Autumn arrival

Well Summer did`nt appear to last long up here in Northumbria. Autumn has deffinately arrived. When the farmers cut their corn and barley and convert the straws into bales I always know that it signifys the end of Summer. September has been kind to us in the past, so lets hope so this year. In the last few weeks there has been dew on the cars on a morning and the shaddows have become longer in the evening.

Mind you, I have not quite written summer off as the above photograph shows it was very warm last week.

These square bales are from the remains of the rape seed harvest, those golden fields of yellow we see earlier in the year.

Long shaddows on the green usually creates an almost stripped effect at certain times of the day.

The Horsechestnut trees are now beginning to delight us with their Aumtumnal shades of oranges and browns. Usually the first tree to loose its leaves, and of course all those conkers become strewn all over the roads and paths, no longer played with by most children, particulary as health and safety madness plays its part in the games downfall.

And then there is the return of the summer flights from warmer climes, not quite a shock to the thermal climate just yet, but a damp coolness hits you as you step out of the aeroplane onto the tarmac. Incidently, the reverse happens when you open your suitcase at the holiday resort. Even after a few hours sat on a hot bus journey to your hotel, when you open your case, you can smell England and its damp atmosphere. Strange but true.
The first frosts will not be far away no doubt.

Errrg, Yuk !

Many moons ago Cadbury`s as it was then, used to sell their Old Jamaica rum and risen bar for unsuspecting dads at Christmas's`s, birthdays and fathers days. It was a big seller and it was wrapped differently in the usual foil first then covered with an orange label with an old sailing ship on the front, something like a Clipper. Here is the modern equivalent.

Having rarely seen this on the shop shelves, I finally managed to buy a bar yesterday. Knowing the wrapper was different, I concluded that their production methods had just moved with the times but also, they have completely wiped away the nostalgia.
Internet research suggested the recipe was a mix of both milk and dark chocolate but upon tasting,to me it was just a rum version of their dark Bournville bar and chalky as the Bournville bar always was. Tasteless in my opinion after the chocolate had been sucked off the raisins and the rum `flavouring` as described on the packet, must have had a whiff of essence applied to the mix. Incidentally, this bar is made for Kraft, erm I mean Cadbury`s, somewhere in a foreign land in the EU.
I was disappointed to say the least and doubt if the bar will ever be finished off. I can feel it heading off to the bin as I speak. Shame on you Kraft. As we all know, Cadbury`s is on the slippery slope like Thorntons, all that proud history ruined. 

A little more of Levisham

 Mr Blogspot was running a little slow yesterday, but that could be my clockwork ISP, so here is another slice of Beautiful Levisham.

The signalman is also the booking office clerk and so wears two hats at differing times no doubt.

The following photograph clearly shows the punishment the track endures with the passage of locomotives and stock.

The village itself is over a mile away at the top of the hill which has a few amenities and the view from up there looking down on the station is panoramic, although the continued growth of the trees is slowly obscuring it all.
You can here the whistle of the engine in the above photo long before you can see it as there are a number of farmers crossings out of view which the driver is compelled to notify of his approach. This all makes the impending arrival a little more exciting being able to hear it before you can see it. The white steam soon appears at the bend and it takes a few minutes  for the train to reach the station, growing ever larger as she arrives.

Here`s a last look at the station as the sun goes down behind the hills. The beauty of this station is its remote location and the tranquility here, even on busy school holiday or weekend days. Generally only walkers alight here or rejoin the train to take them home.
Levisham, a fab place if ever there was. Only the few modern signs and safety gadgets detract from the overall Edwardian view. Find the time to go and see it for yourself, you`ll not be disappointed !

Ian

Solitude, peace and tranquility...

Every now and then, it is nice to just escape to a place that offers a quieter moment in life, away from the noise, hustle and bustle. I am sure that most of us know somewhere we can go to achieve this. I do not think you have to go to the most remote locations, as often we hear of secluded corners in large towns and cities which a lot of folk do not even know it is there.
For me there is one special place you need to get to by either car down narrow lanes and over hills and valleys or, my preferred choice, to arrive by train. No ordinary train, but one that takes you back to another age, namely the early 1900`s.

Levisham is a small country station on the wonderful North Yorkshire Moors Railway, a few miles north of the busy market town of Pickering ,hidden away at the bottom of a deep glacial valley carved out in the ice age. There is probably no more than five houses dotted around the station itself and its placement in the valley affords panoramic views particularly to the south as the railway line strides away in a dead straight line for over a mile or so.

I once had the opportunity to travel in the cab of the engine over this line and on our return trip north from Pickering at dusk, as we came round the corner of the distant valley in the photo and entered the straight section, an owl came down from the trees and flew level with the cab for most of the approach to the station. A moment of true wonder and amazement I will never forget.

Looking northwards, the line curves away into the valley at Newtondale. There is a popular walk from the tiny wayside halt there which is a request stop, where the opportunity exists to explore in all directions the wooded hillsides spotting wildlife and plants, fantastic views and wild muntjac deer if you are quiet enough.

