Around Standen Hall.
I make the most of a cold bright morning and head to the outskirts of town, looking for early Spring blossom. Skirting round the edges of Standen Hall , I spy plenty of gorgeous Cherry Plum in bud and bloom. My camera phone identifies it as Snow! The stately old building and it’s grounds are mostly hidden from view by high walls ( well, high to me! ) and the front entrance has a ‘ Private Keep Out ‘ sign. I walk up the drive as far as I dare, snapping pictures of cheeky squirrels.
In the surrounding countryside a sprawling new housing development is creeping ever closer to the Hall. I hear the echoing drumming of a woodpecker and see a buzzard soaring in the sky. Not another human in sight. I let Hugo run off lead in the fields. The sky is blue and the ground is dry underfoot. Today looks like Spring but it is deceptively cold.
Primrose Nature Reserve.
On the way home I walk through a local Nature Reserve. The old mill pond is busy with waterbirds including moorhens and a pair of goosanders. I look for the white goose who was brought here by well meaning folk to keep a solitary greylag female company. The two were a pair for a while , but one day I saw her flying off, honking furiously. She never returned.
Time to get home and make myself a brew. Soon Hugo is snoring away in his bed. ☕❤️
sunshine and celandines 
Beautiful pics! This weather is so gorgeous, isn’t it?
Forecast for snow and sleet now so let’s see what happens. ❄️
Lovely photos of this beautiful season! Bitterly cold here, too; winter has not released her grip just yet. You are lucky to have walks like this on your doorstep. The last visit to I had to my ‘ancestral’ countryside was a few years ago but still didn’t get to walk up Pendle and with the silly ferry prices I may never actually make it back. 🤗💓🙋♂️
Which part of Pendle are your ancestors from Ashley? X
Sharon, I’m not wanting to give too many personal details away, but anywhere from Nelson, Colne, Trawden, Wycoller, Earby, Thornton, Kildwick, Silsden, Skipton; that’s the home ground right back to the mid 1600s 🤗x💓x🙋♂️
Wow that’s great research. Just over the hill from me as I’m on the other side,but not far at all. Another blogger I follow also has ancestors from Pendle, so it’s a small world I think. X
Beautiful morning. You got far closer to Standen Hall than I ever dared. There is an awful lot of housing development in that area. Same in Longridge – where do all the people come from is a common question.
Im not sure, but there seems to be the demand. I think Standen Hall sold some of its estate to the developers.
A lovely walk on a beautiful morning, you got some lovely photos. I like the owl sculpture but feel quite sorry for the white goose – I wonder if he’ll find another mate?
It would be nice to think so, haven’t seen any other geese there though. He’s hanging out with the ducks bless him.
I love the blue skies and blossoming trees. We had snow all day today. I am now officialy fed up with winter 😉
Crazy that some places have got proper deep white snow. Sleet and snow forecasted here now too. Hope Spring arrives for both of us soon ☺️
I love your cherry blossom photo! This seems like the perfect day exploring outdoors.
Thanks Allie. Was a lovely day 💖
What a fabulous set of photos!
Thanks Anabel. X
Isn’t it nice when you have a place like that to yourself? Lovely photos, as always.
Thank you 💕
What a lovely walk. Hope your snow wasn’t too grim. I had some here but it went within a day.
Hi ours went away pretty fast too, though I did get half a snow day out of it. 🙂
Looks like Spring has sprung!
Snowing again now…
🤫❄️🩵
A nice little walk. Lovely photos 😍.
Lovely Spring like pictures. We’ve had a bit of return to winter since then though 😦 Mind you, the snow looked pretty in the Eden valley and on the fells
Yes you were there In the snow ❄️, it looked so pretty.