Drystone Wall - Fylingthorpe

So 11 years since leaving Yorkshire to live in Ireland I recently got my first walling job back home at a lovely farm at Flylingthorpe a stone's throw away from my home.

The corner has collapsed partially due to the fill settling, foundations giving away and numerious small trees.






Dismantle all the dodgy bits and dig out the old foundation stones at the bottom and re-set the biggest stones again.











And a couple of days later interrupted by several inches of snow, we have the finished article. You can hardly see where the old stone meets my replacement.

Pretty pleased with it as I think it is also the only wall I've built from regular coursed stone.

So if you want a drystone wall repaired or a completely new one do give me a call!!

Goshawks & Snow Buntings

Out doing my voluntary ranger duties at Maybecks recently and in perfect weather - sun and snow, a pair of Goshawks sailed by enabling me to get an excellent view of the pair. These once very rare birds are becoming increasingly common in the conifer woods around here.

Later taking the dog along Bay Ness (at Robin Hood's Bay) I saw a flock of about 25 Snow Buntings feeding in a field of grass with many seed heads intact. Their favourite feeding ground.

Wrong way waterfall!!

Sunday was out along the Cleveland way in North Yorkshire, just a mile or so from Robin Hood's Bay at a place called Normanby Stye Batts (NZ950075). Cold, just above freezing and a very strong wind blowing off the sea at around 40 to 50knots. Came across this......

This is the same location as the video but this is in below freezing conditions.  The spray freezing on everything it lands on including the surrounding fields, the fence and vegetation. 

The temperatures in 2018 were around -3c for three or four days with continiously strong winds of over 50mph.  These kind of conditions do not happen very often.  This is only the second time in ten years I've seen this. 

And close by icicles forming on the cliff

Winter 2010 in Goathland (Aidensfield)

Taken on the 9th of January in Goathland village. This is the village which is called Aidensfield on the well know Heartbeat series. You've never seen it like this in that programme though!!

A walk along the Scaur at Robin Hood's Bay

RAYS BREAM
Rather chilly this morning at around zero centigrade and
several inches of snow. All the visitors to Robin Hood's Bay over the Xmas and New Year Period have gone home. There is silence through the old village. The Bay Hotel only had three people in it when I visited last night.

On the beach were several dead Ray's Breams. These deep water fish normally inhabit warmer waters are increasingly turning up when the weather/water gets too cold. The 'gulls enjoy them though. The coin at the top is a 50 pence piece.


SARB-J
The dog and myself then walked along the scaur and onto Ness Point where the Sarb-J went aground in good weather in Janurary 1993. Many of the major components have been removed. It is one of many shipwrecks which have happened in this area. And it won't be the last!







Within site of the Sarb-J lay the remains of another earlier wreck, this portion shows remains of the boilers I think. I'm not sure of the name but several vessels have sunk here. Not far away in another hole lays more bits and pieces.









On one of the boulders underneath the cliff I noticed this on which lay the remains of a feral pigeon. Almost certainly the kill of one of the local pair of Peregrine falcons which I often see on my walks along Ness Point.

Ice climbing on the North Yorkshire Moors

Not too far from Whitby are the North Yorkshire Moors a venue not known for it's ice climbing. But here up at Fryup Dale there is a lengthy crag which with a few days of freezing weather comes into condition.

It's a long slog from the car parked just above Lealholm, deep snow North Yorkshire Moors.

Nowhere is the climbing above 20' to 30' but it's almost all vertical and can provide an hour or two fun 'sport' routes. Protection is limited to trees or stakes above the crag. But ice climbing on the North Yorkshire Moors is possible! And this is only three days before Christmas!!

Jilly the Dog

8 years ago Trish drove myself and the two grandchildren who were staying with us, to; ”Pick up my Christmas present”. An unknown destination and present lay ahead. “You’ve always wanted one”, she said, “You’ll really like it” (Case of wine or whiskey?)

Later, as we drove away from the address, I stared at the little blond puppy that was crying on my lap. I know I’d gone on about wanting a dog – but a dog’s for life not just Christmas, I didn’t mean it!. It was an aspiration perhaps. Too much trouble perhaps? Maybe I only liked the idea of owning one?. It might cramp my style. I couldn’t go climbing, canoeing, skiing, mountaineering, could I? After all a dogs for life not just for Christmas, isn’t it?


