BG

This is a shot of the creek at Bryn Gwelyd, the Quaker homestead where Danielle's father lives. It is an idyllic and incongruous place amidst the endless malls and roads of the burbs, where the deer run free and the cardinals fly.

H&S

America gets a bad press in the UK for being the root of the health and safety / litigation nightmare-quagmire into which we have sunk. It is not as simple as that. There are plenty of situations in the US where there is a refreshing laissez-faire approach to it all. Two examples: there are no fences alongside railroad tracks, even in urban areas. You can just walk right onto the tracks if you want - that could never happen in the UK. Second example: bin men ride on the back of the bin truck routinely - far too dangerous for the UK.

The photo is of Marna and Natalia, who accompanied Rowan to see a movie earlier in the week.

Eagles

Danielle's family are all Philadelphia Eagles fans. Supporting the Eagles is a bit like supporting Newcastle - their fans think they are a really big team, they always do quite well and never win anything ... ever. So as we all sat down [including baby Liam in a replica Eagles shirt] to see if the Eagles could pull off the most unlikely win over the Dallas Cowboys and so progress to the playoffs, expectations were not high. But they did it, amazingl, and it was a walkover too. 

The photo is of Liam, unsure what to make of it all.

Christmas Morning

This is the classic Christmas Morning 6.01am scene I think. Hyper-happy child, parent trying to believe it is still the night.

A Fine Balance

Christmas is a good time to catch up on reading for me. I have read the book I got as a leaving gift, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fine_Balance 

which really is a great book. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Next I read the Chris Hoy book which Ro gave me for my birthday http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heroes-Villains-Velodromes-Britains-Revolution/dp/000726531X

which is also a great read, and very uplifting [for cyclists especially].

The photo is of Rowan and her cousin Natalia, bonding via a Nintendo DX.

Christmas Day

Happy Christmas. We managed to hold off present opening till 10am which was pretty impressive. Danielle and I went for a run, then we all went over to Aunt Maxine's for dinner [15 people in all including Uncle Randy and Aunt Joan and Wanda]

Liam

Ben and Kari arrived with Baby Liam, the first time Rowan and I have met him. There is no doubt about it he is a lovely baby.

New York New York

Monday the three of us went to New York City on the train from Trenton New Jersey. US trains are bizarrely old fashioned, so much so that I think they could be marketed as "a trip from yesteryear". On arrival in the city I can honestly and accurately state that I have never experienced such cold before - way way below freezing with a dry icy wind. My teeth ached as we walked up 7th Avenue.

We met up with Vicky, who we had last seen in Brussels last year, and had a great Italian meal for lunch near her office in Park Avenue. 

 

Service

We all went to Aunt Sheila's church on Sunday. The service was 1 1/2 hours long but ... really good. Some great singing by the choir, candle lighting etc. Royce was in charge of the audio-visual display and that went to plan as well. 

Obama

Danielle's cousin Aliesh is a make-up artist http://www.alieshpierce.com/ who has famously [in my eyes] worked with the Isley Brothers. But even that has been eclipsed by her assignment this year, doing the whole Obama family - now that's a good name-check.

The photo is of Danielle with Aunt Sheila at her church.

Mount Fuji

First night we went to Mount Fuji, a Japanese restaurant that Rowan loved when she was last here with Danielle. The food is cooked by acrobatic chefs in front of you on the hot plate. It is fantastic simple food and great fun. You can see Rowan is excited, Royce is anxious [the chefs do tend to throw titbits of veg to you to catch in your mouth]. A great place

US Airways

So I was thinking that flying from Manchester to Philadelphia would be a quiet flight - there can't be that many people wanting to make that journey? The dread word is Hub. Philly is a hub for US Airways flights to Florida. So the plane was packed, totally packed, with people going to Florida. Not great. Anyway they managed to mess up on the vegetarian meals [par for the course] but they did get me a legroom seat, which was a real relief. 

The flight went well, we watched the Sex in the City movie, which was great, and Royce was there to meet us. The weather in Philly is exactly like Manchester, cold wet and grey, so maybe that is why they hooked the two cities up.

The Press

The trouble with not getting the local paper is never knowing when you're in it. Then again it might have been better to remain oblivious to this appearance. I think it unlikely that this will be a big seller on the York Press photosales sight...

Back on Court

Edward and I played badminton yesterday for the first time in a while. We have both had man-flu so were short on puff, but it was great to get back to playing. The great thing about badminton is that you can have a real good competitive workout without needing to high a skill level. This compares with tennis where, unless you are pretty good, the work-out is considerably less with the ball flying all over the place [but not in the court]

The photo is to remind us all of spring; a Comma butterfly taken in the garden.

Dog News

Rowan and I took Murphy the retriever for a walk today. He is a puppy who belongs to Alison a friend of Danielle's. It is lovely to see Rowan so happy with a dog after her years of being so scared of them.

Hysteria

I met up with friend David for a drink in London last week. He runs the Whittington Hospital. His staff had some contact with Baby P, and did everything right which means they have escaped the sick hysteria that the media have launched at just about everyone involved [except the killers of course].

The photo is of Rowan and cousin Sarah 5 years ago. Rowan has always been at her most relaxed with Sarah!

Book Group

Book Group Christmas Party last week. Always great fun. John brings the fizz, we all play ex-libris [including Rowan] and I do a quiz on all the books we have read in the previous year. As we age, as the memories drift, the average score on the quiz plummets .... oh well.

I am not sure if I have posted this photo before. Me at 19 or 20 I think.

Article

A photographer came to take some shots of the house today. They are trying to get an article about the house into the national press or specialist magazines. It would be linked in to York Open Studios next year. All potentially pretty exciting.

Still getting over the illness - not up to full speed yet.

The photo was taken 23 years ago. Ribblehead Viaduct in the days when the trains had engines and coaches.

Last Day

Today was my last day working in Richmond London. I could not understand why the normally empty train was full of people with college scarves and strange complexions. Then I worked out that it must be the Varsity Rugby match at Twickenham.

At this afternoon's meeting I was amazed to be presented with a leaving present - usually consultants are not considered worthy of such warmth. I was really touched. I was given the book "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry - it's good so far.

The Tyne

After the photo of the Ouse, which people like, I have this one of the Tyne. There could be a series starting here.

Back to normal

The man-flu is subsiding, I was back at work today but still feeling a bit weak. The photo is of the meal on Saturday.

Birthday Gig

Today is my birthday. Last night we went out with a group of friends to Loch Fyne for an early meal, then to see a great gig at the early music centre http://www.ncem.co.uk/cgi/events/events.cgi?t=template.htm&a=1086 Abram Wilson playing a blues/jazz set. We all really enjoyed, there were about 14 of us all together. Rowan appreciated it as a fellow horn player!

St Pancras

Last time I was in London I was in St Pancras again. It is one of those buildings that is as impressive every time I visit; truly magnificent. This is not a shot of its grandeur but I do like the interesting perspectives you can get from the different levels.

Slug on the Tyne

Last photo from Newcastle. It is hard to resist shots of the Tyne Bridge and the Sage Gallery, it is a spectacular landscape. The train journey north from York, passing Durham with its Cathedral and Castle and then crossing the Tyne is definitely one of the best there is.

Goldcrest

I saw a Goldcrest http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goldcrest/index.asp in the garden the other day, first time for a good while.

The photo is of Newcastle.

Newcastle Trip

This sculpture is in Gateshead. Pretty impressive for your average high street