Week Two Of 2018 With Peter Hulbert

8th January 2018

It was always going to be a frosty day outside as temperatures dropped overnight to -11% and the welcome result is always one of blue skies and freezing conditions but the bonus is always excellent backdrops to photographs with no filters required. Today was one of boredom and opportunity and the opportunity won and as such I decided to take a walk in the fresh air.

To the left is the main entrance to the old coach house at the Wentworth Woodhouse home which over recent years has fallen into sadly decaying conditions but is well known for being such a beautiful building and one of such charm. For the benefit of identification, this is not the main house but only the coach house. The quality of both design and craftsmanship is first class of this amazing building and it is about to undergo and complete restoration and I am excited at the prospect of the finished project. Over the years, I have had much pleasure from the long and beautiful walks around the grounds and as a child, I used to cycle through here on many occasions. I remember when this was a Public School for girls although I confess that I have no memory of when it closed as a school. I do remember back in the early part of the new century that there was a Royal Wedding at the Wentworth Church and it was a very special occasion for the village and the locals. Over the coming days, I will upload some more pictures and provide some information to the history of those pictures but as today is already tomorrow (1.30 am) I will end this for now and continue over the rest of the week when my eyes have had a sleep.
Ok, Tuesday and now back in action as promised, a continuation from yesterday but not so late in the night this time.

To the right is the clock tower above the old coach house to which is a very prominent feature of this part of the estate, but is really something of insignificance compared to the main building about 1000 meters further down the grounds. The main building having been made famous for being the widest building in Europe and having 365 windows on the front facing view, said to have been made specifically so that the occupant could enjoy a different view every day of the year if they so wished. I have to confess that I have never took the time out to count them but will simply take their word for it as there are so many.
I remember many years ago when there used to be a herd of wild dear here to which was such a spectacle to see on a early morning dew and mist. I have seen them many times in the past and they brought a special charm of there own to the estate with a distant reminder of days gone by when it was the peasant who pursued the game for food and the landowner who considered the deer to be their own and punished them severely for what they called poaching the game. The walk down from the main entrance at Wentworth will bring you past the clock tower to which can be seen to the right about the large archway into the original coach house and in itself, is a large building of splendor but has no comparison compared to the main house. The estate and village has always been one of special places of interest to Peter Hulbert and his camera.

 
I will certainly forgive you for thinking that this is the main house but as I wrote above, the clue is the clock tower and archway that was the entrance and exit for the coach house, this truly was a house of splendor and the main building lies another 1000 meters away with a shock of delight when reached.

15th January 2018

So this week was a little strange and not to be too negative but I actually started the week quite out of tune and not well at all. However, I never say die and after taking a few  days out and living on plenty of fluid and energy food, I soon shook off whatever it was that was trying to attack me and eventually found and excuses between breaks in the weather to get outside and visit my local hunting grounds for pictures and this week was no exception. I must at this point mention what a shock I got today when I called at "Sanderson's" for a coffee, only to find that I either need to wash more often or they need to start to market the cafe better as in the 30 minuets that I was there, I was the sole customer. However, they may know something that I do not, so I will reserve comment.

It's round about this time of year that many people start thinking and planning their holidays and when I look outside, I can certainly see the logic. Its windy, raining and throwing everything it possibly can at the people of the UK right now and it supports the idea of dreaming about being somewhere else and I confess, I am no exception. The mere thought of a Holiday excites me and the reality is enough to make my loins grow. So, back to my week and for that matter, your week too if you are reading this. It's fast approaching the 3rd week of January and my big question is "Where did Christmas go so quickly" and how did it vanish without trace or memory. The reality is that it has and in the world of Peter Hulbert, we don't look back and as such, all I can say is we advance forward with a positive view over life and "what was, has gone and will will be is to come" the only thing that is certain in life is Taxes & Death and as such, we should absorb and enjoy our moment in time as it is right here and right now.

There is the opinion from the less ambitious among us that always use the middle ground which is usually "what will be will be" but that is like a balloon in the wind, it neither has direction, leadership, plan or influence and for me and my world, that spells disaster in the end, if not at the beginning. I never like doubt and never encourage maybe or should be. I prefer confidence and commitment to whatever we do in our daily life and as such I live a stressful and colourful life in way too many ways.  On a personal note, I kind of envy people who show no care about life but accept what comes along as they all appear to be so happy and comfortable in their world but it would drive me crazy as there is no certainty in that world. I suppose in the end, we are what we are and if we were all the same, life would be a frightful bore.

23rd January 2018

I was heading north today for Huddersfield and trying hard to get ahead of the weather but the problem with my life is the ability to be distracted by the art of seeing a picture that I cannot overlook despite the rush to be somewhere, on this occasion, it was a stunning rainbow over the hills of Yorkshire on a beautiful day in January. It started out as a very simple and small flash of coloured light as seen below and quickly grew into a full scale arch of bright colour across the skies.


