Early morning.

Pre-scheduled post.
Early morning walk before the rain returns, it has been a very wet couple of months, way behind with all the jobs we had planned.
Going out with a camera in the heavy rain is not my idea of fun !!!
Started doing some clearing of fallen branches, gathering plant pots that had blown away and generally checking things around the house, until the rain sent me back indoors. Have not even started on our static caravan at Castle Howard, at least we have avoided the floods that many people have suffered. Don’t tempt fate David.

It could be worse:-

1607: Bristol floods
Some 2,000 people drowned around the Severn Estuary, with 200 square miles of farmland inundated. Long blamed on a storm surge, it is now suspected that the devastation was caused by a tsunami.

1703: Great Storm
The Great Storm of 1703 was described as the worst natural disaster ever to hit southern Britain. Between 8,000 and 15,000 lives were lost and the lead roofing was blown off Westminster Abbey.

1891: Great Blizzard
More than 200 people died and Cornwall and Devon completely cut off from the rest of the country by a great blanket of snow that covered much of the two counties.

1953: North Sea flood
A severe windstorm over the North Sea combined with an unusually high spring tide caused a storm surge in both eastern England and Holland. Over 300 people died in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, and in Holland around 1,800 died.

1962/3: the harsh winter
From Boxing Day 1962 to March 1963 much of the UK was covered with snow. In January the sea froze for up to a mile out from Herne Bay and the upper Thames froze over.

1987: Great Hurricane
Michael Fish (metrologist on BBC) laughed off suggestions a hurricane was on the way. A few hours later 22 were dead, 15 million trees uprooted and wind speeds of 122 mph were recorded in Norfolk.

Info from Mark Piggott (IBTimes UK)

As the sun goes down.

As the sun goes down on a cold Autumn evening..

It’s nice to see that all my scheduled posts have been published, I have never used the facility before.
I have been away from Driffield over the New Year so internet has been rather haphazard; there is only one reliable provider in the area and it’s not the one I’m with.

Jousting – Castle Howard.

An enjoyable afternoon watching jousting.

Jousting is a martial game between two horsemen wielding lances with blunted tips. Each participant trying hard to strike the opponent while riding towards him at high speed. The objective being to break the lance on the opponent’s shield or unhorse him.

We were very luck because although the weather was somewhat overcast, there was no rain, even though the going was rather soft from the previous days rain, it did not seem to upset the horses or riders.

 

Castle Howard – Nth Yorkshire.

Castle Howard between rain showers, its been a very wet May.

From that well-known encyclopædia:-

Building of Castle Howard began in 1699 and took over 100 years to complete to a design by Sir John Vanbrugh for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle. The site was that of the ruined Henderskelfe Castle, which had come into the Howard family in 1566 through the marriage of Thomas, 4th Duke of Norfolk to Elizabeth Leyburne, widow of Thomas, 4th Baron Dacre. For the Duke of Norfolk’s son Lord William Howard had married his step-sister Elizabeth Dacre, the daughter of the 4th Baron Dacre who brought with her the sizeable estates of Henderskelfe and Naworth Castle as well.
The house is surrounded by a large estate which, at the time of the 7th Earl of Carlisle, covered over 13,000 acres and included the villages of Welburn, Bulmer, Slingsby, Terrington and Coneysthorpe.The estate was served by its own railway station, Castle Howard, from 1845 to the 1950s.

Abandoned buildings – Castle Howard Estate No3.

The third section of the abandoned buildings on the Castle Howard Estate.

As can be seen from the dull & overcast sky; the weather has not been kind, but it is nice being able to get away and spend some time in the area. Infact will probably spend the next couple of months going back & fore as there is a lot going on for spring and early summer. The Castle Howard house, grounds, gardens & several events are not to be missed.