An old photo……..

……..taken on July 14th 2003 on a very hot day. It was our 30th Wedding Anniversary, and we were staying at an hotel at the opposite end of Lake Derwentwater to Keswick.
That particular week was very hot and that day it was 30C.
We had decided to walk from Grange-in-Borrowdale to Keswick along the lefthandside of the lake as you looked towards Keswick itself.
A lot of the path was beneath shady trees, with the glittering reflections of the water seen through overhanging branches and scrub.
We met one or two walkers, but not many.
In a clearing we came across these beautifully carved hands at Brandlehow . I was taking a photo of Stephen and vice versa when a couple arrived in the clearing, and offered to take one of the two of us.
By an amazing coincidence it was their wedding anniversary too!
But their Golden Anniversary. They were in Keswick for the huge Keswick Christian convention that week.
We had our honeymoon in Keswick all those years ago now, and did go to the first night of the convention then.
It was lovely to stop and chat with them. They were from Scotland if my memory serves me correctly.
From there we wandered on stopping at a lovely café on the Lingmell Estate, before reaching Keswick and walking on to Friar’s Crag, before getting the last boat back up the Lake.
So we decided to spend a few days once again in the Lake District for our 50th Anniversary which is coming up soon.
I don’t think I can manage a longer walk now, nor sadly climb any mountains, but there are many happy memories of being up on the fells.
We’ll be in an hotel this time, as we used to go self catering.
The very last time we were up there our Matt and Heidi were with us, as was Alan his brother, and two of his friends.
Sadly it was just 4 weeks later that Matt was killed along side our Pastoral Minister on the M6.
But we have lovely memories of that last long hot summer of 2006, when we were all together in Grasmere.