Ducks on the pond 

Active Citizen

Danielle had her bike stolen on Saturday from outside the Mount while she was at the committee. We were both fed up about it, the cable lock had been cut clean and the bike was persumed lost for ever. Imagine our surprise when the Police rang us yesterday saying they had found it. Someone at a supermarket had heard some boys bragging about the bikes they had stolen. So he followed them in his car, confronted them and they ran away, leaving two bikes in the road. He then took the bikes to the Police station in Fulford. Now that's what I call active citizenship! I took him a jar of Danielle's home-made marmalade [this was a reward not a punishment by the way], he was not in but his son was, and he told me the story.

Harewood Hall [pronounced Harwood] last night was great. We drove up the drive to park right in front of the house, then ate in the actual dining room in the house. All the JRF trustees and directors [past and present] were there, and it was good to catch up with them. Really good meal.

I'm off this evening to catch up with Andy, an old friend from University at Liverpool, who I have not seen for 8 years. He lives in Salisbury but is up in York for work. We are going for an Indian, it'll be just like old times.

Harewood House

We are off for a Jospeh Rowntree dinner tonight at Harewood House http://www.harewood.org/tour.shtml tonight. The current chair is standing down and so they have a big do. They very kindly invited Danielle [even though it is five months since she left] and even more amazingly allowed her to bring her husband.
Rowan is happy because the "girls up the road" Bridie and Rachel are babysitting, and Rowan really likes them [last time they babysat, an elaborate den was built involvoing most of our furniture by the sounds of it]

Yorkshire Treasures #2

Barnitts is a hardware shop in York. It is an institution. Over the years it has spread to occupy acres of space, but in such a haphazard way that if you enter by one door, it is virtually impossible to exit the same way. It is a maze, that has everything in there somewhere. The opposite of B&Q, and well worth supporting. Rowan and I were in there on Saturday [whilst Danielle was at the Mount School http://www.mount.n-yorks.sch.uk/ where she is a member of the committee] "where are the reading glasses?" I asked, knowing that they had some somewhere ["hardware" is loosely interpreted in Barnitts]. "At the front of the shop" came the reply, "Where is that ?" I needed help, it is like saying "on the side of the pentagon": the shop has no front as far as I can work out after 7 years of trying. Anyway we found them in the end.

Constantine + 1 

Emperor Constantine

Constantine the Great 274 – 337 AD was proclaimed Roman Emperor at York in 306AD. His recognition of the civil liberties of his Christian subjects , and his own conversion to the Faith, established the religious foundations of Western Christendom. Don't know who that with the Red Nose is though?

New bird in the garden

I saw a fieldfare http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/f/fieldfare/index.asp today by the beck at the bottom of the garden. This is the first time we have seen one here at Hobmoor.

Finding a Voice

Danielle and I are off this evening to the first meeting of "Finding a Voice" a project about incomers to York, and their stories. The idea is that people from all over the world [and Lancashire] tell their stories, and somehow it all comes together as a performance or book or film or something.... JZ, our friend who is putting it together is a broadcaster / writer , so she will no doubt explain it all. I think that all we have to do, is talk about ourselves, so that should be no problem...

Yorkshire Treasures #1

Byland Abbey is about 20 miles north of York. http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/abbeys/byland%20abbey.htm One of a number of abbeys in the county. Very atmospheric, not to say precarious. It is on a cycle route to the North York Moors, with a secret water tap behind a wall, for the thirsty cyclist.

The whole abbey was relocated here after the monks at Old Byland could not agree with the monks at nearby Riveaux how to accommodate two sets of bell ringing in the same locality. Pathetic but true.

Bylands Abbey 

Garden Railway 2 

Garden Railway 1 

The Garden Railway

Rowan and I [honest] built our garden railway last year. It runs round the rockery and over the pond on a bridge. About this time of year, we are both wondering when we can get it started again. It will need a lot of clearing of the track, charging of batteries etc, but we will have it going by Easter.

Sunday Sunday

Had a good meal last night at Helen and Roland's house in a village north of York. George was babysitting for Rowan. He is one of her favourites [son of David and Emma who live just up the road] so she was very happy "When are you going?" she kept asking of Danielle and I.

Then today Hilary and Paul called in for lunch on their way down from Durham [where Hilary is an MP] to London. John and Katie came too with Eleanor their daughter, so that Rowan had a friend to play with whilst we did boring grown up stuff.

Then Rowan was off to a party at a ghastly whacky warehouse place which she really enjoyed.

