2 days ago

2 evenings ago, my daughters fella, Gareth, came in and asked if I had seen a strange bird on the front street. Looking from a window I saw what looked to be a small white bird, I said it wasnt a native british bird, but went out to have a closer look at it. It was up on a drain pipe and was a canary, tweeting away cheerily. By then others had come outside to have a look at it. A lady called Emma said it was hers that had escaped, so Marie got a bird cage to try to entice it to come down with some bird seed, but no chance. Eventually Emma brought the birds mate and put it in the cage. After much ado the little canary flew down to look at her hubby, Marie put a blanket over her and got her into the cage. I was so relieved as last year my white cat Spot caught and ate someones put budgie. Thankfully I never found out who it belonged to. My starlings who nest every year had also come out to have a gander at what was going on. Dont know if they kill canaries but this time they missed out. Finches are beautiful little birds but I am not sure if I approve of them being captive, to me they should be free to fly as they please.

Pic of me.

For any of my readers who ever wondered just what I look like, well, here I am in glorious technicolour!!!! The pic was taken on Midgely Moor last november at the trig point. The second photo is of a standing stone somewhere nearby.

Spring

Well, for me, spring began during the last week of January this year, rather than the traditional Celtic Feb 2nd. What brought me to this conclusion? The air smelled different, but dont ask me just how, it just did. A fuchsia in my backyard which I had thought dead suddenly sprouted a new shoot and buds, however, once we got a sudden sharp frost the second week in Feb it killed it off again. Just hope it recovers.

The plum trees at the bottom of the Slug Path came into bloom the third week in Feb instead of mid march, and a nearby hawthorn tree now has all its leaves on. My daffs are now beginning to get past their best but the bluebells are getting bigger by the day. Quite a few of my summer bedding our plants have never died back during the winter, neither has my spearmint.

Some forecasters say we will be having yet another hot summer, lets hope their predictions are correct. Am looking foreward to poking round for arrow heads in reservoir bottoms if there is a drought. Went to an exhibition at Huddersfield museum on tuesday, it showed ancient artefacts found in Widdop reservoir which I went on a hike to last october. I have a stone axe head which I found in the 1960's, only trouble is I've now forgot just where I found it!!! lol.

Extwistle Hall

 

I recently told Angela the tale of Squire Parker of Extwistle Hall, and of how he went out shooting, got soaking wet, left his coat to dry before the fire forgetting about the gunpowder in his pocket. In consequence, he blew himself up, 2 of his daughters, and a child as well. The Parker family departed Extwistle Hall after that incident and it began to decay. Part of the hall was inhabited until 1985 so I am told. I remember as a school kid in the mid 60's on one of my rambles going past the hall and stopping to look at the architecture. An old woman, actually she was probably in her early 50's, came out and shouted at me for snooping at her home. As she was brandishing a broom, I did not dare argue with her and beat a hasty retreat further up the road and thence on to Briercliffe. The last time I went past the house would be in 1968, this time the old woman, as I called her, was in a field opposite to the Hall, she was gathering thistle heads, which I thought a bit odd. Since then I have found out that thistle heads are used for cattle fodder. This time she didnt shout at me, just silently watched me until I faded into the distance. For some reason that image of her standing as I became smaller up the farm track has always stayed with me. Who was she? A tenant farmer yes, but who else was she? Maybe some person out there has knowledge of her.

 

Anyway, to get back to the story. Angela expressed curiousness about the Hall and suggested we had a walk there oneday. I somehow got the feeling I would not be able to lounge around on sunday, so had a double helping of mueslli. Sure enough, the little love arrived and said " lets got for a walk mummy". Prepared a quick flask of tea, she bought the butties, then off we went. Quickly down to the town cente, up onto the canal bank then off to Heasandford. Could see the old street where we used to live and our old house quite clearly, looked absolutely awful. To think how a once lovely street could become such a scruffy one in about 15 years. The only folk to blame for this are the landlords who bought property cheap when old folk died, then rented them off to rubbish people. By this I mean drug addicts, alcoholics, prossies, and other dregs of society as we know it. The asians who lived on the street when we lived there were the oneswho had the poshest houses. We all got on so well together, went to each others weddings, christenings etc, gave gifts at christmas and eid. Now I reckon all is left is very little of the old way it was.

