Only just over three miles for this one and I wondered if there would be sufficient material for a post. One kilometre from the start I voiced my concern to Pete as we were passing St Peter's Church which in itself was a dull Victorian gothic revival nonentity, 1860 I think. We both started fantasising. I suggested there may have been a murder there. Pete thought somebody might be locked up in the tower. My only further resort was to Google on my return. Despite chasing various links, and even being prepared to be inventive, I could find nothing of interest.
On the straight south-west to north-east leg of our triangle we had the ridge of Clougha Pike up on our right which is an extensive unatural jumble of millstone grit boulders; left over evidence of quarrying for quern stones (those used for grinding grain), hence the adjacent village of Quernmore. If that's all the quarrying was used for there must have been a lot of mills or the stones must have worn out quickly?
Next I spotted an unusually coloured, large bird just off the road about a hundred yards away. All of a dither I fumbled my camera from its belt pouch guessing that as always the damn thing would fly off before I could focus (don't laugh fellow blogger Mark). * I got a zoom shot, and we both went into stealth mode walking closer. The bird never moved. I took another zoom. Eventually we were about ten feet from the bird standing on the other side of a wall. It was motionless and I was convinced now that it was an artificial decoy or some kind of model. I shouted and it still didn't move, and then I saw the briefest twitch as it turned its head about three degrees and then back - I wondered if somebody was remote controlling - all very strange - reminds me, the RE teacher (Divinity at Bradford Grammar) put one word on my annual report: "inert."
Back at Café Ambio they seem to increase the size of my flapjack and Pete's apple crumble each time we go, and I would now define my more substantial flapjack as a challenge.
I used the Impressive Art setting on the Panasonic TZ60 again.
*Mark's blog: Beating the Bounds CLICK HERE/ His bird, wildlife and scenery photos are superb.
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| St Peter's Church Quernmore: plagiarised architecture, no murders and nobody locked up in the tower |
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| The motionless one - those feet don't look a natural colour |
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| This well-to-do farmhouse trashed with solar panels on the roof. The sight gave me a gut-wrenching feel - am I over reacting? There was a perfect sloping field to the right between the house and the wall where these things could have been located. |
Is that a piece of string attached to the birds webbed foot?
ReplyDeletealan R. - perhaps it was electronic cabling. You may be prime suspect, hiding camouflaged operating some sophisticated radio control equipment, but I am struggling with motivation - maybe I am, like somebody else in the news at the moment, demonstrating symptoms of paranoia?.
ReplyDeleteThere are (or were) a few of these ducks on/in the lake in the Ornamental Gardens in Grange - that fleshy wattle was a delicacy in some trendy restaurants a few years ago : maybe this individual is an escapee and has become used to freezing when it perceives hunters, or imminent capture, loom/looms!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about the solar pv panels on the roof - but getting PP for such works 'outwith the domestic curtilage' is not that easy : maybe they don't own that field, although it does give the impression of a working farm.
ps: passing consecrated ground enabled your resurrection, perhaps ?
Gimmer - If those wattles are the same as "géziers" that often appear on French menus no thanks - I tried them and they are disgusting - totally unpalatable.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I could see the field was part of the house garden enclosed by the wall to the right - when viewed from further down its area was quite large and would have accommodated the panels facing the same way as the roof, and already conveniently sloping in the appropriate direction.
Gesiers - the gizzard - a part of the gullet where things get crushed and 'mastciated' (hens - and ducks - are slightly short of teeth, as the saying goes) before reaching the stomach - hence a muscular organ (not sure if they are correctly described as an 'organ' but often so called) - occur in quite a variety of animals and fish, apparently : they often spoil a good magret salad !
ReplyDeleteI dislike them but some find them a delicacy - had the flash fried wattles once at some trendy restaurant - they tasted delicious but the connotations were most off-putting. Only had them as part of the compulsory menu. As usual, still starving at the end of the meal.
Trashed? - I'd say you were over-reacting, but perhaps because I myself went in for solar panels several years ago. And there I was, thinking I was doing my bit for the environment.
ReplyDeleteBut what about the narrow windows on either side of the front door? They look non-standard to me, out of harmony with the house's traditional design.
I can't say I've seen any ground-mounted domestic panel arrays, possibly because they would be vulnerable to stone-throwing lads, to cows and sheep looking to scratch themselves, and more likely to be obscured by expanding trees, bushes, etc. With solar panels one has to think at least a decade ahead; circumstances can change.
Your view of gésiers is not shared by Capreolus (Artisan English Charcuteries) of Dorset. Judges at a local foodstuffs competition rated their gésiers thus: "Great aroma, fresh and slightly gamey. They look appetising – just as they should with just the right amount of fat and moisture. Beautifully soft and tender to eat. Their flavour is utterly delicious. An innovative, absolutely faultless product."
But then Capreolus are trying to flog the stuff. It's quite conceivable in your case they were badly done or badly prepared (they need to be rigorously trimmed); the restaurant you're alluding to didn't exactly cover itself in glory.
RR - I have no strong objection to modern houses sporting solar panels, but do find them jarring on period houses. I have seen ground-mounted ones, and I think Gimmer is planning some for his new to him (old country residence) and he may wish to comment.
ReplyDeleteAs for Capreolus, I wouldn't trust the opinion of anybody with such a pretentious name.
That restaurant is embedded in my memory when many other more worthwhile things and events have faded.