Busy weekend

Weaving through the snow

Rowan and I had a good time yesterday evening [Danielle was on her way back from London] having tea at some friends from Quaker meeting. Rowan went off to play with Ella [one year older] and put up with Tom [two years younger], whilst I had a good chat with Beverly [freelance trainer] and Steve [social worker]. It was a pleasant early evening. Got back, and finished constructing Danielle's Loom http://www.foxglovefiber.com/foxglove/images/Tbleloom.jpg

This morning I drove Rowan and Danielle and the loom up to Levisham deep in the North York Moors [they were cut off until yesterday with the snow]. I left them with Betty who is teaching them how to weave. I then cycled back via Pickering http://www.yorkshire-tour.co.uk/yt/pick.htm and Castle Howard. It was a bit wet and slushy but I had a good ride with the wind mainly behind me. Just time to get ready for tomorrow [we have people for lunch] then Danielle and I are off for a meal with friends this evening.

Portrait #5

This is of Achille who died at the back end of last year. He was the first disabled person that I worked with and a really good friend. Amongst other things he was an artist [I have two his paintings on my walls] and published poet. This photo was taken in the 80s.

Achille 

Snow on Hob Moor

The snow seems to come each night, get melted, then try again the next day. This view of the moor is pretty much the same view as the shot of the daffodils a few days ago... it looks very different now.

Snow on Hob Moor 

Woodpecker

The snow has meant that the birds are finding it hard to get food. We had a Greater Spotted Woodpecker on the nuts today. http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/g-s-woodpecker.htm It is a really dramatic bird to have outside your kitchen window.

Snow

Had a fall of snow last night. This morning I walked Rowan to school, then attempted to cycle into town. Had to lock the bike up and walk as a blizzard took hold of York. Soon brightened up and started to melt. I took a portrait for the next issue of QuakeVine - the York quaker monthly that I do the cover shot of each month - then walked back across the snow covered Knavesmire. Rowan was playing after school at her friend Douglas' house. Looks like more snow on the way.

Hob Moor Drive 

Glasgow 2

Back from Glasgow: we really had a good time and loved the city. This morning there was a perfect crisp blue sky as we walked around the Merchant City with some great old buildings. I find it hard to understand just how prosperous the city must have been in Victorian times.

Glasgow Opera House 

Glasgow

Using Danielle's free first class tickets the three of us headed up to Glasgow for the weekend. We cycled to the station after waffles, and caught the 9.00 train. It was a beautiful morning and I had forgotten how spectacular the route is. Durham cathedral, the Newcastle bridges, the Northumberland coast, Berwick viaduct then Edinburgh. We checked into our hotel then walked along the Clyde bank to the Science centre http://www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/. This is a standard Millennium project, the usual dramatic architecture, a new bridge over the Clyde. The difference with this museum is that it is not too cramped [unlike Eureka in Halifax] it is really light with amazing views up to the hills, and all the punters seemed really polite too. Managed to do our Asda shopping on the train ride this morning courtesy of the GNER wireless network on their trains ...... modern life. Rowan and Danielle are in the swimming pool as I type. By the way, Preston were robbed by Ipswich last night, it was good fun watching in the pub: we were the only three watching the soccer, with about 30 people watching the Rugby League.

Daffodils in the garden

The daffodils have been out for a few weeks now. Today the winter sun was cathching them beautifully. It has felt like spring. I am off to watch Preston v Ipswich on Sky in the pub with a couple of friends tonight [both Ipswich fans...] if we can find a pub that is not showing the Rugby League that is... watch this space

Daffodils in the garden 

Simon & Danielle by Rowan 

Photo by Rowan

Rowan has started taking digital photos. Here is her first picture of her parents. Not bad - despite the ageing subject matter.

Books

My sister Ro gave us a copy of The American Boy by Andrew Taylor http://www.andrew-taylor.co.uk/ for Christmas. I had never heard of him. Turns out that Andrew Taylor went to school with Peter [Ro’s husband]. When Ro told me it had “been selected for the Richard and Judy bookclub” [American readers; this is a sub-Oprah chat show]] my expectations sank. But, guess what? it was really good. Nice to be surprised by something new.

Portrait # 4

Another band shot. It's from the 80's [pretty obviously when you look at the clothes]. I don't remember their name, but one band member is Wayne Hemingway who has gone on to be a pretty ubiquitous fashion / design talker.

Portrait # 4

Being Spoilt

By a quirk of timing we got invited out for two meals this weekend. Last night we had a lovely time at Ellen and David’s with other guests Sue and Maggie. Rowan was road-testing a new baby sitter [Bridie from up the road] which seemed to go OK.

