Sheffield

When I tell people that I drive Rowan to Sheffield every week for high jump training, they often look aghast; it is a long way. Truth is, we always have a nice time. I pick Rowan up from school at 4.30ish, she eats her tea, that I have brought with me, on the way down. We listen to a play or Brain of Britain or Sherlock Holmes. Then she trains while I either work on the laptop at the marvellous English Institute of Sport or go for a stroll round Sheffield.
Yesterday I decided to walk up to Meadowhall and the soon to be legendary Jenkins Road which is a fearsome hill at the end of Stage 2 of the Tour de France in July. It is a brute of a climb and I hope to be on it to watch the riders battle it out at the end of what will have been an attritional stage.

Rest Day

Sunday Danielle went a run, Rowan was in the athletics team for York in Sheffield and I - I recuperated and watched the Liege Bastogne Liege bike race on TV, I figured that I had deserved it.

The photo is of Rodney and children, from their visit earlier this month. Rowan looks very like her young second cousin we think.

Stage 1 Completed.

We have been planning to ride the route of Stage 1 of the 2014 Tour de France here in Yorkshire. Yesterday was the day. It was a daunting prospect - 206 km, over 2000 metres of climbing - and rain forecast.
So at 7am we assembled on the Headrow in Leeds and set off. One rider [in his thirties] had cried off, one [in his 20s] lasted 25 km. That left Dave and myself, Dave, Mark and Simon, with Emma providing back up. It went really well and we all completed it, the longest ride I have done for a long long time. A real sense of achievement. When I got home I was too tired to eat and fell asleep after a bath. Feel good today though.
And you know what? This stage is down as "an easy one for the sprinters" for the Tour itself ...

Mission Accomplished

The Plot

I am reading a book called The Plot 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Plot-Biography-English-Acre/dp/1847081444 about a piece of land in North Yorkshire that promises to be good. So on our day off together Danielle and I walked up to see it. Here is the chapel high above the Vale of York in its lonely glory. Well worth a visit.

Photo Group

This is one of the images that the girl's in the photography groups I run at the Mount School have produced. Pretty good I think.

Waging Heavy Peace

I have just read Waging Heavy Peace, the autobiography of Neil Young. It is certainly idiosyncratic, but good and worth reading [could have done with a tougher editor though. The best music biography remains Julian Copes.

At Open Studios someone mentioned this painting by Atkinson Grimshaw, the Leeds Victorian artist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Atkinson_Grimshaw , saying my photos reminded her of it. I took that as a bit of a compliment.

Spring

Rowan and I walked across the Knavesmire with the dog; a lovely sunny day, you might just spot hime in the picutre. I saw a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap in the garden at the weekend a sure sign that spring is nearly sprung.

Tunnel 2

On the way back through the tunnel the light was still interesting, and I liked this blurred shot that I got.

Easter

A good Easter Day. Spoke to Mother on the phone. Off to meeting, then a family meal at Wagamama. Back home to watch the Amstel Gold Race [Dutch one day classic, a great race this year]. Now out to do some more gardening in the veg patch.

Walking yesterday evening, all four of us, and the low sun threw these Palmour shadows onto the tunnel wall that runs under the East Coast Main Line between Hob Moor and Little Hob Moor. The three shadows are Danielle, Milo and Rowan.

Waffle

When I was walking in Norway in 1987, I enjoyed the waffles and sour cream you got in the cafes. So when I got back to London I cycled around looking for a waffle iron. Not easy to find then, eventually I had to go to Harrods and got one there.

27 years on it is still going strong; I use it to make family weekend breakfasts, waffles, maple syrup, plain yogurt and lemon juice. Heaven.

So here is a photo of the venerable iron - in use today.

Handmaiden's Tale

Book Group, which now includes Rob, we discussed Margaret Atwood's Handmaiden's Tale. I thought it was OK, but a bit overrated. As usual we had a good discussion and a wide range of views on the book.
The photo is another from the ride over the Moors to Pately Bridge.

