Ballet Black

 We went to see Ballet Black at the Theatre Royal in York. We knew very little about them, or the pieces they were performing, but they were fantastic. As usually happens in York, various people we knew were there too which made the evening all the better.

Party

Went to a good garden party at Nick and Carol's last week. Danielle is with Andy and Tina who are in our book group. The food was shipped in from an Indian Restaurant in Wetherby, it was fantastic: all vegan all perfect.

Barley

A field of barley on the cycle track to Selby, which runs on the old railway mainline from York. Hard to believe that Mallard and Flying Scotsman used to steam along this route.

Man & Dog

The whole "dogs don't like eye contact" thing seems to have passed Layla by.

Flowers

Best time of the year for flowers from the garden: daisies in the sunlight on the dining room table.

Into the Woods (again)

The woods this time of year are like green cathedrals, the trees soaring like the knave at York Minster. This is Knavesmire Wood between the racecourse and the cycle track.

Dam

Walking across the dam from the reservoir. Thanks to Ro for this photo.

 

Sunday Promenade

Sunday, we met up again with sister Ro and brother in law Pete. Nataliia came too, (a good photographer) and we had a good walk from Blubberhouses to this reservoir.

 

BBQ

Friday evening we went to a "it's summer weather, let's make the most of it" bbq with friends Anita and Trevor in Pickering. Very pleasant, here is the vegetarian paella which was perfect for us.

Ilkley Moor 1

I delivered a photo to Shipley, then took a walk up the marched wilderness of Ilkley Moor.  It is a beautiful place and feels a world away from the world. Curlew, Oyster Catchers, Lapwings and Snipes were all around, busy nesting. 

This is part of the old route from Baildon to Ilkley.

The Savoy

Rowan went to a Jewish wedding at the Savoy where her work colleague Harry was getting married. Seemed to really enjoyed it. This photo is of Rowan and two other workmates. 

Gig

Rowan went with friends to see Burna Boy at the Olympic Stadium at the weekend. Sounds a good gig - the first ever stadium gig by an African artist in the UK.

BBQ

We had a friend of Danielle's round for a bbq on Sunday. This very low tech affair has seen us through 25 years of English summers (so fairly light use) and is still going strong, despite this inauspicious start.

Serenity

And finally a shot that attempts to reflect the serene beauty of the place on a summer's day. This is one of the canals that was dug to ferry the peat away from the bogs.

Wild Flowers

And the wild flowers on the Moors were magnificent too. Plenty of these orchids.

Dragons and Damsels

There were plenty of dragon flies out on Thorne Moors as well as birds. No insects that needed to bother humans either, so a very pleasant day.

Cranes

No dogs allowed on Thorne Moors in the summer (to protect nesting birds), so I went alone last week. My reward was getting very close to the cranes, magnificent birds that continue to look bizarrely at home in the borough of Doncaster. Incredible to experience them, never loses the magic.

I also saw hobbies and marsh harriers, so it was a great day even without Layla.

Fern

Every year the fern by the front door changes from bedraggled winter weariness to this beautiful vibrant new dawn.

Salts Mill

Salts Mill backs onto the Leeds Liverpool Canal. It is such a solid structure, so impressive.

Back in the Woods

Walking into Harrogate through the woods from Harlow Carr last week was uplifting. It is such a great time of year.

Bar View

Rowan was at a bar that had a great, if slightly disturbing, view of the trains. My kind of place.

Veg News

The vegetable garden is firing into life with the good weather. Spuds in the foreground, the last hurrah of last year's spinach behind, with the blackcurrants gearing up for the summer on the right.

Saltaire Drinks

There was drinks reception for all the artists at the Hockney gallery in Salts Mill at Saltaire on the Saturday evening. So us York artists got together to enjoy the wine and snacks with the Hockney portraits behind us.
 

Saltaire Arts Trail

The Bank Holiday weekend saw me exhibiting as part of Saltaire Arts Trail. The first two days were very slow but the final afternoon saw a load of sales so by the end it was a good weekend. I had one wall to show on, which meant I had to focus on the most appropriate work. I was happy with the venue - a very light space on the top floor of a Victorian wharf.