Today’s picture is a detail from a very nice photo of a dragonfly which Gavin kindly sent to me.
After several weeks of fine weather, the rain arrived today. In fact it had rained all through the night as well but so dry has the garden been that it soaked all the water up without complaint. The rain persisted throughout the morning in that annoying way of seeming to stop and then as soon as you go out, starting again.
I did manage to sneak out without it noticing long enough to take a picture of an apple.
Mrs Tootlepedal also got out for long enough to wonder how she is going to pick the runner beans that have climbed up the telegraph pole.
Mostly I stayed indoors and looked out of the window at birds both small….
…and large….
…and, of course, in argumentative mood as usual.
The forecast said that after lunch the rain would subside so Mrs Tootlepedal had a cycle trip planned. I checked the forecast map on the internet and it gave us the all clear so we got the bikes out and…..it started to rain heavily. I went back and checked the map again and they had changed it from fine to heavy rain during the five minutes that we were getting ready. We sulked.
Mrs Tootlepedal is not easily put off though once she has made a plan so as soon as the rain looked like letting up, we set off again.
The results of the prolonged rain could be heard and seen in the rivers and streams that we passed.
We were pedalling into a stiff breeze and up some steep hills but Mrs Tootlepedal was undaunted. Could this have had anything to do with it?
It had. This was our destination. The congregation of the church at Waterbeck were running a fund raising cream tea event and very well attended it was too. The village hall was full and tea and cakes were disappearing at a great rate. We did our part and had plenty of conversation as well as munching as we knew quite a number of the tea drinkers in the hall.
I was very pleased to be there, apart from the fancy cakes of course, because my great uncle John had been a minister in the church for a number of years in the 1930s. We went to look at the church and I was able to find his picture on the walls among all the other ministers of recent times. The church, which was formerly a UP congregation, is now independent of the Church of Scotland which tried to close it and is being being well looked after by the present congregation.
Great Uncle John is the top right minister in the frame. He died in Carlisle shortly before I was born.
The pleasure of this little bit of family history and the excellent cream tea was enhanced by the fact that the brisk wind was behind us on the way home and the sun came up too. here we can see Mrs Tootlepedal going over Callister in the style of Alberto Contador.
I had stopped to take a picture of some of the roadside flowers that brightened our route. The blue flowers are harebells and the yellow flowers are either trefoil or vetch.
Later on the way home, Mrs Tootlepedal pointed out some orchids in the verge.
By the time we got home, after an enjoyable 20 mile trip, it was such a lovely evening that I rang up Sandy and suggested an excursion to the sand martin colony at Canonbie. He agreed and after a short drive, we were soon walking past the churchyard by the River Esk.
We strolled along the bank of the Esk enjoying the scenery.
It wasn’t hard to spot the sand martins as there were a great many going to and from their nests. They nest in holes in the sandy bank above the river just below where the sheep are grazing.
They move very quickly and it would take more time and care than we had available to take good pictures of them but it was very agreeable just to stand and watch them flitting across the river. I did try to take some pictures.
Just as we were leaving, a goosander landed with a splash.
When I got home, I found that Mrs Tootlepedal had kindly cooked my tea fro me. A day that had started rather gloomily thus ended very cheerfully.
Unsurprisingly, the flying bird of the day is a sand martin.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Mrs. T does know how to plan a trip!
What a lovely day. Mrs Tootle’s secret cream tea destination was a brilliant idea. 🙂
It a shame I’ve missed those cream teas!!!.
A lovely post.
I enjoyed our walk in the evening.
It must be so nice to be able to see orchids growing along the roadside. They’re very hard to find here.
One or two varieties are quite common beside the roads and on the hillsides round here.
Lovely day in the end. Beautiful old church bought alive by the people within it.
Yes, I hope it continues to thrive.
Fine pictures, all. In particular I like the splashing water as the Goosander comes in for a landing/
It was a beautiful evening by the river.
How special for a family historian to see the pictures of great uncle Johnnie in his robes, a picture that I haven’t seen before. The orchid was a delight as well
What a lovely day, and great to find a picture of g.uncle Johnnie in the church
I had an Uncle John who was a minister, too. As a kid I liked their visits till it came to the close, and we had to kneel on the hard linoleum to pray. He was a long prayer. 🙂
My knees are in such a state that even in extremis I would find it hard to kneel.
I’m glad you got out despite the rain and I’m glad Mrs T got her cream tea! 🙂
She dearly likes a refreshment on a cycle ride.
I have harebells too, and they’re purportedly a native variety. They look about the same. A beautiful day after the rain.
Mrs T is aiming to put them in among the orange hawkweed. It will be interesting if they come up.