In joy we face the storm & defy it

Bad weather has slowly become the norm it would seem - the saturated fields of Cumbria now sparkle with every rain & each gale seems to prove too much for our once hardy trees.
But, and its a big but, I've always found that some of the very best moments are to be found out there in the storm. The ones that come too easy are seldom the ones that stay in the memory longest - its the ones you pushed yourself for - where you made the hard choices - those are the ones I think will make me smile in my rocking chair days.

Today we dallied as long as we could - occupied ourselves with tasks & coffee & friends - but in the end the lure of the hills was too much. There seemed little point in driving anywhere - so wrapped up against the rain & near gale-force winds we headed up onto the Knott. With the wind & rain to our backs it was bumpy going - and with our old pooch now not a fan of big ascents we took the lower path, seeking what shelter could be found. Yet slowly we became aware the rain had stopped & then patches of colour started to appear on the fellside - we turned & the storm gave us this moment to savour.