The Splendor Of Autumn

18th September 2018

Wow, just like magic all the colours of Autumn arrive and there is no better time in a year than this for "One Man & His Camera" as the reliance upon the weather is crucial and if you miss the opportunity, you will regret the one that got away. Whilst I was driving through one of the many valley's in my part of the world, I fell upon this poor guy who clearly was dead but it made me realise that cars all too often over accelerate in areas where perhaps they should recognise that not all nature is so good at predicting both speed and reaction of driver and as such, pay the ultimate penalty for what can fundamentally be avoided and prevented if we just reduce our speed a little and expect the unexpected. The problem with our great country is whilst we know these things are out there, we kind of expect them to stay off of the roads and in reality, that is our ignorance and not theirs. It truly upset me to see one of our British wild mammals so perfect but quite still and lifeless and and with no real explanation as to why. I have to assume it was hit by a vehicle and as such, I hope the end was instant and not prolonged suffering. For those who do not regonise this little fella, it is a British Badger and one of our larger mammals that are really quite rare to see as they are normally a nocturnal animal which in it's simple form means they come out at night and despite the world becoming there play ground while we sleep, they are quite a sight to see and truly a rare event. So sad to see this little guy in such a state.

Autumn as most people who know me will confirm, is probably my favorite time due to the explosion of colour created by what science explains as sugars in the leaves and plant life reaching the end of their time and triggered by the shorter days and longer nights and combination of temperature change and this brings a whole new meaning to colour and beauty. The fruits that line the hedgerow and farms that are now gathering in the crops for winter is so amazing to see.

Here is a typical view of how the leaves are just starting to change colour in preparation for the next stage of life which is to drop the leaves and provide a carpet of colour all around. This picture was taken today at Cannon Hall and is an area I use often to take pictures in order to show this beautiful location to the world in the hope they too may enjoy the spectacle of nature at it's best. Anyone who knows myself (Peter Hulbert) will tell you, I come alive at this time of year to snap as many opportunities as possible as they don't come around fast enough for me.

Here is a tree lined road that creates a totally natural archway through the beech trees and looks like the road to nowhere and with no return but what I can say is that at 4.30pm it can get quite busy with vehicles using it is as a short cut to the Manchester road in order to avoid the mainstream traffic but if you arrive at a time to avoid the rush hour and are lucky, you might just capture a moment like this as I do quite often. In the early evening, just as it is getting dark, it can appear quite different as the shadows from the trees can make you think you see faces on the trees and arms reaching out. Some might find it quite spooky but as I always say, it's only a tree and unless you believe in the "Wizard Of Oz", trees won't hurt you. I am going to end this update with a few pictures for you to hopefully appreciate and enjoy from my time out today among-st nature at it's very best. Thank you for your support and appreciation.

This is known as a conker in Great Britain and has been involved in many a championship battle for the conker championship. In it's present state, it is still in it's outer shell or case and waiting to burst out. Below is one that has left it's shell and awaiting to start a whole new life of the tree to which it fell from.








24th September 2018

Here and to the right you will find what is a very typical sight of what the kids call conkers and Im sure they probably have a Latin name that I am not educated to ever say or use but to which I was brought up to call "Horse Chestnut" and comes from the horse chestnut tree. The colour of this nut or seed depending upon your view is stunning and a brightly polished brown and I assume the name chestnut brown comes from. They are not edible that I am aware of and as such I would not ever try eating one or for that matter anything from the forest unless you seek expert advice first but they are a true autumn product of nature and a wonderful and very typical colour of the season. In theory, they are the seed of the tree but are almost always refereed to as a nut.  The outer shell is almost always green but can change colour as the year goes on and become brown but is so easily reconised by it's distinctive spiked outer shell or casing and as I was taught by my old junior school teacher, was a practical solution for nature to prevent squirrels and other animals from getting an easy meal and also had the extra use of the spikes to help to prevent it rolling too far away from where it landed by gripping the floor with it's spikes. Im not sure that both of those theories are 100% correct but I thought the world of my old nature teacher and will never question his wisdom, even today and after all of these years as he taught me so much.   

Here and below is yet another great sign of autumn and the huge variety of fungi that almost always arrives on any old wood or rotting timber of any sort. Once again, although many varieties of fungus or fungi are edible, unless you seek expert advice first, please do not touch and especial do not eat any of them as some are very poisonous indeed and I cannot even give you a name for these as I am no expert, I am simply an admirer of nature who photographs and captures the moment to share with you all but when it comes to fungi, I always leave well alone as I know how it can affect many people in many varieties of ways. In truth, it provides an excellent service for nature as it breaks down products so quickly and returns it back to the land, ready to start over and I would ask that you admire it but don't damage or kill it as it does much more good than people give it credit for. It is one of natures finest compost creators and provides a start to life in a whole host of ways. For Peter Hulbert and his world, it is an opportunity to capture the colours and share them only though the lens of his camera. 

