The Wolf House and Gibraltar Farm

The weekend just gone was a Bank Holiday weekend and luckily Caroline was off work and able to bring Charlie up to Bay View.  Unfortunately Trev was working and unable to join us.  So it was the four of us plus two dogs.

An early evening walk down by the salt marshes and Charlie showed off his prowess at star jumping off the rocks.  I love catching these action shots.

The evening light once again was magical.

Evening meal on site.  Muffin looks on ever hopeful that a morsel might come his way.

Monday we drove over to Bay View’s sister site, Holgates at Silverdale.  After lunch Caroline and Charlie had fun on the swings.

Caroline was driving and on the way back from Silverdale she took a wrong turning but we are so glad she did because we discovered the The Wolf House Gallery.  And what a little gem of a find. I had seen signs for art galleries etc. in this neck of the woods on previous trips and knew that we’d check them out one day. I wish we’d checked them out sooner.   It was too late to explore properly but the day after Caroline, Charlie and I went back.

Delightful, pretty, picturesque 17th century farm buildings.

This is the ceramics gallery, full of different interesting bits and pieces with all of the ceramics made on the premises.

There’s a restaurant/cafe and we can vouch for the coffee and cakes! 

They were homemade and very good!

Dog friendly too.  There’s a play area for children so Charlie was also happy.

This gallery is open six days of the week.  Typically closing day was Tuesday which of course was the day we chose to visit.  Never mind, we’ll just have to go back again and take a look!

A cock stride away from The Wolf House brings you to Gibraltar Farm campsite.

What a spot for a campsite!  Practically perfect we thought.

Close to nature.  The smells from the working farm reminded you of that.  In a good way.

Pretty as a picture at every turn.  Not surprising though as this is a designated Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

How cute is this little vintage caravan?  In the 60s my aunty and uncle had a little tourer very much like this one.  I holidayed with them a time or two and my lovely cousin, Sylvia, and I had the best time every time!

That’ll be Grange Over Sands in the distance across the estuary and the Lake District is over there too.  Aren’t those dry stone walls lovely?

Leafy country lanes to wander along.  That’s Charlie and Caroline up there.  You wouldn’t think cars could get through there but they can and they do!

I’d love to see the garden behind this door.

A farm with a sea view.  Gibraltar Farm to be exact.

And to finish off a row of quaint little cottages.

I can see lots more visits to The Wolf House in my future.

Until next time,

Bay View and Bertha

The first week in August William and I drove up to Bay View intending to stay for at least a week and longer if the fancy took us.

We were thankful for the August sunshine and warmth and made the most of being outdoors.  Come evening time as shadows stretch themselves out across the campsite we are able to watch splendid sunsets from our new pitch. 

A sunset to me is definitely one of life’s Simple Pleasures.  Living at the bottom of a hill as we do we only get to see a partial sunset so being able to sit and behold a vast expanse of sky and watch the sunset is one of my favourite things to do at Bay View.  And on a cloudless night to look up and see the stars.  Words just fail me.  I can’t begin to explain the beauty I see in a moonlit starry night sky!

William, no surprise, found some caravan maintenance to keep him occupied.  I found my Kindle…

…and crochet to keep me occupied while I enjoyed the sunshine.

A visit to Beetham Nurseries is a must and always a pleasure.  I don’t think we’ll ever tire of walking round this garden centre.  There is always an array of gorgeous plants, flowers, trees and colour to feast our eyes on.  We love it.

Midweek Victoria, Gary and the boys came up to stay with us for a few days.  Happily the sun continued to shine and they were able to enjoy the camping life and freedom of the campsite to the full.

And when the boys weren’t off somewhere on their scooters their daddy was!

The good weather meant we were able to have a barbecue.  There was a little breeze hence the windbreak.

Barbecuing is a man thing for sure!

Happy campers.

We celebrated George’s 11th birthday during their visit.  He starts high school next week!  Those winds of change are at it again.  Blowing at gale force speed this time!

At the end of the week it was time for Victoria and her crew to leave for home.  I know they had had a good time and went home full of enthusiasm for the caravanning life.  As they left our good friends, John and Lesley, came up to visit. We had a lovely long afternoon with them visiting Sizergh Castle.  Shame on me, I have no pictures of them to share but in my defence I’d been struggling with a sore ankle and unable to run around with a camera like I would normally. 

And so I come to Bertha.  Bertha, as in Hurricane Bertha.  Her tail end hit the UK and especially our bit of the UK.  The winds were horrendous!  Heaven help those poor unfortunate souls who bore the full brunt of Bertha!  To say I slept very little the night Bertha popped in is an understatement.  We could feel the sides of the caravan being thumped and buffetted by the strength of the wind and the noise!  Awnings, like tents, make an awful racket in windy conditions.  Anyway the morning after there was a hole in the awning and William and I made the decision to take it down before it fell down causing more damage.  Therefore our break at Bay View ended rather sooner than we fancied it would.  Heavy rain and more high winds were forecast so we packed up and came home.  Apart from Bertha’s visit though we’d had a lovely time!

