Poetry in Motion

Last night we went to see Rowan and school-mates do a poetry show. It was really good. The school has definitely moved on from the a-rhytmic twitching of a few years ago.

I found this drawing of Rowan's in her room. She had quietly done it on her own. Nice to know that she is supporting the right team.

Bird News

I am finding pilates pretty good for my back. It seems the best sort of exercise for me - so far.
Quite a lot of bird activity in the garden. A siskin was back on the nuts today [first time for a while]

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/s/siskin/index.asp

and a pair of carrion crows are busy building a nest in a tall and very wind-affected birch tree.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/c/carrioncrow/index.asp

Another flood photo.

47 Days and 47 Nights

Further on the 4o days and 40 nights of lent [see previous posts]. I was thinking that lent seemed awful long [no chocolate, no cookies etc] and so I counted out the days - 47. So there you go.
As we cycled over the Ouse today we noticed it was in flood. Everyone is York gets a bit blase about it all, floods are just part of the scene, but they still make for pretty spectacular scenes

Twist Her

Beverley, a friend from meeting, and I went to a seminar that inducted us onto a bank of consultants to work with local organisations. It was a good event, although I am doubtful that much work will come from it, but it gave us some good contacts.
We discovered at the weekend that our living room carpet is ideal for Twister. This went down well with Jessie and Rowan, not sure how pleased Danielle was...

House Guests

Friends David, Cathy and daughter Jessie came up for the weekend. Had a really good time. Rowan and Jessie laid elaborate plans for mother's day which all went off to plan. Visited the National Railway Museum then had lunch at Cafe Uno [this is on Rowan's approved list at the momenr] which wasn't too bad.
Watched Ray

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0009HJCJ4/qid=1143391715/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/026-9855388-9059609

the movie about Ray Charles which I had seen on a plane last year. It is really good and doesn't gloss over the bad bits.

Science week

Rowan and I went to a lecture on science for children - the science of everyday objects. It was brilliantly done and all the children loved it. It involved hot air ballons made from bin liners and powered by toasters and so on.
Earlier we had made mother's day chocolate for Danielle [very messy and a test of true devotion bearing in mind my giving up chocolate for lent]
Planted out the onion sets today. Saw an A4 pacific pulling a train - a great sight to have at the bottom of your garden http://www.gresley.org.uk/mainpage.htm

Owl

We had Heather around for dinner last night. She is an American child-care expert brought over here by North Yorkshire social services, and grappling with strange customs, people and expectations. We all got on really well - Rowan rather sad she was not staying over.
There was a tawny owl around last night, we checked what it was by listening to the bird-call CD.
Here's Mark at the jazz

Mounting Block

One of the other historic things we pass on our way to school on the bike is the Mounting Block by the cycle track - there is a plaque stating "This stone mounting block was formerly used as the first milestone from York measured from the Ouse Bridge."
The frogs are getting active in the pond again, lots of guilty sploshing around when disturbed, and the first dollop of frog spawn. Spring soon.

1831 Day

The Mount School where Rowan goes is 175 years old this year. So today all staff and children have to dress up in1831 style. Any excuse basically. Rowan was suitably excited about this, wearing Danielles shirt and skirt for the day. The school is a Quaker school, which is why Rowan goes there. Danielle is on the board of govenors, trying to ensure that the quaker bit doesn't get lost.

More Jazz

Mark and I walked round the city walls

http://www.york.gov.uk/walls/index.html

whilst Danielle took Rowan swimming. Then we all went to see Adrian at his sunday lunch jazz gig which was great again. In the afternoon Danielle was discussing "I know why the caged bird sings" by Maya Angelou at her other bookgroup.

Darlo

Friend Mark came up to stay, so that he could go and watch Carlisle at Darlington. I met him up there and we made our way to the Darlington Stadium http://www.darlington-fc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Stadium/0,,10339,00.html
which is a bizzare grey elephant that stands magnificent amongst fields on the edge of town - capacity 25,000, average home gate 5,000. Met up with a couple of Mark's mates, one of whom I hadn't seen for 20 odd years. And Carlisle won - five nil http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/4796120.stm
back home for a curry I made, then watched Brighton Rock http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/458657/
what a great movie it is, fantastic lighting and sound.

Premium Bonds

Went to the last BMS concert of the season yesterday evening. It was a piano trio [that's cello and violin and piano - not 3 pianos] http://www.concert-diary.com/home/concert_details.asp?id=60618&ref=13&back=true the program included a piece by SImon Parkin [never heard of him] which was really good. There were comedy moments provided by the couple behind us who kept talking in the quiet bits - you have to laugh, no point getting uppity.
Today I got a £50 prize from my premium bonds - forgot I had them [about 4 in number]. Cheers

Hidden

Since Rowan was born we have managed to see about one movie a year. Today was this years film. We saw Cache http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2006/01/17/hidden_2006_review.shtml at the City Screen in York. It is a brilliant french film, really good.
Got home to find a roost of 300 or so starlings in our trees - a bit too like The Birds - but they soon moved on.

Orion

The photo I took of that author before Christmas has made it onto the Orion books website - scroll down until you come to Dianne Setterfield http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/news.aspx that's her next to the text.

I am reading the Adam the Gardener book that was my father's - waiting for the weather to be dry enough to get into garden action. It is a great book http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/archive/index.php?t-118.html and is kept by the loo for thoughtful reading.

Do The Math

Had a good 2 inches of snow this morning, which incredibley disapeared by 2 this afternoon. The weather is all over the place. This evening at Tregelles [Rowan's school] I attended a session designed to let parents know how our children are taught maths these days. It was very interesting and challenging [we had to do some tests] and made a lot of sense.
Here is Ted in that typical Californian weather.

