Merry Christmas



"Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day."

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~
























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The Villages of Laycock and Goose Eye, West Yorkshire

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Two miles west of town of Keighley, on the border with Brontë Country lie two old, small and peaceful villages: Laycock and Goose Eye. I love exploring and photographing picturesque villages and was very pleased to discover these two which are only a slight detour on my way to Haworth. Wandering around Laycock, I was immediately drawn to the sense of slow pace of life and living in harmony with countryside and nature. The villagers were friendly and took the time to chat to us: there was an owner of a beautiful and unusual, very old house doing some work outside, and further up a group of ladies came out of another house after getting together for a morning coffee. There were some gorgeous gardens teeming with colourful summer blooms and attractive tables with chairs thoughtfully placed to enjoy soothing, far reaching views. We passed through Goose Eye on our way out of Laycock, but I came back to take photos a few days later. Goose ...
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Gawthorpe Hall and Charlotte Bronte

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As a big Bronte Sisters fan I am on a mission to gradually visit and photograph all the places of connection with the sisters, both with their life and their work. Living in West Yorkshire where the sisters lived and wrote, I consider myself very lucky to be in a position to do so. It also makes for a special pleasure of marrying two loves of mine - the one for photography and the one for the great literary sisters. The weekend of 8th and 9th October was reserved for a trip to Gawthorpe Hall in Lancashire. The Kay-Shuttleworth family who lived at the Hall in the 19th century came to hear about Charlotte Bronte, who was becoming a well known author, and invited her to stay, which she did on a couple of occasions. Gawthorpe Hall is a beautiful, early 17th century Elizabethan mansion, and is the last stop on the Bronte Way - a 43 mile long footpath that starts at Oakwell Hall near Birstall. Charlotte described Gawthorpe as "grey, stately and picturesque, a model of old Englis...
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Ponden Hall to Ponden Kirk, Bronte Country

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