Scarborough

Ted and I thought we deserved a bit of a treat after all the buffeting we had had from the wind on our recent bike rides. So we headed off for Scarborough via the North York Moors with a great tailwind pretty much the whole way - it was a fantastic ride. The map below shows the route, if you click on it and go the website you can see the profile of the route too.
Once in Scarborough we got the train home with no hassle and a large mug of tea - a great day.

Track Cycling

We have been screaming at the TV and loving the coverage of the World Track Cycle Championship [click Link]. It is unbelievable how great the British team has been. So we thought we should go and check it out live: we managed to get 3 standing tickets for £10 each [cheaper than watching a game at York City - no contest]. We were right by the top of the curve and could have touched the riders if we stretched. It was an amazing experience, we will never forget it. Rowan has her first heroine in Victoria Pendleton. What made it even more interesting was that it was on the very track that we had timidly made our way on last year - to see these pros scorching round the track with incredible dexterity and fearlessness was awesome.
The photo is of Rowan on that very track last year - looked a bit different then.

Cafe

After meeting on Easter sunday Rowan went for a sleepover at Lily's. Then on the monday Ted, Chris and I rode with them to the cafe at Bolton Percy. A really good ride on a blustery day, and great scrambled egg in the cafe. Meenwhile Danielle was running 20 miles in preparation for the marathon. Go to her website http://www.justgiving.com/danielle-emmaus to sponsor her - she deserves it

Snowtime

Snow came last Sunday and covered the garden to quite a depth. Being England it was literally all gone by lunchtime - unbelievable but true.The photo is of the house from the front.

Catherine

Friend Catherine came up to see us last week. Great to catch up and show her our home up here. The photo is on the city walls [obligatory for first time visitors]

Wagner's Tristan and Isolde is my favorite Opera but not an easy listen. We saw it at ENO about 12 years ago with Carl and Jill. Anyway, it was live from the Met [click Link]at the City Screen in York and we decided best if just I went [Danielle is less enthusiastic about it, and when you are in for a 5hour plus performance you need all the enthusiasm going.]
I loved it, a little snooze now and again, but it was a great experience.
The photo is another of Easby Abbey

Richmond 2

On saturday we walked on the old railway line to Easby Abbey http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.17087 . It is a great walk from Richmond, Edie alternated between walking and using her servant [aka Jake] with the backpack.
As you can see from the photo, where Rowan goes Edie must follow.

Richmond Trip

We went to stay with friends Jake & Suzana and their daughter Edie. Great to see them, and their house in Richmond which is right in the centre of the old town. This shot is in the kitchen of their 17th century house.

Cross Country

Rowan did a Cross Country on Wednesday. It was all primary schools from West York. The year 5 was a joint race - girls and boys. She won by a long way. Here she is powering up the hill on the first lap. Very happy at the finish.

Half Marathon

Danielle successfully completed a half marathon at Ackworth [a village south of Wakefield famous for its Quaker school]in under 2 hours. It was a big field and she did really well. Rowan ran in a 1.7 mile run where she did well too. I was the support crew. This photo is the "after" shot, looks pretty relaxed to me.

Dracula

Both Danielle and I were working early this morning, so Rowan went to spend the morning with Clara and Luigi who are taught at home by my friend Edward. She had a great time, including making bread and recording this Dracula poem with Luigi http://www.freewebs.com/lagl/poems.htm .
Monday we went to Castle Museum in York - the highlight for Rowan being this iron prison bed.

Peter Grimes

Saturday night, we went to the latest Live from the Met Opera link-up [click on link for a link]. It was Peter Grimes by Britten. This was one of the operas we saw together when we were courting [as they say up here]and is Danielle's favorite opera. This production was fantastic, really good, and I definitely think it is better than being there. There was a live link up with Benjamin Britten's birthplace of Aldebrough [near my sister's] where it was being beemed to the the local cinema.
The photo is from a mother and baby commission I have just carried out.