Then today we went after meeting to Edward and JZ’s for lunch in St Pauls Square [the one Victorian Square in York]. Very relaxed, including a game of Head Body and Tail which we all really liked. Rowans classmate Alex has just moved into the Square as well, and we saw him playing football in the street. We went on the tandem and Danielle’s bike, after the dramatic crash last week, it seems back to normal stability. I think the crash might have been caused by diesel on the road.

Marmalade

Saw the Vogler Quartet http://www.voglerquartet.com/en/quartett_eng.html last night at our regular BMS gig. They were really good, a very classy sound. They played pieces by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Hartmann. Today is marmalade making day, The organic Seville oranges are ready to go, Mother's recipe is at hand, the experts [the other two, not me] are ready to go….watch out kitchen

Book Group

We had the first meeting of our new book group this week. The membership consist mainly of people who have never been in a book group before [like me] and people who are already in one, but need one that is slightly less taxing / needy than their existing groups [which they will continue to be members of] [like Danielle]. For these reasons Danielle and I call the group the Refugees and Virgins Book Group. In the first meeting we worked out how we would choose books, what sort of books we liked, what we liked to drink with our discussion etc. First book is The Dream of Scipio by Iain Pears http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099284588/qid=1108147486/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_10_1/202-4504163-1872649#product-details which we are looking forward to discussing in March.

Tasting Room

Wendy’s do at Canada House was really good fun. Met some old friends, and some interesting new people. Stayed at David and Cathy’s, whose daughter Jessie, aged 5, woke me with a song this morning. Walked with the family to school where I bumped into Coral who was dropping off her daughter Amy. So it felt like being in a village.

Got the 10.00 train home where I met Danielle who was having the day off. Rowan is round playing at Lilly’s all day so we had time to have lunch together at The Tasting Rooms http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/greedypig/food/reviews/restaurants/tasting_room.shtml This is a new restaurant in York run by Nigel who is a virtual member of the Bike Group [i.e. he gets the e-mails but hasn’t made it onto a ride yet]. The food was great but the service was slow.

In Tandem

Rowan and I went a ride on the tandem today. We went as far as Saturn [on the planets bike ride] then had a coffee at SlideShops [aka Mcarthur Glen outlet www.shoppingvillages.com/McArthurGlenYork/MGYork.htm ] before returning via Holgate Hill where I managed to crash on the corner / Going too fast / Scraped knees / no damage. Rowan was very businesslike about the crash, enquiring “Daddy are you alright?” before we got back on and cycled home. I will be more careful on those type of corners [as Danielle said, I am used to having more weight on the back of the tandem.]

I am now setting off to London for my friend Wendy’s CBE investiture party at Canada House. Should be fun. I am using one of the free GNER tickets Danielle got last month.

Scarborough fair

Rowan and I rode our bikes to the station, then took the train to Scarborough http://www.yorkshirecoast.co.uk/scarb/. It was a beautiful day, sunny, not too cold. Rowan did some major sand experiments on the beach, where we saw some Sanderlings http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/s/sanderling/index.asp running about. We even had a picnic in the sun.

Pocklington Canal

Rowan and I went a walk along the Pocklington Canal today. It is really peaceful and a surprise to find a canal in such a rural location. http://www.waterscape.com/waterwaysguide/waterways/Pocklington_Canal/Pocklington_Canal.html It was pretty dank and misty today, but still good to walk along side.

Pocklington Canal 

Cliffords Tower

We walk past this part of York Castle, when we go to quaker meeting at Friargate in central York. It was very busy today, we brought back Lily, a friend of Rowan's - they then spent hours on the trampoline and watching Harry Potter.

Cliffords Tower 

Fountains Abbey 

Fountains Abbey

Ted and I cycled to Fountains Abbey today, http://www.fountainsabbey.org.uk/ It is a great route that goes past the Devils Arrows at Boroughbridge http://www.eagle.co.uk/vale-of-york/devils-arrows.html which are amazing megalithic monuments. Danielle and Rowan met us and we all drove back after lunch in the cafe. They had earlier cycled to get the Seville oranges to make this year's marmalade - looking forward to it.

A bit of fresh air

Having been couped up training all week, I went for a quick cycle ride this morning after dropping Rowan off at school. I headed south and came past the old windmill near Colton. It is quite eerie, blackened by soot as a result of its proximity to the main railway line. You can go inside and look up at the ruined interior - dangerous but interesting.

