Rosco and Holmfirth and Yorkshire wine.

Some little time ago we had promised Rod and Tina if they ever needed someone to look after their dog, Rosco , while they went away.... Gal and I would be happy to do so.  About a month ago Gail got a call setting us up to do just that, and to stay at Tina and Rod's home in Holm, Holmfirth, at the top of the Pennines between Huddersfield and Manchester.  This was the view from their kitchen when we arrived......

RESULT!

First task on arrival was to get some heat into the old stone walls and Rosco was first to show us where the paper was .  Great game tearing it all up for the fire.   Sorry no photos of the house, I sort of think that is invasion of privacy, but it is a converted farm building, part of which, the now bathroom,  was the pig shed.  Rod and Tina have done amazing things and the place is a dream of country style and comfort.  Cold though these stone homes.... when left alone for a while.

 Next up was a long dog walk.  Found a little track through paddocks and past a waterfall reached down the side of a wonderful place called Underhill, built totally under a hill by an architect and there are photos in the RIBA if you care.  I don't need to explain the rest of our scenic photos so just enjoy  the few we took. it was a wonderful walk this day and the ones that followed over different tracks we didn't take the camera on.

Oh, I may have forgotten to mention..... Right near to Tina's and Rod's home in Holme is Holmfirth Vinyard.  Yes, in West Yorkshire! 
It's the second most northern English vinyard.

We now just have to visit the most Northern.... Its even closer to Wetherby!

Anyway we called in sampled their medium dry white and light red, both quite stunningly drinkable and with good complexity and sugars.  Most surprising considering the land and the climate but the german varietal grape they use is a hardy and productive beast.... Well worth a visit.... nine quid a bottle at the cellar door makes it a viable local drop,

 The restaurant was rather nice too and I can imagine if there was ever a fine warm day in Holmfirth in summer this would be a spectacular place to go, small tho so bookings would be recommended.  Matt and Ret, you could plan a visit here on, say the 26th March, on your way from Manchester to stay with us on the 27th?  Or we could take the hour trip from Wetherby and do both northern vineyards on the 28th.... now there is an idea for Manlangang wine tours...... a Yorkshire wine tour, who'd a thought?

And then , on the last day of our dog minding, winter arrived and spat snow on us all here in northern England.
  Of course England stops when it snows... stupid. We made it home just fine.
Got a good six inches before we left Holme and found Wetherby had not escaped the heavyfall  when we woke, dogless the next morning at our own home.

And so February 2012 began. 

We sat inside for the whole next day filling out forms and copying documents to send to THE QUEEN giving her  reasons why, despite the fact our visas to stay in the UK will expire in March, she should , really should, allow us to stay and continue our Wetherby Adventures....

We posted the forms and our passports off to some grey faceless public servants who spend their boring pathetic little lives processing endless pieces of paper in vast soulless rooms looking for minute errors and reasons why perfectly competent capable but ex-commonwealth tax payers like us should be kicked out in preference to EU criminals and social security grabbing desperadoes who have thieved enough lucre to bribe their way through the system.. 

I have no reason to believe that this is anything like the truth but we do worry we may be sent home.....wherever that is now, or will have to be .... more on that later,  probably or hopefully over a bottle of fine French champers,,,,, and cheese , and in celebration of our extended tenure.