Berwick-Upon-Tweed on a Rainy Day

We managed a morning walking round Berwick before the threatened thunderstorm arrived. Unfortunately, we were out on the pier when the heavens opened so we had to return to our accommodation to dry out

Puffin Parade for Meredith

We booked on the all-day trip to the Farne Islands yesterday and were very lucky that the weather there was reasonable all day. I decided before I got there not to photograph many puffins but, somehow, they found their way into my collection of images. Such comic and yet beautiful birds - can one really have too many momentos?

 

 

Coastal Walk at Beadnell

A fine sunny but fairly chilly day for our coastal walk at Beadnell Bay along to the Little and Arctic Tern colony and back. Meadow Pipits used any suitable perches. Lots of Painted Lady butterflies around, many of them very tatty. The flora is typical of limestone/coastal areas with Bloody Cranesbill, Birds Foot Trefoil and Pyramidal orchids. 

Washington Old Hall, National Trust

The Washington Old Hall building dates from the 17th Century though there had been a stone hall there in1183 and owned  by William de Wessynton, later changed to Washington. It was George Washington's grandfather who emigrated from here to America.

In the latter part of the 18th Century, the five-bedroom building became a tenement house for as many as 35 people at one time (last two images). The working class tenants were often living in tiny, cramped rooms, in the poorest of conditions. In 1932 it was declared unfit for human habitation. In 1955, it was restored, funded by donations from American benefactors, and then given to the National Trust.

First Evening in Northumberland

We are spending a week in Seahouses, Northumberland and this was the sunset yesterday evening.