Concrete balls, trimmed bushes, blossom and England's 6th highest mountain. What more could you want? Bassenthwaite, Cumbria.

White and pink blossom in a bush by Bassenthwaite Lake this morning. I guess it is hawthorn. Oak tree in the background.

What’s happened to the weather in the Lake District? Suddenly it’s very good! View of the sky over the fells yesterday afternoon.

This large tree surrounded by moss-covered stones has outlived the farm buildings it once stood next to in St Johns in the Vale, Cumbria.
#ThickTrunkTuesday

Old shed in fields by a former farm, Embleton, Cumbria.
#TinshedTuesday

Cherry tree blossom in Keswick this morning.

Cycled into Keswick this morning so I called in at Derwentwater to see the reflections.
#LakeDistrict

Archibald Campbell was the 1st Marquess of Argyll and James Graham was the 1st Marquess of Montrose. In St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh.

Memorials to two men who were on opposite sides in the War of the Three Kingdoms in the 1600s. Both were caught by their enemies and executed. One is for the anti royalist Archibald Campbell (1607-1661) and the other is for the Royalist general James Graham (1612-1650).
#MemorialMonday

Mist over Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District this morning.

The font at St Edmund’s Church in Southwold is a rare 15th-century ‘Seven Sacraments’ font. Originally, this octagonal font featured panels depicting the seven sacraments. During the Reformation and later the English Civil War, these carvings were hacked away by iconoclasts.
#FontsOnFriday

In the boggy wood, a tear in the ground reveals the water underneath.

14th Century ceiling boss on display in the museum in Carlisle Cathedral yesterday.

Carlisle Cathedral started life in 1092. It’s one of the smallest cathedrals in the UK. This is mainly because a lot of it has been destroyed in conflicts. After the Reformation, Oliver Cromwell destroyed much of the west end. In 1645 the Scots destroyed much of the original nave.

Old barn in bright sunshine in West Cumbria a couple of weeks ago. Crow watching me from the roof ridge.
#WallsOnWednesday
#WindowsOnWednesday

Two oaks with lots of pollarded hazel along Buckholme Lonning on the edge of Isel Old Park Wood, Cumbria. Lonning is a Cumbrian dialect word for a country lane.
#ThickTrunkTuesday

Took us both a few seconds to translate that one.

I looked at it and thought it shows how cold it is up there about 900 m up and on the north side.

A late afternoon cycle ride to Bassenthwaite Lake on a beautiful day in north Cumbria.
#BlueSkyMonday

Walked up to a low fell called Watches this morning. Thought we heard a Ring Ouzel but couldn't see it. Did see some wheatears.

A recent sunset from Ravenstone in the Lake District.
#BlueSkyMonday

The Monymusk Reliquary
During the Medieval period, containers called reliquaries protected and transported sacred relics. They were used for swearing oaths, establishing churches and bringing saintly protection into battle. In the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
#MedievalMonday

A light dusting of snow on Blencathra in the Lake District this morning after a cold and rainy night. Must have been a tough night for new lambs.

The Night Stair, Hexham Abbey. Before dawn each day, the Priory bell would summon the monks to matins, their first service of the day. They would descend from their dormitory, which no longer survives.
#StaircaseSaturday

Cherry blossom in Keswick, Cumbria with Skiddaw in the background.

Yellow flag iris emerging from the saturated soil in the boggy wood.

The tangled trees of a marshy wood near Bassenthwaite in Cumbria. Because it is so wet, it is no longer of interest to farmers and there are no footpaths. So it is a haven for nature and natural processes.

Penrith Castle, Cumbria was begun at the end of the 14th century by Ralph Neville. It was later transformed into a luxurious residence by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who became Richard III.
#WallsOnWednesday

An unusual cloud on the north western side of the Skiddaw Group of fells in the Lake District this afternoon. The strong south easterly wind must have formed a standing wave causing the cloud to form.

Blue sky Ravenstone, Cumbria this morning. First day for three summer visitors, swallow, willow warbler and blackcap. 16 degC but gusty wind.