Shadows by the Burn

It's been a lovely sunny day today.

After lunch, I drove to Haltwhistle and had a very short walk by Haltwhistle Burn. It's a beautiful little waterway and the wild flowers and bird song today added to the atmosphere.

My eye was caught by these striking tree shadows. They are on buildings that were part of the brickworks. In the 19th Century this place was full of local industry. "Woollen mills, coal pits, quarries, lime kilns and brickworks lined the banks of the Burn, plundering the rocks and powering their machinery with its waters. From the first corn mill built by the Romans until the closure of the last fireclay works and narrow gauge line in the (nineteen)thirties, this small stream was the industrial powerhouse of Haltwhistle bringing employment and prosperity to the people of the town."

I have quoted from the Haltwhistle Burn leaflet. 

I was in Haltwhistle to see Maureen and Brian. They are such special friends and I have not seen them for weeks. We had a good natter and catch up. Brian made excellent tea.

Back home and Kate was there, so we had a very brief chat before she had to head back to Wall.

This evening we listened to a talk in the Good Grief conference. It was about educating children about grief and helping those who are grieving. There was a lot of good stuff in there, but I don't think you can expect teachers to take this on, certainly not until they have had education about grief and its many manifestations. It's a great idea.

Michael Rosen, one of my all time favourites was speaking. He always has sensible ways about how to listen to children and how to involve them in any project.