Photos from Black Coombe.

23/09/2008 by Ted.

Hi Andee and all family members,

Sorry I missed the adventure on Sunday, Andy,  but glad you made it back OK.  I bet you would have had me over the side pushing if I had been there. My new wellies still haven’t been worn.

I put my new boat on the water last Sunday and had a few problems, but nothing to compare with yours.

You mention about time passing!  I had a sobering thought recently - my birth certificate asserts that in four months I will be 75 years old. I can’t believe it! At that age

one is getting on a bit - to put it mildly - and for it to relate to me just doesn’t seem real. I just don’t feel anything like that.  But then, again, how would I know what it feels like to be that age as I have never been it before. But it set me thinking a bit - all the things I still have to do and all that.  “No time to say ‘hello’, goodbye. I’m late, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late” as white rabbit sang in Alice in Wonderland - and probably still does.

Anyway, one of the things I am getting on with at the moment is making a radio-controlled duck to put on the water in Barrow Park. Got the idea a few weeks ago.  The lake in the park is awash with ducks and geese who all treat the boats very cautiously - glancing over their shoulders whenever a boat is about to make sure that it keeps well out of the way.  Anyway, one little duck, bolder than the rest, came paddling past the place where we all stand with our transmitters and I said, jokingly, to Mike “Who is controlling that duck?” - and, suddenly, the idea was born.  Since then I have bought myself two decoy ducks (well, a duck and a drake) which are amazingly life-like, and have today ordered the bits and pieces to equip them so that I can guide them around the lake by radio-control.  Should be a lot of fun, specially when I get a dozen of those little yellow ducks that they float down rivers for competitions and tie them on a string behind for the duck and drake for them to pull along after them. I’ll just sneak them onto the lake and not tell anyone that they are radio-controlled.  Be a few weeks yet but I will put a photo on the blog in due course. In the meantime here is one of the female duck decoy.

I made the trip up Black Coombe this morning the weather was so nice. The Coombe was absolutely beautiful.  It took an hour and twenty-five minutes to get to the top.  Used to take me just over the hour in my youth - happy days!  I took one or two pictures on my way up and down and will put one or two on the bottom of this post to stir the memories of all those who have likewise made the trip.   I met a chap when I was coming down who described it as a bit of a hill.  He said he was finding it harder than usual because the wet summer had prevented him getting up as often as he likes. But everything was pretty much the same except that someone has stolen the Ordnance Survey brass plate with the height of the “hill” on it.  I wondered if the “hill” had got higher as it took me that bit longer this time, in which case the Ordnance Survey might have taken the plate to put the new height on it. Anyway, here are a couple of photos. I have to squash them up a bit to get them on the post.  If you click twice on the photos they open out to give a better view.  That applies to ALL blog photos - except this first one for some reason. Hmmmmm!!!!!!! Strange! (Double click on the “Autumn leaves in Barrow Park”  photo and see them in all their glory.)

This is the top, of course

And the view from the last shoulder.

Sorry about the haze. This one is looking North-ish.  The village at the foot of the hill is Bootle and in the distance Sellafield is visible - minus the cooling towers now.

Incidentally the breeze was from the East this morning and on the way down I was sure I could smell the fish and chips in Bridlington.

Must go,

Love to everyone,

Ted. 

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