Walking to School

We've not had particularly nice weather here in North Yorkshire this week, and thats putting it kindly. Some days have been downright horrid, the worst kind of Autumnal weather :: think dark/dull, damp/wet, gusty/blustery, cold/bleak. It's been a challenge to face our walk to school with optimism, even though we are extremely lucky to have a very picturesque daily commute on foot.

I was looking back at an archive post earlier, a post about our School Run which I wrote way back in the summer of last year. Every photograph looked sooooo bright and beautiful in the summer sunshine! Very different to today, which was extremely dull and grey. Yet I felt determined to really try and appreciate these little snippets of my daily routine today, and to remind myself how lucky I am to have this daily jaunt. Its not half bad really.

So :: off we go :: strolling out into the grey autumn afternoon.....

 

The above picture is the view I have about a minutes walk from the Attic, stood at the very end of my street. You can see we live quite high up, looking down the hill to the canal, then across the town to the hills beyond. The very large building you can see is an old textile mill, now converted to appartments which overlook the canal.

Down the hill, across the swing bridge and onto the tow path now...the canal boats on the left hand side are permanently moored and don't move, they are lived on all year round :: little floating houses.

 

The boats on the right hand side come and go from day to day. Some of them are lived on permanently but travel up and down the canal, others are rented out to holiday makers keen to enjoy a little slice of the slow life up and down the waterways.

There is a smell of woodsmoke in the air which I love, and it's uinmistakably Autumnal.

Further along, and we are nearing the centre of the town now. This is a busy part of the canal, with a mixture of permanent moorings, holiday moorings and pleasure boats offering short cruises to holiday makers. The jaunty painted boat-planters on the left there are still flowering with summer annuals,  they were newly built this summer and have looked spectacular all season.

I had to photograph this boat to show you, I just love that colour blue with it's cheerful painted flower bouquets. This boat has only been on the canal for a few days and will probably move on again soon. I smile every time I walk past.

As well as looking at the boats on the water, I take time today to look up to the tress above my head....

.....and down to the ground beneath my feet.

I notice the little details of Autumn, the vibrant leaf colours, the shiny berries....

....and the autumn flowers.

There is beauty to be found all around, and taking time to really see it and appreciate it feels good.

Really good.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Comments

[Jen]

I LOVE Autumn and now feel like I can enjoy it since there is some security in our house (hub found a job. YAY!). It's always been my favorite season--instead of seeing things as dying, it's always filled me with hope--maybe it's the school supplies that need to be bought each year.

Have a good night, Lucy!

[Deb]

Lucy,
What a beautiful walk you have, even in gloomy weather. I think that colors can look even more intense at times when the weather is gray, especially in the autumn. Here in Massachusetts we are having a warm (70 degrees) day, but a bit overcast. The leaf colors are still gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your walk.

Deb

[Hooked In Hove]

Thank you for sharing your daily walk with us all Luce. There truly is beauty all around if you know how to look (and you do!) :)

[Jackie]

Lucy ~ I remember reading your other post about the school run in the Summer time and thought to myself how lucky you were to have this beautiful walk to school everyday. It is equally lovely in the Autumn too. I love the canal with its painted boats and you have captured the Autumn berries and flowers in your usual colourful way too :O)

[Emma]

Ohhh you have really some nice views! It's quite diversified! The canal, the hills and also macro-focus: the views, and micro-focus: the pavement, boats etc...

You're really lucky! It's only in England you have this really neat contrast or in really old and historic villages.
Miss it! Soon time to come back for a little visit to the "rainy and puke food land" as they call it here, I actually like the food, as long as it is vegetarian!

:-)

Take care!

XXXx

[KAZZ]

BE AFRAID...BE VERY AFRAID...AFTER ALL OF THE BEAUTIFUL NATURE PHOTOS I'VE ADMIRED WHEN VISITING HERE I AM DEFINATELY GOING TO VISIT YOUR AREA NEXT TIME I'M IN THE UK...I WAS THERE ONCE UPON A TIME, MANY LONG YEARS AGO...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! KAZZ FROM THE NOT QUITE AS BEAUTIFUL HUNTER VALLEY IN OZ XOXOX

[BeBe]

Lucy, I know you love the sun, but here in Florida I would love to have a couple of dank dark weeks. It has been terribly hot and then a2 or 3 days of nice cool weather(75 85 degrees) and then hot and humid again. Please send some Yorkshire fall weather over here! Enjoy the dankness, it is a great excuse to stay indoors and drink tea and eat cakes. BeBe in Florida

[Sally Anne]

What a beautiful part of the world you live in and oh, how I would love to be visiting and staying in one of those little canal boats, exploring all the treasures around.
Thank you Lucy, your photos and writing have taken me there.

