Birthday

 My mother would have been 97 today. Here she is with me and my sister.

Foot News

Monday morning I get a call from the hospital. My foot is broken and they have got me an appointment for an operation on Tuesday. A lot to take in. 

7.30 on Tuesday I arrive for my opp, get signed in, meet the anaesthetist, sign the forms etc. When I speak to the junior surgeon and he mentions plates, one year recovery time etc I start to feel a little under-prepared, and the issues under-discussed. 

8.30 I get to talk to the consultant. He is surprised that I can walk relatively easily, and suggests we leave it for a week when he can see me at his surgery and we can take a more relaxed decision. I am relieved.

10.00 Back home with a support boot. Quite a lot of anxiety over what lies ahead.

The boot, Senegal v Egypt on the TV. So much to do, not able to do it. But I will be at Open Studios.

On the Road Again

 From a couple of weeks ago on the North York Moors. One happy dog.

Memorial

While I have been housebound with my foot, Danielle has organised a memorial dog walk for Hazel, a lady who died this month who was a regular on Hob Moor. One of the group took this photo at the pond.

Feats Don't Fail Me Now

On the left a 64 old foot in its natural state. On the right the swollen version following my fall. Not a pretty sight - but interesting.

New Photograph

Before the Great Tumble, I had a good walk the other week in Wykeham Forest in the North York Moors. I am going to exhibit this image at Open Studios next week; it is a reflection in a pool of water in the forest, an un-doctored image of the reflections, the water surface, and beneath the water surface. I shall be interested to see how it is received.

(Makes me want to) Shout

I was recovering nicely when I got a call from the hospital today.

Hospital: "We'd like you to pop in we think it might be broken."

Me: "As long as I'm not waiting all afternoon again."

Hospital: "Ha ha, that won't happen I assure you."

Reality: "Yes it will."

I ended up having a CT Scan on my foot, amidst fears that is was actually broken. I should know by Monday. Anyway I have a lot to do at home, so I'll get on with it.

Oh, and then the cab to take me home was delayed by half an hour.

Here's a photo of Mark and Mandy from last weekend.

Twist and Shout

I walked the dog on a beautiful spring morning today. Went to Chapman's Pond and saw this great crested grebe on the water.

Carried on walking, only for Layla somehow managing to carry a large stick (or small log) and trip me up with it and the lead and our legs. I twisted my foot really badly, nearly blacked out, sat on a wall, waved help away, then called neighbour Andy who collected me and Layla and took me home. We do have great neighbours. Then I spent the whole afternoon in A&E at York Hospital. After x-rays on my foot it looks like it is not broken but it will take a couple of weeks for the swelling to subside and to be back to normal. 

Glad to be back home, grateful it is not worse. No more words necessary.

 

Teaching

There is a new head at the Mount School where I do a weekly photography group. He seems a bit keener of having us artists around (there are three of us) and the best shot from each week is going in the school online newsletter. So here is the winner from last week: an interesting take on spring.

Philosophy

Final shot from the Barrow trip. A profound thought from the Barrow faithful.

Arrad Foot

On the way back from Barrow we popped up to see the house at Arrad Foot that my parents moved in to in 1973. That is the house on the left, which now looks rather tired and austere. Meantime the house in the foreground is brand new and looks of its time.

Gong

Just had a busy time. Thursday we watched the film Limbo at Sue and Eddy's, a film that is new, British and really great (not such a common combination). 

Next we had Mark and Mandy up for the weekend. Friday evening we saw Gong at the Crescent. Yes, the same gong who were around in the 70s. It was a great gig, psychedelic light show, silly lyrics but good music. 

Then Saturday Mark and I drove over to Barrow to see Carlisle in a relegation six-pointer in League Two (the fourth division). We were in the Barrow end so had to keep Mark's allegiance quiet when Carlisle went two up, and hung on for a 2-1 victory. Good fun.

The ground at Barrow which I last visited in 1973 when the speedway track cut the corners of the pitch (which led to Barrows relegation from the fourth division). That is Black Coombe in the distance on the right, one of my favourite Lake District fells.

