85

I drove down to Oxfordshire on Sunday to pick up Mother from Auntie Alison's. She had been down there to see Geoff who has had a stroke. Great to see lots of the family, and to hear that Geoff is on the mend.

Monday we drove cross country back up to York, via Market Drayton, Melton Mowbray and Clumber Park [a National Trust place where we had lunch].

Granny safely settled here in York now, with Rowan delighted to have her and Milo a little bit in awe of "old lady".

The photo is of a box of chocolates and truffles that Rowan made for Granny for her 85th birthday which is today.

Peter Principle

It is a strange world, the world of work. I glanced at the senior management structure at the London Borough I am working for, not that many people on it but there were four who I knew from various pasts. None were particularly good, but they all seem to have risen to the top. Not a particularly good feeling; the Peter principle in living colour.

The photo is a colour shot of Lake Vrywyny in mid-Wales. A black and white one will feature in the exhibition, coming soon.

I saw a Blackcap in the garden yesterday. http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/b/blackcap/index.aspx It could have been a resident bird but I like to think it was a spring migrant, just arrived. I will take any sign of spring at the moment.

We went t0 meeting today, Rowan brought Lilly back to play with Milo.

Yesterday was a family treat of Breakfast at Betty's - Rowan had got a good report from school.

Wimbledon

Working two days down in London. Stayed with Mark and Mandy [the newly-weds] in Wimbledon. Great to see them together. Went to a Korean for a meal which was not as vegetarian-friendly as it might have been, but still good.

At the end of Friday we had a meet-up of the four consultants involved with the piece of work in London. Went well and I think a picture of how the end report will look is emerging.

The photo is taken from the late lamented Big Wheel at the NRM.

Heptonstall

Heptonstall is an amazing place. Unreal really. Perched high on top of the moor above Hebden Bridge, cast out of solid millstone grit, cobbled and steep. Our friends Adrian and Emma tried living there for a while. Sylvia Plath is buried there.

Mr Benn

The frosty mornings are finally gone, so here is one last reminder of how they look on Hob Moor.

Off to listen to Tony Benn this evening at York Minster. I have not heard many people speak over the years. Ted Heath [surprisingly good], Alan Ginsberg [not great] Eric Heiffer [inspiring, despite appearances], not many more than that.

London

Just across the road from where I am working in London is the development around the Greater London Authority office. Apart from the wet-foot inducing "river" down the middle of it, it is all very impressive. This wooden cafe is in obvious contrast to the usual steel and glass.

Torch

At the biathlon yesterday the girls had the chance to hold the original 1948 Olympic Torch that was used to relay the flame to the stadium. Here it is.

Biathlon

Croydon was surprisingly OK. It reminded me of a US city [really], as this view from the hotel window may convey. We all went to Pizza Express for a meal before the Biathlon event. The three girls did less well than last year, so everyone was a bit down on the long return journey [with added engineering works thrown in by Network Rail for extra spice.]. Put it down as one to learn from.

Biathlon

We have left Milo to look after Danielle, and headed off with the rest of the Mount team for the National Biathlon finals. This year they are at Crystal Palace [where Rowan ran in the summer - see photo] so we are all staying in downtown Croydon ...

The distance this year has been changed so that it works against Rowan, so she is unlikely to repeat her 3rd overall from last year. The three girls [and 3 attendant parents] are just happy to compete though.

Spring

Finally we have hit 10 degrees and spring is just about in the air. I have been looking at the First Daffodil dates, this year they are still not out, and we are at March 19th. Previous years have been:

2006 Feb 5th

2007 Jan 14th

2008 Jan 6th

2009 Jan 24th

Shows how cold it has been this year.

The photo is of friends on the station.

Charlie Gillett RIP

Very sad to hear of the death of the great Charlie Gillett today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/mar/17/charlie-gillett-obituary His book "The Sound of the City" was the history of R&B that really opened my ears to a lot of music. And on his radio programmes in London he invented the concept of "World Music" - when he first played Bulgarian choral singing it totally stopped me in my tracks. After John Peel and Tony Wilson he is the third northern aural entrepreneur to die early. It's a shame.

The photo is the last from the Selby ride

28 years

Working in a south London Borough I have already run into Claudette whom I had not seen for 12 years or so. This was trumped by meeting up with John who I last saw 28 years ago, when we used to share a bathroom in the old flat at Canonbury in Islington. We both recognised each other pretty much straight off. I think this is good.

The photo is another from the Selby ride last week.

Lent

This year for Lent I have given up alcohol, chocolate, biscuits and cake. That's all. Going Ok so far, although having an Indian with Rob and Cath last week and not having a cold pint of lager was not easy. Under 3 weeks to go now.

The photo is from a ride I got in on Saturday. The light was beautiful, the air crisp; I took this shot on the banks of the Ouse at Selby.

When the Dog is Away

Milo went to stay with some friends [our friends that is, not his] at the weekend, as we thought we were going to be away. All went well but we were all glad to be a re-united again, as this photo of the two junior pack members illustrates.

Arsenal

The photo is of Sarah's flat complex, allegedly a space that used to be a doss-house described by George Orwell in Down and Out in Paris and London.

We were due to go to Glenthorne in the Lakes on a Quaker weekend, but decided in the end that Danielle's health, and Rowan's netball meant it better to stay at home.

