It’s a sign……

I’ve been on a long journey today, from home to Huddersfield via another great city of the North, Manchester. RAC routeplanner tells me the journey is 326 miles. The journey started at 6am and ended at 6pm. I’ve travelled up the west side of England, via a small detour through the Black Country and Birmingham. It’s been a long day.

I am somewhere high above Huddersfield tonight, having crossed the backbone of Birtain, the Pennines to land up in a charming place called ‘Scapegoat Hill’. It’s a bit like being in Cornwall – we’re high in the hills and I can see a TV mast from my room…..much the same as at home then. There is lots of green, dry stone walls and stone-built houses. The stone here isn’t as pretty as our stone, it all looks kind of dirty. I don’t know if that’s just a hundred years of heavy industry chugging out smoke and fumes from the nearby conurbations or if it’s just the way it came out of the ground.

It is also very windy – also much the same as at home!!!! We’ve (Ginny and I) dumped our stuff, walked to the local village and back, via a pub for a swiftie and sat in the bar of the hotel for a meal.

As we wandered back along the road to our hotel from the village, we came across this chapel and the image seemed entirely appropriate for the place.

There is a strangely disturbing feeling to being in a place called Scapegoat Hill. Somehow though this seems to be an omen – Scapegoat Hill – who is the scapegoat? Is it me? Is it my colleague? Is it my client? I’m sure I don’t know and I’m sure I don’t want to find out. It seems a bit like finding yourself staying in a place like Salem!

Whatever! (As Jeanne would say.)

Although I know I am in a charming place – one where I am welcome, one where I have been well-fed and watered. Just one where I can’t get online!

I’m not entirely sure why this photo is a good symbol of my day other than it’s where I’ve ended up. I’m here and I’m fascinated by why I’m in a place called Scapegoat Hill when I’d rather be at home.

Work, that’s why. I’m here for a work meeting and this is the best place from which to get there. I’ve been at a meeting today in Manchester and now I’m on the other side of the Pennines ready for another tomorrow morning.

Me? I’m a corporate whore – shovelling them in one after another. Make an appointment then follow it up with another in the same basic geography……that’s what’s going on here.

So, Scapegoat Hill…….a lovely place if ever I saw one.

Last year, gggrrrrrrrr - that plant took me 10 years to get to flower and now it belongs to someone else......