The ironic thing about today was that I set off with the knowing that the weather was predicting rain and true to the skills of the Met Office, within 15 minuets of capturing these images on my phone, it was pouring with rain and the best I can offer is that today was my day to see nature at it's best for a brief moment in time. The start of this rainbow can be seen in the center bottom of this image and within 2-3 minuets, it grew to a perfect arch across the blue skies of Yorkshire on a very windy but warming temperature of 5% which in January is pretty good.

I always think that these natural moments of glory deserve a pause in thought and a clearing or mind to enjoy what nature gave up to appreciate in all it's splendor. This is a memory that money cannot buy and will not be erased for whatever reason and the bonus was that I was there to see it happen.

27th January 2018

With just a few days left in January, I thought I would extend this blog until the start of February where I will add another page and title of which I hope you will continue to read and hopefully enjoy.

I keep saying that there are many signs that spring is coming and on it's way and this week showed yet more optimism to that theory by way of some spring flora growing in my garden and whilst they are called "Snowdrops" in my country, mainly as they are often found growing through the last remainders of snow and appear just as spring is in the air. Below are those very snowdrops to show it was not all in my mind.

Today was one of those very weird days when thinking and not doing was called for and the issues that I needed to deal with were both personal and complicated. The problem being that after many hours of thinking, in the end I concluded nothing except to say that for all the time I spent thinking, the only result was that the problem was still there and still not dealt with for now. However, I will not act on the basis of reaction as I feel I will get this one wrong and as such will spend a little longer trying to focus on what to do. Am I the only one who takes time out to think and not respond quickly. I have to say that it is a complete change for me as in the past, I used to react to everything very quickly and whilst mainly getting things right, I also made the occasional mistake along the way but then that is what learning is all about. After all, he who never made a mistake never made anything and as such it is good to make the occasional mistake in order to look back and gain knowledge and wisdom from being in that position. Our thoughts are always locked in our head and for that reason, they stay private. It is only when we share our thoughts that it can get a little messy and complicated. I know at this point that you are scratching your head and probably saying "What the hell is he talking about" but as I said above, it is sensitive and private and relates to my family and as such I ask that you respect that and accept that it will remain private........at least for now. Just to provide you with a final picture and not a blank space, I have provided you with some additional flowers that have all appeared for whatever reason in my garden. I have no idea what they are, with the exception of the snowdrops. 

30th January 2018  Tomorrow (31st) is quite an exciting one for the star gazers as the much talked about "Supermoon" arrives in our skies and for those who choose to miss it, I'm almost certain that you won't get another opportunity in your lifetime as they only ever happen every 150 years. I am hopeful for little cloud and clear skies and it might give me some opportunity to take some pictures but as always, I am reliant on the weather. Whilst talking about the weather, it's predicted that snow is likely to return again in the next few days and sever drop in temperature in the coming days, possibly as low as -10% which for the UK is quite low. This has little if any affect on the flora in our country as it is quite normal but what it does remind us all is that winter has had a few days off but not gone away. The positive news is that at least the nights are drawing out now and the days are noticeably getting longer and the mornings are much lighter when our day starts out.

13th January 2018

I start this short update with a humble apology as I was intending on updating this blog on a weekly basis but sadly I was sidetracked last week and just found a short window time today to update you all. I picked what is known as "Pancake Day" in the UK to which as the name suggests is when we by tradition, make and eat pancakes and decided that it might be apt to update you all on such a crazy day for so many reasons. Ok, so where have I been and what have I been doing that caused so much distraction..........well it is simple. "The Weather"and work that needed attending to at the farm. Just when we thought it was the beginning of the end of winter and spring was fighting through, a huge change in wind direction meant that the wind was blowing in from the North West and ice cold winds were coming in from both Greenland & Iceland with such a vengeance and as you will see below, it was harsh.

As this was an unexpected and rapid change, the urgency was focused upon the yew's (sheep) to which were due to lamb and we quickly brought them down from the hills and got them indoors where it is much warmer and ideal for lambing. The focus was upon the pregnant moms first and then the rest of the herd along with the cattle and we now have a full house. On the plus side, we anticipate a busy few weeks with new born's and maternity work which usually means many late nights and early mornings. As the farm is a passion and pleasure, one often looses sight of both time and reality and the cold got the better of us after a short period and the sun was dropping fast which meant that temperatures would plunge quickly downwards and freezing wind would cause problems on the roads. As you can see above and below, it was looking a lot like Christmas all over again.

