Does it say "Miami"? I think it does. It is the name of a house in the village of East Hardwick, West Yorkshire. I imagine that long ago the couple who reside at No.43 enjoyed a holiday in Miami. It was so good that they borrowed the Floridian city's name for their abode.
Tony and I met up as arranged at ten thirty this morning in the village of High Ackworth, two miles west of East Hardwick. We parked close to the village church which is named after St Cuthbert. Above the door there is a weathered statue of St Cuthbert whose mortal remains, according to folklore, rested in the church one night long ago following the Danish and Viking invasions that came after the Roman occupation of Britain.
Here is that weathered statue of St Cuthbert, venerated abbot of the monastery on Lindisfarne whose final resting place is inside the magnificent Norman cathedral at Durham. In my opinion he, not St George, should be Britain's patron saint...
Anyway, Tony and I were mainly in that district to undertake a ten mile country walk. South of East Hardwick we stopped to pick these juicy brambles. They were sweet and - to use one of Mary Moon's words - succulent...
Just ahead, trumpeting bindweed or convolvulus arvensis sang from overgrown verges beneath hawthorn hedgerows to mark the imminent end of summer...
At Low Farm, south of Low Ackworth, this young cow did not low or even moo. Her name is Taylor Swift or did I just make that up? Perhaps.Also at Low Ackworth, as we were crossing the recreation ground we spotted this intetesting ivy-clothed house peeping over the boundary hedge. I don't know what it's called - maybe Scarborough or Lanzarote.
Squeezed between the houses at Ackworth Moor Top, I spotted this tiny Chinese takeaway - "The Lotus Garden". It occupied a very unlikely position...
After the walk, Tony and I enjoyed refreshing drinks in "The Brown Cow" before heading back to our respective homes. Having been rather unwell this past month, it was by far the longest circuit I have undertaken in weeks.
Understandably, I was drained of energy when I walked into our house and after our evening meal of moussaka and salad, I slept on the sofa for almost an hour. I might call our house Miami too. That will impress the postman.
Ten miles is very impressive as you haven't really been training for this long walk. The pics show you had lots of interesting things to see along the way. I enjoyed the scenery with you.
ReplyDeleteNext time you come along Deb, please don't keep whining: "Are we nearly there yet?"
DeleteYou just got a good chuckle from me! Would you bring me some blackberries?
DeleteThe brambles might have sweetened you Deb.
DeleteI like the Chinese restaurant tucked in that little niche.
ReplyDeleteAs for the cow, I was thinking he looked more DonOLD Dump?
What a cruel insult to the cow!
DeleteThe cow is very handsome.
ReplyDeleteYes, signs of summer slipping gradually but inevitably into autumn are everywhere. Here, I often come past semi-wild bramble hedges, but the ripe berries have usually picked by others before me.
Good to know you managed the 10 miles, even if you were exhausted afterwards. How do you feel today, after what I hope was a good night's rest?
I slept like a log....and now I have bark instead of skin.
DeleteLovely English countryside with brown cows and a Chinese meal to keep you going.
ReplyDeleteI could not see a garden at "The Lotus Garden".
DeleteThe pale brown cow is very pretty. I don't tink that says Miami, it looks more like Mianli, perhaps part of the second "m" has broken off? Are the brambles sweet like mulberries?
ReplyDeleteThose brambles were especially sweet Elsie and better still - they were free!
DeleteYes, it could be Miami. I can't think of a worse place to live than Miami. Hot and humid, sewerage overflowing into the streets when it rains, never mind the god awful State Governor DeSantis, superficial beautiful gay men parading their bodies on the beach. It is not my sort of place at all.
ReplyDeleteI remember St Cuthbert at Durham Cathedral. Ten miles! That is about 16 km. You'll do yourself in with such long walks. The cow with a little mascara added to her lashes would make a very nice companion. If it wasn't for the solar panels, I might have thought the house was deserted. Ivy is a bad girl. You can't let her get away from you.
I don't think that Ray would have liked the idea of being replaced by a cow!
DeleteYou did well to walk the ten miles YP, considering you were not feeling too good. Those blackberries do look sweet and luscious.
ReplyDeleteI've had a good look at that house name, and like River think it's Mianli. Strange name but perhaps it's the combination of the owner's names? "The Lotus Garden" looks as though it was a garage in it's former life, so the garden might well have been at the back.
Yes. Maybe it is Mianli. As you can see, the letters are starting to peel away.
Delete10 miles? Whew! That's a lot.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty cow. And I love the statue of St Cuthbert. Why do you think he should be England's patron saint instead of St George?
1. Because he was British and St George was probably Turkish - nobody really knows.
Delete2. Because Cuthbert was a good man and lived a holy life.
3. It is said that he gave practical support to the poor and needy.
4. He was of the north of England.
5. St George never visited England.
6. St George only became our patron saint because of the intercession of warring King Edward III in the fourteenth century.
7. Other countries, regions and cities chose St George as their patron saint so he is not unique to England.
All very good reasons!
DeletePretty cow no matter what her (or his) name is. I would name your home "Headlands" and let the world figure out why. (They should read the book.)
ReplyDeleteGreat to read your hiking again YP.
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed! I doubt I could walk ten miles and if I, by some miracle did, I would not be able to get out of bed for a week.
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely cow.
Don't you think that the very idea of a patron saint of a country is sort of absurd?
The whole concept of naming a house seems bizarre to me, but that is a very British thing, I know. I think Taylor Swift, if that had been her name, would have mooed.
ReplyDeleteTen miles is a bloody long walk, almost a half marathon. The photos are lovely, especially that cow. He/she is just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is Mianli and when I google that it appears to be a Chinese name...
ReplyDeleteI like your photos and am glad you got a good hike in, Neil. You are recovering from whatever had you down.
You did well to take a ten mile walk.
ReplyDeleteI read it as "mian li". And googling that (just to see if in some language somewhere it might mean something) I found that in Chinese, it means either "to encourage" or "to strive, to make an effort, to exert oneself". Which seems to fit rather well with the rest of your post... :)
ReplyDeleteGadfrey! 10 miles and then drinks! Fortunately you were only 25 to 30 miles from home. But I'll bet that sofa drew you like a magnet!
ReplyDelete