Harwood Forest

Standing in tracks cut in two feet of snow by forest machinery, I held my camera with freezing cold hands looking around for a good vantage point becoming momentarily absorbed in the intense hush; no noise, no wind, the icy mist hung in the distance making the sky indistinguishable from the snow on the ground.
My eyes watered stinging from the cold air and the dazzling whiteness of the snow, I tried to focus on the distant line of wind breaking pine trees, softly blurred in grey tones almost blending into the haze on the horizon.
Hearing the faint hum of the harvester in the distance and the occasional grind of a tree trunk against the metal blade I wondered how these men continue to work in these conditions, how do they keep warm, how do they cope in the ice and snow, how do they get here at all in this weather? The engine noise grew louder, a forwarder must be coming out of the woods bringing a new load of cut timber to leave at the road, I turned towards the noise and waited. Emerging into my line of vision along the two tracks cut in the deep snow was indeed a forwarder pulling a fully loaded trailer of cut tree trunks. The sight of this huge machine cutting its way through deep snow and ice was awesome, so much worth the trip just to see this.
Ian Stewart stopped his machine at the edge of the track and flung open the cab door greeting us with a warm, friendly and predictable Northumbrian smile.
He revealed that it had taken him two hours to get to work this morning from Barrasford and during the conversation I realised from his accepting tone that our foresters take these harsh conditions in their stride, as part of their work, they are completely comfortable in their working environment and are practised in coping with the danger it presents on a daily basis.
My questions answered!
This snow, they thought, would take weeks to melt in the forest areas and meanwhile they would just get on with the job. Egger and Taylormade will get their timber and the consumer would get their kitchen furniture and garden decking.

Distressed Damsels

A new look landscape wearing its dazzling white coat resting on the hedgerows and boughs contrasting against a vivid blue sky. Layers of beautiful crisp white snow a foot thick, frozen solid each night to -16C, tyre tracks gauged into the heaped icy deposits. The front wheels hit the potholes and the back wheel slid out of control. A scary moment and I was stuck fast but it could have been worse, I could have been on my way to the bottom of a fifty foot drop to the North Tyne on the right hand side of this narrow, single track. The second time in two days my car had become firmly rooted in snow and ice. The second time in two days I had spun my wheels enough to wear off the tread, the shovel in my boot not able to penetrate the two inches of solidly packed ice lying under the snow with any amount of persuasion. I was blocking the lane, no one would get in or out unless I could move my car and I saw Shelley coming towards me and I ran forwards waving my arms. Too late, she was too far down the track to turn around in the deep snow. She tried to pass me in a futile attempt not to get stuck herself and sank into the grass verge, the vehicle now in four wheel drive digging deeper into the saturated earth and now leaning frighteningly to the right. She too pulled the shovel from the boot in yet another fruitless attempt to free her car. Resorting to telephoning for help, for the second time in two days, the bright red Manitou appeared at the end of the lane driven by our rescuer in a high vis jacket. He was the only one owning a tow rope and attached it to the front of my car. The Manitou slid and skidded and eventually gathered enough momentum to pull me out of the tracks and out to the main road. Davey returned for Shelley and pulled her out of the verge.
I left my car at the roadside and decided not to be so lazy and walk the lanes for a while and enjoyed it. My very next walk I saw a doe and young buck roe deer looking for food in the fore field, they saw me and walked nervously across the drive and into the woods watching me as they went. I may not have noticed them had I been in my metal box. The cold air on my face was bracing and so refreshing but no amount of tread on my boots made walking safe. It was precarious and I watched the snowy surface tentatively as I walked noticing the arrow like tread of the pheasant pointing like arrows in all directions, the long hind of the rabbit and the long claws of the squirrel disappearing at the base of a tree trunk.
Slowing down the pace of life just a little has such huge benefits, I promised myself to do it all year long.

