Thursday, July 31, 2008

Friends


Danielle Rowan and I walked to Tywyn then took the Talyllyn railway to Abergnolywn where we met up with friends Mike & Karen and their family and friends who were in the area on a Quaker camp. It was good to see them - it is 8 years since we last met up.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Us


Quite a rare event to get a photo of us together - so here we are. The three of us cycled to

CAT yesterday. It was a good ride with Danielle trying out her new Orbit touring bike which we got at the CTC rally. CAT was its usual self of chaotic inspiration and long queques in the cafe.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Aberdovey 1


The sun is out, the house is being house-sat, and we are in Aberdovey. We always go down to the beach first thing when we arrive and are faced with the most beautiful sand and sea with the mountains behind, and with my requirement [a 100metre exclusion zone] met with ease as you can see. Feels good.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Enough Rope


This is another shot of some rope from the ship in Hartlepool. The summer has finally arrived and we have had a lovely couple of days. Danielle sorting out her bees, I went an off-road ride, Rowan bounced around on the trampoline alot - just another Saturday.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Art Trail



York has got an Art Trail this summer. Weather proof copies of famous works of art are mounted outside on buildings. I like anything new and different like this, other people dislike anything like this.. Here is Rowan with one of the paintings on St Marys Abbey in York.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Pond Watch


Saturday night we were at an allotment party at John and Katy's. Despite the seasonal weather [it rained] we all had a great time. The photo is of Rowan, John, and Rose practising their frog tickling skills - in the rain. John cooked some great fish on the barbecue and we ate in a candlelit gazebo. We had to leave early to get back to welcome some Cuban dancers who were staying the night, and who - didn't show up.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Wren


Open the kitchen door and at head height under a metre away is this Wren's nest complete with gaping chicks. It is great to watch them greedily getting fed, and fed and fed.

The nest is meant to be for swallows but obviously the Wren couldn't read the label.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Rope


There was plenty of rope and chain on the ship in Hartlepool. I like the shadow on this coil. It is one of those shots I shall have to have a look at for a good while to work out how good it is. Rowan was at a sleep over on Friday night, so Danielle and I watched Bergman's

The Seventh Seal film which I loved [D not so sure]. It was made in the year of my birth. The black and white cinematogrophy is just perfect.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Stocks


These stocks were at Hartlepool. Luckily no soft fruit was available.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Skipworth Loop





This is one of my favorite rides. Down the cycle track to Ricall then on through Selby and the River Ouse before coming up to Skipworth Common, a marvellous wild heath that used to be an airfield in the war. I saw these strange cattle today.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Hartlepools


Hartlepool might not sound the most obvious destination for a day out, but you'd be surprised. Rowan and I went on the train to see the Maritime museum which is really good, and was pretty busy as well. The centrepiece is this ship which we could clamber and crouch over. http://www.hartlepoolsmaritimeexperience.com/

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Dylan


We have been really enjoying listening to Bob Dylan's themetime radio show http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/bob_dylan/index.shtml . He plays some great stuff [and even better, none by himself]. Well worth a listen.

The photo is Rowan saying goodbye to her old trainers in Sheffield: chucking out anything is way down on her list of priorities so getting her to ditch these [before they took action themselves] was a bit of a triumph.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Rowan's Photo

When we were in Sheffield Rowan grabbed my camera and carefully lined up this shot. Don't know where she got such an idea from...

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Cycle Route



I went a bike ride on this route today. A bit of rain, but a good ride with a good cafe at Knaresborough.
The photo is of Rowan and I reflected in the water fountain in Sheffield yesterday. Worry not, this is not a true representation of my girth.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Finch News

All winter we had 5 or 6 Goldfinches pigging out on the nyger seed. They must have moved on to nest elsewhere as they haven't been around for a while [even though the weather is doing a great winter impression]. Today we were treated to a pair of young Bullfinches feeding outside the kitchen window. The male is the most beautiful of birds and it is a real treat to have them so near. The photo shows again why I am not a wildlife photographer but you get the idea.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Leeds


This is the view from the top of Middleton Moor in Leeds. Typical bleak damp northern skyline - I love it.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Article about Danielle

News analysis: Panel has high social enterprise score

By Rosie Walker, Third Sector, 9 July 2008

Advisory team: the 12 representatives

Representatives of small local charities are concerned that the new group set up by the Office of the Third Sector to advise it on voluntary sector issues relies too heavily on "the great and the good" and is weighted too heavily in favour of social enterprise.

