York Open Studios 2014

I am going to be exhibiting as part of York Open Studios in 2014, http://www.yorkopenstudios.co.uk/ . The dates are on the link, so make a note now.

I found this photo from 7 years ago - the lane at Kirtlington.

Skipwith 2

Another shot of Skipwith Common. This is one of the ponds with the Strange Black Monster in it.

Skipwith

Skipwith Common

Danielle and I took a walk on Skipwith Common. A really beautiful day. There were flocks of Geese using the ponds as stop overs on migration. There is an air of sadness about the Common, it was a WW2 bomber airfield in the war, and the reality of the loss that that entailed hangs around.

Underworld

Another shot from our walk in Leeds. This is part of the truly stygian labyrinth of tunnels and channels underneath the station.

Buttertubs

The moors at the top of Buttertubs present a primal scene where water has torn out valleys with scant thought of landscape. It is uplifting.

Le Tour in Yorkshire

Buttertubs Pass

I drove to Aysgarth in Wensleydale then did a fantastic 45k ride. Over Buttertubs Pass into Swaledale where I had a cup of tea in Muker, then back over another great steep pass into Wensleydale. It was perfect weather, and the route was the one the Tour de France will use next year. Everyone is really looking forward to it, the businesses will make more over the two days than the rest of the year put together.

Leeds Leeds Leeds

Danielle went to the Durham Peninnes for a Yoga weekend, and had a good time. The place she stayed in would make a good place for me to run a Photography weekend, we shall see.
Rowan and I went to Leeds on Sunday. There was a Bike Show at the town hall http://yorkshirebicycleshow.co.uk/ which was small but excellent; lots of local companies making great things for cycling. We then walked up Burley Road to my old house in Leeds. Rowan has quite an interest in our pasts, so she was pleased to see the place. It has changed a bit; this new building is student accommodation.

Malham

Rowan went on a geography field trip this week to Malham Cove and Goredale Scar in the Dales. I make an identical trip when I was at school. They are pretty amazing places too. This photo is from a few years ago when Milo and I were thwarted by high water in our attempt to descend Goredale Scar via the stream. Milo was considerably more apprehensive than I ...

TTSS

Rowan and I watched the BBC Alec Guinness version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy the other weekend. I was really pleased that she had the patience, it does not exactly rattle along, and we enjoyed it a lot.

This is a link to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24133410 a Dutch team who broke the world cycle speed record last week. Impressive.
The photo is one last one [promise] from the UK School Games

Rare Groove

One of the benefits of having photos scrolling away on the laptop is that occasionally one will come up which had slipped through without me really appreciating it. This is one such. Rowan swimming a couple of years ago for the school.

Beer

After a very long day working in South Wales for the day yesterday, I got a ride in today with Dave. Then in the evening Danielle and I met up with Dave & Emma at the York Beer Festival http://www.yorkbeerfestival.org.uk/2013/ which we visited for the second year - it is a really good event.

Jump!

Here is Rowan clearing the bar in the all-black North East kit. It was a cold wet windy afternoon in Sheffield, us spectators were huddled and layered. All good in the end though. The winner of the high jump with a new event record was Morgan Lake who is tipped for great things heptathlon-wise http://www.athleticsweekly.com/news/lake-and-hague-set-sainsburys-school-games-records/
Rowan's York team-mate Tom Summers won the 100metres as well.

Success

Today was the day. Rowan was competing in the UK School Games High Jump. She came fourth with 1m 63 - very happy with that. http://www.2013schoolgames.com/2013/results/athletics/event116h01.html
Also very happy that she got an England top as part of the kit for the games.

Child Free

With Rowan away we have had time to watch a movie together Flight with Denzel Washington http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_(2012_film) then today we rode on the York Skyride http://www.goskyride.com/yorkSkyRide before having a great lunch at Le Langhe in York http://www.lelanghe.co.uk/cafe/ . Then we got to walk the dog on the moor together!

The photo is from our holiday.

Andernach. Germany

Let The Games Commence

Calder Navigation

I dropped Rowan off at Wetherby services where the coach for the games picked her and other athletes up. They all seemed very excited.
In the evening Danielle and I watched the opening ceremony [more fun for the participants than the spectators] and could just make out Rowan through the strobes and dry ice. http://www.2013schoolgames.com/1902.php#.UjLvRsYqgXw

A very inspiring event - it was on the BBC breakfast news programme today.
The photo is from my Wakefield ride.

New Work

I have been working this week in South Yorkshire - very interesting with some good people working well. Rowan is getting exited about the UK School Games which start tomorrow with the Opening Ceremony http://www.2013schoolgames.com/1898.php#.UjDCO8YqhA4 She stays in the Athletes Village for three nights, competing in the high jump on Sunday. We will be there for her event.
Rowan took this picture of Danielle in Koln, I quite like it.

Me and the Dog

Rowan took this picture in the garden at the weekend.

Produce News

It has been a good year for green beans in the garden [after last year's disaster]. These purple beans turn green when cooked and are going down well.

School

Rowan is in Year 11 this year - GCSE year. The other picture is of the start of Year 1, ten years ago.

Accordion Music

Another picture from yesterday, also starring Drax power station. The sign is for the Trans Pennine Trail.
I listened to Uniko by Kimmo Pohjonen [a Finnish accordion player - of course] with the Kronos Quartet on Spotify http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimmo_Pohjonen it is brilliant and recommended. 

Drax

It was a lovely day, so I got a ride in to Selby and Skipwith Common. Believe it or not, this view of Drax power station through the sunshine had a real poetry about it.

Stats

Someone asked me the other day, "How many people read the blog?" I do not know the answer but this is the number of page views for the last 6 years or so.

Anniversaries

Ro and Pete came to stay on Saturday. Sunday they took Mother home with them. It was good to see them here after a long while.

Sunday was 17 years since our marriage and 5 years since we got the dog – both are still going pretty well. The photo is of Rowan on our walk yesterday.

Wolds Again

Last few days of the holidays for Rowan, so we got a great Wolds walk in on Monday. Rowan took the map, using the skills she tried out on the Duke of Edinburgh award trip; she did well. It was a beautiful day. We saw two other walkers, but apart from that it was just the two of us, with Milo charging all over the place as usual.

Frendal Dale

Online

Being the parent of a teenager I get a fairly constant stream of internet based “humour”. A lot of it I would happily never have come across, but occasionally something makes me laugh.

“How come Jesus had a Mexican name?” did the trick for me.

Andernach. Germany