Moors 3

Plenty of skeins of geese circling around the moors last week. I heard cranes calling as well. Spring is definitely sprung.

More Moors

When Layla spots a bench on the moors, she sits patiently and waits for lunch. She was a little early at this one.

Thorne Moors no more.

My last walk on Thorne Moors before it is off limits for Layla (March through July) was last week. Looking beautiful as ever.

Pyramid 2

This is the show in the gallery. Called "Into The Blue" it brought together works from 8 local artists. 

 

Pyramid Gallery

I had a photo in an exhibition at a gallery in town. At the weekend the gallery had a "meet the artist" session. So here are fellow artist Adele and me drumming up trade.
 

Blue Bird Bakery

On the Sunday we took our guests to a new cafe, local to us which had music on. Nice coffee.

House Guests

Robert, a college friend of Danielle's came to stay at the weekend with his son Compton. We did the sights (city walls, Minster, river etc). Nice to show some people the sights again.

Brian's Bench

From the Police walk, I came across this bench. This is the way to have a bench in your memory, hacked together from some old decking, rock solid and fit for purpose.
 

Armed Police 2

 

I walked away from the mine, waiting to be stopped. No interest in me at all. Just by the car I found this sign. A bit of a let down to be honest. Not even a "take care" sign.

Armed Police 1

I walked from a disused mine down this old bridleway that has had its hedges stripped out, but luckily has retained this magnificent line of poplars. When I got back towards the mine I saw about 12 armed police moving towards the mine. I felt a little uneasy and quite intrigued. What were they doing there? who was being surrounded in these unlikely surroundings? I tried to recall who I had passed on the walk, anything suspicious? No. 

To be continued tomorrow

Long Ago

Friend Derwood sent me this photo last week. Taken at our rendezvous, known to us as Jesus Christ (Cambridge Circus where Jesus Christ Superstar had been on at the theatre for ever) in the late 80s I think. A long time ago as the Midland Bank both still existed and still had branches in the west end.

Leeds 3

So I have shown the beauty and the improvement, but there is always a good chance of a despair shot as well. This was in a park at Potternewton, which was where I first lived in Leeds with Steve and Jane when I was 17 and had just left school.

Leeds 2

I walked on a Sustrans route for a great sweep through east Leeds, including this new bit of parkland. A great improvement, and well used by the look of it.

Podcasts

Podcasts are pretty important in this household. We were all always big radio fans (as opposed to TV) so it made sense that podcasts and audiobooks took their place alongside catchup radio. For me live radio is now limited to listening to the football.

I have found that podcasts have to really merit their continued popularity with me, or else I simply don't bother to listen to them, even if they are downloaded and appear right up my street. If there is not a deep-down incentive to click on then they drift away.

Football Weekly on the Guardian which I started listening to in 2006 kept me up on board until Covid when I switched over to Totally Football. So now I listen to one of the other twice a week. 16 years is a long time in podcast land. The other that I started about the same time was American NPR (national public radio) All Songs Considered which was a weekly about new music. I eventually tired of it.

So here are the ones I listen to right now;

1 Totally Football. 

2 Cocaine & Rhinestones. An absolute work of art from Tyler Mahan Coe about 20th Century country music. Season two has just finished. Impossible to describe, but brilliant even if you know little about the subject.

3 The History of Rock in 500 Songs. Just as impressive this is a great undertaking by Mancunian Andrew Hickey, providing the first (in my opinion) comprehensive description of how R&B turned into Rock&Roll. Each episode (he is up to 150 or so by now) is an impressive piece of work of research in itself.

4 The Cycling Podcast, when the season gets going. Not brilliant but a good companion through the Grand Tours in particular.

5 A Good Read, a BBC book podcast with a great format that I continue to find a good way to spend 25 minutes and learn about 3 books recommended by a wide range of guests, with a great lack of pomposity and earnestness.

Lots of others come and go, In Our Time, The Rest is History, More or Less etc, but that is the top 5 at the moment.

There is an attempt to re-create a pre-historic trackway on Hatfield Moors using the technologies in use then.