Cabinet

It is defintely a sign of the ageing process: one friend in the Cabinet has stood down, another has been pushed down, and the average age of the new one is 49 - my age. I worked with one of the new young guns in Islington and Danielle has worked with 3 or 4 of the new ones, but overall it feels like even political power is getting younger than me... so it goes.

The photo is of Liverpool

Elelphant

Rowan is reading another one of my father's old books. This one is called the Life Story of The Elephant. My father got it as a math's prize when he was 9 [Rowan's age now]. He was at boarding school then, the school motto was "Iron sharpeneth iron" which sounds ominous but probably appropriate for its culture.

The photo is of a sign we saw at the racecourse when we went to the cycle rally. It seems like a band-name in waiting to me.

Sir

The photo is of the royal seal marking the granting of a knighthood to my great uncle Sir Charles Palmour. Not quite sure what happened to us after that... He was granted his knighthood on 18th May 1946 and according to family legend "married a show-girl" this sounds somewhat euphemistic to me.

Rain Stopped Play

I got my accounts done today - somehow despite my best intentions it almost always ends up being whilst Wimbledon is on - then met a York-bound Danielle for lunch at the NRM. She had been due in London but the trains were spouted so after a coffee with some other refugees she came back home.
In the NRM I had a chance to have a look around the lesser-seen exhibits and found these three staff busy renovating one of them. They were very pleased to be photographed doing it - none of the paranoia of doubt that I encountered in the Baltic art gallery in Gateshead, where they would not let me photograph a cleaner's mop, let alone staff at work

Water

It has rained so hard over the last week or so that the football pitch next door is ready for water polo. The Knavesmire is flooding over too.

The photo is from the lakes at Easter.

Bits and pieces

Danielle and I sat down and watched on TV the Arctic Monkeys at Glastonbury on Friday night. They were fantastic: not the best way to attend the festival but better than nothing.
Sunday saw Rowan at the dreadful Flamingo Land [the theme park with the worst food in the UK according to a survey: their response? "It's what kids like"] which she loved, I was on the Friends of Hob Moor stand at the local event in our park, and Danielle was running 10K. We are all back together now , looking forward to eating spinach from the garden in a pizza.
The photo is of Liverpool

CTC Rally

We made our annual visit to the CTC York Rally today. The event has been going since 1945, and has a slightly sad feel about it nowadays: it belongs to the days of cycle club fellowship and self sufficiency that are long gone. It is one of the few places where I can go and still lower the average age [Quaker meeting being another]. Nevertheless we all like it, and we got some cycle shoes for Rowan and a coat for Danielle.

The photo is a portrait I have done for the cover of this month's Quakevine.

Coaching & Mentoring

I met up with a client yesterday and we have agreed that I will develop a training programme for Coaching & Mentoring in the autumn. This is really good news.
On the way I spotted this billboard. "The internet is now minow" At first I thought it was some clever-clever slogan that I was immune to: then I realised it was pasted up wrong, they had the wrong bits of poster but just stuck it up anyway... Unless it is so clever that it is how it is meant to be - it got me to photograph it after all.

Mosaic

Danielle's mosaic skills - honed in the mean streets of Islington at Jocasta Innes - have been on hold for the past nine years or so [I wonder why?], but re-emerged this weekend in the crucial setting of the bottom of the loo: the only way is up. I think it looks great.

Garden news

The two happy runners show their numbers.
The incessant rain over the last week or so has meant that the veg have really kicked in. The peas have produced their first mange-tout, the beans and beetroot are looking healthy and the perennial rocket is still eat-able. The gooseberries have cropped well [2 fools and a crumble so far] too.

Reading Matters

The photo is of Rowan's race setting off at Castle Howard: as you can see the setting is a bit different to your average running track.
I have just finished reading

Being Dead

by Jim Crace: it is a good book, very different to anything else I have read but worth it. I might inflict it upon Book Group when it is my time to choose.

Castle Howard

This is a shot of the house at Castle Howard looming above the lake. It is an amazing estate, so massive in scale with vistas, and monuments stretching over miles and miles.

Run run run

Danielle ran a 10k race at Castle Howard today. It was her first real race since breaking her leg in January. It went well, and she felt no ill effects in her leg, so that is really good news. Rowan also ran, in the 1k kids dash - she did well too. After yesterday's exertions I sat and drank coffee and watched - I could get used to that.
Photo is of the church in Dufton in the Eden Valley

Bike Ride

Whilst Rowan was playing with Rosie, Danielle was having a tough governors meeting at The Mount School, I rode the

Great Yorkshire Bike Ride from Wetherby to Filey [72 miles] with Dave and David. Given that this time last week I could barley walk with my back problems, I was pretty pleased to be able to ride it. I had one session with Hans the Danish chiropractor and felt confident enough to do the ride. It is a great route, and really well organised, with about 2000 riders. It took us under 6 hours, so we were pretty pleased. David's wife Jenny drove out to meet us and drive us back. A great day.

Another photo from the Pennine Cycle Way.

