We're surrounded by runners

The Keswick to Barrow Road race takes place today. From Keswick , along Thirlmere, over Dunmail Raise, through Grasmere, over Red Bank, to Coniston then home to Barrow.40 miles of walking and running. If you think that sounds fun, here's the link to the Keswick2Barrow website. Time to start planning for 2014?

To the south of us today it's the Fairfield Horseshoe Fell Race . As I type this there are runners pushing themselves around the top of Fairfield. Here's the link to the Fairfield Horseshoe Fell Race.


Me? I might go for an hour's walk along Loughrigg Terrace. It's a bit damp, but nothing to stop me walking. Here is the walk I'll be doing Walk number two on this page of White Moss Walks.. Did you know that Wordsworth walked miles and miles every day? If he had visitors he wanted to get rid of, he would take them on a long, hard, fast walk- the next day they would find a reason why they suddenly had to leave!

Here's just one of the many photos I've taken from Loughrigg Terrace. This is Rydal Water, taken from the little rise at the south end of Loughrigg Terrace.

200 years ago this week Wordsworth moved to Rydal Mount

On  Mayday 2013 Wordsworth moved to Rydal Mount, where he lived until he died, aged 80, in 1850. It's a lovely house, and Wordsworth was happy there. He'd lived at Dove Cottage , Grasmere ( where he wrote his most famous poetry), and also at other places in Grasmere, including Allan Bank and the Rectory, none of which he liked for various reasons.

At last, in 2013 , rich and famous, he rented Rydal Mount, and for the next 30 years he played a big part in the life of Rydal Village.

Wordsworth bought my house, White Moss House, for his son, Willie, around 1830. He was concerned that his son should settle down and raise a family......rather like us today! To find out more about William Wordsworth, Wordsworth Houses and Wordsworth's Lake District click this link.

Photo of Rydal Mount thanks to David Willis and Cumbria Tourism, not for reuse without permission.

I'd forgotten this blog- and how pretty it looked.

I spent quite a long time setting up this blog with the pretty colours and background, then I forgot to write anything for over a year. This will be remedied.... I'll be posting here regularly about the Lake District, old houses, gardens, sheep, deer, daffodils , walks, maybe knitting... all sorts of possibilities.

If you would like to follow this blog, pin pictures or leave messages that would be great.

You can also see my other blogs - links are on below..

The perfect place to spend Christmas

Guests visiting White Moss House during the summer months often say,  "This must be a great place at Christmas". Yes! It is!
We're closed to bed and breakfast guests, but open for the family, who gather here every year in various numbers and combinations.
Right now I'm getting ready. Here's the Christmas tree in our private sitting room, known by the Wordsworths at "the West Library" apparently. The tree is in a lovely bay window from which you can just see Rydal Water. The lights are reflected in the angled windows, and this year I've created a vision of red and gold .I'm pretty pleased with it anyway!

White Moss House Christmas Tree #1

I'll add a picture of the little Christmas Tree in the Wordsworth Lounge later. Why not bookmark and come back?

By the way, over 2,500 have viewed my Traditional Sherry Trifle recipe this week! I'm making it on Friday to serve on Boxing Day.