Lines

No comment really needed on this road marking in London last week. A certain geometric poetry none the less.

Up & Down

Having been a self employed consultant for 16 years plus I have got used to the ups and downs. A couple of years ago was a down when I left a project before finishing it [and was relieved to be paid]. Yesterday was an up, when I delivered my initial report on learning disability services and got a very positive response from my clients.

In London I stayed with David and Cathy in Muswell Hill; down the road from this lovely art-deco type block of flats. Very Poirotesque I think.

A Day In London

Another sunny London morning. Today I walk along Parkland Walk [the old railway line to Ally Pally] then through Highgate Wood [really beautiful] past Danielle's dreadlocks hairdressers and on to Hampstead Heath. Great views to the Shard etc, and a good walk across the heath to Jack Straws Castle and the pond right at the top; the highest point in London.

I stroll downhill and get a coffee and croissant in a cafe in Hampstead; it is just as you might imagine, lots of literary types tapping on their keyboards in the filtered sunshine. Pleasant. Next I work my way through Belsize Park to the marvellous Primrose Hill with a perfect view of the new London skyline. Then onto the Regents Canal which I follow round to Little Venice where I discover a whole new development along an old spur of the canal - Paddington Basin - with offices, flats, bridges; all the usual quayside developments. Marks and Sparks have their head office with a canteen open to the public, so I get a sandwich.

I make my way parallel to Oxford Street on a route that used to be my cycle route to Paddington from Islington back in the day. Then I am back at the cycle shop in Faringdon picking up my bike and going on to meet Danielle at Friends House on Euston Road. Good walk. Finally it was non-alcoholic cocktails at St Pancras with friend Mark.

For some reason Primrose Hill consistently produces great skies

Bike Fit

Danielle has got form on getting me interesting birthday presents. This year she brought me a bike-fitting at a trendy bike shop in Faringdon, London. So I have come down on a very cheap ticket with my bike and am en-route for the shop. It is lovely to be in London again; sunny crisp and buzzing. I was locking my bike outside of the British Library when a security guard approached me. Prepared for "you can't put it there mate" style rant I turned to face him; "There are some much safer racks round the corner, you'd be better off using those", I thank him and take his advice.
The British Library is a marvel. You can wander in without being searched, settle down with a coffee and use the free wifi; all in an atmosphere of peace and learning.
Lucky.
At the bike-fit the [very] young man analyses my position on the bike with the help of electronic sensors and various metrics. The end result is a complete change to my position on the bike [and expenditure on new saddle and stem - surprise surprise] and orthotics in my shoes [one leg is longer than the other, no doubt related to my back problem]. It all felt great [in the shop] but might be different on the road. But I am optimistic and looking forward to trying it all out.
I left my bike at the shop and walked up to Muswell Hill to stay with friends David, Cathy and Jessie. Great to see them and a lovely dinner of home made fish cakes and salad. They made me watch Broadchurch - a first, and definitely a last.

The photo is the view from Primrose Hill of the new London skyline, Shard and all. If you look carefully you can see little St Pauls peeping up.

George School Newletter

This was a piece on Danielle in Rowan's school newsletter.

Wintereisse

I went a walk at Bramham in the week. It was great for birds, Red Kite, Treecreeper, Buzzard, Woodpeckers. Not so good for weather - quite heavy rain. In fact as I trudged through a muddy track in the rain [very happy by the way] I thought "this is the right time to play Schubert's Wintereisse on the ipod". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winterreise So it proved, it was a perfect soundtrack.

Opera North

Friday we met after work in Leeds and went to the opera at Opera North.
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/22/la-vida-breve-gianni-schicchi-opera-north-review-bravura-double-bill
It was two short operas.
First off was La Vide Breve by de Falla which was over-wrought, over-acted and [mercifully] over soon.
Puccini's Gianni Schicchi was just brilliant, genuinely funny and superbly sung acted and directed [we liked it]. It even had a soprano who was [amazingly] as young and beautiful as the part dictated; this is not always the case in opera productions.
So, a good evening.
The photo is one of Rowan from the school website, with a friend.

Skin Shed

One of the logs from the Felling of the Willows last year has managed to shed its bark, unaided and with much elegance, like a snake shedding its skin. Here is the evidence.

Comedy Footprints

We had a concrete base put in, ahead of a greenhouse due to arrive in May. All was going well, until the man left the gate open allowing Milo to venture onto the still drying concrete to leave a series of comedy footprints for posterity.

Sterling Trio

We saw the penultimate BMS concert of the season last week. The Sterling Trio http://www.thesterlingtrio.com/thesterlingtrio.com/Home.html were pretty good, it was a bit bitty but still enjoyable especially a modern work by Elizabeth Poston [never heard of her either].
The photo is from our misty moor walk

Fire Walk

Danielle performed a fire-walk last night, in aid of York Blind & Partially Sighted Society. Very impressive.

