Yesterday, after the hullabaloo of The Laughing Horse Awards had dissipated somewhat, I drove off to Rud Hill for fresh air and a little downtime.
It was cold and breezy up there as I looked out upon the dying light of the old year. A surfeit of molehills (right) peppered the last sheep pasture before rough open moorland begins. It was as if the green sward had suffered a barrage of mortar bombs. And I thought about those industrious little creatures tunneling beneath my feet in search of earthworms. Once I spotted a weasel up there. He darted into a drystone wall and paused to inspect me with his fierce blackcurrant eyes. But that was in summer T-shirt weather.
Beyond the three reservoirs at Redmires and over The Hallam Moors I could see a fire burning at Moscar Heights (top). Meanwhile to the north east, sunlight spotlighted the centre of Sheffield one final time before the dawning of 2017.
In the gloaming I drove home. It was pitch dark when we ordered a Chinese takeaway from "The New Hing Lung" on Abbeydale Road - a New Year's Eve treat. Frances was going out to a party and we were going down to the local for a knees-up, a few beers and a raucous rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".
Indeed, more than in other recent years it's surely the right time to drink a "cup o' kindness" as we enter the unvisited plains and the rolling valleys and hills of 2017. Let us hope that when these next twelve months have passed by we can all look back on happier times for our Earth. Happy New Year Everybody... Happy New Year!
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| The Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Viewed from Rud Hill - four miles away |
Happy New Year to you too. Great view of the Royal Hallamshire.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by again ADDY. The Royal Hallamshire could well be where I end my days,,,gurgling and hoarsely crying "Nurse! Nurse!" and on that happy note may I wish you a Happy (& Healthy) New Year!
DeleteHere in Medicine Hat, Alberta, I have never seen a mole or a mole hill. I am sitting here wondering if you were pulling the leg of Wenda. I goggled, sorry for doubting. Now I have seen gopher holes and the hills they make, but your mole beats my gopher. Have a great 2017.
ReplyDeleteIf would be ungentlemanly to grasp the leg of Wenda - let alone pull it. Do you know Red from "Hiawatha House"? He also lives in Alberta so I guess you do.
DeleteHappy NY Wenda J!
I only know his blog,which I enjoy. There is over 4 million people here in Alberta. I know tens of people, Red is not one!
DeleteOh, I see!
DeleteIt's far too hot here at present to be moving about too much. I've already been out early to the local supermarket to pick up a few things I (and my two furry rascals) needed in an effort to get out and back home again before the major heat hits, but the heat decided on an early appearance, too - beating me to the punch! Dammit!
ReplyDeleteFor the rest of the day I'm going to spend my time reading the papers and watching the tennis.
The Hopman Cup (being played in Perth) and the Brisbane International (self-explanatory) commenced yesterday in the lead-up to the Australian Open that begins on 16th January in Melbourne. I enjoy watching the tennis.
I wish I could be more positive about the year ahead of us...but it's already off to a sad start...and on and on it continues...
Perhaps we should bury our heads in the sand like ostriches, then we wouldn't be aware of all the bad stuff happening out there. I hope you have got aircon in your palatial designer home Lee.
DeleteI wish I could bury my head in the sand, Yorkie, but unfortunately, I can't do that...nor do I wish to do so, I guess. It's a Catch-22 situation, isn't it?
DeleteNo artificial air-conditioning here in my humble little abode, Yorkie...just opened windows and doors...au naturale...the air conditioning method, that is...not me!!!
That humming can be very irritating and I guess that up on TM you get more breeze than down in the valley.
DeleteYes , we need happier times for our earth. Today is a good thing to start sme new activity to make this earth a happier place.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we should all try to adopt a "glass half full" attitude to life this year. I'm going to try, though I know at times it will be very difficult !
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try, too.
DeleteI could make a quip about glasses being half full but I shall avoid that temptation. Living nicely, positively, seeing the good in life is one of the only ways we can fight back against misery and fear.
DeleteOh my goodness look at those molehills. That is probably what our 'lawn' will look like when we get back to France.
ReplyDeleteYes - when your French neighbours have made another assault on your property in their scheme to drive out Les Anglaises.
DeleteI know I'm a bit late (though grateful not to be the other type of 'late' with this wretched pleurisy) but I wanted to wish you and your family a happy. prosperous, and above all joyous New Year.
ReplyDeleteWho is Pleurisy? Your toyboy I presume Lesley! I hope you are feeling a lot better soon. Happy New Year Lesley!
DeleteHappy new Year, Mr YP!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you survived the awards ceremony, they can be so draining
Yes I did survive but those Australian lady bloggers they are so demanding! There was a line of them outside my dressing room. HNY Kylie!
DeleteI love the contrast of colors in the first photo.
ReplyDeleteFunny that you had Chinese food on NYE, I thought about getting Chinese takeout all day, but at the last minute decided against it. I just wasn't very hungry and it seemed like a waste.
Happy New Year!
When our kids were young, I tended to pick up a takeaway from "The New Hing Lung" every week. This was a pleasant throwback to those days. with our lovely daughter in the house.
DeleteWell the Hospital is presumably functional if not attractive. As for 2017 I do hope that you are correct.
ReplyDeleteYou are obviously not aware of The Lego architectural style developed in Bilund, Denmark.
DeleteHappy New Year YP x
ReplyDeleteHNY to you too Libby and to Ethel - your little granddaughter.
DeleteAmen to that last paragraph. Happy New Year, YP! I'm impressed you were out exploring so soon after the raucous debauchery of the Laughing Horse awards banquet.
ReplyDeleteI left the clearing up to other members of The Awards Committee. Apparently they found several bloggers snoozing under the tablecloths having imbibed far too many alcoholic beverages. And please don't worry, I shall not tell Dave about your intimate embrace with John Gray.
DeleteHappy New Year to you and Mrs. Pudding, Brother Pudding. I have decided that I cannot do anything about the world and all its problems and terror and hate except be kinder, more willing to help, volunteer more when I can and just care and hold myself to the standard that I always have. I will not shout, try to convince or in any other way try to change the views of anybody. I do not kid myself into believing that one year from today the world or even my little world will be a sanction of peace and justice and love. But, nevertheless, I will do my part.
ReplyDeleteOur ancestors had far less opportunity to know what was going on in the world. Perhaps ignorance really is bliss. Happy New Year to you and Big Bear too. Are you still hibernating as bears tend to do in wintertime?
DeleteThe farmer goes made at the sight of molehills - all that valuable grazing lost and when the grass is cut in the summer all that soil will get into the silage.
ReplyDeleteBring back molecatchers I say!
DeleteHappy New Year to you too Mr Pudding.
ReplyDeleteAlphie
The sentiment is echoed Alphie. Happy New Year Lass!
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