29th September 2018

Did you ever just step back and ask yourself what on earth is life all about and why did evolution decide that this was what I was destined to do. No......well maybe you should spare a thought about life and what it's all about before it's too late. I stopped thinking about my own life a long time ago but moved my focus to others like my daughter "B" & Partner "C" to which I devoted my life to and the thing I have learned out of doing this exercise is that our generation is selfish in so many ways. We wan't more than we need and life itself is so competitive but not naturally productive. We grab everything we can whether we want or need it or not but with little or no thought for someone else who may well need it. Our generation is leaving many problems for the next generation to which in truth we could put right now but don't. Our kids are almost programmed not to enjoy the freedom of fresh air and rarely if ever go into the park, they have become electronic kids and if they have no "Wifi" they are on meltdown for some reason. Why are all the fat kids in cars being taken to school when all the healthy and happy kids are together as friends walking to school. I point the finger at the mothers who need an excuse for a car but in truth, they are killing their kids in the end. The stop their creative ability to be social with their friends and instead are alone on the back seat of the car eating fast food and piling on the pounds in what mothers call "Looking after them"......!! I am proud that when my daughter was at school, we were poor and had no car but she was so healthy and active.

I would ask you to consider my comments above and if you agree, stand out from the rest and set an example by putting away your electronic life and being sociable with the people you know and share this planet with. How many times do we see people in supermarkets with the phone glued to their ear and chatting total crap whilst they shop. How many times do we walk down the high street and see people heading toward us at full speed and texting and with no acknowledgement that we are ever there. What is the matter with these morons, get a life and look around you. We have a beautiful planet and we all share it's features and spaces but please don't be blind to the beauty it offers by sitting in the car, going to the takeaway or staring into a Lcd screen and hoping that life is in their, it most certainly is not. Life is all around you but you missed it with your single minded focus on social media of BS gossip web sites for morons and fat kids. "Rant over" for today and back to the world and life of Peter Hulbert for those who care enough to read it.    

3rd October 2018

Another day another dollar is the saying but in my case, it's another week and I'm not here to acknowledge how much I made, if anything at all. However, what I would say is why does everyone want to know what you are worth and why do they judge us by money. Some of the best people I have ever known in my life were broke but had more morals and ethics that people who had wealth and should know better. For myself "Peter Hulbert" I try to avoid ever judging people by money but prefer to value who they are as a person.

So as my life has as many up's and downs as a "Blackpool Fair Ride", My week is just as expected and turmoil is the normal daily routine to which I always say to my friends and family, it's at least exciting and not boring but is it effective and is it beneficial, that's up for debate at this stage and I suppose the jury is out in regards to a real answer. However, judgement is not always judged by progress but how you feel at the end and in my case, I live my life always with a smile and as happy as I can ever be, which is more than many people I know as there in the slow lane of life and simply have no achievement targets and no ambitions and as such, I guess there happy in there stress free way but it would not do for me as I would feel brain dead. Today was quite a laid back day in many ways as I went to my favorite shopping center and managed to arrive just as they were opening a new bar and new place to enjoy some quality time and I was not to be disappointed as it truly was a very nice place to visit and I had a beer as expected but the place was so busy and alive with people and it was nice to see a success story on my door step. Below is a couple of pictures of this very nice place but as I always protect my privacy, I will keep the name secret for now and wait and see how I feel about sharing the name at a latter date.

5th October 2018

Gosh, I was beginning to think that Friday had been cancelled and replaced by a modified Monday or even worse a Tweaked Tuesday which would have meant that I simply missed Friday and had it all ahead of me or worse still behind me and can't remember any of it. So, what is the opinion of my new hide out above, it's a very modern bar and coffee shop to which I rate it so far very highly but it's all about personal choice and for me it was a great choice. It's very rare that I ever get to town now or even the Meadowhall Shopping Center for some reason, I suppose it's all about reasons why and now so much who but still I prefer to keep away from these places unless I have no choice and instead I head for my fave which is Fox Valley Shopping where I feel more relaxed and low profile.

