Today’s guest picture shows one of the few sunny moments of my siblings’ recent visit to The Netherlands. My sister Mary took this picture in the evening in Haarlem.
We had plenty of sunshine here again today, though it faded away a bit after lunch. It lit up our scaffolding very well…
…but it didn’t attract the birds into the garden. Perhaps the builders at work may have contributed to their reluctance. I had time for a single dunnock….
…before I caught the bus to Carlisle where I successfully picked up a hire car and drove it home. Hooray.
I managed to add a robin to my tally when I got back…..
…and found a blackbird as fluffed up as the smaller birds.
After lunch, Mrs Tootlepedal and I put the car to good use and drove a mile to give ourselves a start on one of our favourite walks. It was above freezing but there was still a lot of ice about on the rough track up the hill so we had to watch our step very carefully.
Because of this, we didn’t spend too much time looking for interesting things in the wood but this tree stump caught our eye.
The moss beside the track looked to be flourishing in spite of the snow and ice.
Once we got onto the open hill, the going got less treacherous and we were able to look about.
Looking to the west we could see the last remnants of the sunny day disappearing.
We were able to stroll along the road back down the hill with a lordly air as there was no traffic and it was well sheltered enough from the chilly wind to let me take my hat and gloves off. The wall beside the top part of the road is rich with lichen and as usual I couldn’t resist a shot or two.
Further down we saw a tree which may go some way to explaining the lack of birds in the garden. There is a lot of food about.
A curious horse wondered what we were doing.
The best thing about the walk was that I managed it with no stick and no great pain in my knee either going up or down the hill.
Today’s stage in the great end wall development was the removal of the lathe and plaster from the inside of the walls upstairs and down. This revealed a small fireplace in the upstairs room which had not seen the light of day for many years.
After a refreshing cup of tea and a chat with Mike Tinker, who had dropped in to see if we had managed to acquire a car, I walked up to the town and collected a new glass insert for a cafetiere to replace the one which I broke recently. The day had gone well so far with getting the car, progress on the end wall, a good walk and a renewed cafetiere and things continued in the same vein as I put in another week of the newspaper index and then after tea, Mrs Tootlepedal and I went off to the first practice of the new season for Langholm Sings, our local community choir.
There were only two tenors so we were under a bit of pressure but every now and again we hit the right notes at the same time to general astonishment and acclaim.
Still no flying bird of the day but I caught one that would have been flying quite soon.
Tootlepedal's Blog 
Progress indeed. The knee is improving and you got a car today; I would be lost without one. Great shot of the robin.
Will you lose the re-discovered fireplace when they re-build the wall?
We will. It doesn’t have much distinction so we won’t grieve.
The snow covered hills are beautiful and so is that salmon pink lichen. I’ve never seen one even close to that color.
The wall project is looking like a major undertaking.
I think there may be a slight colour mismatch on our screens. The lichen is on the brown side of pink but it is a very striking colour
Bird photos very good especially the dunnock. Enjoyed looking at your views.
Dunnocks look much more interesting photos than they do when scuttling about under bushes in real life when they look brown and indistinct.
What a really nice day!
One of the good ones.
Glad to hear you have got your hire car. Great photographs along your walk and good news that you managed the walk without a stick.
The repair of the wall is a huge undertaking from the looks of things so far. With all that work going on, it’s no wonder that you find yourself short of birds to photograph.
I love the snow covered hills, just enough snow to show up in the photos, not too much so that it covered everything. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, you live in a beautiful area, just right for some great photos.
The wall is a big undertaking and we hope it will prove worthwhile. If it still leaks, we will cry quite a lot.
Gorgeous landscapes photos today. What year was your home originally built? It has so much charm. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when the repairs are finished.
Around 1860 and in a rather rough and ready way so although it is charming, it is also a bit rickety.
Your house was built before Canada was even a country!
And lots of people from this area went to Canada to start a new life.
It looks as though life at Wauchope Cottage is going to be interesting for the next while, as you seem to be essentially having the end of your home sliced off and replaced! No wonder cold weather was a deterrent. What’s the timeline for the work?
Judging from experience: infinite….but two to three weeks from now if all goes well.
Did you know of the walled in fire place? I always find these sort of discoveries fascinating. As one also living in a rickety house, I would like it noted that Langholm’s and New Brighton’s rickety are poles apart 🙂
That might well be true. Our earthquakes are usually about 2 to 3 on the scale and don’t trouble us much.
How old is your house?
About 150 years old.
A real day of progress. That old fireplace looks interesting, did you know it was there?
We knew there was a fireplace there but not what it looked like.