Coating

There is still lots of ice and frozen ground about, keeping the wintry vibes going. The boulders at Low Eaves Crag on Moorside were wearing well their icing sugar coating. A plus to this spot is that it can make me feel like I’m in the mountains even though I’m just a five minute walk from home. 

In the pastures it was a surprise to find a couple of dozen Lapwing. I know they overwinter in the valley bottoms but I don’t normally see them around the edge of the moor until closer to spring. Also saw a nice pair of Fieldfare (extra). 

I just about made it to the end of the week with reports written and deadlines met. I had earned some end of week live music, and enjoyed bluegrass duo Tim O’Brien and Jan Fabricus (extra) who had come straight from Nashville (arriving at Heathrow only 12 hours earlier) to The Live Room at the Caroline Club in Saltaire. They have seven further dates around UK and Ireland over the next week or so, before returning to the USA. The second half of the set featured a guest in the form of Irish master fiddler Kevin Burke, who has collaborated on recordings with O’Brien in the past. A great show and very much recommended..