Feeling rather despondent we marched along, to the end of the straight mile of the canal, through Thompsons Park, , under the road bridge, then onto Heasandford. Its amazing how the place looks in winter compared to the summer. In the latter its one sea of weeds, like a jungle almost. In the former, one can see between hedgerows, underneath fences. On along the track we were encounted by 2 great big dogs, I thought we were going to be bitten but they were quite friendly, just got mud on my clothes from where they jumped up. We turned left up towards Netherfield farm, through their stables, then up a track marked on the OS map. It is not a track as such, just a way across a field. And, what a boggy route it was, squelch squelch squelch. I had proper footgear on, Angie was in trainers. Halfway along the route I could hear, Mum. I am going to get trenchfoot!!! The poor girl wasnt used to sheep and thought they might attack her!!! God, I must have brought her up all wrong!!! I demonstrated how to shoo sheep away then she was ok.

At the foot of the hill we walked through a copse and were then in sight of Extwistle Hall. My God, how it had deteriorated from my last sighting of the building. All but one of the huge chimneys had gone, all the windows and doors were boarded up, all the roof on one wing was open to the elements. It was sad to see a builiding of such archictectural splendour reduced to almost rubble.

We ate our lunch on a slab of stone where the Burnley way crosses the farm track. For the time of year it was so mild, we didnt even need our gloves on. From there we made it to the main road and decided to go the Worsthorne instead of Briercliffe. At Roggerham we decided to go into the Roggerham Gate Inn for a coffeee and a toilet stop. At the door they had a hedgehog foot scraper, to get all the mud off out boots. After our coffee we set off for Worsthone, only to find out when we got there we had missed the bus by 5 mins and would have another hour to wait. So, once again we traversed on, another 4 miles added onto he walk.

Once in Fulledge we encountered the empty site where the school all my kids used to go to was. How anyone could sanction the demolition of such a wonderful place I willl never know. Feeling heavy in heart we returned to our house. At the canal bridge a skein of geese was passing over, about 100 in total, possibly travelling over to Martin Mere.

Last sunday

Met Paul at 10, parked the car on Gorple Road. It was already quite windy, so much so, that I decided to put a wooly hat on. So, we set off, fine but very windy, about a mile along the track we came up with a bench dedicated to a William Joyce and his wife. Could it be the same Mr and Mrs Joyce who taught me at  Towneley High School? Both of them were quite batty, so it may be them. What a bloody place to put a bench though, though I do admit it gives one a place to park ones bums. It was a gloomy day from the start, somewhere on the horizon we could see light, but not near where we were, So, we ventured on, got to the Yorkshire border fence, then realised we should have turned off a while back, my fault. Anyway, we turned off in the region we should have originally gone, ended up at the Hare Stones. They are a fantastic crop of mill stone grit stones that mark the boundary between Lancashire and the west riding of Yorkshire. was time for a stop for a break, had a banana and a wee sup of tea, then off again. We tried in vain to find the stone cairn circle at Cant Clough, was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, the grass was up to my chest.

 

So, we journeyed forth unto Widdop reservoir, whereupon we encountered thick fog over the water. All the birds now seem to have departed, apart from a few field pippits and a few wagtails. At Widdop there were hawks, but as they were in profile agianst the sky I cannot say what kind of birds they were. Once there we branched left onto the Burnley way, until it joined with the main road from Colne to Hebden.

All along the way I was so surprised to see new tufts of grass, new flowers blooming, same as in my front garden, fuschia bush sending up new shoots. Plenty of fungi growing though am not too sure on a lot of it.

 

Saw a spirit of a lady at Widdop. I do not usually see spirits, but this one was genuine. She could only be seen out of the corner of my eye, think she was as curious about me as I was about her. At Swindon reservoir was in time to see a migrating flock of gulls land there,

Anyway, got back to Worsthorne by the way we had done a couple of weeks ago, it had been yet another good days walk. Pity we didnt find the stone circle though.

