Water and Sky

Today has been wonderful, a very chilly early spring day full of sunshine and cold, still air. The daffodils in my neighbourhood have only just opened their petals, it's still remarkably cold here in Yorkshire and this morning we woke to a frosty landscape.

I enjoy my school run on days like this, enjoy the pleasure of being able to walk along the water's edge, dipping in and out of sunshine and shadow, feeling rather blissed out by the pure blue colour of the sky.

The stillness of the air makes the canal water so mesmerising, I can't help but stand and stare at it, drinking in it's very stillness and the wonder of reflections. The ducks bring me out of my daydream, swimming over to me and sending ripples across the surface of the water.

Today was certainly a day for being by water. J was home from work, Little B home from nursery, so despite the chill we decided to go on a little outing. Little B is just recovering from a weekend of sickness and his energy levels were a little bit lower than usual, so we chose somewhere for a gentle stroll.

This is Swinsty Reservoir, somewhere in the midst of deep countryside between the Yorkshire towns of Ilkley and Harrogate. It was the first time we've been here, although we have glimpsed it often from the main road up on the hill above.

The water was really hugely big! Compared to the little local reservoir that we usually walk round, this expanse of water felt ginormous. There were even little waves lapping in at the shore, and for a few very brief moments I felt as if I might possibly be beside the sea.

No seagulls though, but plenty of ducks. After a short stroll, Little B was wilting so we found a wooden picnic table in the sunshine and sat down for a rest. Fresh hot coffee from my favourite Contigo, and some little foil wrapped chocolate Easter eggs.

J had his heart set on a pub lunch, a bit of a treat to enjoy on his day off. Normally we are a family of modest picnickers, so pub lunches do feel quite extravagant. A nice treat though, especially when the pub in question is so good. That's where we went look, that building teetering on the edge of the hillside in the photo above. This is high up on Ilkley Moor at the Cow and Calf rocks.

After a lovely lunch in the warm and cosy pub, we went for a little bit of a wander on the moor. We took in the expanse of sky and enjoyed being buffeted by the rather brisk wind that was whipping around the rocks.

These rocks are sooooooo huge! Look at this picture of Little B running and you can get the scale of them. It makes me want to hug them and run away from them all at once.

The views from up here are tremendous, it's a very high-up place indeed. I am SO glad I live where there are hills. I absolutely love love love to be up high and take in a view, one of the reasons we moved here from the Vale of York (which is flat as a pancake with zero hills)

It was a good day, a day of still waters and beautiful skies. And now I can't stop singing "On Ilkley Moor Baht 'at" over and over, and wishing very, very much that I wasn't. Go away, silly song, you may leave my brain now, Thank you.

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ps for those of you who don't know this famous Yorkshire anthem, there is an explanation here, and some vocals here. Darn it.

 

♥...more little snippets from the Attic...♥

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Comments

[Jennifer Crewe]

Oh Lucy, thanks for sharing. Way over here in Western Australia your post has bought tears to my mind remembering Ilkley Moor. Such beautiful photographs of the daffodils and canal side. I miss that type of beauty here where the summer is seeming never ending and everything is so dry. Also when I was a young girl we used to drive over Ilkley Moor with us kids and dad singing"on Ilkely Moor barh t'at" loved when the worms will cum and eat thae up" . I can't write the accent nor speak it but sure can hear it my head. Now I am homesick for my dear Harrogate and surrounds.

[Winwick Mum]

We enjoyed rocks and wild wind this weekend too, although we were in Derbyshire. "Ilkley Moor" is such a strange song complete with snakes and other weird stuff. A song that gets stuck in your head is a called an "earworm" so that probably fits quite nicely :-) xx

[Carolien]

When I tried to sound it out I realized "Ilkley Moor" was sung by Tristan and his friends in "All creatures great and small". I never knew what it was or meant!!

[One-oh-four]

"llkley Moor" always morphs into "Uncle Tom Cobbley and all" in our house - wrong moor, wrong county.....I don't know why! Looked like a lovely spot for a day out; I stared at my computer screen all day :( Hope Little B is feeling better after all that fresh air xx

[Sue kerkin]

you have made me homesick again:) How I love the moors of Lancashire and Yorkshire... nothing beats them. We are sweltering here in Brisbane, I don't think this heat and humidity is ever going to end. Sue K xxx

[Kathy, FRANCE]

What a lovely place! nice to blow the cobwebs away and a lovely pub lunch to boot!! little B looks like a real boy (not in the pinocchio way lol) now - not a toddler anymore!! a bit of sunshine and flowers makes all the difference doesn't it??

[Jude.x]

Darn it indeed - now I have "ear worm"..... And I didn't dare click on your link.... Off to play something else at a very loud volume to try and drown out Ilkley! :-) Looks like you had a wonderful day though - it has been glorious hasn't it? Jude.x

[CJ]

What a lovely day out, and what a treat to have your littlest boy to yourselves. I bet he loved being the only one there.

[Joanne Roberts]

We love to get out and about. That looks a great leg stretch. Jo x

[Jen in Tennessee]

I love the vocals link you gave... Unexpected but so fun! *Sigh* I'd really love to go back to school just to study England, Ireland & Scotland, and all the awesomeness found within!

[jo]

You reminded me of all the bus trips i went on as a young lass. Ilkley moor b'tat was one of the bus sing songs we did along with ten green bottles and the quartermaster store. Such fun. Thanks for sharing.

[Paula Castro]

It's funny: "Contigo" means "with you" in Portuguese ;)

[Clare]

Nothing worse than a ear worm, the views look amazing, I love the blue of the sky this time of year, it was frosty down here this morning to, but soon warmed up spent the afternoon sowing some sweetpea seeds ready for summer.
Clare x

[Hannah@HomeBaked]

Such cruelty to put that song in my head! *pierces own ear drums to escape torture*

[Helen]

What a lovely day! I was a at uni in Bradford and know Ilkley fairly well, for one of my housemates' birthdays we blindfolded him and walked to the top of the Cow and Calf, he was fairly shocked at the top!
How nice to see all that sun shine today too
http://ahandfulofhope.blogspot.co.uk/

[Angela-Southern USA]

Oh, such a lovely site, thanks for sharing Lucy. I too could not be without hills and mountains long, being raised near them I'm homesick when none are in site. We've been fortunate this spring without the vast fluctuations of temps for the daffodils to last a very long time, which I'm extremely glad, since they are my favorite, in a very long list of flowers I love. lol Hope it's a very sunny week for you, and hope L.B. is all better soon.xx

[Karen@Mix•Ture43]

Lucy, as a Yorkshire lass myself, Harrogate, I am well accustomed to the Ilkley Moor.... song and now I can't get it out of my head too!! ""Where hast tha' bin since I saw thee..." oh lovely lovely. Beautiful day here too in Cumbria (we moved for the fells) and such a glorious light. Enjoyed your day as much as my own. Thanks for sharing. Karen. xx

[jeannette]

my father was taught to sing "on ilkley moor" by a bunch of expats hanging out and drinking at the quinta bates in arequipa, peru, in the 1930s, and sang it everywhere for the rest of his life. thanks for the memory!