Here are a few photographs from yesterday's walk - still within the boundaries of The City of Sheffield. It was pleasant to discover some paths that I had not plodded along before - between the Rivelin and Loxley valleys.
There were plenty of lambs around on what was a beautiful spring day. Not a cloud in the sky and no contrails either - now that very few military or civilian flights are operating. And when I was on the lanes round about the hamlets of Storrs and Stopes and Hilltop I didn't see a single motor vehicle apart from a sheep farmer's quad bike.
Emerging from a dell through which Load Brook ran, I climbed up to Hill Farm and then proceeded along the farm's track towards Riggs High Road. Half way there I spotted a very rustic bench by a wall. It had an engraved metal plate in the middle. Strangely the plate was badly scratched but I was still able to discover that the bench was dedicated to the memory of Harry Potter!
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| Harry Potter memorial bench |
I kid you not! But not the Harry Potter boy wizard invented by J.K.Rowling. The Harry Potter in question was a farmer - born in 1926. He died in 2006. How weird it must have been for him to discover that his ordinary name had become ultra-famous in the ten final year's of his life - with best selling books, a hugely successful film franchise and a legion of fans. So strange.
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| Mirror reflecting Greenfield Cottage at Storrs |
On a bench by Riggs High Road, someone had left a wedge of wood with topical messages burnt into it:. "Stay Safe", "We'll Get Through This" and "Follow the Guidance". Very soon afterwards, Clint drove me home where I prepared a nice tea of salmon, French beans, roasted tomato and my latest culinary invention - colcannon cakes - using leftover mashed potato and spring cabbage from our Sunday dinner. They were pretty yummy.
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| View to Stannington from Spoon Lane |
I wonder how many people would notice the connection of the names?
ReplyDeleteJust for clarity - the engraved plate had the word "Farmer" in brackets...
DeleteHARRY POTTER (Farmer) and not HARRY POTTER (Wizard)
Those lambs are so cute. I love the picture of the mirror reflecting the cottage!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bonnie. I have taken several pictures of concave driveway mirrors over the years.
DeleteAnother great walk. It's cool that you can walk so widely and see such bucolic scenery and still be within the city. That IS funny about Harry Potter. I'm not sure I'd like it if my name became an international phenomenon. (Here's hoping Croydon MP Steve Reed doesn't wind up having a meteoric political career.)
ReplyDeleteSteve Reed could be a future prime minister. He will rule with an iron fist and feature in several scandals. In his spare time he will haunt graveyards and collect small pieces of pottery.
DeleteLike Bonnie, I love the picture of the mirror reflecting the cottage, and of course the lambs are very cute.
ReplyDeleteI would not have thought that there are still paths within the city limits where you have not been walking at some stage. But then I shouldn't be surprised; I've lived in my home town nearly all my life and have only last week been walking in one of the suburbs along streets where I'd never been before (that part of town was sort of "off limits" to us as children, it had a high rate of criminality and we did not feel at ease going near the area).
I am sure the Harry Potter of that bench was one of many, many more by the same name. It must be odd sharing one's name with such a famous literary figure.
How would you feel if a new cartoon character became popular? A squawking cartoon parrot called Meike Riley? Or perhaps a cute kitten? Before the Amazon "Alexa" device came along my friend Jon and his wife Denise named their new baby girl...Alexa! Quite unfortunate in a way.
DeleteCute lambs. I love to watch them bouncing up and down as though they have springs on their feet.
ReplyDeleteSometimes they go crazy.
DeleteYou love in a beautiful place YP.
ReplyDeleteI do indeed love in a beautiful place - behind some bushes in the park.
DeleteLIVE even. If you type potato cakes in my blog search you will find some recipes with bacon and beans..
DeleteThanks for that Northsider. I am into healthy eating.
DeleteThose lambs look very content.
ReplyDeleteThey were safe in the sunshine with their mamas close by.
DeleteI love potato cakes, the German way with apple sauce as well. What lovely walks you have round you.
ReplyDeleteI rather like the fact that southerners tend to think of Sheffield as a grim industrial city - "Up North". But we have such beauties on our doorstep.
DeleteLovely photos. I finally got out for a good long walk yesterday with my grandson and one of the dogs. It was beautiful to be out but too many people for my liking. It was finally warm here, 20C. Spring comes fast in Alberta.
ReplyDeleteI had to look up colcannon cakes and they sound good. Might have to try my hand at them.
Stay safe my friend.
I am so glad you got out for a nice walk - in spite of all the other Albertans roaming around. From late winter weather to 20C so quickly! It's as if Mr Trudeau flicked a switch.
DeleteHow I would love to see those lambs!
ReplyDeleteI love it when they spring themselves off the ground as if simply being delighted to be alive.
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