The 12 members of the Third Sector Advisory Body were selected from 283 applicants. The interview panel included Labour peer and panel chair Jill Pitkeathley, Helen Stevenson and Pat Samuel, both deputy directors of the OTS, and legal services commissioner Dr Lily Segerman-Peck.

Neil Cleeveley, director of policy and communications at Navca, which represents local charities, said: "There is an element of the great and the good about it. We would like to see more grass-roots representation, without it becoming too large and unwieldy."

Brian Carr, chief executive of BVSC, which represents charities in Birmingham, said: "There seems to be a strong emphasis on social enterprise expertise in the mix, which is understandable and important. What's less obvious is grass-roots community-level and faith-based third sector perspectives."

A spokesman for the OTS said it was important to hear from organisations not among its 45 existing strategic partners - organisations that receive government funding in return for advice.

Two religious organisations, Faith Action and Church Urban Fund, are among the partners. "Social enterprise is a broad spectrum, so it's important to have people representing every aspect of it," he said.

Jonathan Bland, chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition, described the group as balanced. "We're pleased it includes representatives with business experience from both social enterprises and the private sector," he said.

Ben Wittenberg, director of policy and research at the Directory of Social Change, said the quality of advice and the ability of the OTS to act on it were more important than the group's membership.

"It will be interesting to see what the OTS will do if the panel tells it that it's made a bad decision," he said.

The gang of twelve

The new group includes Lynne Berry, chief executive, WRVS, which helps isolated people in need; Stan Crawford, managing director, Sherwood Energy Village, a sustainable housing social enterprise; Stephen Dunmore, consultant, former chief executive, Big Lottery Fund; Clare Gilhooly, chief executive, Cambridge House, which alleviates poverty in London; Michael Kelly, European head of CSR, KPMG; John Knight, assistant director, policy and campaigns, Leonard Cheshire Disability; Bhupendra Mistry Board member, Carnegie UK Trust and BBC World Service; Penny Newman, non-executive director, Social Finance, set up to prepare the voluntary sector for a social investment bank; Cliff Prior, chief executive, UnLtd, a charity that funds social enterprises; Abbie Rumbold, partner and charity specialist, law firm Bates Wells & Braithwaite; Danielle Walker Palmour. director, Friends Provident Foundation; Sir Nick Young, chief executive, British Red Cross.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Middleton Railway



While Rowan was swimming in Leeds on Sunday I took a walk through the drizzly woods of Middleton Park. Coming through the mist was a steam train on the
Middleton Railway which is a preserved line and one of the oldest surviving railway lines in the world. It used to be a colliery line, now it ambles rather incongruously through a park.

Monday, July 07, 2008

Swimming Gala


Rowan was in a swimming gala in Leeds. Hundreds of children and their families converge on the pool at 8am. On a Sunday morning. It is all very professionally run and the kids seem to love it. Meanwhile the parents huddle in the heat and the noise [every bad record you can think of is played over the high quality PA which means you can hear every note] like a reluctant Gladiators audience.

The photo is from the much more civilized running meet - Rowan won the 600 metres again.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Summer in the City


A summer's athletics meeting in England. Rain all day of course. The photo is of coach [Danielle] and coachee [Rowan] in seasonal clothing.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Tales from the Trains


You meet all sorts on the late train back from London. This week was a good sort.

On the way down to London I wondered why my Swiss Rail watch was reading the date as July 33Rd. On the way back I was chatting to the man who distributes them in the UK. He e-mailed me the explanation [separate discs for each number to allow larger digits, if you want to know] which was very interesting. Still does not read right though - it is just that I now know why.

The photo is of the International Maritime building on the embankment near Lambeth Palace. I like it.

Friday, July 04, 2008

National Championships

Whilst waiting for the national women's road race Ted and I got talking to the parents of Jesse Allen who came fourth - as she is 18 she looks like a cert for the 2012 Olympics in London. She got into the sport by chance, a programme was being run throughout schools in Wales to find potential cyclists. She fitted the bill and is now riding for the Halfords Team with Nicole Cooke [world champion]. It was a heartening story. Oh yes, and the programme has now been cut...

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Goldfrapp


Rowan went to stay the night with John and Heather on Tuesday - all seemed delighted. Which meant Danielle and I could go to the Sage in Newcastle to see Goldfrapp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfrapp . It was a great venue and a fantastic gig - we really enjoyed it. Long way to go though.
The photo is another from Rowan's Hebden Hey weekend.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Hebden Hey

We received some photos from Rowan's trip to Hebden Bridge. Here she is in the group - they definitely had a good time.