Above Burdale, looking back at the disused quarry.

Today was a wonderful sunny day, with no wind and I decided to take advantage of the weather and paint. I took sandwiches and George's dog food which meant a nice long day out. I revisited the Burdale area where I parked near the same horse I had fed a few days earlier. I wondered what Fairy Dale would be like to paint and so George and I set off to explore. We passed the disused quarry and the beautiful spring fed pond where George waded in to have a drink. The pond looked empty but I did see a solitary tadpole swim away. Looking over to our left we could see the disused railway tunnel reminding me that trains came through this valley at one time. The valley floor is dry and covered in thick grass. I noticed, as we walked along that there was an unusual absence of any dandelions, in fact, no wild flowers at all. I wonder why. There must be a reason. We carried on along the valley bottom which curved right where it seemed to climb up and possibly end. We did not venture further and turned round. High above us on our right were two or three large rocks protruding from the hillside. Perhaps these are the Fairy rocks I was told about recently. Then, I saw a movement on the skyline. A beautiful young deer was running along the fence which separated the road from the steeply falling hillside. We watched as it turned and ran back trying to find a way out. It then turned again and disappeared into a small area of large shrubs. We continued our walk back towards the car walking along the level valley bottom. Then suddenly, 30 yards in front of us, the deer burst through the shrubbery and crossed the broad grassy pasture before disappearing into another shrubbery on our left. I felt sorry for this young deer as it was alone and had lost contact with the family group. Back at the car we had some food and a drink, I strummed my guitar which had an unusual effect, two pheasants came close by and sat down. I decided to drive up the Wharram Le Street road, climbing about 500 feet where I stopped and saw this view. It would be challenging to do, but here it is. It is a 20 x 16 canvas which helped me get the essential elements in the picture. The small pond can just be seen lower left but the dominant feature is the quarry.
Hope you like it, happy painting.