Me and My Big Sister

 

Still summer for a few days up in the frozen North East 😎

Last Day of Summer

 ...before the thunderstorms arrive; the sky is now several shades of grey.

Then this big thing appeared in the sky, where a moment before the sunshine had retired behind the clouds:

Very Hot Day

Had several errands to run today and decided to make the most of the sunshine, and do them all on foot.  Walked about 5 miles.  Will probably look like a very red big red thing later.

The colours!

I'm actually quite brown but the light makes me look lily-white!

A victim of the wind, I imagine.

That moment when you realise how ridiculous you look in your sunglasses.  Also, I have them on over my normal distance glasses - the optician said that I should always wear sunglasses because of my fledgling cataract, and I don't have any with prescription lenses in. What with the headband to stop sweat running into my eyes, I am not very good at this 'heatwave chic' stuff.

Last Days of Summer #1: September 7th :)

My sister Julia came to stay with me for a few days, happily coinciding with two days of left-over-from-summer weather!

4 or 5 mile walk on Tuesday....

Found a dear little pussy cat on the way home :)🐈

A beautiful day on Lindisfarne ~ Wednesday July 14th, 2021

...to which Julia and I both took our umbrellas, jumpers and jackets, to ensure that the temperature would stay at around 23 degrees with scarcely a cloud in the sky, all day.  It works, try it!

We took this one to send to my friend Amy, as she came with me on my original research trip for my books UK2 and Lindisfarne, and took some wonderful photos for me.  Love the hazy quality around the castle. 😃

I felt as if I was walking through my books, most of the time; I'd think, ah, that was where Heath and Cleary went to hide from the invaders, that's where Wedge killed the Kaiser, and I'm standing right where Lottie was when she saw Dex and Rowan kissing in the hallway of the hotel...).

For those who don't know, Lindisfarne (or Holy Island) is a tidal island off the north east coast of England, only a stone's throw from Scotland.  There is a high tide twice a day, when the sea comes in and covers the long causeway, thus cutting the island off.

It's magical and I wish I could live there. 

My spiritual home!

Sadly couldn't go inside the castle because it was pre-book only, 

and I'm far too rock 'n' roll to do anything that organised.

(Above: Lindisfarne Hotel, where Rowan was in charge of the stores!)

In the lime kilns, behind the castle

~~

The Priory.  As ever, I wandered round and imagined what it must have been like for those monks looking out to sea and seeing all those longships heading their way, not knowing who they were or what mayhem they would cause. 

The priory was founded by St Aidan in 634AD.  In 793, the first significant Viking raid took place; there had been others, but this one 'attacked the sacred heart of the Northumbrian kingdom, desecrating 'the very place where the Christian religion began in our nation" (English Heritage).

The sky really was this colour :)

And when you spot that village called Rock on the way home, 

it's got to be done.....

(yes, we asked the taxi driver to take it, and yes we're both over 60!)