Driving home the subject of names came up. Trish said it was called Lily. Number two Grandchild sitting in the back, coincidently called Lily, burst out crying indignantly; “I don’t want to be called the same name as a dog” she wailed. With my newly acquired alter ego now asleep on my lap I announced it would be called Fang. Or Killer, or Ripper.  Lilly & Georgia  in the back seat protested vocally and persistently. “Anyway she is a girl and you don’t call girls that kind of name”, one of them observed. Georgia suggested that as the previous owner called her Lily, a simple change to Jilly would suffice and would not offend the sensibilities of her sister. This was greeted by a loud, “Yes” from Lily. .

As we drove home I suggested to them that Jilly would do for dinner and asked them which bit they would like for the weekend joint, suggesting that we could have a leg each, which was an improvement on a chicken shared between four after all. More protests from the back followed loudly.

Jilly was whining on my lap and I gave her some gentle strokes. “Well”, I thought, she’d live outside in a kennel. End up being a tough dog and perhaps make a tolerable companion on my forays into the outdoors and nights in Igloos, snow holes, canoeing trips and so on., If I had to go to places where dogs were excluded, I could always tie her up with extra helpings of dog food!

I couldn’t let her outside that night as it was pointed out I didn’t own a kennel and without one she might be eaten by a fox. A large cardboard box was placed next to the Stanley and the children put her in and showered her with good night kisses and hugs.

Christmas morning dawned cold and bright and we’d ignored the odd crying from the kitchen during the night Carefully hidden dog food and treats appeared from cupboards and quickly disappeared down Jilly’s mouth.. I could see that the dog wasn’t going to starve to death. She could stay another few days anyway.

I needed a walk. Jilly, no doubt deciding I was a food source, decided to follow and ran at my heels. This was fine until we got to the Bog Field and she didn’t know that the bright green bits were wet. Very wet! Not wanting to upset the grandchildren too much by leaving her I pulled her out of the deep black water where she was struggling and let her go. She gamely ran at my heels over every obstacle I put in her way. I was suitably impressed by her spirit. A few minutes later she stopped and whined. Clearly she was going to be a liability! She was shivering. Mmmm? Ok, she was rather small and wet, and it was rather chilly. I picked her up and tucked her into my jacket. A few minutes later and she wanted to be down and off again, exploring and running and sniffing at everything and anything as she ran alongside me. A few minutes later and she ran out of steam and ground to a halt. I picked her up and ran back to the house wondering what was wrong with the present.

”Where did you go and how far was it”, I was asked when we arrived home.

“She’s tired”, Trish announced, after I told her where we’d been. Jilly was now fast asleep in her cardboard box. Outside would clearly have to wait!

As her stamina increased, our forays into the hills got longer and longer. The landscape I looked at obtained new meanings as she quickly spotted where the fox, badger, mice and the hares lived or passed, her nose following the scent trails across the fields and though the hedges.

Scrambling up a steep rocky gully to the summit of Ireland’s highest mountain proved she was quick and fast over the steepest rock and followed me along the narrowest of cliff ledges sometimes in deep snow. She helped in map work when I struggled in cloud and darkness along rocky mountainsides quickly noticing that she picked the best routes. She proved she had an excellent memory and could retrace exactly the route we’d trodden months before when revisiting climbs and walks. She proved equally adept at canoeing and wasn’t put off by the biggest or wettest rapids spending the trip testing the air and enjoying the views.

One spring night sleeping under the stars with no sleeping bag and only a bivvi-bag as shelter I shivered with cold. Outside, so did Jilly. With little prompting she joined me under the shelter and we soon warmed up together.

But I really knew who was the real softy when hedge-laying on a wet, windy, cold day in Co.Kerry. Soaked to the skin she shivered in long grass uncomplaining. I took a fleece jacket and covered her. Eating my sandwiches later I realised I’d forgotten her lunch. We shared my sandwiches that day!

Jilly has become my companion on long walks and runs, birdwatching trips and other excursions into the outdoors. And I wouldn’t have it any other way either. Dogs are not just for Christmas!