Little Stories Of My Life In Pictures: August (Part II)

A photo diary of a photographer, nature lover, keen home maker and the Brontë Sisters fan

Feeling the heather after the excitement of seeing it flowering on arrival to Haworth and the moors. I look forward all year to this moment in August.

I am on a mission to walk The Brontë Way in eleven walks outlined in this lovely old, and rare book. On the first day of my stay in Haworth I walked the Haworth to Ponden Reservoir portion of The Brontë Way.

This is Ponden Mill which is now a B&B and camping/glamping site. As I approached it on my walk my eye was caught by the diagonal composition of the solitary girl sitting at the table and the picture of the Brontë Sisters up on the wall of the building, the two being seemingly connected by the blue tones. The scene struck me as a parallel with my own bond with the literary sisters.

Stepping out into the dusk on Haworth Main Street after an evening meal at the Cloth Store restaurant. Ah, the beauty and thrill of staying in Haworth; the feeling that my home is here, if only for a couple of nights; the feeling that instead of rushing back to Leeds I can enjoy the evening in the village till as late as I wish!

Dusk and sunset on the path behind the Brontë Parsonage. It was the path the Brontë Sisters usually took to go up on the moors. I love being here, and especially at the end of the day, always my favourite part of the day.

This photo is quite special to me. First, it was taken with a camera and not a phone like all my other recent pics. I still  carry my compact camera with me and reached for it on this occasion because I needed its zoom lens to create an image I had in my mind. The photo shows the heather on Haworth moor and, in the distance, Top Withens, possible location for Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights novel. There is no heather in the near vicinity of Top Withens, so it is not easy to come up with an image that contains both the heather and the ruin. As I walked along the path to Top Withens, I came to a spot with the heather being directly in line with Top Withens which was about a mile away. Delighted by the prospect of a rare image I spent a good half hour in this sunny and peaceful spot making sure I get a best possible photographic result.

An evening stroll around the Brontë Parsonage, the Old School and the graveyard; just taking in the atmosphere of the dusk, sunset, first street lights casting a warm glow on the cobbles and the final cawing of crows before they settle for the night. There are not many sentiments that make me happier! 

A last morning visit to the Brontë Parsonage. How could I not say hello to my soul sisters before leaving Haworth?! 

A scene from my favourite Haworth shop - The Store, Haworth. This is the shelf above the till point which Lesley, the owner has so beautiful decorated with lots of small bottles containing dried plant stems with seeds. The hat on the wall is such a great evocative touch. Lesley's store is full of beautiful and unique, rustic things for both you indoor and outdoor home space. Completely irresistible, a must see shop! 

Lately my thoughts and feelings have led me to create something different - a fusion of one of my photographs and a literary quote. Here is a photo of Top Withens (possible location for Wuthering Heights) I took during my recent stay in Haworth accompanied by Emily Brontë quote from her novel Wuthering Heights that resonated with me at the time of creation. I edited my image to suit the melancholic mood of passion and longing the quote elicits for me. 

When I first started this Little Stories project I promised myself I would make more effort to take photos of people in my life; any people; people who just happen to pass through my life; people who get to mean to me in different ways; people I find photogenic... This is Graham, a fellow volunteer in the Monday Garden Maintenance group at TCV Hollybush. He is usually busy with some skilled jobs. Here he was enjoying a relatively simple task of tool servicing. 

This little robin kept hopping around very close to me at Hollybush as I was working on moving the compost from one bay to another. I was able to get so close to it that even a phone lens was good enough for me to take a decent shot! I learnt later that the cute little birdie actually lives around the compost area and is well used to us humans hanging about.

My pregnant niece during my recent visit to her. We were listening to the babies heartbeat and movements via a monitor. So fascinating! 

It has been a great year for blackberries and I could not resist a stroll down the path to the nearest bush with my little wicker basket. I also found a few red dock weed leaves lying around, signaling the arrival of autumn. No pies or crumbles, though, only a healthy blackberry, black grape and apple smoothy for me this year.

This is a detail from a tiny, secluded and gorgeous local park that has become increasingly dear to my heart. It is where I take our dog in the afternoons; where I like to sit enjoying a quiet and reflective moment; somewhere where I am always on the lookout for another evocative photo. On this warm and dreamy afternoon, my eye was caught by the light reflected on the bench encircling the trunk of the birch tree....

I have a huge interest in interior design and am always delighted to come across beautiful indoor spaces like this. Could not have wished for a calmer, more desirable and inspiring home office corner than this one!