Stavningskontrollen ar klar

In theory the internet is logical. So how come when I log onto my blog software today it all comes up in Sweedish? Makes a change - the Swedish for "view blog" is "visa blogg" - I would never have known that otherwise. Mind you it could be Norweigan. As for the spellcheck - I have got six words right.

I met up with friend Wendy today in London. She has just turned 60 and is in great shape. As I near 50 it is good to collect people at the next milestone who seem happy to be there, takes the pressure off.

Drumming and Poetry

I did some photos today for Katie at her school in Northouram near Halifax. It was art and science week so there was plenty going on including African drumming and Poetry being read by Valerie Bloom whom the kids loved. During the drumming it did seem a shame that photography cannot capture sound.
The photo is of a graveyard in Northumberland

Motor Racing?

When I was little I used to love motor-racing [strange but true] and my hero was a typically left field driver called Jo Siffert who was never famous. Anyway I was looking through my fathers stamp albums with Rowan when I found a Swiss stamp on a letter from Siffert garages in Frieberg. It was hand written and a very polite reply to my schoolboy request for a photo. Nowadays each driver has, I am sure, a whole PR operation to deal with such things - then it was just the guy's brother answering letters in free time at the garage.
The photo is of Ted and Dave heading for one of the many fords in Northumberland.

Black Beauty

I bought home some books from Mother's, in anticipation of her move to Ro & Pete's. One of them was a copy of Black Beauty that had been given to my father when he was 6, in 1928. Rowan is reading it with much delight - I think she likes the book itself [plenty of lovely illustrations], the story and the fact that it was my daddy's.
Cycling through Northumberland there were plenty of impressive rivers. This is the River Rede

America

We have been watching America by Alistair Cooke on rented DVD. It is a great watch. Although over 30 years old it is very relevant and full of interest. It is really a series of lectures with the great man standing in various locations across the States to deliver them.
The Hawthorne was in full bloom on our Pennine trip.

Back for more

I drove mother back down to Oxford then returned today. We were due to go to a swanky party at Canary Wharf at the weekend, but my back went out today so we have had to blow it out - this is a big disappointment.

The photo is of grass upon the moors.

The Damned United

At book group last night we discussed

The Damned United

by David Peace. Great discussion, even those of the group who know nothing of football, found it written in a compelling style.

The photo is of High Cup Nick looming above the Eden valley pasture.

Wark Forest

The cycleway through the Wark Forest [part of Kielder] was the most isolated part of the ride. Road bikes just about did on the surface, but it was a little hairy a couple of times and Dave managed a puncture.

Pennine Cycle Way day 3

The next day it is once more lovely weather with the added bonus of a tailwind. The back road takes us over Cheviot foothills via a number of fords and tracks until we drop down to the small market town of Wooler.
The tail wind increases as we take a B road all the way to Berwick upon Tweed. There is nothing quite like pushing a big gear on a good road effortlessly: it does not happen often so we make the most of it and hit Berwick by 11 o'clock. The usual angst with the trains follows but we get home by 2.
The Pennine Cycleway is a great route that deserves to be more popular, but which is fine how it is. We now just need to ride the section from Clapham to Appleby, which is a good days ride, to complete it.
The photo is of the Pennines as we set off from Appleby in perfect weather.

Pennine Cycle Way day 2

Saturday morning made for perfect cycling through the Kielder and Wark forest. They are deserted and strangely beautiful as the morning mist lifts to reveal the seemingly endless acres of conifers rolling to the distance. At Bellingham we have a snack before a hilly ride to the Impromptu cycling cafe in Elsdon. This is an unlikely location for a cyclists cafe, a small pretty village high in the Pennines, but it has a rich cycling heritage, and the scrambled egg is spot on.
We head on through the border country of Northumberland. There are rolling hills with the higher Cheviot peeks behind. People are thin on the ground around here, but there is plenty of livestock grazing the pasture. We get to our B&B, booked on line, and Ted and I walk into Ingram to look around. On the moors today we have seen Oyster catchers and Curlew, now we see a Blackcap by the river.
The rooms and our meal are again excellent: B&B has really moved on over the last 20 years, and internet booking has made it possible to book ahead at a specific place if you want.

Pennine Cycleway Pt 2

Dave. Ted and I setoff on part two of our Pennine cycle trip. Time had obviously dimmed their memories: they were quite keen despite vowing last year never to accept another of my "Do you fancy coming on a bike eide? ... it won't be hard..." innvitations.

Emma dropped us off at Appleby, which was preparing for the gypsy horse fair. The weather was perfect as we tail-winded up the Eden valley with its beautiful red sandstone villages, Cross Fell and High Cup Nick looming to our right, reminding us of the Pennines to come.

At Memerby the ascent of Hartside began. A long drag to 600metres, it is made perfect by the cafe at the top. We all sat outside and had vegetable lasagne [and chips] and enjoy the moment of feeling satisfied to have cycled up and guitily smug when looking at the motorists around us.

After Hartside the descent to Alston is fast, and a relief. The rain follows us to Haltwhistle where it stops. The route is great - we pass Robinwood, where Rowan did her activity trip last week. Then it is up across Hadrians Wall at Twice Brewed, to our fantastic B&B, where I have this internet access for free.