Colton Windmill 

Cas

I have been working in Castleford this week. It is one of “the five towns” of Wakefield. Needless to say there was no agreement about what made up the five towns, in the end we got a definitive list from the Five Town Resource centre. http://www.5townscf.org.uk/html/five_towns_.html Pontefract, Castleford, Featherstone, Normanton, Knottingley. They were famous for coal and rugby league. Just the Rugby league now. It is an old Roman town [although all the remains have been covered over once excavated – don’t ask!] http://www.arch.wyjs.org.uk/AdvSrv/RomanWeb/Castleford.htm My route to the town goes cross-country via the site of the battle of Towton which is suitably bleak and chilling

Portrait #3

This is a shot I did for Empire in 1983. The band included my friends Derwood and Mike. I will hopefully be seeing Derwood in the California Desert in Aprl, and Mike in the wastelands of Hackney sometime this year.

Portait #3 Empire 

Trampoline !

My mother bought Rowan this outdoor trampoline 2 1/2 years ago. It has been fantastic. Any party we have, all the young people just end up on the trampoline together - everyone is happy. Yesterday as we neared the end of 5 days without Danielle, when Rowan popped the question "What can I do now?" in a tone of voice that meant I knew I had to have some answers, it was with great relief that I opened the side door and threw her onto the trampoline - everyone happy. In the picture Rowan is jumping in front of the three birch trees that form a circle near our drive.

Trampoline ! 

Cycling to town

It was a beautiful frosty morning today. Rowan and I did our Big Garden Birdwatch survey, http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/index.asp then cycled into town. Our route takes us on the Sustrans route http://www.sustrans.org.uk/default.asp?nZoom=2&map.x=-1.084235&map.y=53.96063 across Hob Moor, then over the millennium bridge http://www.vryork.com/millennium_bridge_qtvr/ and along the River Ouse into the centre of York. It is a great route with only a small section of road. Rowan did very well, and is gradually getting used to her new bike.

Chinese New Year

Rowan and I went to a Chinese Lantern making thing at Acomb library, which is part of the York celebration of Chinese New Year http://www.ncem.co.uk/chinese . I was surprised in two ways. Firstly it was packed out with enthusiastic lantern makers. Secondly it was really good. Rowan enjoyed it and made a good lantern which is now waiting to be taken to the carnival parade next wendnesday evening.

Portrait #2

Granny. Taken in 1980, this was just about my first serious photo. It was published in Photography magazine. In it my grandmother is the age my mother will be in March of this year.

Granny 

Albany

Danielle is in Albany New York for four nights at a conference. She flew over to New York from Manchester and then took the train from Penn Station. So Rowan and I are on our own. Just cooked Quorn O'Leekie pie [a variation on a Blue Peter recipe no less] which we both really liked and demolished.

Meeting Up

One of the good things about living in York, is that there are often conferences and the like, that bring friends up from all over the country, and from abroad as well. This evening I got a call at about four from Victor who was up for a staff conference. It was great to meet up, go to a bar in town [a very rare occurence for me] have a real good talk for a couple of hours, then see him onto the 7 o'clock train back to London.

Vegetable Plot 2005

So here is how the vegetable garden stands. Leeks and Cavallo Nero [Tuscan Kale] and broccoli and Spinach are all still being picked.

Potatoes and onion sets are bought and ready to be planted. First seeds in will be tomato, spinach and beetroot. Then courgettes, lettuce, french beans, peas and pumpkin. Oh and carrots too. Usually by June it is a matter of seeing if there are any more gaps to fill and winging it.

First task is to plant out the tomato seeds this week.

Exciting times ahead. Best time of the year

Holgate Windmill

On top of the hill just behind Hob Moor stands an old windmill, http://www.holgatewindmill.org/index.htm which is a local landmark. Rowan is due to go on a class trip there tomorrow. There is a plan to get the sails put back on it, which would be great. There is believed to have been an old water mill on Hob Moor, using the beck to power the wheel.

The Palmour Venn

Spurred on by using a Venn diagram exercise in training last week, we did one for the family. If it is too hard to see, then these are the words you have to fit in: It covers Rowan, Simon, and Danielle and the categories of interest are - shopping / trains / bee-keeping / history / photography / cycling / concerts. Work it out!

The Palmour Venn 

Portraits

I am intending to start up a portrait service this year, to see what the market is like. So here are some of my past portraits, a mixture of commissions. This first is of a model Karl who used the photos to get into the business.

Portrait #1 Karl 1 

The Blue Bicycle

Urbane York folk often talk about "the lack of many good restraunts". Well, seeing as how we only get out for an evening-meal-out about once a quarter, the four or five we like are plenty. Tonight we are off for Danielle's leaving meal from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation http://www.jrf.org.uk/, at the Blue Bicycle http://trial.which.co.uk/good_food_guide.php?roi=30019110 which is one of the best. It's the Directors and partners so I have to be on good behaviour.

