Earlier today we went in search of a piece of Cumbrian history at a small hamlet called Kirkhouse in North Cumbria.
Situated a few miles from Brampton, off the A69, the churchyard features a memorial to Joseph Bell, Chief Engineer of RMS Titanic.
Parking the car, as it turned out about 10m from the memorial, we set about stretching our legs with a walk around the local area.
Dad had spotted a hill on the way in to the area and so it was to here and a vantage point overlooking the valley we headed.
This did involve crossing the quite busy A689 and staying to the edge of the road facing the oncoming traffic.
We did stop however to say hello to a few hens who were enjoying the dry conditions.
The quiet single track road was ideal for us to stay clean and to file off our nails which have grown a bit over the winter and some soft living.
New Lambs
To our left a tiny stream of water trickled between pools of muddy oily muck. As a result any thoughts of a fresh drink or a paddle was out of the question.
The hill was quite steep and whilst Charlie and dad powered upwards mum and I, shall we say, took a more leisurely approach.
The walk was full of sniffs. Charlie spotted a pheasant and a couple of rabbits and I tucked into some fresh grass which was growing in the hedgerows.
Towards the top of the hill we spotted some of the first 2012 lambs grazing in a field.
They had little plastic coats on which made them look a little odd until you worked out what they were. Mum thought that these would help keep them dry and possibly a little warmer for their first few days on a Cumbrian fellside.
Turn around and head to church
Upon reaching the top and taking a few moments to observe the view we turned around for the walk back down the hill.
With our eyes able to look over the hedges due to the path falling away in front of us, we spotted a couple of Lama or possibly alpacas that appeared to be keeping an eye on us from quite a distance away.
Also we had a good mumble at mum and dad whilst they tried for a good 15 minutes to photograph a bird in the hedge.
For some reason they could see the bird with their eyes, but just could not find the darn thing through the lens of the camera.
Charlie and I looked at each other and just grumbled.
Titanic and Iceberg
Legs stretched we headed back to the car for a good drink of water and a sit down, whilst mum and dad went into the churchyard.
They had heard about a memorial to Joseph Bell who was the chief enginner on board the Titanic.
Almost 100 years ago, on the 15 April 1912, the ship hit an iceberg on it’s maiden voyage.
Looking a little worse for wear and in the older part of St.Thomas a Becket Church yard in Farlam, the stone will go un-noticed by many visitor and local alike .
His body was never recovered following the incident, which saw Joseph and his crew staying at their posts to ensure power was available for pumps, lighting and the wireless equipment.
Family memorial
Joseph shares the sandstone memorial with other members of his family.
It is the only known memorial to someone who is seen by many to be an unsung hero of the disaster that claimed more than 1,500 lives.
Photographs taken and walk completed we headed home and the promise of a roast chicken dinner.
Until next time
Buster and Charlie