Mawdesley to Harrock Hill

Sunday and we were off to Mawdesley; weather wasn't good but "a little rain doesn't hurt anyone!".

With black clouds skittering across a "Fisherman's Jacket" sky, we set off towards Harrock Hill, with a bitter wind at our back. I did comment that at sometime we would have to turn back into the wind and face the wintery blast; we did and it wasn't nice at all.

Squashed frogs, primroses, celandines (A perennial Eurasian herb (Chelidonium majus) having deeply divided leaves, showy yellow flowers, and yellow-orange latex. Also called swallowwort) etc. pulled our wattery eyes to ditches and roads alike. Squashed frogs carrying spawn leave a very black, elderberry like, stain on roads. The blackthorn/sloe blossom was impressive (not May blossom; I always get them mixed up)

We made our way up Harrock Hill, a gentle slope at first, with views across Lancashire opening up as we acended; I took four pictures, when we rested near the top (on a well placed bench), and used autostitch to produce the following image.

The M6 and Camelot on the right, Preston in the centre and Southport on the left; in the distance the mountains of the lakes could just be seen (in the sunny spells. Continuing our walk we retraced our steps, of some months ago, as we neared the remains of the mill at the summit. Wouldn't it be a good place for a wind turbine in modern times? My cheeks suggested it would be ideal.

We left the mill and decended back towards Mawdesley; we were accosted by an inquisitive native, being taken for a walk by her dog; apparently the dog wouldn't move until we had caught up and told her where we were going. "Careless words, cost lives!" so I tried to keep everything quiet but, Chris was happy to tell all! We returned to the carpark via the millennium park, Mawdesleys offering to the 2000's.

To keep the youth of Mawdesley in control, the officials placed a reminder of what may happen to them, if they put a foot out of line. It worked, there wasn't a child to be seen anywhere! Come to that, nobody was around in Mawdesley during daylight...

Blogged with Flock

Using Flock

I'm trying out a different browser that allows me to blog directly to Maghull Meanders; if you can read this it has worked!

I should be able to drag images from the 'built-in' image bar (linked to my flickr account) such as the 'auto stitch' I produced today...

That was so much easier than the usual way I've been writing blogs. If, as I've said already, you can see this then take my word for it Flock may be the way to go!

technorati tags:Flock, Autostitch, Harrock Hill, Lancashire

Blogged with Flock

Where does time go??

It seems as if Chris isn't having much joy in uploading the images I've put on Flickr! having lost her text, at least twice, she has abandoned the blog in preference for Dum Aloo (Potatoe Curry); Today we went on our first walk for some time; Ruff Wood to Lathom and back to Ruff Wood. I had to take the picture of the 'Black Sheep' as it was unusual for them to be in the majority! They would go just as well with mint sauce as their fellow white sheep!
The day was 'fresh' and neither of us was looking forward to the second half of the walk when we would be walking into the 'stiff breeze'.
By the way Ben, Chris was wearing a very smart rucksack that apparently was a present from the USA! :-)
It is always surprising to see how close places are when you walk across country. Sorry I wittering! Ruff wood was full of white dogs exercising their owners and, although heard, a woodpecker avoided observation as it drummed out its beat on one of many fallen trees.
Crossing the main Ormskirk/Skelmersdale Road we headed across country past the afore mentioned sheep and joined paths we had walked before when walking the Burscough- Lathom-Burscough loop. We passed 'Ratty' just past the Lathom Hall' Chapel; Chris thought he was tired and just taking a power nap!
The second half of the walk was as expected; a cold wind into the face. We were greeted, near one farm, by a 'Tara' look-a-like who was as soft as... I was in danger of being licked to death! Soon it was back across the Skelmersdale-Ormskirk Road and up past St James' Church; it was just before we got to the church that, just before we crossed a stream, we saw the first primrose of the Year - and then some more.
The walk was coming to an end, walking past some large houses we both liked the look of the Half Timbered house pictured here. Note the 'white sheep'. Lynn, if you read this before I speak to Dad, tell him the walking stick behaved very well!
A quick stop in Ormskirk, M & S and the Veg stall on the market and it was back home for M & S soup and Rugby on the TV. Ireland managed the Triple Crown (beating Scotland by 1 point) and Italy beat Wales (by three points) who have yet to win anything! England France tomorrow... time will tell but I'm not expecting a win.