If this scene was created by anyone else but "Peter Hulbert", I would have suggested it resembles a desert scene made of snow but I know it was not just snow but also ice combined which creates it's own problems as it feels like broken glass as it breaks up when you walk on the surface. The temperature was close to -5% and expected to drop to below -11% later and as you might imagine, it was rather a panic to round all the sheep up before it got dark. I would say though, it is good fun and you soon get warm when falling down and chasing sheep across the hills. Fun for the sheep and a good laugh for anyone watching close by. All I can say is that I see why people value sheep dogs so much and appreciate the work they produce.

You might well note by the picture to the right that as we drop down the valley by just a few feet, the snow line vanishes and shows a green field although it was frozen grass. It's good to see the wind turbines working so effectively in the breeze today and whilst I know they attract controversy, I find them strangely charming in a weird sort of way and admire the way they produce a product that is used by so many local people in such a clean and pollution free way. I am one of the people who are sold on the idea and support the development of these giants on the hillside that quietly work hard both day and night to provide us all with the power to carry out our lives with the knowing that we didn't leave any waste for our children to clean up later. 

21st February 2018

It was such a beautiful day yesterday and whilst I had planned to clean away the dust from last week, I realised that it won't look any different next week when yet another pile of dust appears and as such I went out to the hills to take some pictures and enjoy the fresh air and beauty of nature that is provided free. Here is a very typical cottage in Castleton which is a very picturesque village quite close to me and is a haven for visitors when the sun shines.

As you will see above, the skies were blue and the cloud provides the shadows on the hills and perfection was not requested but was delivered in abundance and no complaints from Peter Hulbert as it has been a long time coming. However, not to be fooled into thinking that winter has gone and Spring has arrived, snow is expected by Saturday with a rapid return to winter for what we all hope is one last time. I always feel we are blessed in the UK where we get all four seasons and whilst we always moan about the weather, it's more a case of habit than reality as in truth, it at least provides us with the basis of conversation for so many reasons.
To the left is a picture of a small waterfall which is probably the narrowest point on my local fly fishing river to which I can often be found chasing a brown or rainbow trout but rarely catching one as I'm convinced that know when I'm coming and swim somewhere else in order to drive me crazy. This is the river riverlin that runs down to the river don where the water quality now provides excellent fly fishing for Rainbow, Brown Trout and also Grayling and whilst nobody is fishing for them out of respect for the nature and cause, there is now a supply of salmon too that are seen on occasions and migrate back on a yearly basis. Whilst I have not see one myself, I am aware that Otters have been seen and filmed on the river and plenty of wild mink which devastate the area are also seen.
One of the things that the people in Yorkshire are very proud of is the natural beauty of the area and whilst humans caused many issues in the past that devastated the area and environment, the efforts to rectify this have been extensive and gone a long way to restoring the natural beauty and provide the next generation with something to enjoy and feel proud of. I myself am a huge fan of nature and am always so proud to come from God's Own Country where the views are stunning and the people always so friendly. You should take a visit and see for yourself one day.

26th February 2018

I will start this update with a slight apology for the title of  "Week Two Of 2018 With Pete Hulbert" to which is a slightly misleading in that we are already into month 2 and as such I have decided to make this the last update for this month and create a whole new page for March and new title to suit.
So, what can I update you all with today that will bring joy to your lives and have you singing and dancing in the street..........er........hmmmmm......Blimey, I just realised how dull my life has become. Oh well, never mind, at least it's honest and open and worthy of peoples support and encouragement to which I find increasingly encouraging and truly humbling when I see my email box and linkedin account showing regular support for my plight. I am truly grateful for all of your support, comments and often jokes to which all give me a reason to keep going. So it was just a week ago when I brought you all the joys of my trip to Castleton and some images of that moment and whilst the weather is the only thing that has changed in the last 7 days, I can confirm that it changed for the worst and with a vengeance as the snow, ice and freezing conditions came back, it was not expected to come back with such force as the "Beast from the East" has now been given this name because the UK has plummeted in temperature to close to -15% at night and as the experts always like to throw in some kind of weird comparison which in this instance is that the UK is colder than the arctic.......!! The only comparison I want to be compared with is a summers day in the Caribbean but hardly likely to happen in my lifetime sadly. However, what is a bit weird is seeing so many wild crocus flowers and daffodils growing through snow up and down the country but it's nature and I am blessed by all the colour.

I did manage to capture one of those magic moments this week when a flock of what I am guessing were geese were coming in to land and presumably roost for the night in some kind of group safety in numbers regime but other that this one shot, it was a dismal week for pictures with the changing temperature and business schedule. Ah......I caught your interest, I mentioned business to which I know you are all quite eager to hear about and if and when some progress will be made and what I can say is that I have some unconfirmed news and will expect that to be committed and confirmed within the following few days and as such, I ask that you all remain focused and positive and with God's blessing, I will be sharing something good with you all in the next blog update which hopefully will be in the next 7 10 days. Once again, thank you all for your encouragement and total support to which without it I would not be here today. God Bless You All.