.











Site of the granaries.












Granaries from other side.












Sheep in field behind granaries.












Turret on side of fort.

Carlisle Castle

Saturday, Nov 7 was chosen for our first real outing because Sunday's forecast was awful. The night before was cold, with sleet and chunks of ice on the pavers. So, how was Saturday's weather? Cold and rainy, and sunny. Both, yes. It was laughable that we needed the wipers and visor at the same time. We had a complete rainbow right in front of us. One end landed in a roadside field! No pot at the end of it though. Going north, the clouds were low, hiding the hilltops.

There are lunchwagons along roadsides here. And windsocks - haven't figured that out yet, but I imagine the winds can be viscious. Speed cameras are frequent. Surveillance cameras are everywhere - in shops, on the street, as well as highway. Remember how they were able to trace the London bombers so quickly? This is how they did it.

At one point, we saw sheep grazing in the median strip. In another field, the sheep were all running toward the barn. Seemed odd, until I saw the sheepdog working them. It was a lovely sight.

Carlisle Castle was impressive. Solid stone walls several feet thick. Mary Queen of Scots came here seeking refuge, and was imprisoned. www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.13665




Below and right, main gate.



Below, tapestry in great hall.


Cooking hearth.












Right, steps leading down
to circular staircase and dungeon.










Below, graffiti - prisoners' carvings in walls.



Above, powder keg.














Rosi and Hal walk the ramparts, with Hal at his post. Right, exiting the castle.






























After Carlisle Castle, we headed east to Brampton for lunch at a tearoom. Delicious fruit pie.
Below, Main Street and the Information Center.












Then on to Hadrian's Wall.

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Market Days

On Wednesdays, some shops are closed. Many more close on Wed. afternoons. Business hours are lax at times. This drives some Americans mad. It reminds me of home when I was little - all the shops closed on Wed. afternoons. Now, only doctors and dentists close on Wednesdays.

Thursday and Saturday are market days in Ulverston. On those days, no through traffic is allowed on the cobbled Market Street. I got a late start - 11:30 - on Thursday. So I walked quickly downtown, and bought 2 small meat pies and 2 quiche at the bakery, then gingerbread and "fairy cakes" from a baker on the street. By 12 noon, I was putting things away in my refrigerator, ready for my lunch date. Can you shop like that?


The gingerbread is dark, and strong, but moist. Hal and I are totally hooked on it now. Fairy cakes are mentioned often in the Richard Jury mysteries by Martha Grimes. Despised Aunt Aggie is always scarfing down Melvin's fairy cakes. Now I can tell you: they are cupcakes with extra thick frosting. It looks like they scoop a bit of cake from the middle, fill it with icing, and the decorate the top with the cake bits. I just realized the toppers look vaguely like fairy wings. The vanilla cakes were good, but chocolate was dry.

Kitchen Appliance Quiz

See if you can identify the kitchen appliances in the following 5 photos. Don't peek at the answers after the first 5 photos.
A. Washer
B. Dryer
C. Refrigerator
D. Freezer
E. Dishwasher
F. Furnace (boiler)
G. Range and Hob

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
***** DO NOT PEEK *****
******* DO NOT PEEK *******
********* DO NOT PEEK *********
*********** DO NOT PEEK ***********
************* DO NOT PEEK *************
*************** DO NOT PEEK ***************
***************** DO NOT PEEK *****************
******************* DO NOT PEEK *******************
********************* DO NOT PEEK *********************
*********************** DO NOT PEEK *******************
G - Range and Hob, and broom closet
A and B - Washer and Dryer
E - Dishwasher
F - Furnace (boiler)
C and D - Refrigerator and Freezer
(#3 was the Sink - hope you got that one!)

Yew Tree Barn and Hat Trick Cafe

Pat took me to a crowded shop and cafe in Low Newton last week. The Yew Tree Barn has a gift shop with very funny greeting cards (I spent way too much money there) as well as renovation items (recovered from old barns and houses). The Hat Trick Cafe had delicious milky fish chowder, similar to New England clam chowder. Highly recommended. Everything from scratch. And the hat decor is fun.

Small World

Several years ago, our church in Niantic had an exchange pastor from England. Turns out he was from Ulverston. So I sent a note off to him. Rev. David and Pauline Robinson rang us up and invited us over - they live about 2 blocks from us. We went over after supper one evening "for a cuppa." They were quite fun, wanted information on the folks back in America, and have many interests. Ulverston is their retirement home. They knew about our house in Bugle Court and gave us some history on it. We enjoyed them and look forward to seeing more of them.

Another "trailing spouse," Pat, is from Rhode Island. She worked for the Catholic Diocese there, and was active in the RI Council of Churches. There she knew a Methodist minister, named Bob Moore. He is a former pastor for Niantic Community Church. So many small world coincidences.

Halloween


On Halloween it seemed there were quite a few people on the street, mostly young adults. We tried the Old Friends pub, closest to us. It's very small. Three or four families with children in costume were in the lounge (couches and chairs). Several couples were out back in the garden, even though it was not warm.


Apparently the night heated up after we geezers went home. Lots more people were in the downtown streets. And "revelry."

Subscribing?

I don't know if the subscribe thing works. If anyone has any luck with it, please let me know.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Subscribe option

Some readers have asked how they will know when there is a new posting. I'm hoping this option will do the trick. Click on "Subscribe To - Posts" and you'll get a list of methods. I personally chose "Bloglines." It will ask more questions - and you have to sign up. I also signed up for "Comments." Google is probably a good option too. We'll see if this works.