Evacuate

Rowan's assembly last week was about world war two, which involved singing about evacuees and so on. They seemed to like it. As the class all grow up the parental response to assembly changes from being "cute" to "they're getting better".

Busy/

I have used the extension as a studio for the first couple of times. It has gone well.
Rowan and I went down to Oxford to collect mother for a visit. We saw cousin Sarah down there and visited my cousin Gill's extension - makes ours look quite small by comparison. All back here now, where Rowan has been making a broomstick in Running Wild.
On the trip back I listened to Derwood on a Radio programme about Record Producers which was good.

Catch up

One of the good things about living in York, is that friends and colleagues often end up at conferences in the city. Luckily Jean Willson who I had not seen for 8 years, and with whom I had lost touch, looked me up when she and her husband Norman were here for a conference on learning disability.
They have a severely disabled daughter: I worked closely with them 17 years ago to set up an independent living scheme for her. She, and the scheme, are still going strong. It was great to catch up with them.
Another Brimham photo

A Spin

I got out for a couple of hours on the bike yesterday. Took a spin to the west of York and went on some bridleways - you can get into some beautifully remote places very quickly. This is an old track running between Helaugh and Bilton. I saw a Barn Owl on my journey.

Shoes

In 1985 when I was living in Droitwich I got some shoes made for me by Jeremy Atkinson
in Hereford. 21 years on they are still going strong - many resoles have come and gone but I still wear them all the time. Friend Wendy once memorably called them my "lesbian collective shoes" so that is what they have now become known as. After all that there is no photo of them, here's another of Brimham Rocks

Brimham

Sunday we went to Brimham Rocks to clamber and walk about. Great weather and carrot and coriander soup at the cafe.

Social Stuff

Last Sunday Kevin & Gerard had a good garden party: some people who we'd met there at Christmas asked "your extension must be finished by now?" which rather rubbed in how long it has all taken.
Then in the week whilst Rowan was at Robinwood, Danielle and I went to a meal at the chair of her PCT's house in Ripon. I wouldn't say it was a posh house, just that they had their own ducks on the lake...
The photo is of the wet room in the extension.

Chelsea

My only experience of the Chelsea Flower Show was 20 odd years ago. I was at work at the day centre, when the gardening tutor came in with a spare free ticket for that day. It was 3.30, the ticket got me in until 5. I cycled at full tilt across London, locked up the bike on the gates and made it in. Had a look around, bought a Hardy Jasmine for a pound as they were dismantling the gardens, then cycled back home with the metre high plant protruding from my pannier. It felt like a good way to do it.
Another shot of the extension.

Robin Wood, Robin Wood

Rowan has just spent 3 days with her class from school on an adventure trip at Robinwood in the north Pennines near Alston. She loved it and has been full of the joys of abseiling and stream walking since. Today she went off to Rainbows Cafe in York for Katrina's birthday party: a decorated plate will follow next week.

Meanwhile we are getting on with colonising the extension - the stereo went up there today, as well as much of my photography stuff. More photos to follow.

C'est Fini

Well not quite, but we can start using the extension now. Remaining work includes, fitting a vent in our old bathroom, and fitting the glass on the staircase. But overall it is done - very exciting and a little daunting. Malcolm the joiner is off to the Lakes for a holiday - he deserves it.

Nearing the End

The extension is nearly finished. These last few days have seen the men inside the old house, making the connection: so we have had the most disruption of the whole process. So I got out of the house today, delivered a photo then went for a spin out to the east of York - Sand Hutton where this photo was taken. It is easy to get onto bridleways that take you far away from the bustle very quickly.

The Thirteenth Tale

I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, on account of having taken her portrait photo for her just after she secured her publishing deal. Not the sort of book I would normally have read [Gothic pastiche set in present day] but I really enjoyed it. It has been really successful in the US

Success

This was a sight we thought we might not see for a while - Rowan happily walking across Hob Moor with dogs, and not worried about other dogs. But thanks to the use of dog therapy dogs Baxter and Molly, and their very kind owners Karen and Bob, Rowan has regained her confidence. Now she wants a dog of her own .... oh dear

Gig 2

Saturday we went with friends Patrick and Julia to The Shed at Malton to see a fantastic jazz band Pinski Zoo - a lot of energy and a lot of funk. The Shed is , well, a shed, in the village of Hovingham where these amazing bands come to play: strange but true.
The photo is of Rowan with dogs Baxter and Molly.

