Le Weekend

The Sheriff of York this year is a Quaker and Green Councillor, Jonathan Tyler, who is a friend. So we were happy to go to his charity curry club event down the road. We went with Pam, Andy and Gwen and had a good time; good vegetarian food and an Indian contemporary dancer from Paris.

Saturday I got around to spreading the compost from the heaps in the garden onto the vegetable beds. Composting is one of the great satisfactions of life I think. Then in the evening we saw Britten's opera Billy Budd at Opera North; not my favourite of his but a great performance and a full house at the Leeds Grand.

Sunday we started our project to walk the canals of Yorkshire; stage one was from Marsden (where the Huddersfield Narrow Canal starts its tunnel under the Pennines) back down to Huddersfield. It was a lovely walk, which (unbelievably to me) passed an artisan bakery by the canal side that was open for business (West Yorkshire is changing). Looking forward to future walks.

Black Hill 3

I saw one other person on the whole walk, having this lovely lonely valley all to myself.

Black Hill 2

The walk started at Digley Reservoir above Holmfirth. It was built in 1954 so is relatively modern for a Pennine reservoir. This stone sluice is impressive.

Daft Dog: Good Neighbours

Danielle and I went out yesterday evening for a Quaker discussion group. As we finished we realised our neighbours had been trying to contact us all evening about the dog.
Milo had gone through the carelessly open gate [my fault] to the front of the house. Instead of going back to the house he had panicked and gone and sat outside Jackie and Robert's house next door. They have a new dog themselves that would not be happy with Milo in the house, so Jackie took Milo to another neighbour Ken who looked after him for us, until we got home.
All this proves two things.
1 We have a daft dog
2 We have very very good neighbours.

Milo at Ken's last night

Black Hill

I walked up Black Hill, the highest of the West Yorkshire Pennine Moors. It is a really bleak pile of peat which I loved. In this shot you can see the Holme Moss radio mast emerging in the sky behind the cloud just above my faithful companion. I thought it was a vapour trail when I saw it at first, then it was gone.

Bands and a birthday

Went to see a Scottish band Breabach https://www.facebook.com/Breabach/ with Patrick and Julia. They were really good, dual bagpipes pumping out a drone is good enough for me. Great to see such a confident young band. The support singer from Bradford, Bella Gaffney was good too http://bellagaffney.weebly.com/

The photo is of my Uncle Geoff who was 89 this week.

Bike 1

Here is the earliest know photo of me cycling - with my sister Rosemary. It was a trike with a boot on it into which anything and everything was made to fit.

Sponsored Ride 2017

I know it is a long long way off but I have signed up for a 100 mile ride in September next year, sponsored for The Alzheimer Society, in memory of my mother who died in April this year. I'll need that long to get into training for it, it's from Birmingham and includes a lot of climbing. So as it will be two years since my last sponsored ride I hope it is OK to ask for sponsorship again. So here is the magic button



So please sponsor me if you can, every contribution helps and boosts morale, no matter how small.

This photo of Mother and I was taken by Danielle at Waddesdon Manor in about 2000.

Stack Hills

I took a trip out East to see these strange landslips in the Wolds. The clay beneath the chalk has been eroded away [long long ago] causing big lumps of chalk to slide elegantly down to the valley beneath. They are known as Stack Hills and the sheep graze happily upon them oblivious to their interesting provenance.

Badminton

I've just started to win again at Badminton in my weekly game against Edward; so that's why I am mentioning it obviously. We had new accompaniment this week of a get-fit class for people who have quite a need to do so. The shouts and bleeps of the instructors make for a challenging soundtrack. Previously at the Railway Institute at York we have had police self defence training [all out of sight but very much in ear-shot, lots of role playing and shouting] and we get the on-duty firemen playing volley-ball to keep fit. In Tottenham the karate class was quite a challenge; you'd be mid-rally when the class of 60 or so would grunt as one. But, to be honest, the biggest distraction was the lycra clad Tottenham class of 50 or so women doing aerobics to a funky sound track ...

