One From Scotland

I found this one from Scotland and, once printed, out it really stood out. It is hard to tell what is reflection and what is real. You will need to click on it to really get the feel for it.

New Work

And here is another possible contender. This is from the Lakes last week. Comments gratefully received.

The Cut

Deciding which images make the cut for the next exhibition is always an on-going organic process. This is one which will be in the mix, not sure if it will make it yet ...

Rock

The great thing about the campsite we stay on in the Lakes is that it has these typical rocky outcrops all through it. This means that kids can just spend the whole time climbing, claiming and enjoying. This is Phoebe and Rowan on top of the castle.

The Lakes

I had forgotten how much I loved the Coniston Fells. The combination of the views of Morecambe Bay to the south and Scafell to the north west make for a great feeling of space and drama. We must get over there more often ... but I always say that. So much to do!

Black Coombe

Danielle came to the Lakes by train [she had to work in the day on Friday]. I picked her up from Foxfield station which was a pleasure. It is the middle of nowhere, with this view of the mighty Black Coombe looming up behind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Combe

Blind Tarn

Our walk took us past Blind Tarn which is famous for having no visible stream exiting it.

Keswick

We came back via Keswick where I had a couple of photos exhibited as part of the Anon2 exhibition http://www.keswick.org/article.asp?id=1119018471 . Each artist had the size of a CD cover to work on, then the works were all exhibited as shown in the photo. Worth doing, and worth seeing too.

The Lakes

We have been camping for the weekend in the Lakes with friends Paul and Hilary, and their

daughters Francis and Phoebe. Francis is one of Rowan's best friends. It went really well, ranging from a great walk up Dow Crag in the dry, to a soaking wet Sunday morning escape from the campsite in the Duddon Valley.

More Wildlife

One morning whilst the others slept, I took the bike for a spin and had this dear for company as I paused for a drink. Loch Ewe in the background.

Scotch Argus

We saw this Scotch Argus butterfly at Inverewe on our Scottish holiday.

The distillery we visited was Loch Ewe, and very nice the single malt tasted too. http://www.lochewedistillery.co.uk/

World Champs

We all went down to London at the weekend. Rowan was running in an invitational schools biathlon at Crystal Palace that was part of the World Pentathlon Championships http://www.pentathlongb.org/mpwc/ . It was very exciting [she was on the track that Usein Bolt had run on last month], and she came fourth.

We stayed with friend Cathy [in photo with Rowan] in Brockley, South London and had a great weekend. Really good to see her, sitting in the garden drinking wine, watching Jessica Enis win gold on the TV.

Ride It

We had a brilliant bike ride one day in Scotland. From Gairloch a road goes north all the way to a lighthouse at the end of the peninsular. The sun shone, Gannets plunged, the road twisted, we even had a disposable barbecue with us so it was bangers and spuds for lunch. The only downside? I forgot my camera.

Wilderness Day

One day Rowan and Danielle stayed at the chalet and had a potter day. I went on a walk in the wilderness area behind Aultbea. It is a fantastic plateau with endless lochs and lochans. I walked to Fion Loch on a track then went off-piste across an area known as Bad Bog [it was] before dropping down to Poolewe. I had the place totally to myself, and saw a Sea Eagle [magnificent, near and a bit scary] and a Black Throated Diver on a lochan. A really great walk.

Inverewe Gardens

Day one of our Scotland holiday we cycled on one of the Destitution roads in the area to Inverewe Gardens http://www.gardens-scotland.co.uk/inverewe.html just down the road from where we stayed. It was great to see the gardens again [lush, sheltered, palm trees etc].

As you can see the gardens were designed for the little people only.

Aultbea

After the Wales trip our Celtic connection continues with a week in a self catering place in Aultbea in Scotland. This is the area, Wester Ross, that Danielle and I visited 12 years ago when Rowan was an internal guest. So when people ask her if she has been here before, she replies "well, sort of".
Self catering has certainly come on since then. Our chalet is fantastic, [washing machine, cafetiere, digital TV etc] with views over the loch and so on. Lots of news from the stay to come. Highlights so far have included seeing a Sea Eagle and visiting a distillery [in that order I hasten to add]

Veg News

having blog problems at the moment.
The dwarf french beans have been the big failure in the veg garden this year. They grow to just the right height for pests to get them: resulting in hardly any for us. The brocolli (protected by netting ) is great though

Kitchen

Another photo from the Festiniog railway.

We are having our kitchen done at the moment, so have migrated upstairs to the microwave, kettle and David and Gwen's camping stove. Suffice to say it will be good when it is finished.

Netball & Running

Rowan has been at a Leeds Carnegie Netball camp for the last 2 days. It was for 12-14 year olds, but her teacher sugested she go for the older age group to have a more challenging time. She loved it. It was so strange to see Rowan as amongst the smallest in the group! that has never happened before.

Danielle did the York 10k run http://www.runforall.com/york/ on Sunday and had a good time. Next year I will join her [honest]

The photo is another from our walk from Aberdovey.

Aberdovey Day 4

We persuaded Rowan to go a walk with us one day. [The days of dragging her up Cadar Idris are long gone]. The route took us from the hotel over the hills, across Happy Valley then up and over into the Talylyn valley where [amazingly] the steam train was arriving in time to take us to Tywyn from where we walked home. Good stuff.

Aberdovey Day 3

One day we drove to the dunes that we can see from the hotel across the estuary. It is a beautiful area of dunes with a wooden visitor centre hiding in the sand and marram grass.

Aberdovey Day 2

The one really wet day we had, we went on the train to PortMadoc, then took the Festiniog Railway http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/index.asp to the slate town of Blaenau Festiniog. I had made the trip here from the north when I was 11 with my friend Mathew. Two little boys making a train journey on their own from Preston with about 4 changes each way - wouldn't happen now. Blaenau was just how I remembered it - grim. But interesting.

Pendle Pedal

Dave is away cycling Lands End to John O'Groats with some friends / family, so I did the Barnoldswick Sportive today alone http://www.pennineevents.co.uk/PendlePedal2009Details.html

It was a great route, probably the toughest I have yet done, but only 100k. It went up Pendle Hill twice and countless other climbs. The longer the time since I finished the better it gets.

It was a strange experience because many of the places were very familiar names from my childhood [Trough of Bowland, Chipping, Dunsop Bridge, Longridge Fell, Jeffrey Hill, New Drop Inn, Clitheroe, Hurst Green] which I have visited very little since. It really is beautiful country and great for cycling.

The photo is another from Aberdovey - Rowan pulling some shapes.

Day 1 Aberdovey

Danielle came a day late to Aberdovey, she was making her way back from her father's funeral. It went very well, with over 200 people attending the memorial service at Aunt Sheila's church.

Danielle got the train from London to Aberdovey, this is her train arriving with Rowan looking for her. She is carrying the plastic petanque set that proved a big success on the beach this year.