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    Nice.

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      I’ve got some pictures of my own to upload when I’ve got a few minutes.

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        Lovely day in the North East, sunny, 11c, no wind, dry = perfect conditions for a wee walk in the countryside. Went to Cragside estate this afternoon, on my tod (well, with my girl, last pic), their Gun Walk is sublime (not something that’s obvious in my pics mind…).




















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          Nice photos, PF

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            They are stunning. For some reason never associated NE England with such landscapes.

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              Originally posted by Lang Spoon View Post
              They are stunning. For some reason never associated NE England with such landscapes.
              This. For both parts. Great stuff and hope you had a nice walk.

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                Yeah lovely pics, lovely dog, lovely walk.

                What's the stately home?

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                  Nice stuff PF - prompted me to google map Cragside, hadn’t realised it was not far to the east of Harwood forest and Elsdon, which I’ve visited a few times whilst out watching car rallies.

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                    Thanks everyone, you are wayyyyyyyy too kind with my photos which are a bit dull, but let’s call them “moody” it’s more arty than dull (that said, I wrote that yesterday was sunny which is true but when I got there at about 2pm, the sun had mostly gone, still a lovely day). I always have lovely walks anyway in that part of Northumberland, it would be impossible not to, it’s full of stunning views.

                    Lang, that part of the North East is hilly and beautiful, not as gorgeous as the Lake District or even the Peak District but wilder and far less busy (20 million visitors+ a year in the Lakes, I love going there but it’s so busy).

                    Sits, the stately home is Cragside, on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, I raved about Cragside estate in this post, it’s an exceptional place, really is.

                    Cragside was created from scratch (I think) by the controversial Lord William Armstrong, one of the main North East players of the Second Industrial Revolution. He also created one of the most gorgeous city parks in Europe arguably, the spectacular Jesmond Dene in Newcastle.

                    Cragside now belongs to the National Trust. The house was the 1st in the world to be lit using hydroelectric power. I’m no expert but it’s a bit like Chatsworth in the Peak District, it works from a supply of water high up the estate (about a mile away as the crow flies in the case of Cragside), a small stream, there’s a path that follow it down via the flume and then the stream, it feeds two lakes – needless to say, it’s a lovely walk, pic of the Flume Walk in my post above.

                    The stunning house is set in a 1,000-acre wooded estate, plenty of superb highly manicured gardens too (lots of gardeners and NT volunteers), great lakes, ponds, streams, little waterfalls, stunning views, fabulous gardens – formal gardens, rock gardens, rhododendron labyrinth, pinetum and so on, trim trails etc. 40 miles of paths, most probably one of the most stunning estates of that kind in Europe, if not the most. The whole thing is an absolute gem, it’s unique I think.

                    Their main café overlooks a lovely lake and they do a mean leek & potato soup in the autumn/winter, my girl loves it, I ordered one for myself and one for her yesterday.
                    Last edited by Pérou Flaquettes; 16-11-2018, 14:22.

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                      Originally posted by Third rate Leszno View Post
                      Nice stuff PF - prompted me to google map Cragside, hadn’t realised it was not far to the east of Harwood forest and Elsdon, which I’ve visited a few times whilst out watching car rallies.
                      Tiny Elsdon has a lovely pub if you're ever back in that area, the Bird in Bush, it’s gone through a terrible time for many years (it’s so isolated, they couldn’t get the customers, never mind the staff) and it was vacant for a while until a great couple took over last year. They totally refurbished and it’s now lovely, great food – I actually know the new French chef there, they head-hunted him from a good pub-restaurant on the Northumberland coast, they've done well (some birds are on the menu in season but don’t worry people, no ortolans). Many of these lovely traditional pubs in the Northumberland National Park have gone a Burton as it’s sparsely inhabited and nowhere near as touristic and vibrant as the Lake District for instance (old population too) so it’s great to see one like The Bird being rescued in such great fashion from almost certain demise. Go there next time you’re in the area, Cragside is a heck of a place (but too dear IMO if you’re not an NT member, £20 for House & estate).

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                        Cragside and area added to "the list"

                        I've never done the Northeast properly at all.

                        PF, you've been to Neuschwanstein, yes? The fact that a number of British critics have compared the architecture of Cragside (as opposed to its site) to Ludwig's folly baffles me. There is even one description of the frontage as being "Wagnerian".
                        Last edited by ursus arctos; 16-11-2018, 14:49.

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                          Thanks PF great post, didn't realise it was the hydroelectric house.

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                            Beautiful winter weather on Sunday in Moncton:

                            Winter landscape at Magnetic Hill Zoo by John Van Laer, on Flickr

                            Petitcodiac River in Moncton by John Van Laer, on Flickr

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                              Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                              Cragside and area added to "the list"

                              I've never done the Northeast properly at all.

                              PF, you've been to Neuschwanstein, yes? The fact that a number of British critics have compared the architecture of Cragside (as opposed to its site) to Ludwig's folly baffles me. There is even one description of the frontage as being "Wagnerian".

                              Jesus it seems pretty overdone but very English, like an early attempt at Essex mock-Tudor. Nowt Bavarian looking at all. The landscape does seem very central european but.
                              Last edited by Lang Spoon; 19-11-2018, 20:55.

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                                From the opposite side of Canada to JVL, Boundary Bay this morning with Mt Baker in the background.


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                                  Love that Amor - would be easy to think "it's a bit faint" and tweak it, but it's all the better for being pale and subtle (if that's the right word).

                                  Nice wintry shots from JvL too - doubt we'll get anything like that over here this year.

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                                    Thanks TRL. Yeah, that kind of light quality is typical for this area. Tony Onley was a local artist (originally from the Isle of Man) who's reputation was based on capturing similar scenes:

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                                      Lovely

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                                        Calm waters in Lunenburg harbour this morning...

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                                          On Chesterman Beach:



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                                            Partial eclipse of the Wolf Moon last night.


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                                              Wow! Nice shot.

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                                                Thanks. It's not too horrible given that it's hand-held. By the time I'd set up tripod I feared the shadowing would be gone. It's nice to see the moon as a pebble rather than a saucer.

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                                                  Very nice, Amor.

                                                  I must get round to posting some more of my mundanities on here, not that I’ve got anything presentable recently but I’ve backed up all my digital images onto one drive, so I should be able to sift something out of that lot.

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                                                    When people look at the moon, what do they see in the shadows? I see a rabbit. Interestingly, so did Shakespeare - Caliban refers to it in the tempest. It pleases me to think I am looking at the moon and seeing the same thing as Shakespeare. It worries me that he awarded this perception to a slobbering, deviant, semi-human monstrosity.

                                                    EDIT - I misremembered. Caliban doesn't mention a rabbit. He sees a dog in the moon:

                                                    Caliban. Hast thou not dropp'd from heaven?

                                                    Stephano. Out o' the moon, I do assure thee: I was the man i'
                                                    the moon when time was.

                                                    Caliban. I have seen thee in her and I do adore thee:
                                                    My mistress show'd me thee and thy dog and thy bush.

                                                    That's a relief. I'm not a slobbering, deviant, semi-human monstrosity. Or at least, not shown to be such by Rorscharch moon reading.
                                                    Last edited by Lurgee; 21-01-2019, 22:37.

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