On our Doorstep

Sunday Nov. 27th .2011
                   Today was a cloudy unpromising start but by 9am the sun was showing through but it was very blustery with the temperature around 6c it felt colder in the strong SW wind..
         Todays walk with our friends was on our own doorstep never being more than 7miles as the crow flies from our house, we choose this area because the area is mainly limestone which makes the ground underfoot much drier after the heavy rain during the night..This is an area we're really familiar with and it commands good views of our local Pendle Hill all the way from Downham to Twiston Beck the small river in which the salmon generally spawn but no salmon today.
          Nothing spectacular about this walk but it was just good to be out to blow away all the cobwebs.

                  The "Whistle Down The Wind" village of Downham

             Along the Limestone ridge with Pendle Hill always in view

                                  Above Twiston Beck

This old Lancashire Hill Farm on top of the ridge above Twiston Beck has been the subject of several watercolour and oil paintings over the past 20 years by my friend John Rickard an accomplished artist and film maker.  This old typical hill farm hadn't  changed for over 100 years up to a couple of years ago, but now it has been modernized  sympathetically and still retains some of it's character. I have an oil painting given to me by John several years and I never pass this farm without looking over the farm gate.

               The painting hangs over my fireplace in the dining room

                        Pendle Hill always dominating the skyline

                      And finally back to the village of Downham