Monday, October 29, 2012

Monday's Memories: The Lake District

We drove across part of Yorkshire heading toward the Lake District where we wanted to stop at Beatrix Potter's home.  Have you ever seen the movie, Miss Potter?  It is very good, and I highly recommend it.  

 Of course we had to stop on the way to snap a couple of pictures, especially when we caught a glimpse of our first lake.  I loved watching the landscape change as we drove through the country.
 
We arrived at an old farmhouse about 30 minutes before opening time and decided to take a walk while we waited.  The light was so beautiful as the sun moved in and out behind clouds, and a light rain fell periodically.

The farmhouse was to the right, behind the hedge, and the building ahead was a barn where these guys were hanging out.
 

They look like they're lined up for inspection, don't they?  My husband walked up and called out to the sheep, causing them to move as one through the barn to the other side of the pen.  He got such a kick out of their group response that he did it again on purpose, sending them scurrying.  I think this is what they call group mentality.
 

I can't draw, but living with this view might even turn me into an author/illustrator.  I think KJ would stand a better chance at that profession, though.  Here's the back cover of his first book.
  
I'm so glad we decided to walk down the lane.  I climbed up on a stile and got pictures of the grazing sheep, and we caught a glimpse of one of the famous lakes.  It was really beautiful.



I really liked the above sheep picture.  She had such a dramatic backdrop.

We walked back to the farmhouse, and as I looked around, noticed that there was no mention of Beatrix Potter anywhere.  It turned out that KJ got a little confused about the name of Miss Potter's house, but we had already waited to tour this one, soo...we stayed.  It was a beautiful, very old place, and we were rewarded to learn that Miss Potter had been a frequent visitor.  She was friends with the single lady who lived here with her father, who had developed quite a penchant for wood carving.  They had a copy of some scathing remarks made by Miss Potter of how this man had carved every available spot in the house.  And if you look closely, you can see that he had.





There were a lot of interesting features about the house.  The cradle had a little door underneath to put hot bricks to keep the baby warm.  On the second floor the staircase continued to wind up toward the ceiling, stopping out of sight because it led to nowhere.  It was just made to give the appearance of there being another floor and the house being larger than it really was.  It wasn't the house we were looking for, but without stopping there, I wouldn't have seen this view.
 
The panorama was from our earlier stop on the road.


4 comments:

  1. Love the lone sheep picture...perhaps use it for an illustration about leaving the 99 for the 1?

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    1. That's a really good idea. I could put the scripture on it.

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  2. Lynn, these are some of my favorite pictures you've posted here. I love 'em!!

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    1. Thanks, David! It IS the most wonderful place in the world, after all. :)

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