[WillowTheWhisp]

On Christmas Eve we decided to go on a Panopticon hunt after church, well it makes a change from coming home and having Sunday dinner doesn't it?

As we were already in Blackburn we went to look at that one first. Of course you have to know it's in Corporation Park because you can't actually see it from any part of Blackburn. You can't see it from most of Corporation Park either come to think of it but knowing it's at the top end off Revidge Road does help and it is signposted once you get inside the park.

It's just a pity that the person who made the sign doesn't know how to spell panopticon, despite there being a huge placard only yards away.

It's not looking quite so colourful as it was when new.

From there we went over to Burnley to visit the Singing Ringing Tree.

Unfortunately it had started to turn foggy as we headed off up the road towards Rossendale. Although we kept our eyes peeled we were totally unable to tell if the structure can be viewed from the road.

As we approached the familiar Panopticon placard we met an intrepid couple returning from their chilly hike over the fog bound moors to seek out the Singing Ringing Tree and I couldn't help musing to myself that the placards are more noticeable than the actual panopticons themselves. The couple assured us that it wasn't more than quarter of a mile away and the path "wasn't bad" so off we went as the fog closed in around us. A little way along the path we spotted something in the distance - which turned out to be somebody else who'd been off down there to look at it. They assured us it wasn't far now.

Then mysteriously ahead of us in the fog - there it was.

Em ran on ahead. By this time we were freezing cold and the wind was blowing round our ears.

Unfortunately despite the freezing wind the flippin tree totally refused to sing to us.

So we left it to the shrouding fog and headed for home.

The first couple we met had said they planned on returning another day because they still wanted to hear it sing. Maybe we should have directed them to Neil's video on AccyWeb