Durham-ish: Broom House Farm

Many of the students traveled to Dublin this weekend.  Bill and I instead went to Broom House Farm where our friends Becky and James live (until they move into their very own home soon).  Bill met Becky and James at Cambridge several years ago, and we've been very fortunate to see them from time to time.  James is now teaching at the University of Durham and Becky is a professional photographer, as you will see in a later blog, I hope.

On Saturday Bill and James went trout fishing while Becky and I took Tipsy for a walk about the farm.  This is what we saw.

 

Broom House Farm sits atop one of the rolling hills in Durham County.

 



 

There are sheep in the meadow...

 



 

A lovely vista even on a cloudy day

 

 

Here I am in the forest by giant snapdragons.  I made that up, we really don't know what these flowers are.

 

 

Tipsy waits for us.

 

 

In the fern forest (I made that up, too).

 

 

More sheep in the meadow...

 

 

Another forest

 

 

My favorite picture from the walk

 

Tipsy

 

A well-worn path

 

A male pheasant feather

 

 

Quads, or as we say, four-wheelers

 

 

A wind farm

 

 

A nursing kid

 

 

More sheep (in another meadow?)

 

 

A killer cow

 

 

Lots of killer cows. They really can attack, especially if you're walking a dog.

 

 

A veritable menagerie

 

 

Show off!

 

 

You'd think I had never been on a farm!  The calf was orphaned at birth; it's not a killer cow...yet.

 

 

OK, this sow was either so hungry or mad that when she poked her trough it made me jump.

 

 

These little piggies lined up in a very orderly fashion.

 

 

We were so knackered after our walk that we had to stop for a bit of tea and a cupcake.  I have a new favorite tea, Twinings' Lemon-Ginger tea.

 



 

Becky and James live only 50 feet or so from the cake shop--Becky, especially, will miss this when they move.