I`ve come home for a rest!

Lots of pictures but no knitting this time

We have just come back from a lovely weeks fell walking in the Lake District, had a great time but my legs are begging for mercy! It`s such a shame that we live so far away, but I guess it just makes us appreciate our time there all the more. Most years we stay in the cottage attached to my old bosses house up near Penrith, it was he who got us interested in fell walking about 18 years ago when we worked together. He has been fortunate enough to realise his dream, and on taking early retirement moved to the Lakes a few years back - luckily we have always kept in touch since I left the company when DD was born and so we have been able to rent their cottage (at rates for mates) many times since. And how is this for a view from the dining table?

It`s right on the northern edge of the Lakes, hence no Fells in the view, but only a few minutes drive and you are in the National Park.

Where we did lots of this (yes I`m the one in pink, panting along at the rear!)

To get some stunning views like this

We did take a little time out to visit the local towns, and I did get to look at a couple of yarn shops like this one in Penrith, where I had a lovely long chat with the owner (DH got bored and decided to take a photo of me while he was waiting!) but I didn`t actually buy anything.

And then whilst DH went off for the day with our friend and his dog, to do a round which included more miles and fells than I would necessarily choose to do in one go, DD and I decided to visit Eden Ostrich World. As well as ostriches they do have many other animals, and yes I know these aren`t ostriches....


I just thought they were gorgeous, and I couldn`t believe how hard and course their fleeces felt - I was expecting it to be softish, but each curl felt like it had been liberally coated with hairspray!
Part of the fun there is having a bag of food (50p - good business ploy that - get the public to pay for the priviledge of feeding the animals!) and watch the creatures stampede across the field once they realise they are in with a chance of food. It took DD a little while to pluck up courage to hand feed the sheep, but when she did she discovered what lovely soft velvety (if a little slobbery) mouths they have.

And finally, since it was Ostrich world, here is one of the big chaps - can`t say I`d want to get in the way of that beak!