Forces of Nature

Nature has had the upper hand lately. Snow, and plenty of it, disrupted our daily rhythms a few times in recent weeks. Rain, and plenty of it, has swamped fields and tracks, making a walk in the country an utterly unreasonable pastime.

The other day though, cabin fever got the better of us, and we made a break for the countryside near West Witton, reasoning that some of the tracks there would be more or less passable. They were. More or less.

But Nature made its presence felt in full force. Here was almost our very first sight on our walk – a mother ewe with twin lambs so very newly born that she was still calmly licking them clean as they tottered beside her, looking for their very first feed of milk.

The weather was mild. Surely the snow would be long gone? Not up here. Bitter howling winds a week ago had snatched the snow into deep drifts at the edges of fields, or pounded it into hillside crevices.

Redmire Force lived up to its name. Look at the waters swirling, frothing and plunging over the boulders in the River Ure. Look at the tree torn from its cliff side, now hanging precariously over the river.

And as we came to the end of our walk – look! Is this a river, or is this a field, unusable by the sheep who normally graze here, but forming a stopping off point for the occasional passing water bird?

We’re not quite as in charge as we like to think.

Click on any image to view it full size.

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

24 thoughts on “Forces of Nature”

  2. Lovely pictures! I agree you have to pick your walks carefully at the moment – many fields seem to have turned into lakes…………

    Liked by 1 person

  3. It’s no bad thing that we’re not in charge. Two weeks after our snowfall and 10 days after it had vanished, the major supermarkets down here are still not up to full stocks. I’ve been patient but it’s getting very difficult to justify this now. Vent over…

    The photos are lovely, Margaret, and capture the cold and the wet perfectly. Spring really is on the way: we had the most glorious weather here yesterday even if we are back to the rain this morning. It was beautiful whilst it was here 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It was. And your rain will arrive with us tomorrow, apparently. I was in London just after the snow, and very surprised to find empty shelves there too. Back in Yorkshire, the birds are telling us daily that spring is almost here.

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Well, you know what they say: ‘Ne’er cast a clout till May be out’. They have the same expression in the Ariege. But there, it’s ‘April’.

        Like

    1. Thanks Agnes. It WAS a lovely day, and lovely to be out there again. But those floating field, though lovely to look at, are a nightmare for farmers and walkers!

      Liked by 1 person

  6. And people say there’s no such thing as climate change?! The water has been so weird and variable here, too–one big snow storm after another. Sigh. And, yet, seeing the baby lambs can’t help but raise spirits–so sweet.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. They were a delight. And their mum wasn’t bothered by our passing by. Do you think If I sent my blog to your esteemed president it would alter his mind on climate change? 😉

      Like

  8. Excellent photos, Margaret and you are right, nature has definitely been in charge these past few weeks. We still have snow in ditches and on sheltered banks all ready for more at the weekend perhaps? I haven’t had a walk in weeks!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Oh, the newborn lambs are adorable…. Yes, life goes on, whether we moan about it or not – but it surely is NOT normal how our meteo is fearing lately. Thank you for this uplifting post.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.