A True Northumbrian

Robert Parker

A man who didn't see the need to travel, didn't drive a car preferring to walk. Had never used a telephone, didn’t like them. He was though, very well informed having valid opinions on every topical issue of the day.
A shepherd who knew what a real winter was, feeding sheep and lambs in deep snow drifts, who walked his stock every day irrespective of the weather, who as a very young man lodging with an employer in the extremes of the North Tyne Valley had to cover his bed with a mat from the floor to keep the warmth in and the rain out that leaked onto his bed through the loose roof tiles.
He ate crowdie for breakfast every day of his life but not because he ever drank whisky, he wouldn't eat anything spicier than a Christmas cake.
He enjoyed a rural joke seeing the funny side of life when it appeared.
He lived to 89 and was cremated today.

Snow Fun in Simonburn!

Imaginative kids in Simonburn really made me smile today. It was worth the freezing temperatures and wet legs to meet these two country gents. As I photographed them I did wonder, 'or are these creations down to the fully grown children of the village', Hmm? Thanks kids, old or young.

No coal, no oil, no deliveries of any kind, well almost. The postman still gets here but I am careful not to ask him why he's late! He is much better humoured than the parcel delivery man who got stuck in the ice. He was really unhappy. 'I've been stuck for forty five minutes and I won't be back until this snow has cleared.' he jubilantly yelled at me. 'Sorry I made it snow and made you come down the icy lane.' I retorted in my usual friendly way. My sarcasm was lost on him such was his mood.

Icicles hanging from the guttering are eighteen inches long now and growing. I wonder if the guttering, being so old, is strong enough to take the weight. I'll soon know.

Christmas Recovery

Taking down the Christmas tree today was a huge relief, doesn't it just get in the way? I don't want one next year, but then I said that last year. Christmas is just way too stressful and it isn't going to happen next year unless someone else makes it happen for me. But then I said that last year too.

Got a good fire going in the stove and took the dogs for a short walk. The crafty cat hid by the bird table in a sort of cave created by thick snow covering some dying bracken. She was obviously hoping for an easy lunch of some poor blue tit. I chased her off and crushed her shelter. I'm bad! She can eat cat meat like the others. I watched her diving head first into snow drifts, legs askew, then standing up to look at the pattern she made in the snow. She then saw me and denied it all.

Drove out to get a takeaway tonight. The Chinese restaurant very topically has frozen prices! Oh, the irony.

The last four miles of the journey was tricky, lots of ice. It is not always white but it is always slippery. Arriving home I noticed that it the temperature is -6.5C and dropping.

No more turkey though...

Ice Sticks

2nd January 2010



Still eight inches of snow but made it albeit very carefully to the stationers and back. A few cars off the road and stuck in the dyke back. A bit slippy!

I stopped a while to watch some young kids having great fun sledging in the park being pulled along by their parents. Freezing cold and soaking wet but smiling and happy.

The main roads in the town are clear of snow but the footpaths are treacherous. Why is it that so much effort is taken to clear roads for people driving cars (which have engines) and we pedestrians are left to slip and slide around uncontrollably on footpaths layered with two inches of ice?

Turkey soup for lunch, turkey curry for tea, mince pies in the dog...

Ideal Teenage New Year

1st January 2010



Driving a car full of teenagers to the pub on Old Years Night, I listened to the conversation feeling privileged to be allowed this transient peep into their world.

'Yes, but she's middle class' said one

'How's that' said the fella

'Well, her Mum makes chutney so she must be!' sounded the justification.

Enlightening, I thought.
Enlightening to how these young people view the society we make them live in and where they think their place is within it. Moreover, how accepting they are of it all - or not - I listened as the discussion progressed. But, this was the biggest party night of the year and there were no other sincere thoughts than having a pretty good time - legally this year.
The call came for their 'taxi' just before 2am. By the time we'd crawled back up the valley through eight inches of snow and ice they had sobered up enough to cook and eat almost everything in the fridge that could be cooked and eaten without putting any effort into its preparation.
Around 5am the house was quiet. Home safe and sound. Phew!
After lunch, that is lunchtime on my timeline, around 1pm, there were scuffles from the room above the kitchen meaning that they were probably waking up and in need of food. I knocked quietly and asked how their heads were, 'Fine, absolutely fine, pity you hadn't been there last night, you could fill in the blanks for us. Bit hungry though...'.