With the usual difficulty I have cracked the system, and I am on line. (At least, my blog works, but we have no ‘phone connection. ) Perhaps this should be expected in view of our isolation. We are enjoying our small cottage, and have been out exploring the countryside.
This morning’s walk had its adventures, which should be unsurprising in view of our remote location in Arkengarth Dale. The walk had its adventures. We had to make one diversion for a collapsed footbridge, and another to avoid a rather serious-looking bull. It did ozffer us one wonderful moment of surrealism. A shepherd rode past on his quad-bike, followed by the flock of sheep, moving at a gallop. The procession was completed by another quad-bike carrying the dog! As Dave Gorman would say, it made us realise that modern life is, indeed, goodish.
The countryside is lovely, but suprisingly it makes me think of Malta. I have been presparing for my solo exhibition in November, which will present for the first time my Malta series. This part of the Yorkshire Dales leaves me with the same sense of the harshness of the landscape that I experienced in Malta. The crests of the hills all seem to be ravaged by the remains of lead mining and quarrying for building stone. The effects of these can be quite brutal.