54 degrees, 31 minutes north (helvellyn )

& thirlmeres now united utilities & £5 parking for freedom to wander along permissive paths but only so far. above all, this is a story ov stone, ov workings, ov stone worked. mine. tip. dam. bridge. leat. sheepfold. dry-stone walls & dry-stone walling. unless yu head down the map yu wont ken these walls are a northern thing. cairn, trig-point, poetry memorial, memorial shelter, scree ov (disused) mine: mountain worked to just below summit - but worked only so far. unforgiving. at lucys tongue the dam burst, works washed out, rock avalanche, village rushed, 75 year on & the map still shows as flood ov rock. who tamed stone? read bloody wordsworth lad! have some respect. stone may lend its purpose, is NOT for taming. here at 949 O/S metres (where it used to be 3,000+ foot), lad in republican-blue fleece tries lighting his fag genst summit wind. contorting more & more, he’s getting no spark. what materials for flintstone in lighters these days, eh? i’m surrounded by the worked stone. sheepfold. tumuli. climbing hut. stepping stones. chimney. quarry.monument. cross. shelter. roman road. bridge. mine (disused). this worked mountain

54 degrees 40 minutes north (penrith)

thigh-boots, crop-top, glitterdust asks for a light. slurs words. asks for a life. mate laffs. ahead, pennines are muddy, obscured. sky-raw. the north lands are painted darker. up here we use burnt umber instead ov raw sienna, ochre. scottish & newcastle dray pulls past this guy struggling up whats left ov the hard-shoulder. his collapsing holdall spills blizzard ov eviction after lifetime tenanting. & now he’s out & down