[Ana Maria]

It's amazing how you can transform a simple trip to school in a pleasant subject, lively and full of poetry ... (translated by google language tool)

[Louise]

What a lovely walk to school you have! So many things to enjoy with your children. Isn't autumn the most amazing season? I love enjoying the changing scenery with my son on the way to school each morning.
Have a lovely evening. :-)

[The Garden Bell - Kate]

It's no wonder you can't sleep. If I had all these wonderful visions of boats, mountains, hillsides, trees up, and trees down in my head... I would be up during the night also... You are soooooo busted....he-he... It was around 930pm here and I know the middle of the night over there...

It's hard to phathom that you get to see these de-lish sights and color everyday. It makes my world seem rather dull. But, we are having the same yuckie weather here. I know any day now I'm going to look out my window and see snow... Lots and Lots of snow... Right now, it's just raining wet leaves...brrrrr

But, very happy to hear you got back to sleep. Hope there was little nappie-poo this afternoon before your journey to pick up the little one?

Once again another beautiful peek into your world.

Me... I'm just off to work with the plumber.

Have a good night rest, my friend.

Hugs,
Kate
xoxoxoxxo

[Siobhan]

What beautiful pictures. Love the barges, especially the painted one - what pretty scenery you have on your doorstep. Trees along with cats are my favourite things (wouldn't want to be without either) and always look wonderful but especially so in Autumn or when blossoming again in Springtime. What a gorgeous walk to have every day.

I don't mind whatever the weather, it doesn't make me miserable in itself - even winter has got Christmas. Don't like to be too cold though, which is why I am obsessed with knitting/crocheting nice scarves - miniature blankets for those of us who haven't had the patience to make giant ones.

Hope that chocolate cake yesterday was as delicious as it looked - I bet it's all gone. At the end of the day you can't beat chocolate cake can you?

[Jennifer]

I am so jealous, it is an absolutely gorgeous walk. I wish there was a walk like that close to me, I think I'd walk it several times a day. What beautiful colours in nature and all the lovely boats. How much fun that would be for a holiday. Thanks so much for sharing your walk with us. Sorry it is so dreary, but it sure is beautiful.

[Lynn]

Now I can see where some of your colour inspirations must come from :)
Lynn

[Robbie]

Thank you for the lovely walk, I soooo enjoyed it. Robbie :o )

[nancy]

I would love to visit your part of England if I should ever get the chance to go there. It's just great having you show us your part of the world.

[Linda Kristin]

You are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place, and also to be able to be a stay at home mum! Lucky you!

[michelle]

Your walk to school is just lovely.I am off to Filey in Yorkshire tomorrow and when i visit Robin Hoods Bay i will think of you and your bad hair day birthday! I am taking along my crochet which thanks to you, i can now do (only granny squares)but i am SO proud of myself,thanks again.

[Levineke]

you live in a very beautiful spot.
isn't it funny how different we are - i actually really love those grey, cold, blustery days where it rains and rains all day long. obviously we don't get many of those - even in winter :( rain is still a novelty here. but i can imagine that walking to school must be difficult when it's cold and wet.
have i told you how beautiful your village is. makes me want to migrate (again)
enjoy your day
l
x

[valerie]

I have some good friends who live on a barge and your post has reminded me that I must go and see them thankyou:)

[Vicki]

What an amazing view you have! The converted textile mille/now apartments, how delightful that looks! Beautiful, the bricking along makes me drool...and the boats, well, I've always been in awe, since first I saw glimpses of these on your blog...just incredible they are...what a sweet life! I have recently become very fixated on visiting your part of the world...there are just so many things to see...just a plane ticket away...would you consider being my itinerary maker? How wonderful it would be to have a list of the "must sees"...ahhhhh...sweet dreams tonite ~Vicki

[lulu]

you live in such a beautiful and sereen place..So lovely ..
hugs,

[Whimsycate]

Thank you Lucy, i was feeling too tired to post today but your gorgeous colourful post has inspired me....

Cate, x

[Tara]

I have been obsessed with England, especially rural, for years and years....deeply influenced by my excessive reading of British authors. I have read every published work of Jane Austen (my all-time favorite). I continue to dream of the time I will be able to visit (for at least a month) and spend time in each part of England. Your pictures feed my craving nicely and have a curious effect of temporarily satisfying my yearning and simultaneously increasing my need to get over there. Please continue to share these gorgeous pictures! Also, I'm making Lemon Drizzle Cake tonight. =)

[Kate]

I got so cross at a couple of my friends this winter, who were forever moaning about the weather. I mean, I hate the dreary grey too, but moaning is not helping.

Besides which, the charms of Autumn (I reckon your autumn is closer to our winter than your winter) are less obvious than glorious spring and summer days, but they're there. I love the way you can be cosy in autumn, and the sound the rain make, dripping. Or, if you live on a hill and get envoloped in fog, the trickles and puddles that makes. I love the atmosphere - look at those hills and those old stone buildings! We don't have many buildings like that here in Oz. I'm definitely jealous, lots of your pictures seem unreal to me, since we only see scenes liek that in children's books. That scene you photographed is defninitely speaking to me - it's telling a different story than it does in summer, but it's just as interesting.

It's hard to remember sometimes, when all you want is one glimmer of sunlight. Good luck appreciating it, I think you're off to a great start!