From South Emsall to Las Vegas

Today was the last day of this block of training. So it's goodbye to the former pit villages of South Yorkshire. It has been fun. One of the participants [the escapologist as it happens] is also a professional jazz singer from Leeds. I mentioned a band I had seen when I moved to Leeds after leaving school [30 years ago this year] at the Cherry Tree Pub. Turns out it was her father's band and the singer is now her step-mother... Small world.

Anyway Rob has persuaded a number of us to go to Las Vegas for five days in April [amazingly cheep]. I am going to combine it with seeing Derwood in Yucca Valley California, which I am really looking forward to. Vegas is probably second last on my list of must-see's [ahead of Luton] but I am going to treat it as an anthropoligal project, and hope to get some good photos. And there are mountain bikes to hire...

Icebreaker

My favorite training "game" at the moment is one that I am using as an Icebreaker on the training I am running this month. You get groups of three course participants to draw on flipchart paper a Venn Diagram http://www.venndiagram.com/ and fill in their name and job in a circle each, then find things they have in common as athree and as two's. It works really well. Last week my favourites were "we share the same cobbler" and "we have both abseiled". This week included "escapologist" [unique] and "we like Gin" [triple].

Gypsy Boy - Chapel Market - Islington 

Classic Photo #15

The last in the classic series. This is pretty self explanatory. Funny how the early 1980's, when this was taken, look so drab now. Danielle and I walked down Chapel Market when we were in London for her birthday last week. Amazingly it is pretty much the same as it ever was.

Sleepover part 2

Danielle made this! All year Rowan has been pointing out cakes in a book she has, all looked impossibley difficult, especially this one. But Danielle delivered. The final word on the sleepover. The guests were due to be picked up at 9 on the Sunday morning. At about 7 the "challenging" guest asked excitedly "Are we staying for lunch?". Danielle and I had a race to get the answer out first, our volume was probably a bit too high as wel...

7th Birthday Cake 

Sleepover

Three Reasons Not To Have a Sleepover Party

1] At 5.28am your daughter informs you that everyone is awake [having got to sleep at 10.22pm] and that is "the worst birthday ever"

2] The two boy guests come to you in forlorn mood to complain that "the girls keep hitting us"

3] One particularly perky guest makes you realise what a saint your own daughter actually is.

Actually it was pretty good, and Rowan enjoyed it more that any previous parties we've had. 364 days of relief begin here.

Seven Today 

The Piano Player

Last night we went to see Nikolai Demidenko http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/artist_page.asp?name=demidenko play a load of Beethoven. It was easy to sit back and listen. It is strange that even though you can buy a CD for the cost of two lattes and a stale brownie, the reality is we would never sit down and listen to it. So live performance is the best way to experience something new. We may never hear Beethoven's Diabelli Variations again, but we could still really enjoy it.

Crazy But True

Something we learnt of first hand from our visit to the US. Teenage school children in some parts of LA are not allowed to walk to school if they have to cross the road. It is deemed too dangerous. Even if they live only a mile away. Walking is banned. So they get driven or they take the bus. So instead of sorting out the traffic, they ban the pedestrian with knock on effects on fitness / obesity / less people on the streets so less safe / etc etc

Classic Photo #14

Moscow Station - 1986. This was taken at a bustling Moscow station as I waited to board the Trans Siberian express. It was Monday lunchtime. I would be on the train until Sunday. During the journey Reagan bombed Libya, Chernobyl happened [although undisclosed for another week] and there were free leaflets on Perestoika by Gorbachov available on the train. Things have moved on since then.

Moscow Station - 1986 

Coincidence #3

Gurmeet was a disabled film producer I worked with in Islington. He always had a light blue Morris Traveller http://www.travellertimbers.co.uk/pages/tt006.html car, with its distinctive wooden window frames.

When he died a group of us went, after his funeral, for a drink in his honour at the Kings Head Theatre Pub in Upper St Islington http://www.kingsheadtheatre.org/. Gurmeet had worked there on Saturdays in the office, and it was his local. Everyone knew him there.

We sat around a table in the early evening. I saw a light blue Morris Traveller pull up and linger outside the pub. "Look at that!" I said. Melvin and Dave turned around just in time to see the car pull away. We could not see the driver.

It was hard not to feel that Gurmeet was saying goodbye.

After the Party

This photo is from the hotel window in London. Back to normal now after the excitement of the celebrations. I was working for the first day of a new assignement in south Yorkshire. It is amazing how the whole area, made up of pit villages and small towns has had to totally re-align itself following the run down of mining. It is an amazing, and unheralded, achievement. S