Saturday morning friend Paul rang with an offer of a trip to Hull to see Arsenal play, courtesy of a pair of season tickets. The new KC stadium is really impressive, just about perfect for watching football [even Hull]. Arsenal won 2-1 with the last kick of the game. Great day out.

I first saw Arsenal in the early 80's with Mark when we lived in Highbury. Liam Brady had left, and what was left was a dreadful team in search of a centre forward to lump the ball up to. The fans used to chant "we all agree, Rix is better than Hoddle" which was a mix of hope and plain untruth. We used to go to the European games, and the 4-1 loss, at home, to Spartak Moscow will live with me for ever. The Russians were brilliant, and by the end of the humiliation the Arsenal fans were applauding their skill. Yesterday they were just fantastic to watch; some change.

The last time I saw them before this weekend, was with Danielle and nephew Tom in 1995. Rioch was manager, Bergkamp had just arrived and they were still pretty dire. It was a friendly against Inter Milan.

All England Championships

Edward and I went to Birmingham to watch the All England Badminton championships. It was the first time we had seen pros playing the game - we were hoping to pick up some tips. I first became aware of the championships when I visited a friend in Denmark who was riveted to the TV screen watching them in the 80's. "It's the All England's!" he said, barely being able to turn his eyes from the screen. "What are they?" I asked in genuine ignorance. He could not believe that I did not know. Badminton is very big in Denmark [they are the best non-Asian country] and the All Englands are the Wimbledon of the sport [ie Very old, very prestigious, England don't do very well]

We had a great day, really enjoyed the games, and the train journey was perfect.

The photo is of the revived Brum city centre. It has become, unbelievably, a very pleasant place to be.

Extension

The extension has proved a good place for Danielle to convalesce - she can lie indoors in the sun. It is a great room. I took this shot when checking my camera for a portrait session last week.

Trees Too

Another shot of trees on the moor. A skylark has been spotted on the moor this week, so life seems to be returning. It is still frosty every night though, and I still dream of those 10 degrees.

Quite Busy

Apologies for the absence. It has been a busy time. Down to north east London for work on Tuesday, meal with Rob & Kath in the evening, stayed at Sarah's fantastic flat in Whitechapel then walked half an hour over Tower Bridge for the new work. Busy day at work, then meeting with Rob [another one] on the train journey home. Phew....

Photo is the beautiful Hob Moor in the frost

Snow and Run

Friday evening friend Adrian came round and we all watched the movie Anvil, which is really good. Far more spinal tap than spinal tap, yet strangely moving!

Yesterday Rowan ran at Ampleforth College, [where Adrian had been at school] in a cross country event. She ran well, and came 2nd in the under 15 girls - which is not bad considering she is 12. The photo is of the start, with the Abbey in the background. Then we rushed over to Xscape at Castleford for a birthday party sliding on the artificial ski slope there [not my favorite place].

A pile

The winter sun can make the most unlikely things turn photographic. This pile of cow muck was steaming beautifully in the sun as I cycled past Beningborough - so here it is.

On the Red Kite saga, friend Thelma tells me she saw one in the car park at Asda in Luton. So they must make it here one day...

Misty Morning

Hob Moor with morning mist and frost.

Spring is sprung

Although it is still freezing each night, with frost on the moor when I walk the dog, there is still a bit of spring in the air. Today the Robins, Blackbirds and Tits are all flitting and flirting away in a spring-like manner. The Wrens are the stars though. In two days they have reconstructed their nest outside the back door, which is amazing given their size. They gave the site a miss last year, having successfully raised a brood there in 2008, so it is great to have them back. The photo is from 2008.

London

My first day on the new assignment in South London. A lovely sunny day, Tower Bridge gleaming between brutal modern glass and steel. I met my new work partner, Ellen, for the first time in the lobby of the south bank offices. In the workshop that we were attending I spotted a face I knew across the full room; Claudette my old friend, badminton partner and general good sort who I had not seen for 12 years. Great to catch up. As time goes on it is hard to go to a local authority and not come across someone I know. Feels good.

I was working out that this is my 8th London Borough that I am working for since going freelance. There have been 10 other clients that have kept me busy for the last 12 years.

Funk

The photo is of the EIS in Sheffield.

The soundtrack to my bike ride on Saturday was the Funk playlist on my ipod.

Funk music first came into my consciousness when I was at school – Superfly by Curtis Mayfield. It was a bit of a revelation. For the next few years I tried to listen to Funk by bands that appeared massive in America but did not even get albums released over here [BT Express, Ohio Players, Funkadellic etc]. This was not easy. Affording the albums was even harder. When I did manage to buy a double James Brown album – Payback – in Ulverston it seemed a bit impenetrable and daunting, as well as being an expensive import. But I loved the music then, and it still sounds great now on the damp roads of North Yorkshire. When I met Danielle a few more great tracks came my way.

The thing with Funk is that it is nearly all down to rhythm, cross rhythms and dynamics. Melody has little role. On the rare occasions that harmony does appear it can be spectacular. This can be harmony within one voice, like James Brown's guttural grunts, or just great harmonies like Curtis Mayfield on Superfly [he takes all song to hit it right, does so then stops the track right there] or on Talking Loud & Saying Nothing by James Brown.

So as the pedals splashed through the murk, that smile on my face came from the Fatback Band, Roadblock and all the rest.