Thursday 17 June 2010

V is for view


Having recovered from the unexpected scare, laughed about it and followed them across the field, we decided it was time for our packed lunch; and can you think of a more delightful spot to eat in? What a beautiful view!

The hills rising in the far distance are the Staffordshire moorlands, while between us and them is the Churnet Valley, with its mixture of woodlands and farms. The meadow is full of buttercups and cow parsley and the dry stone wall separating the fields is a typical feature of the upland British landscape.

Dry stone walling is a dying art, but my grandad and uncle were/are good dry stone wallers. There is a lot more involved than you might think and a well built dry stone wall will last for a couple of centuries, in spite of the absence of any kind of cement. The shape and line of the wall have to be carefully plotted and each stone needs to go in just the right place to achieve its purpose. It is said that, once picked up, you should never put a stone back down until you have found the perfect place for it.

This dry stone wall is limestone, being the underlying rock of the White Peak area of the Peak District National Park, but alternatives are used in other parts of Britain.

I'm linking in this post with Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. For more 'V' contributions, click here.




30 comments:

  1. I could sit and look at this view for hours. It would be a great spot to picnic.

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  2. A wonderful view! I spent 10 years quite near to you funnily enough Derby Road in Nottingham - home now is back up North near Whitby!

    Dx

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  3. I have always wanted to visit the English countryside. . .too many Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh murder mysteries. . .this makes me want to even more. Someday. . .

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  4. Hi again! What a great view – I really enjoyed looking at it!Do so miss the English countryside.

    Happy Alphabe-Thursday,

    LOLA:)

    PS Mine this time is HERE. Hope you can join me!

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  5. The view is gorgeous. We still have lots of dry stone walls still standing around my neck of the woods. Seeing them reminds me of what it was like everywhere when I was a kid.

    Thanks for hopping by my post today. I appreciate your kind words.

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  6. Beautiful! I'd lunch here every day!

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  7. I'd love to see it! What a wonderful place for a picnic.
    I read an article on dry stone walls - apparently there are workshops in England and they are well-attended. As you said, it's not as easy as it looks.

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  8. So descriptive in narrative and lovely to view.

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  9. What a glorious view & a delightful place for a picnic!

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  10. Absolutely breathtaking, and I LOVE those stone walls.

    =)

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  11. What a slice of heaven that is....wow I would never ever tire of that view!

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  12. This is my dream.

    I want my little stone house sitting right where you were standing.

    So I could stand each morning on my little porch and see heaven.

    Thank you for linking to Alphabe-Thursday's letter "V"!

    Your post was really emotional for me!

    A+

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  13. Beautiful! Your view over the wall, past the trees, down to the valley and up to the hills on the other side is just amazing. Makes me want to break into song...
    "Tom he was a pipers son,
    he learned to play when he was young,
    and all the tune that he could play,
    was over the hills and far away..."

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  14. Great view! Your description of the stone wall brings to mind Robert Frost's (he's my favorite poet) poem called "Mending Wall". In it, the two neighbors walk the fence line, chatting, reminiscing, and mending.

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  15. What a wonderful pastoral place to have a picnic! I enlarged the phto to get a closer look at the stone wall as I find them fascinating. To think they stand for centuries!
    Delightful "V" post!

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  16. amazing view here in your post.
    what inspiring words.

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  17. oh gee that is such a beautiful view ... i would want to sit there with a picnic lunch and spend the day just taking it all in ...

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  18. What a view. I could just imagine sitting there eating a picnic lunch enjoying the beauty. Great V post.

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  19. What a wonderful view, I would love to sit on the side of that meadow and sketch or paint. We are so blessed to live in beautiful places! Maybe someday i will visit your lovely homeland, I sure hope so!

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  20. Thanks for sharing. I wonder how far the wall goes? A stone wall is definitely more beautiful than a chain link fence...

    Anne-Marie : D

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  21. Amazing view, some of the very best of the English countryside :-) I could quite happily there all day with a picnic and a book :-)

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  22. Your words are as visual as the photograph. Thanks for the tour.

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  23. What an incredible view. Yes, I'd adore a picnic here. ~ sarah

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  24. Wow, what a beautiful view, photo and description! How my family and I would love to visit this valley. We just love the British landscape, most of which we see on Masterpiece Theatre. =) You are so blessed to be in such surroundings. Thanks for sharing!

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  25. Ah! A spectacular View! I could stay and picnic there all day! The stone walls are amazing too. There are many areas around on the Big Island of Hawaii that have some stone walls...they say that the menehunes (little folk) built them.

    Blessings & Aloha!
    thank you for stopping by :o)

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  26. Thank you for your comments. I do appreciate that I am lucky to live near such beautiful countryside; I just wish that I got out to enjoy it more often. Dry stone walls are fascinating, and very much a part of my childhood. They make me think of solidity, wilderness and the passage of time. What history they must have seen (though I don't think they were built by little folk :) ).
    Glad you all enjoyed the post!
    @ Mrs Nesbitt - I think North Yorkshire is a gorgeous county! I'd choose the Whitby area over Nottingham any day!

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  27. That is one gorgeous view - I love your photography :)

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  28. I love that post. I love your photos. I want to paint them all. I am about to start a painting of a bird that Cheryl from Deckside Thoughts shared with me. Do you ever share photos for paintings?

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  29. Well, there are so many beautiful ones in such beautiful locations. I am particularly interested in last week's V post about dry stone walling. Thanks for your permission. I it is unethical for me to paint one of your photos and then sell my painting without your permission to do so. It isn't that I have anyone standing in line to buy them....hahaha....but I have sold a few and I never know how one will turn out.

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