Just Another Manic Saturday

Danielle's friend Jenny was up for the weekend. Rowan did her first practice triathlon, I went a ride with a friend who is going to do the

Great Yorkshire Bike Ride with me in June. He has done it before; we were just getting some miles in [not very many as it happens, we got waylayed at the cafe.] Then I had a family portrait photography session to do . In the evening I went to friend Dave's slide show of his climbing trip in Kyrgyzstan - a former soviet republic. It was a really good show and it looks a pretty incredible place to go.

The photo is on the canal in London

The Company of Cyclists

I had an altercation with a South African embassy car in Trafalgar square on my bike yesterday. Nothing unusual about that, I was in the right and he was being aggressive. What was different was that as soon as it was apparent there was something going on, at least four cyclists appeared from nowhere and leapt to my defense - a good feeling I must say. Then as I cycled off another cyclist came up and checked I was OK. Then later on my chain snapped in the middle of Tottenham Court Road. I managed to get to the pavement without being run-over by the eager taxis behind me, only to be immediately told by someone where the nearest cycle repair shop was so that I could my chain fixed. Blimey, the community of cyclists really seems to work in central London.
The photo is of

Wanstead Park

from my ride in London yesterday.

House

I was in London again today. I stayed at Paul and Coral's last night then cycled over to east London for a meeting. It was a good day for a ride. The meeting went well [and I sold another photo over lunch to an unexpected buyer!]. I then rode back into town via Wanstead Park, the River Lea cycleway and then through Limehouse, Wapping and St Catherines Dock before ending up at the Commonwealth Club. It was a great ride - a lot has changed in Docklands, but Wapping High Street still manages to appear abit seedy despite all the money spent on it. Lots of great new architecture around too.
The photo is of a painted house in Walthamstow. If you are going to do it at all you might as well do it like this.

Back

After another back-twinge incedent a few weeks ago I have put off playing badminton. This week I played again. The good news was I came through the game with no ill-effects. The bad news - Edward beat me.
The photo is of the rape fields around an old windmill south of York.
Last night in book group we discussed Restless by William Boyd. We all enjoyed it as a good yarn, but didn't find much beneath the tale.

Parallel Lines

And here are our cows this year.
I am just finishing Parallel Lines by Ian Marchant. It is another book by someone of my generation, this time about railways in Britain. Very funny and a right good read.

Cattle

Went a bike ride with Ted and Dave on Sunday. Good to get the wheels turning. Our usual cafe was shut but we were lucky to find a Open Garden weekend going on with a tea-tent. Delicious home made apple pie from someone who had attended the Betty's cookery course.

The cows have returned to the moor for the summer. It is always a great day. They spent the first few days charging around the moor checking it all out. The photo is of last year's cows.

Newt

Rowan has been busy playing with her friends Grace and Lilly from up the street - performing shows on the trampoline etc.
The photo is of the newt in the pond. The next excitement will be the hatching of the butterflies in the

Butterfly pavilion

that uncle Ben gave Rowan for her birthday. So far the catepillars have grown allarmingly, the chrysalides have formed and we await developments. Danielle finds them a bit creepy - particularly the crunching sound the catepillars make [allegedly]

Garden Time

This should have been the day of Danielle's marathon - so the TV is not on. Next year. We had a good garden day yesterday. I managed to reclaim one of the vegetable beds from the trials of the builders, the scaffold and the draught: onions have been planted.
Danielle went to her upstairs bees and was delighted to find 7 jars worth of honey, which we extracted. There was also plenty of

wild comb [photo] which is good to chew on.

The Ouse meets the Nidd.

We were all on holiday on Friday. I drove Danielle and Rowan to a hairdressers that can deal with black hair in Leeds, then went on a bike ride on a bridleway by the

River Ouse . It is so dry here at the moment, that it is a good time to go off-road cycling. It is a great ride, and includes passing the junction of the Ouse and the Nidd at Beningborough [photo]

New Work

I was working in London this week. I stayed over at David and Cathy's then cycled over to Epping Forest for a seminar with a new client. It went really well, and Epping was as beautiful and enchanting as I remember it. It really is one of my favorite places.

Forest

The photo is one from Hungerford Bridge in London.

Wildlife Update

The pair of mallard are back for their annual spring paddle in the ponds they usually move on in about a month to seriously nest elsewhere, but it is nice to see them.

We spotted two newts

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/479.shtml

in the pond - strange, slimy and wonderful. Finally a wren

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/w/wren/index.asp

has decided to build its nest in the "swallow" box I put up last year - can't really complain. It was spotted by Malcolm the Joiner looking for nesting material inside my shoes - cheeky.

