11 November 2022

We’re well into autumn now. Even though the days are getting shorter and the weather is worsening, it has been well worthwhile getting out and about. As a keen photographer, I usually take my camera out with me, even though I sometimes don’t even take it out of its bag. I have been out walking with the Ramblers, Annabel, Tom’s family, Tara’s father and a local guy called Chris. Fallen (and surviving) leaves add an additional dimension to photographs, particularly when the sun is out and lower in the sky.

Acorn Bank

This National Trust property is only a short walk away from our village and the gardens have been especially vibrant this time of the year. Many flowers are still surviving and look especially beautiful with the deep red Boston ivy as a backdrop. They have had a bumper year for apples. Views over the nearby Pennines have been particularly rewarding. Beyond the house are extensive gardens and woodland, leading down to the wonderfully named Crowdundle Beck and a working watermill which grinds local grains and sells tasty wholemeal flour. The apples and pears were harvested recently and we were amazed at how many varieties there are, each with their own individual taste, colour and texture. Tasting the different juices was particulalry memorable.

This year our two local grandchildren set up a pumpkin farm in readiness for Guy Fawkes night. They chose a wide variety of different pumpkins and squashes to grow and then sold them to local people. The proceeds went partly to charity. On the day, they had quite a larg number of people queuing and we met people later who had bought them. My favourite was the turban squash.

A walk with the Ramblers near Cockermouth was well worthwhile. We came across a herd of horses, some of which were decidedly smaller than donkeys. During the lunch break we were able to watch and listen to the bellowing sounds of rutting deer.

Castle and church at Cockermouth

The River Derwent was flowing strongly past the castle, the impressive church spire, the brewery and the town on its way towards the coast at Whitehaven (where we visited in June). I need to remind myself to revisit the town in the spring.

On other walks we came across horses (and tiny ponies), sheep, flowers and trees aplenty, and fungus. I was especially pleased to capture photos of sunbeams squeezing their way through brief gaps in the towering clouds.

Sunbeams