Wedding

Here are George and Kavita at their wedding. We have known George since we moved to York, he used to babysit for Rowan. Parents Dave and Emma are a social worker and a teacher, so naturally he has become a banker. We were very honoured to be invited - it was a lot of fun.

Bhangra Time

After the walk on Saturday we were off to George and Kavita's wedding; here is Danielle ready to Bhangra.
Sunday I had a portrait session in the morning, then we went to Julie and Andrew's for lunch which was a really great relaxing time.

More Moor

When I was a student I decided that I should learn how to cook Chinese food instead of just eating it. So a book was procured and the food followed. One of my favourite recipes [never followed] was for Tramps Chicken that began with the immortal line,
"First dig a hole in the ground ... "

To go with that I now have a favourite route direction. Danielle and I were on the second of the West Riding Moor walks in the fog above Halifax. Another great walk in difficult conditions [we passed within a couple of hundred metres of a huge wind farm which we could hear, but not see any evidence of, such was the fog], it passed through an area of rounded hillocks known as Great Arse and Little Arse. The instruction "Turn left after Little Arse ..." is my new favourite direction.

At Warley Moor I took this shot in the fog.

Frosty Moor

There have been some lovely sunny frosty mornings recently. Here is a Milo's eye view of the Moor last week. Now, which way are the rabbits?

Sign

Coming away from seeing Mother I saw this sign.

The mind boggles.

High Jump USA

Rowan has started high-jumping for her school, and has broken the school record [which was held by a contemporary of Danielle's - we are talking a long long long standing record] so everyone is happy with that. Here she is in action at a meet last week.

Cat

The place where Mother is staying in Fram is very friendly. They had no problem with us taking Milo in to visit Mother with us. Typically he was oblivious to the house cat happily asleep in the in-tray in the office.

I can't believe I have just posted a "cute cat" photo: what is happening to me.

Locks

These locks were on the navigation between Rotherham and Meadowhall. I love to come across locks on canals, always a point of interest

Low Sun

Even Wakefield has a certain beauty in a low winter sun.

Mother

Neice Sarah & Markus have a second child [Felix], so sister Rosemary has gone up to Nottingham to help. So Mother has gone into a care facility in Framlingham for six weeks pending Ro's return. Danielle and I went to visit her today. She seemed really well and the place was really good, friendly staff and brand new. So that was a relief. Here she is with Danielle in her room

Rotherham

I took the train to Rotherham, then walked along the river to PlanetX cycles where I was looking at their bikes. As I walked I passed 2

 elderly ladies who were chatting away; "Don't mind us, we're just wondering if we can run the Council for them" they laughed. Of all the days I chose to visit the sad town it was the day after the Council had been deemed unfit for purpose, and was being forced to stand down http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-31130750 a very sad state of affairs.
My walk was fine, I saw Goosanders on the river and found the route to the factory no problem. I passed the Magistrates Court that had a predictably sad and knackered air to it.

Fetch!

Milo does not really do stick-fetching. Occasionally he will pick up a stick and even go and catch it if you throw it, but he soon looses interest and lets it drop to the ground. When he does get a stick though, he goes big. Here he is struggling with a small log in Bishops Wood.

the GAN

After reading The Great Gatsby with Rowan, I am just about to finish Tom Woolfe Bonfire Of The Vanities which she also has to read. I have never read it before, it is an amazing book, really good and strangely timeless [written in 1984 it still seems totally relevant]. Then I have been listening to The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen which was OK but not as good as Tom's. So all in all I have had my fill of the Great American Novel for a while.

The photo is the last on from the Oakworth walk.

Ouse

I was walking along the Ouse last week, the light was nicely translucent, the surface rippled by a passing racing canoeist and I got this image. Not a classic but recording the joy of a riverside walk.

Talking Book

I am part of a group of volunteers who read the Cycle Touring Club magazine onto tape for blind readers. So every couple of months I get told which articles to read, get out a mic, open Audacity and talk away. It is fun to do and seems to be well appreciated. It is pulled together by a tireless volunteer who deserves a knighthood but won't get one.

If the light is right even the brick terraces of Acomb take on a beauty of their own.

Weekend

Went round to Dave & Emma's on Saturday night to celebrate Emma's 60th Birthday. Lots of family there, we felt honoured to be asked. Lovely curry. Here is Dave and the three sons, Emma not in the photo - she escaped.
Sunday we made it to Meeting together for the first time in a long while. Good to be there.
Rowan is at Ben & Kari's for a long weekend called winter break; I think it involved watching the Super Bowl on TV.

I is for Irritating

In Book Group we read H is for Hawk which in the words of our chronicler John
"What might have been bland agreement on a fascinating book was enlivened by one or two with some reservations and one who found it intensely irritating from the first sentence!" 
That would be me.

The photo is of Rowan and friends - not sure what they're doing.