Ride

Another Open Studios weekend led to another treat of a ride on the Wednesday. 100 miles on a lovely sunny day. Lunch at Masham in the square with the market in full but gentle swing [fish from Grimsby, posh cheese]. Then over the tops to Nidderdale, a quick look at Scar House Reservoir, then coffee and cake at Pately Bridge, the Sustrans track through the Nidd Gorge, then tea at Knaresbrough then home. Just perfect.
The photo is from one of the reservoirs en route.

A Break

Rowan is busy revising for her GCSEs, and I have been delivering photos sold at Open Studios. Yesterday we had a walk together, including a coffee at the local cafe where we joined Milo outside in the sun where I took this phoneto.

SMS

I text friend Mark every month or so about this or that.

I sent him a text at 4.55 on Saturday afternoon "Hi Mark ..."

His reply was "Ha!"

This might sound mysterious. To give some context. He supports Carlisle, I support Preston. The score was 6-1.

This shot is on the south side of Ilkley Moor. Bleak and Bronte-esque round there it is.

YOS is over

So Open Studios is over for another year. Exhausted. I was very pleased to sell a copy of this photo. It is one of my favourites, but not the most accessible, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Pendle

This is Nelson with Pendle Hill rising behind, from the ride yesterday.
Rowan is back from her Duke Of Edinburgh award Silver camping trip. I think she enjoyed it, she certainly covered a lot of ground in the Dales near Malham.

The Burnley Burn

What a ride. After being cooped up in doors for Open Studios today was the day I escaped on the bike. Dave and I got the train to Burnley, then cycled back to York. It was brilliant. First off was a [very] undulating route across the Pennine moors towards Howarth. Bleak, grim, Curlews and Grouse for company, just what I like. Then we dropped down to Keighley; a sad place where the elegant main street still looks OK from a distance, but close up reveals that where once stood department stores etc now houses mainly Kebab shops and little else.
We then climbed high up to the top of Ilkley Moor, where a rough track dropped down to the town of Ilkley and a cafe stop. The road then undulated along the side of Wharfedale to Wetherby and tea in a Chinese run greasy-spoon cafe. The wind took us home. Only 100km but a great great ride across the country.

Author Author

I got Cousin Rodney safely on the London train today; he is bound to the London Book Fair at Earls Court, where he is promoting his book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Destinys-Hitlers-Obsession-Pattons-Possession-ebook/dp/B00CW5DDGO/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396963762&sr=1-4 which we have not read yet. But Danielle has it lined up on her Kindle, so we will.
Badminton is going well now Edward and I are playing regularly again, my shoulder is holding up well I think.

The photo is of Gill & Robert on the farm, with their adopted dog Milo.

House Guests

Danielle's cousin Rodney and family [Sihan, Salome and Zak] are over to stay for a few days. They are a very pleasant family to have around. I last saw Rodney when Danielle and I had just met in 1995, so a long time ago.

First Weekend Over

So the first weekend is over. Footfall was down on previous years, but the hit-rate was up so I was pretty pleased with sales. And there is still next weekend. As ever there were lots of great visitors to the show - it is always a pleasure to meet them. A friend from prep-school, Matthew who I have not seen for 41 years, came to see the show with his son. It was a real pleasure to catch up [we really need a weekend to cover those 41 years] and I hope to see him again soon.

The photo is one Rowan took of me on Windmill Hill last weekend.

Update

The first evening of Open Studios went well yesterday, and I sold a copy of Screen which was very pleasing [see last post]

The photo is of Danielle and Auntie Alison last weekend.

Preparation

Preparation for Open Studios is going ahead this week, with opening evening tomorrow. It always takes longer than anticipated but all seems to be on track [at the moment].
I am showing this shot - Screen - for the first time. I have blown it up big, and will be interested to see what the reaction is.

Rowan and her tree

Whilst we were down in Oxfordshire, we went to the village where Mother used to live - Kirtlington. At the Quarry I took a picture at Rowan's Tree - which we used to visit every time we went to visit Mother.

So here are Rowan 2004 and Rowan 2014; Hawthorne seems to grow slower than people.

Family Meal

A shot from the family Saturday lunch. Gill's B&B has a gallery which is great for photos!