Do you ever have those moments when you feel that nobody is listening and more to the point, they want you to do all the work but share all the reward. I spent a whole year keeping away from someone who repeatedly kept saying those magic words "Is their anything I can do to help" and to which I offered instruction, not for myself but for them to clear some negative posts on the web that if they carried out my advice, they would have seen drift away. However, despite the advice of what to do, they do nothing and simply want a large slice of a cake to which I offered a large piece but they wanted more. I have a rule and it's called "F_ckem" as they don't listen and show all the hallmarks of desperation in the line of fire. It's a sad fact that we are what we are and when left to our own devices, we will revert to our default settings and if that is stupid, so be it. I took a long look in the mirror a while ago and worked out that the only person whom I need in my business is looking back in the mirror, everyone else has to demonstrate value and to this day, they show me they are poundland value and not Harrods. I hate sounding so arrogant but I know I am so right. The sad pert in reality is that I am tired of wasting time on these idiots and truly wish I had someone of value at the table instead of people who lure me in with a sympathetic overtone and with the hidden agenda of give me something for nothing and give it me now. Sadly, life can be so lonely when you are in business and the only draw for anyone is a reflection of their feeble character which can only be described as shallow and if one removes the money from the equation, you would probably have nobody in your life except God.

27th October 2018

I'm going to start today's update by announcing that it is officially national rant day today in the world of "Peter Hulbert" and my rant is about to start with a degree of passion and reasonable. insult. I will start by building the image in your mind and story to provide an insight to the issue and problem I encountered to create my rant. Some time ago, I damaged a bath panel and as such it needs to be replaced and as it was an unusual shaped bath, it was always going to be a problem. However, I went to "Wicks" which is a DIY store in my City which is where the bath came from when purchased. After a very short conversation with a member of staff who gave all the signs of needing the "Samaritans" he explained that they didn't stock the panels required but could only be ordered online and as such I went home and started searching. I eventually found what I required and placed an order, which was delivered a few days later. This as it happens turned out to be the wrong size and I subsequently returned it and the lady despite being ignorant and rude, did in fact offer a re-fund and suggested to re-order a new one online the right size, also saying if that was wrong to bring it back also. As such, I went ahead and re-ordered and this week it finally arrived and once again, it was wrong and this morning at the first opportunity I returned it and this is where I met the morons from outer space. I was spoken down to be a male who should have longer arms as he acted like an ape and his limited ability to communicate only extended to checking his mobile phone for answers. However, he said I will refund you for the panel and walked off before I got any refund. I needed some glue and saw blades so went to find them and hoped he might return but nope, not now and not ever. As such, I tried to catch the attention of a member of staff who simply chose to ignore me and her accomplish came in stead, she was like the neanderthal ape that lived. After going through the whole story again, she said "We don't give refunds" to which was a lie as I got one last Sunday for the same problem and the lady said order a new one and if that's also no good we will refund you. "I hate liars"........especially lazy liars....!! However, I responded by saying "That's not a good encouragement for repeat business" and she turned to me and said "Read My Mind" to which I responded by saying "I have and it's hard work"........How F_cking Rude Can This Woman Be..
She then spent the next 5 minuets not knowing what numbers to put into her till or how to refund or do almost anything whilst a very long cue of people built up behind and she cared not one f_ck about that. All I can say is if Rude Ignorance Was A Fine Art, Wicks Would Be Picaso.... Rant over for today but only for today. I just want to leave it on a nice note though and say that in the skies for the next few weeks at dark you can see Uranus or if you go to Wicks you will see more than a few arsholes and all called staff.

I always feel that if it sounds like an elephant, smells like an elephant and looks like an elephant, it is most likely to be an elephant and after being treated like sh_t, I thought I would go and eat some sh_t from the pub and here it is for you all to enjoy that moment when my heart screams out and shouts "Attack" at the top of it's voice. The problem with sh_t food is it tastes so good when you are hungry and when your not it still plugs the gap between starvation and diet although in reality it does not cover diet too well. A burger, chips and onion rings hit the spot like a guided missile and the fall out was most satisfying in so many ways, all topped off with what I call the work-mans wine (Beer) and a couple of burps and coming down from the frustration caused by the Wicked Bitch Of The West I was soon back smiling and laughing at my morning of pure misery at the hands of customer service at Wicks and thinking "F_ckem"....!!

 For those who were expecting a picture of my beer at this point in time, I don't wish to piss you off too as I have pissed off too many today and as such here is the one I had and if you send me your name I will toast you the next time I have one in honor of your memory and support for beer drinkers world wide. I will at this point draw attention to the name and branding of which suggests to me that it is Bavarian, German or similar but I confess that I have no idea of it's origins but know only where it is going and where it will stop on it's journey through both my kidney's and liver but like all good medicine, it cured the feeling of misery and hit the target of intention with such accuracy that would make any military personnel proud of that moment in time that they fired and hit the spot first time. 

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.