
River running!!!
So another day in the Dales, the weather is so changeable we don’t know if we are going to get soaked by the unpredictable showers or blown away by the occasional severe gusts of wind!! but we are from Yorkshire…….so we are tough…….or so we think!
The main thing is we have to walk for our health and hearts sake, my heart is so uplifted by the stunningly raw and rugged beauty of this lovely area we live in, it is wonderful to get away from the sound of traffic and phones and listen to the quiet of the expansive sky, birds calling and bleats of the sheep, the sound of the river produces negative Ions which make me feel positive and refreshed.
Mostly when we walk, remember my sibling and I, we very rarely come across any other people, well only the odd farmer (some are very odd!) but this last weekend there were teenagers!!!!!, yep teenagers, walking up the lane into them thar hills, several groups of them, we did ask them very kindly if they knew where they were going, they did have maps and proper walking boots and heavy looking rucksacks but they seemed quite perplexed as to where they were!!! It turns out they are very intrepid youngsters doing their Duke of Edinborough award, good for them, we pointed them in the right direction and left them to it, wonderful to see teenagers enjoying (braving) the elements of the Dales.

Bunkhouse barn
We did wonder if they were going to be camping out in open or maybe using one of the many old stone barns that are so typical of this region, I know that I would rather share my bunk with a few sheep or cattle than be out in this cold and wet weather, it’s very Wuthering Heights up on the moors invoking images of Cathy and Heathcliffe!!!
However speaking of sheep……..we were…….keep up,……walking through one field some very brave sheep tried to out-stare me and even went as far as to stamp it’s foot at me, you understand there was not a lamb in sight, so it was just a cross sheep. The one thing , of course it did not know,…. I am queen of stamping my foot!!!, when I want something and I want it now!!!!, also you may be surprised to know, I am a mother!, hey I know what it is like to have a child stamp their foot, needless to say the poor sheep was completely ignored!!!!. We did not harm any sheep in this walk!! It is so heart warming to see the many lambs frolicking about in the fields, some are older now and more adventurous wandering further away from their mothers and forming little gangs of fleeciness, of course there are some people. naming no names, who can spoil things by mentioning certain types of dishes to be put on the dinner table, I’ll do a “Scarlet O’Hara” and think of that tomorrow!!!!

Behind bars lambs!!
Four miles later and we are on our way home, very windswept and slightly damp having been caught in one of those pesky April showers and put the world to rights yet again, we marveled at how the daffodils have been so glorious this year, they seem to have been more prolific and plentiful, so bright and amazingly so many different varieties.

Daffodils in stark landscape.
With all this walking three or four times a week, weather permitting, you would think that I would lose some weight, no such luck!!!! I enjoy my food and the occasional(!!) glass of wine too much, so with that thought in mind, I will bring you some of my favorite drinks and food recipes for you to enjoy or try, haven’t forgotten also, to let you know about our summer project, but tomorrow have to go and earn some money at my regular job!!
Take care peeps,
Ruby.