If the weather is against you, the waiting shelter is there to keep you dry and it is nice to just stand and watch the rain fall. Generally though, Levisham is quite often in a micro climate of good weather all of its own and so the platforms are adorned with original North Eastern railway seats, many of which are fitted with a plaque of gratitude by those no longer with us who gave their time and money to restore the station to what it is now, a mirror image of how it was in the early 20th century. All these seats have of course been sat upon by those who did just the same as I and many others like to do, just sit in peace and quiet............

Hollywood comes to Blyth !

A recent afternoon outing to Blyth-by-the-sea had us caught up in parking chaos. The carpark on the beachfront was full with both day trippers as well as a film crew legion from the Bristol film unit. After shoe horning the car onto the last triangle of tarmac, we walked towards the Fish and Chip shop for a late lunch. The crowds had spilled out of the cafe onto the prominade with their own Hallibut and Hake to watch the proceedings. I must confess, after doing likewise , I could`nt help feel that filming was a long drawn out affair with lots of `bods` doing a lot of standing around trying to look important.
A quick chat with the security guard told us the they were filming a new episode of `Vera` for ITV. A Northeast based detective series apparently. The director was sat in her canvas foldy up chair under the official`Gazeebo`, with a larger attentive crew than the actors. The bloke in the grey vest was trying to look menacing and cool. Cool being the opperative word here as he was fighting off the chill northeast wind. Pity the guy with the reflector, arms outstretched for what seemed like hours.

From this angle, it was difficult to see who was the star of the show. I was soon to be reliably informed by a fan, that `she ower yonder` was Brenda Blethyn. We were forced to wait five minuites whilst the relevant lines were spoken, not that we could hear above the sound of the overhanging gulls, then we would be `allowed to pass` to gain access to the sunny northeastern shoreline. The sun that day,.....  forgot to shine me thinks.

Not sure who the bloke in black is, but I guess he needs to get a proper job.
Anyway, we took a stroll along the coaly beach for an hour or so and found upon our return that they had upsticks and moved to a derelect farmhouse nearby. Did`nt see her anymore though. Probably shot off back to her penthouse suit at the Percy Arms !

Such is life, eh ?

Langley Pt 2

After leaving the Garden Station, we drove northwards to Wark in the River North Tyne valley. On our way, we pass the entrance to the beautiful Langley Castle.

This is the place popular for wedding venues and fine dining in medieval style. An overnight stay is on our `to do` list.
Our destination in Wark is the award winning restaurant and hotel/Bar, Battlesteads. A lovely old coaching inn and the name no doubt inspired from the Roman occupation of the Tyne Valley and of course the infamous Hadrian`s Wall.

This was one of the few dry weekend days we have had in quite a while, so the opportunity to sit and eat outside was grasped with glee. There is a walled garden to the rear of the hostelry with a lovely patio area with tables and chairs. the boarders are filled with flowers and herbs by the smell of things wafting our way in the summer breeze.

There were a number of non native English speakers around our table, but I guess this area of Northumberland will always be popular with tourists both foreign and Brits alike.
I have to confess lunch was a little slow in being served, albeit a late lunch at that. It would appear we landed at a changeover period with staff. After we had eaten, we were able to move to one of the tables with an umbrella to shelter from the afternoon heat and read the weekend supplement of the Times. All peaceful and quiet, just the hum of the bees in the lavender flower boarder.

Overall, a pleasant afternoon out. Trouble is, there is so much to see and do in your own local area, we quite often overlook what beauty is so close to hand.

Ian

Langley and Wark Pt 1

The last Saturday of July allowed us to take the oportunity to explore a little of the Tyne Valley, part of the North Pennines, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Tucked away southwest of Hexham is Langley, a sleepy village that once served the Lead mining industry in the Allendale area. Served by a small station built by the North Eastern Railway, the rambling wooden buildings and brick built house are now part of the `Garden Station`, a small cafe and arts centre. The original trackbed is slowly returning to nature but offers a lovely walk along its path through wooded hillsides and cuttings on a slight gradient.
The owners have tried to keep as much of the original character as possible and I feel they have achieved this to some degree.

 The waiting room is now the seating area of the cafe with lovely views out onto the platform and the flowerbeds. A true sense of calm exists here with just the distant sound of the odd car to pass by. The station is elevated above the road level and the old rail bridge at the end of the platform has been removed. There is just the arch over the approach road to the station remaining.

The interior of the cafe is decorated in muted colours which serves well the overall feel of the place. Tranquility really.

Outside, the Leaning Shed Museum which as the name suggests has a really bad lean predominately on is southern face. All adds to the charm of the garden really and the museum give a little insight into the mining industry around the village.
The walk along the trackbed takes you under skew arch railway bridges that give access to the various fields either side of the line. Because of the intense wooded cutting sides, the sunlight is dappled most of the time and this allows plants requiring a damp atmosphere to take hold. Many ferns and other wetland plants are in abundance. Tiny frogs are under foot almost everywhere !

 There is also a private fishing lake with restricted access protected by an electric fence, but some peaceful views can be obtained through the trees.

Here`s just a selection of the flora and fauna.