This other piece of wildlife was taken by Rowan in Liverpool

London 3

We went to see Pegasus Opera company [who we had seen before, and really rated] in a big production of Delius' Koanga when we were in London at Sadler's Wells. It was really disappointing, the performances were not up to much - but we still enjoyed ourselves. We had lunch with friend Kelly who is off to Singapore with husband Paul soon for a few years. They are letting out their amazing factory conversion in Clerkenwell - we had lunch on the roof in the sun.

London 2

We had breakfast in Giraffe on the southbank - stack of pancakes, lovely morning, charming staff. Great start to the day. Rowan was meanwhile learning how to do Poi at Sarah's. See her blog

http://purplebluebells.blogspot.com/

for photos.

Lincoln

At the weekend we all drove down to cousin Sarah's in Cambridge where Rowan stayed for two nights whilst we went on to London for our annual treat of staying in a hotel on our own. En route to Cambridge we called in at Lincoln which is beautiful with the Cathedral, the Castle and the steep cobbled streets - like a mini-York.

Hutton Roof

On the way back from the Lakes we stopped at one of my favorite places - Hutton Roof Crags. It is an area of Limestone pavement where it is very easy to get lost/disorientated, and where there is never anyone else around. Danielle rested her leg whilst Rowan and I explored.

http://www.huttonroof.org.uk/

Girls On The Rock

This was the rock at the campsite which Rowan and her friend climbed incessantly - right up to sunset as you can see.

The first night was so clear that there was ice on the tent in the morning - we all had hats on through the night.

Caw

Saturday Rowan and I climbed Caw, a small quiet and lovely mountain in the Duddon Valley. Danielle came half way, but it was hard on her leg so she waited at the old mine for us.
Rowan is holding the relevant Wainwright book for the mountain. They are truly a great work of art - definitely one for the desert island.

http://www.wainwright.org.uk/

Easter

With Mother not well enough to come and stay with us at Easter, and with the weather looking set fair, we decided to go camping in the Duddon Valley in the Lakes. This is my favorite part of the Lakes, the one I know best, and very quiet. Rowan was keen to camp, so we found a basic [very basic] campsite with loos and cold water.

http://www.duddonvalley.co.uk/phdi/p3.nsf/supppages/0955?opendocument&part=6

Suited us fine. Danielle's recovering leg gave her a bit of jip on the stony mountain paths, so she took it easy. Rowan loved being able to climb all over the rocks - she made a climbing pal called India. I nipped up Dow Crag on the Friday afternoon -

http://www.leaney.org/lake_district_fells.php?fell_id=dow_crag

It is a real Jekyl/Hide mountain. I climbed up the benign west side to be confronted by the dramatic and awesome east side once I reached the top. I walked off-piste both up and down, enjoying plotting a route through the rocks. The photo is of Walna Scar from Dow Crag

Liverpool 2

Walking round Albert Dock on a beautiful April day, it certainly looked different to when I was a student there. This shot was taken there.

Liverpool 1

Danielle was working in Liverpool on Wednesday, so we all went over for the day. It is still a fascinating place to visit. Having a coffee in an old bank [pretty much standard procedure in any large northern city these days] I noticed the doors for the Adelphi bank: an incredibly ornate, solid pair of doors that I can only imagine finding in Liverpool. Now it is Cafe Nero.

Big Toe

The BBC have recently axed the Little Toe Radio Show. This may not mean a lot to a lot of you, but to any child under 11 it has caused consternation. So much so that I e-mailed Feedback. This is a BBC radio program usually the domain of "annoyed of Basingstoke". I thought nothing more of it until a friend said that their 9 year old fully supported my views. So I listened to it and sure enough my letter was quoted

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/feedback.shtml?focuswin

listen to the latest show if you want to hear it.
Rowan loves the radio and reading. See picture.

Running In

Rowan and Danielle both completed the 3k fun run for the British Heat Foundation, which took place on the Knavesmire in York. This was great news for both. Rowan did very well, first female to finish the 3k race. Danielle managed it without her leg hurting too much. So much relief all round.

Play time

Rowan had her friend Millie round for the day, and they are playing well together. The photo shows the extension from the front, now that the scaffolding is down. We are on the final leg now, we can't wait

The Scaffold Is Gone

A big landmark day today. The scaffolding came down, revealing the extension for the first time. Here it is...

Back Again

I managed to put my back out again - very annoying. I just have to wait for it to go back to normal now. The good thing is that it makes me lie down and do nothing for a while - not often I do that. So I watched the amazing British team in the world cycling track championship in Mallorca

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/default.stm

unbelievably successful, compared with the grim days of the 80s and 90s.

I went a stroll this morning whilst Rowan and Danielle were at swimming and meeting. Took this shot of the impressive Scarcroft School in York.