Done the filming now it's the editing

Mon 26th April 2010
    Saturday morning saw the completion of 12 months filming for the remake of the Garden of the Moor film about John William's remarkable garden on the moors above Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. I've edited a few shots together to get myself  motivated to begin this task which will take many hours of editing before I'm satisfied with the final result.

12 months filming completed

Sat. 24th april 2010.

           After probably more than 25 visits over the last 12 months I finally filmed my last shots to complete my film of John william's Garden on the Moor that I started filming last May.This is my 3rd visit in 2 weeks to film the daffodils, they've been very slow in opening owing to the late spring and north facing aspect, another few days will see them at their best but I'm going away for a few days so this morning has been a slight compromise.

      I've also noticed that spring is racing forward in my own garden in the past week and all the spring flowers are looking good in the bright warm sunshine.

A few shots of my Garden

My colony of  Wood Anemones has started to spread

                                 The first Marsh Mariogold

         Celandines by the stream it's surprising where they colonize

                                       Cowslips by the pond

                                       Snake's head fritillary

       In the Scree garden ....one of my favourites.... the Pasque flower



   

Bike ride over the moors

Wed. 21st April 2010.

        After yesterdays bike ride to ease us on to the saddle todays bike ride was much harder with some steep hills, long drags and rough terrain.The ride started and finished at our house  but between the start and finish  the ride climbed onto the moors into Yorkshire on the new Pennine Bridleway, followed the moors northwards then decended back into Lancashire down some very steep terrain. The views were far reaching as far as the Lancashire coast around  Blackpool (40 miles)

                                                            Heading for the moors

                        The start of the new Pennine Bridleway

                                    Pendle hill in the distance

                            Across the moors into Yorkshire

                       Heading towards the wild Boulsworth Hill

              Looking north into the Yorkshire dales around Pen-y-ghent

                                        Down into Thursden Valley

My favourite time of year

Wed. 21st April 2010.
         It's almost upon us but it's slightly later this year. Within the next two weeks I'll be out into our local woodlands admiring what I think is Britains most spectacular display ....The flowering of our native Bluebell. I'm tempted to refilm it after my first attempt two years ago, if I do I'll improve the camera angles and narration.

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal

 Tues.20th April 2010.

            It's been a lovely but cool spring day, temp.8c Today we had our first bike ride this year and to ease us into it we chose a level ride along probably one of the more picturesque stretches of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal between Barrowford and Barnoldswick, a round trip of about 17 miles. This is the highest section of the canal before it starts to descend into Yorkshire through the Aire gap. Riding along we had a constant accompaniment of Willow Warbler song  which made the whole ride very enjoyable.

  

Up Hill and Down Dale

Sunday 18th April 2010.

          An uneventful weekend with the just the odd surprise. On Sat. we went up to the garden on the moor to film the final shots for my film about John Williams and his remarkable moorland garden but we were too early for the drifts of daffodils I require for the spring sequence it will be another week before enough flowers are open to make the shots impressive (spring comes late to these high moorland valleys) but I did record his narration.

 

 Sat...          Noah Dale the valley of the garden on the moor

                                 The garden on the moor

                           John Williams talking to camera

                             The promise of things to come

Sunday 18th April

     Todays walk in the Ribble Valley exploring the backwaters on little used paths in areas we've never explored With the usual show of early spring flowers.

    A Salmon fish pass on one of the small tributaries of the Ribble

 On the lane side both Alternate and Opposite leaved Golden Saxifrage
growing happly together, this is a suprise to me because the flower books
state that the Alternate leaved Golden Saxifrage is much less common,

 in this location it dominates the Opposite leaved species.

          On the left Alternate leaved and to the right Opposite leaved

                                                           The first Bluebells

                                                                          Wood-sorrel

                                                                               Violets

                                                            above Twiston Beck

Exactly to the date

Friday 16th April 2010
          Looking back through last years diary I realized that I made a short video of the Purple Saxifrage on Pen-y-ghent on exactly the same date as this years visit (11th April).Taking into account that this years weather as been much colder, does this flower respond to light levels rather than temperature? I've edited the video into a shorter version for todays post.

Flower of the mountains

Tuesday 13th april 2010.
  I've been on another of my favourite walks this is the one I always walk around the first week of April every year, it's the walk to view and photograph the Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga Oppositifolia) it's at its best around the first 2 weeks in April. Its growning Range is widespread but this plant is rare, it ranges from northern Greenland down into Europe and the British Isles where it is only found on the mountains on mainly lime and mineral rich rocks it really is an arctic alphine plant and it's been growing here since the last IceAge.The best location to see it is on the 1900 ft contour on Pen-y-ghent The late Alfred Wainwright the author of many walking books compaired the Purple Saxifrage to Aubretia draping on the cliffs and he wasn't exaggerating, but remember this is a protected plant so leave it to grow in its own special environment where it is managing to survive.
   Our walk of about 9 miles started in Horton in Ribblesdale up to and over Pen-y- ghent and then back skirting the rocks on the 1900 ft contour to carry out a full survey of this special flower. Also seen and heard on the walk were the Skylark, Lapwing, Curlew, Wheatear and the Golden Plover.

                                                                         The walk in

 The first sighting of the Purple Saxifrage on the 1900ft contour

 

                              The lower band of rocks is on the1900ft contour

                                       A very distant shot of the  Wheatear

                Across the summit above the S.E. side of Pen-y-ghent

You can just about see the Golden Plover

 

Springs emerging from below the cliffs on the S.E. face

S.E face of Pen-y-ghent our local Pendle Hill is in the distance  

The western cliffs    West side of Pen-y-ghent