Vesna Armstrong Photography

  A few selected photos from my recent trip with the Brontë Parsonage Museum to Dove Cottage, the home of the poet William Wordsworth (1799 - 1808)  Entrance side of Dove Cottage A view of Dove Cottage from the the top of the garden ( photo taken in April 2022) A portrait of William Wordsworth as seen in the library of Jerwood Centre Dove Cottage parlour Dove Cottage kitchen One of the two upstairs bedrooms at Dove Cottage The letter (original) Branwell Brontë sent to Wordsworth asking his opinion on the poetry he had been writing. Sadly for Branwell Wordsworth never replied. Seen on the landing of Dove Cottage Lake District Cottage, The Old Library, Wordsworth Grasmere

"What happy fortune were it here to live! And if I thought of dying, if a thought  Of mortal separation could come in With paradise before me, here to die." ~ William Wordsworth ~  

The other week we holidayed in our favourite Lake District haunt Hawkshead with our besties Dave and Liz. We love not only the storybook look of the village, but also the tame countryside around it, and the fact it is close to some other lakeland places we love, such as Grasmere. The weather was not very good; it rained a lot every day, and there was no great light for my photography. But, one thing that is always there in the Lake District to capture by a photographer is the unique atmosphere and mood the mountains surrounding the lakes create, so that is what I endeavoured to do. Sunday, the first full day of our holiday it rained non-stop all day. We decided visiting Brantwood , John Ruskin's house at nearby Coniston would be a good idea under the weather circumstances. The house itself was really beautiful and very interesting with lots to see and admire, but it was too wet to walk around the extensive gardens with beautiful views of Coniston lake, even carrying an umbrella....

Today is my lovely friend Liz's birthday, so I thought I'd create a post about something memorable that we did together. Last year at this time we were on holiday in Grasmere, the Lake District. One day we left our men behind for a change and went for a rather challenging walk up Silver How mountain. Well, to be truthful, the walk is rated as easy-to-moderate on the map, but for us, inexperienced fell walkers, it was far from being easy. We left the village of Grasmere by the road that leads to the lake. I am always fascinated by the many white washed houses in the Lakes strewn all over the landscape and making it look like scenes from story books. I don't think I could have got a better foreground to a rural lakeland scene than sheep at their feeders. We soon turned onto a rocky path and continued along a steep climb. I made sure to often turn back to admire the views. Another scene with white washed houses caught my eye. Just couldn't resist their ...