Worsthorne Walk

We all met on Gorple Road at 10 am, 8 of us showed up. It was a very misty start to the day, when I got up Pendle Hill wasnt in site, hidden behind a think bank of fog. However, as the morning progressed, the sun came out and it was quite warm as there was no wind.

The first site we went to was on Hambleden Pasture, near the top of Gorple Road.Here there are 2 sites, a tumulus and a stone circle. We came across a lovely little frog hopping around amongst the stones, tried to get a pic of him but he was a shy chappy. From there we journeyed downhill to Ringstones, a supposedly Romano British fort. The first time we went to look for this one we couldnt find it, possibly cos the grass was too long to see anything. When you get there, it is actually quite well defined, and on a very large scale. There is more info on this place in Bennett's History of Burnley. ( No relation to me, I am a Suthers).

I had begun this mornings walk in a lot of pain from an acute ingrowing toenail, however, the painkillers set in and I was ok so long as I didnt kick a stone in the grass. When I did, I had to strictly modify my language!!!! I did blaspheme though!!!!

After Beagle Hill, Bonfire Hill, and Pike Law, we eventually got to Ells Clough where there is an earthwork and a stone ring cairn. Then onto Delph Hill, my favourite site. By then it had begun drizzling, so we all rapidly got into waterproofs. It soon fined up however. Coming back we were amazed by the amount of ponies and horses that seem to roam wild over this area, noticed one mare who was heavily pregnant with her foal from last year and another baby from this year. How many times a year do horses breed? Would be glad of some input from this from anyone in the know. Not many magic mushrooms around. maybe they are late this year? Saw harebells growing in the same place as last time we were up there. Also a Canadian Goose flew over in the afternoon and landed on a pylon about half an hour after we had seen a skein of them fly over. Maybe the others were migratory and this one was staying. Skylarks are still rife up on the moors as well as meadow pippits, so are a few swallows. Cant be long though until they all go south.

Anyway, I digress, after we went back to Hambledon Pasture and to the stone circle on Slipper Hill, of which nothing much remains, but you can still get the feeling of the site. Will have to look up on old maps what used to be on that site cos to me it looks like there may have been an old dam there at one time.

Several folk had to make there way back home then, so we said our goodbyes, then 4 of us went on to Burwains which is in Briercliffe cl;ose to Thursden Valley. It is thought that this is a place where people would converge in the past as it was a burial site and a supposed place for rituals. Whoever discovered this site either had a very fertile imagination, or saw it in winter, cos at this time of the year when the grass is long, its very hard to distinguish landforms.It does cover a very large area, but I think with constant mowing of the land over the centuries, that the site isnt as obvious as it once was. Mores a pity in a way. If this was my ancestors grave yard, then just where did my ancestors live? Where are the remains of their houses, farms, their rubbish tips? They must be someplace locally. Will we ever know?

 

Sunday

Yesterday I went on a ramble over the moors from Worsthorne. We went out in search of stone circles, cairns, henges and such. Even though I have walked over that way plenty of times in the past, I had never bothered searching for the neolithis and bronze age sites before. We didnt find all that were marked on the map, but 2 of the sites were very special. The last one was a perfect stone circle on Delf Hill, 7 stones in all, one looked to have a small face carved onto it. There was such a good atmosphere to the place, very peaceful we both thought.

On the way there we disturbed a hare, which bounded away from us as we approached it, and coming back we saw another one in a different place. Its very rare to see them near where I live so I felt quite pleased about it. One large field was full of cattle, some lovely little calves standing close to their mums, they had such bonny faces, the bulls actually took no notice of us, must be a tame breed. There were also about 6 horses, 2 fell ponies came up to be petted, a brown pony had a foal with her, it kept galloping about.

No mushrooms about yet on the moors, but one spot was full of harebells growing. Near Hellclough it looked like a snowstorm in progress, the clocks off thistles blowing everywhere.

It was a very warm day, didnt need a cardi, even though it was quite dull.