Soar Free - Steve Andrews

I’ve blipped these magnificent owls and two other tree sculptures before but today is particularly moving as we heard yesterday that their creator had died suddenly over the weekend; he was only in his late 50s. A sad loss indeed. Such talent.

On a further sombre note we also learned that the Tennis Club and the Woodland Trust were broken into over the weekend, with the Woodland Trust (on whose land the wood sculptures are located) had £100s of equipment stolen.

On a much happier note, my birthday present from Susan and Doreen arrived yesterday: a boxed set of the complete Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons books. “Swallows and Amazons” was the first book I can remember reading all the way through when at junior school.

I avidly read and reread all the books as a youngster and to a great extent the books shaped and influenced my life: the hills, mountains, water, sailing, travel, camping, scouts.... and directly played a part in my choice of career as a geographer. What a tremendous gift from Arthur Ransome and from Susan and Doreen

My grandson in California carries the name Arthur as a middle name, to mark my father’s name but it will also mark another Arthur and I hope, one day, to be able to share that Arthur’s love of the Lake District and the other special places he wrote about in his books.