The English Lake District

I really appreciated all of your thoughtful comments on the previous post  - thank you. 

There is no turning the clock back. Now is the time for those of us living here to join together and help our country move forward 

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  Cumbria, as she always does, worked her special magic on us - a green haven of beauty, peace and tranquility.

Nineteen freshwater lakes sparkle like strings of diamonds, some fringed by ancient deciduous trees, others wild moorland, or stonewalled fields cropped by sheep. A backdrop of gentle rolling hills and mountains whose azure shades change minute by minute throughout the day
Evening

The merry sounds of gurgling waters flowing over stones, chasing along becks and down waterfalls as it makes the journey from the mountain tops to the lakes

The weather can be fickle, but it is that very mercurial nature which makes it what it is - a verdant, lush beautiful landscape. A place beloved over the centuries by poets, painters, locals and visitors alike

close encounters

 Rhododendrons and Azaleas love the rich peaty ericaceous soil as does the pretty Meconopsis

The Himalayan blue poppy - not a true poppy - originates from the lush mountainous regions of south eastern Tibet and requires a damp sheltered position in order to perform and thrive happily

2 images courtesy hotel website
We stayed at this wonderful Victorian hotel the 'Lodore' overlooking Derwent Water. It serves magnificent food in splendid suroundings, gives courteous service, and

has the Lodore Falls within its grounds - the falls were eulogised by poets. They were also a great visitor attraction to guests at the hotel during the Victorian era

...dashing and flashing and splashing and clashing;
And so never ending, but always descending,
Sounds and motions forever and ever are blending
All at once and all o'er, with a mighty uproar,
And this way the water comes down at Lodore.
Robert Southey 1774 - 1843

As we watched the evening sun on the last evening sink behind the mountains, we decide we must return again soon