22Oct1862, A glorious day of beauty

CONISTON, Wednesday, October 22nd, 1862.
—The very wildest howl of wind and pelt of rain, with one or two short bursts of sunshine, till luncheon ; and we sat resignedly in "Mum Atkinson's parlour " with books and letters, giving up all hope of doing the Old Man. But after luncheon, it cleared, and we set off just to go up a little way, and to our joy it kept fine, and we went further and further there, into all the beauties of glen and mountain and, what delighted us most of all, innumerable waterfalls. One was a really great one, and all most lovely and the delicious music of the rushing waters was all round us, everywhere. Tiny threads of water came dancing down the side of all the hills. And oh, the tinting lights, the towering peaks, and the deep valleys ! We got up as high as the last cascade of any size — abt 2/3 of the way, and then, as it began to rain and the wind became so wild that I was actually blown down, I was pintoed enough to turn back with Uncle Stephen, Papa going on. We came down quickly, hopping across innumerable little streams and torrents, and when we were as far down as the copper mills, the tremendous cloud which had been scowling over the Old Man, contrasting most beautifully with the serenest sky and golden sunset light over the lake and valley below us, came down in one of the violent storms. It caught Papa sitting like Pillicock on the top ! which he reached triumphantly. A glorious day of beauty : a joy for ever !