Gig 1

Badminton playing friend Edward invited me to a gig at Fibbers in York. The band were the Dub Pistols and pretty good. The strange thing was that this was the first real gig I had been to in a sweaty club for 20 years or so - and some of the audience were older than me, but some were the right age for a gig [16 pretending to be 18]. A weird experience, but one I was glad to have.
The photo is the moment of the award giving yesterday.

Foundation Day

It was Foundation Day at Rowan's school,

The Mount . She won a Sports Award so had to go up and receive it from an old scholar. This shot is before the event. There was an auction of promises which included a portrait photograph by me - bidding was pleasingly high - I must tap into that market.

Tales from the Trains

I arrive at the station as normal, then notice the larger than usual number of people milling around the departure boards. I get nervous, check the boards, searching for the worst. And there it is “..cancellation… derailment”. Luckily today I had walked in, on account of carrying a framed photo to a customer in London, so I got to the station early. I managed to catch a delayed early train and get into London. It was the last train that made it through before a freight train derailed at Newcastle causing huge delays for everyone else. Relief.

This is all part of the drama of travelling down by train, you win some, you lose some. In theory getting back this evening should be easy. Time will tell.

The photo is of York station roof

Ill

When Rowan is ill there is only one thing for it - enjoy the chance to cuddle up with her on the sofa and help her get better. She hates to miss school, and tries hard not to be ill, but yesterday a virus laid her low. We saw the doctor today, and she is on the mend.

I delivered another photo yesterday to a customer from Open Studios, her partner put in an order for a copy of Sheffield [one of my favourites but not everyone's cup of latte] so it was a worthwhile trip.

Love Monday

Mayday bank holiday Monday is an anomaly in that Tregelles children still have to go to school. So each year we see lots of pairs of parents arriving to pick up their children, having spent a child-free day off work. In many cases it is the only time we have ever seen them together. We are no different. We had a nice relaxed walk into town and a wonder around.

The photo is of one of the statuettes dotted around York

Quakevine

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I still do the monthly cover portrait for QuakeVine magazine. This month it is this mother and her son. Next month will be of Joyce Pickard a venerable York Quaker who has just been made a freeeman of York

Art

Went out last night for our annual meal out with John Katie David and Anita. Great time at a new restaurant

Number 8 which was pretty good. Rowan was delighted to have Teba as a babysitter. I took some photos for her of some Senegalese artwork that she hopes to sell at craft-fares etc. [photo]

Today I cycled over to Harrogate Quaker meeting to take some photos for Quakevine. Great ride - awful headwind going, superb tailwind coming back.

Meal

The photo is of Brompton Cemetary. We all went round to friends Bev and Steve's for a meal last night. Very relaxed, the children disappeared upstairs and we could have a good chat. After the heat of recent days it is back to the cold one would expect at the start of May - that's more like it, where are my gloves?

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square has been reinvigorated by stopping the traffic crossing it in front of the National Gallery. Ken has certainly had a positive effect on London with the congestion charge and increased cycling facilities: not perfect but definitively getting better.

Knock through

This photo is from the walk in London yesterday.
The builders have finally knocked through into the old house, so we now are definitely on the home-straight. I had wanted to have a "hands through the hole" channel tunnel type photo, but I missed the moment.

Out West

The photo is of a tiny Rowan and a big gate at the Lavender Place. I was in London today for work. I walked back into town from Earls Court on a beautiful sunny afternoon: through Brompton Cemetery and through the Parks to the Commonwealth Club. There were lots of memories on the way - of various squats and houses that Mike and Derwood had lived in, of band photo-shoots, and of the flat where our Quaker mentor for our wedding lived [she died four years ago]. Always good to stroll through London.

Yorkshire Lavendar

Sunday we went to the Yorkshire Lavender in the Howardian Hills. Beautiful to look across the Vale of York in the sunshine. Danielle stocked up on herbs for the herb spiral and Rowan raced round the maze.