Sacconi

Friday night was the last BMS concert of the season at the University. It was another young and dynamic string quartet, the Sacconi http://www.sacconi.com/home who were really good. Danielle was too tired to come [endless meetings linked to her being chair of the governors at the Mount School who are in the process of recruiting a new head teacher]so I went alone and dozed off during the Haydn out of sympathy - still a nice place to drift in and out of consciousness

Curlew

Saturday Rowan went to her wildlife group - Running Wild - and I went a walk in the fields nearby. I saw a pair of Curlew, in from the coast and here to breed. Their call is the most evocative of bird songs.
I am having trouble with putting links in the blog at the moment - so apologies for that.

Green Space

Thursday evening I went to a very interesting seminar on the mapping of Green Space percepitons in York. I do love maps, and so it was very interesting to hear some results from the academic work. And I got a free pen for Rowan. Great evening. The photo is from Hob Moor in the summer - roll on.

Grumpy Cattle

The cattle are still on Hob Moor, blue-tongue is stopping them from returning to their farm near Thirsk. During the storm this week they found shelter right opposite our house: and a miserable bunch they looked too.

The Ouse

It is easy to take the River Ouse for granted after you have lived in York for a while. But it is a beautiful river flowing down to the Humber. We paused above it on the Planets ride last week, on the old railway bridge.

Space Ship

One of the new features on the Planet bike ride is this 1/3rd scale model of a US space discovery vehicle. The two blokes who conceived of the idea of the Planets ride, and the additions like this definitely deserve knighthoods at the least.

Solar System

As part of York Science Week there was an organised ride along the Planets cycle track. It was a good group of people with the two teachers who set up the model doing the talking. In their own words "We created the Solar System". Did you know that on Venus, a day is longer than a year?

Architecture

On Friday I had a visit from the judges for the York Architecture prize, our extension has been entered - we shall see.
Saturday Rowan and I went up to the new library at Acomb - they have done a really good job in making a light, airy and welcoming building - you can even get a coffee there.

This photo is another one headed for Open Studios http://www.yorkopenstudios.co.uk/ which is April 4,5,6 this year.

Rowan went to a stage show version of the dreaded High School Musical which she enjoyed. It gave us time to go to Akbars for an Indian together.

Clueless Network

I have been attempting to set up a new wireless network at home to include the extension. It has been a journey of elation, surprise and despair, interspersed with calls to official helplines [not helpful] and unofficial ones [Edward]. I thought I had it sorted, then it went dooalley and has never recovered. So now I am back to square one - again. I will re-group my resources [patience and the will to live] and have another go next week.

The photo is Sand 4, which I have just sold my first large framed copy of.

Far away

York seems pretty cosmopolitan a lot of the time, what with the tourists, the students and the blow-ins. But occasionally something will pull you up short. A photography client was speaking to me, describing someone she thought I would know "She sounds really strange, speaks funny... she's from Carlisle..."
The photo is of Rowan receiving her medal for winning the cross country race last week

Goldhawk Road

Goldhawk Road west London. The last time I was down here was with Mike Gregovic going to a Serbian cafe on a sunny summer Saturday. The days when I would just get on my bike and cycle round the city dropping in on friends, doing odd jobs, taking photos.Today I am doing a presentation to an organisation about changes in social care. I get there a bit early so have a delicious coffee in an Ethiopian cafe. The road has a great mix of commerce, not a chain-store or chain-cafe in sight, just various dodgy looking dealings from around the world.

On Grand Central Railway I sat down and froze.[with apologies to Elizabeth Smart]

I took the Grand Central train down to London today. This is the first time I have travelled on this new rival operator. All went smoothly getting down. 10 minutes late at York, on time by the time we get to Kings Cross. Coming back there was no heating, no vegetarian options on the menu and an announcement on the Tannoy that from next week the service I take will cost £30 extra - which probably rules it out for me. Oh well, nice while it lasted.

Murphy

Howling gales this weekend. So Ted and I decided on a round York bike ride rather than a longer route. Good job too, it was first gear into a headwind on the way back - good ride though.
A friend of Danielle's brought her dog, Murphy, over for a walk. Rowan got on very well with him - a big success.

Oscar Night

Rowan was in "A Night At The Oscars" last week, a performance at school. It was very good, and her bit - doing Food Glorious Food from Oliver - was the best [of course]. Rowan is really getting into this performance business: it must be a gene that has skipped both her parents.