The photo is the arty version of Rowan in her room

3 in 1

Three great forms of transport in one shot. I cycled along the disused railway line [which continues over this beautiful viaduct] then dropped down to this canal that led to Leamington station.

First Visit

Here is Rowan in her room at Warwick. I got the train today to Leamington Spa, took some things that she needed (her winter coat etc) and had a lovely time with her. All going well. I took the bike and cycled via bridleways through Warwick and Kenilworth to get the University which is on the edge of Coventry.

So Farewell Jessica Ennis

Jessica Ennis has retired from athletics. The words "role model" are bandied around all the time, but in our family that is what she was. This shot is at the Yorkshire Championships at windswept unglamorous Cudworth in 2011 when [unbelievably] she was competing, as was Rowan. Jess couldn't have been more inspirational, natural or down to earth.

Other Open Studios

We cycled off to see some of East Yorkshire Open Studios with Dave & Emma. Lovely day for a ride. Had lunch at the Buddhist Centre vegetarian world cafe at Kilnwick [pronounced Killick of course] Percy: really good.

Photo is of Mia from last weekend.

Nine Springs

There are still a few Open Access areas in the Wolds that I have not got to. This is one of them: Nine Springs Dale. The landowner had done all they could do discourage a visit, once I go there it was a really lovely place.

Music News

Rowan is getting on fine at Warwick; she has been to see two grime gigs already, one was the family favourite Bugsy Malone. And lectures seem good too. Saw Samm Henshaw on the TV last night - fantastic. Never heard of him, but I have now ...

Art Gallery

One of the things in York is that new developments and improvements seem to happen all the time and before you know it. So when we visited the Art Gallery on Sunday I discovered this lovely new exit into the Museum Gardens and a whole new park and gardens area.

Viking Cross

Saturday I went to a conference on the Wolds in Warter - really useful for me. Mention was made of this Viking Christian cross-shaft in Nunburnholme church, so I went and had a look. Really beautiful. It dates from 800AD.

Wendy & Mia

Friend Wendy and daughter Mia came up for the weekend. Had a great day today, walked in for breakfast at Betty's whilst the York Marathon went past the window, then went to a new exhibition at the York Art Galley = Flesh http://www.yorkartgallery.org.uk/exhibition/flesh/ which was challenging but good; Francis Bacon an example of nominative determinism?

Reading Room

When we were in Fuerteventura Rowan found this place to sit and read her book. I couldn't have picked a better place myself.

Pocklington Canal

I took the mountain bike out for a spin; on various bits of bridleway then along the Pocklington Canal - a beautiful place but very hard going on the bike.This is one of the lovely old canal swing bridges.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocklington_Canal

Bale Out

Last one from the dawn walk. I saw a fox stood on top of one the bales, he was too quick for the camera though.

Cobweb

Quite a few photos from that early morning walk at the farm. Not usually my thing [sunrise and sunset get very clichéd very quickly] but there you go. You really need to click on this photo to see it properly. I think it would look good as an album cover "Boogie Down - 50 Disco Greats" or some such.

Dawn

Dawn at the Farm on the Hill. I take the dog a walk and have the most beautiful walk through the mist and the sun. This is the view from the farm house across to the radio mast; in this light everything becomes magical.

York Open Studios

I am glad to be in York Open Studios again for 2017. Here are the dates - get them in your diary and come and visit me, my art and York all in one go. See you then.

Relations

We stayed with the Howsons/Harpers in Oxfordshire before heading to Warwick. This is Emma, Geoff and Alison and three of our clan. Lovely to see them.

Warwick Bound

After a long summer Rowan finally made her way to Warwick University to study economics and international politics. This is  her small mountain of possessions - Milo tried to sneak in but failed. I am pretty sure that when I went to Liverpool 40 years ago to the day I had a couple of small bags, a stereo and a guitar - but I may be romanticising it all.