News of Ted

Well he got the command he needed, but he didn't win, but Derwood is convinced he will trophy one day. [One of my favorite quotes is "there ain't a word yet that can't be verbed"]

Rowan went to see Mrs Jessop and the Maths Lesson of Doom today at the Opera House in York

http://www.quantumtheatre.co.uk/ourshows15.html

which she loved. Her friend Francis came to play after school, whilst we got ready for book group when we will be discussing Saturday by Ian MCewan

Fuzzy

Dave and I got a bike ride in this morning before the snow came - mainly it is not sticking but is just cold and horrible. So this afternoon we are having a stay in time. Quilt making, watching Scrapheap Challenge, that sort of thing.
The ghost story walk was a great success - Rowan retold it to us on the way back pretty much word for word. http://www.ghosthunt.co.uk/
After 8 years Rowan has finally got a favorite teddy - seeing as he came from Swindon I was hoping he would be called Swindon, but alas it is Fuzzy.

Ghostly Dal

Danielle was all day at the school committee. Rowan went to her Running Wild session in Acomb Wood, which she really enjoyed http://www.yorkshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk/runningWildYork.htm unlike the publicity on the web, this session was just Rowan and the teacher - which Rowan loved. They were busy planting wild flower seeds. I have just cooked dal for tea using these ingredients DAL
1 cup lentils
1 onion
garlic
green chilli
fresh root ginger
1/2 tumeric
2 ground cumin
2 ground coriander
2 salt
1 lemon juice

it works well.

Rowan is now at a party which includes a ghost walk around York - she can't wait.

Last snow photo from this week

Tree update

My sister Rosemary informs me that the Redwood tree that featured last week is a Dawn Redwood http://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/DawnRed.htm . Meanwhile here is a picture of the Birch trees that stand at the front of the garden - there are three of them which were planted after the house was built [40 years ago this year].
Great excitement for Rowan and I yesterday, as we saw a body being carried off of the moor past the garden by four yellow jacketed ambulance people. Dead or not, we do not know. I am trying to convince Rowan that we want it to be the latter "but it's so exciting..." Nothing in the paper yet.

BoomTown Frog

Here is an article

http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/york/news/YORK_NEWS_LOCAL10.html

about booming York. Saw the first frog of the year last night. It looked a bit bemused, and thought about coming into the warm kitche, but settled for the freezing pond.
The photo is on the planets cycle track, I took a spin down it before all the snow last week.

Tyburn

On our cycle route to school we pass Tyburn: one of the things about living in York is that history is never far away. The photo is of Tyburn where a board informs you:

"TYBURN
York Gallows stood on this site commonly called Tyburn after those in London.
The Gallows were said to have been built in 1379 to replace an existing gibbet standing on the Knavesmire.A number of Roman Catholic priests were executed here in the 16th and 17th centuries and the highwayman Richard Palmer [no known relation] aka Dick Turpin was hanged in 1739. The public executions attracted large crowds. The last hanging took place in 1801 and the gallows were dismantled in 1812. Executions moved to a new site at York Castle and continued to attract large crowds until the last public hanging in 1868.

Tree News

Our redwood is strangely deciduous. The first year when all its needles fell in the autumn we thought it was something we had done to it; but come the spring and it revived. This is what it looks like now.

Jazz

After Quaker meeting on Sunday we went to see friend Adrian playing a new jazz gig at a wine bar in town. It is every other Sunday lunchtime. The music was great and it was pretty packed [mostly friends of the band of course]. Some friends with triplets were there, so there were plenty of children around as well.

Going Local

We had a good local evening. First we dropped Rowan off at Heather and Johns for the night: her beaming smile on going round to their house was a joy to behold. Then we went round to David and Emma's for a meal: three other people invited, we had a great evening. Finally got to bed at 1 - very late for us. It felt good to be able to enjoy ourselves without going far, the snow and ice was such that a trip into town was not an attractive proposition.

Snow Time

We had a fall of lovely soft snow yesterday, only a couple of inches but covering everything. We are about to walk into town, sloshing through the snow in wellies. The thing with snow in the UK is that it never hangs around too long, so we can enjoy it and then it will be gone tomorrow ........... famous last words.

Ted

Spoke to friend Derwood in California last night. Great to catch up as ever. He is entering his dog Ted into his first dog competition on Mar 11th at Palm Springs. He asks
"if you put him on the blog and everyone could pray for a 'Sit' rather than a 'Down' on the day, that would be great. As always it's up to the judges what they call. If it's a down we're screwed! He just won't do it."

Quilt 2

Here is the Family Quilt, incorporating amongst other things bits of old Rowan t shirts, pyjamas, and my old pants. Next stage is to sew the back on to it.
It has been a beautiful crisp day today. The ice has stayed frozen all day, but the sun has felt almost hot. I cycled to badminton in my shorts [must be why I lost]. The crocus and daisies are now out as well as the snowdrops and daffodils. Spring is on the way.

Lent

Two years ago I gave up chocolate for Lent, which was fine until we visited Turin just before Easter. Turin goes chocolate egg crazy at Eastertime - it is their big thing - every shop has a huge display of lovely dark chocolate. It wasn't easy... but I managed it. This year I am giving up biscuits and chocolate ... we'll see.

I do ask people why is Lent the length it is, and have never really got a good reply. Is it something to do with 40 days and 40 nights? Anyway it seems a good idea to give something up, so the challenge starts here.

We had pancakes yesterday, Rowan feeling a little poorly couldn't finish hers [that is a first]