Before we set off for home proper we stopped at Bay View Potting Shed for a light lunch.  This is the view from the cafe.  The field above should not have any water in it.  There’s a narrow road just beyond it and it too was flooded.  You can’t make them out in the picture but there was a group of about four children at the far side of the field having a great time splashing about in the water!  Oh to be young!

Despite the weather it had been a good week and plenty of happy memories were made.

Until next time,

A Look Back Over June and July

Weather wise June and July were very good months.  I know I spent lots of time outside enjoying glorious sunshine.

In June World Cup fever took hold for a while.  William raised the England flag in the garden in support of our national football team.  Until they were knocked out that is.  Then sadly the flag came down.  Charlie was there to help and gave it a twirl or two.

A walk through Ealees with Caroline is always a pleasure but sunshine can double the pleasure for sure.  

Summer sunshine equals water fun and paddling pools in the garden.

A break from the water and Gary cuts George’s fingernails for  him. 

A drink of hot chocolate always goes down well.  It puts life back into chilled hands and feet.  Yep, even on a sunny day!

Looks like Charlie’s was a little too hot!

At the very end of June we had a fun weekend in the caravan with Caroline and Charlie.  Here we’re enjoying a drink outside the bar on the caravan site.

A leisurely stroll down by the salt marshes brings us to Bay View Garden Centre which is now under new management and much improved.   It almost has the feel of a cottage garden now.  Very nice!

An early evening walk down that same path ..

.. and the light was stunning.  Very pretty!

 

NOW INTO JULY

Of course, the sun didn’t shine everyday and the one day when it would’ve been really welcome was George and Nicholas’s school Sports Day.

Instead it was an umbrella day.  Last year I needed my umbrella to shelter from the sun’s rays.  Not this year. It was a very cold, wet and dreary day.   The kids didn’t seem to notice.  They all just got on with the races and had fun regardless.  Eventually though rain stopped play and the remaining races were abandoned.

On the 5th my lovely cousin and one of my favourite people, Sylvia, had one of those big birthdays with a zero on the end and celebrated with a ceilidh for family and friends.  It was so much fun!  It seemed like everybody there got up and danced their hearts out.  Not one of us was expert at this kind of dance but it didn’t matter one little bit.  It was plain and simple, honest to goodness fun all night!

Le Tour de France fever took over our neck of the woods in a big way!  The race hurtled its way over Blackstone Edge, just up the road from us.  Yellow bikes and bunting were everywhere.

The owners of this cottage on Blackstone Edge even painted the outside of their home in Le Tour colours!  Billy and I loved Le Tour de France and must’ve watched the TV highlights every evening.   As much as I enjoy the racing I also like to watch the Tour for the scenery the riders passes through.  The brilliant weather in England for the first three stages really showed our beautiful countryside at its best!  And the crowds that turned out all along the route were phenomenal!

On the day the tour came through our area our local park held a party complete with large screen TV for everyone to enjoy the race while enjoying the party atmosphere. My girls and their crews went along to the park but William and I stayed at home and watched it happen on the television. 

After the fun in the park the kids all came to our house where we had a barbecue in the brilliant sunshine.

Followed by a game of boules.

Gary and the boys played…

.. while Grandad watched and gave advice.

William and I have been taking advantage of the sunny summer and more than a few times have enjoyed an early morning trip to Hebden Bridge for breakfast at our favourite cafe.

A tree festooned with dinosaurs in the town centre.  Strange I know, but pretty all the same!

Another lovely weather day Caroline invited me to go walking with her and Harley.  This time to Dove Stone Reservoir.  (Shame Harley’s head is cut off in this pic)

Caroline’s dog is never happier than when he is chasing the stones she throws into the water for him.

Here’s cheeky chops Charlie.  As soon as I pointed the camera at him this particular afternoon he pulled these cheeky faces.  He thought he was hilarious.  Little monkey!

Nicholas had a sleepover with us recently.  This little boy loves to sleep with his cuddly toys.  Note, James Bond, his birthday present Build a Bear, is still a firm favourite and is properly attired in his pyjamas!  Go Fish! is Nicholas’s favourite card game just now.  We played it a lot!

During these last two  months I have spent time in the garden shaded by our sun umbrella and crocheted away while listening to the BBC iPlayer.  Not a bad way to while away an hour or two.

Phew!  This post has taken me ages to put together.  I must stop being a lazy blogger and post more regularly, it’s much easier that way.  I’m sure there are more photos to post but if there are they’ll have to wait for next time.  I’m off to put the kettle on now.

TTFN,