Magritte

Danielle had a conference in Brussels so we went with her. We had a good time, Rowan and I being invited to a pre-conference meal, chatting with interesting grant-makers from around Europe.

Rowan and I went to the Magritte museum http://www.musee-magritte-museum.be/Portail/Site/Typo3.asp?lang=FR&id=languagedetect on Tuesday. He was a fantastic painter, I really enjoyed seeing his work again. This photo by Rowan of me using the eminently sensible pissoir facilities of the city, has, I think, a Magritte like quality to it [no head, lampost instead]

Clothes

Rowan has discovered clothes. Here she is wearing a dress financed by Granny on the town with us in Brussels.

Sustrans

I had a bit of spare time in Doncaster, so I found the local Sustrans route and followed it down to the Don Gorge. Has any organisation been more effective than Sustrans in creating great things from not very much. The network of cycle tracks, particularly through the urban and sub-urban badlands is a fantatic achievement.

Lighthouse

This is the oldest lighthouse in Britain - designed to operate with a fire beacon - at Flamborough head.

Friends of Hob Moor had a stand at Acomb Fair today. It went OK before the rains came, suddenly our tent had an awful lot of visitors.

Flamborough

Took the dog and child to Flamborough Head http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamborough_Head for a walk. The dog loved it. This is where the chalk Wolds reach the sea, with plenty of cliffs, stacks and wave-cut platforms

Holgate Windmill

Holgate Windmill, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holgate_Windmill just up the road, is being restored. The sails are due to go on in the next few months. The house in front is a new-build that is very stylish. Inevitably I have heard some people say "well it doesn't really fit in". Given the houses around it, I think this is a positive.

Constantine The Great

The Emperor Constantine was crowned in York in AD306 http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/iloveny/romans/2004/constantine_great/index.shtml which is why this statue is outside the Minster. I took this photo while I was watching the cycle race. I liked the bloke on his phone.

Bikes and Rosehips

It was the second annual York city centre cycle race on Sunday. A really good race won by Olympic gold medalist Ed Clancy.

Made Rosehip Syrup yesterday using the hips from the garden.

Jo

Danielle and I took the dog a walk in lovely Leeds whilst Rowan was triathloning, and called in to see friend Joanna and deliver a photo. Coffee in the garden - a great start to the weekend.

Chevin

We had two hours spare between netball sessions last week, so I took Rowan up to the Chevin above Otley. It is a beautiful place with views all around; the heather was out too.

The Deal

Me "Can you feed the dog please?"

Rowan "Do I have to?"

Rowan "I'll do you a deal..."

Me - feeling sceptical "Ok, what?"

Rowan "You feed the dog, and I'll cook tea"

Me - amazed - "It's a deal"

45 minutes later the dog is happy and Rowan produces this amazing Thai prawn curry, with green beans from the garden.

Books

The combination of Rowan's boot camp and a lot of work on mean that the blog has suffered! Apologies.

In book group we read Brighton Rock by Graham Greene. The general view was that it was not all-that. Danielle and I watched the 1947 movie version [screenplay by Greene and Terrence Rattigan] and I reckon it is better than the book; not the usual way around.

I have also read One Day by David Nichols and absolutely loved it. I have been meaning to read it for a while now; it was well worth the wait. It is not often I cry when I read a book [usually save that for films and the Eurovision Song Contest - different types of tears] but I managed it with this one. Perfect.

Redstart

It is not easy at all to photograph Goredale Scar, nothing does it justice, definitely not this shot. I saw Redstarts on the walk http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/redstart/index.aspx a really beautiful bird.

Day 2 of Rowan's bootcamp has seen her selected for a match tomorrow so she is a lot happier with it all.

Malham

Rowan started her Netball boot-camp at Leeds Carnegie today. It involved ice-baths and all sorts. She is not, it is fair to say, over-enamoured with the experience but we hope it will get better.

Meantime I took the dog for a walk around Malham and Goredale Scar http://www.malhamdale.com/cove.htm . I had not been up Goredale Scar since a school geography trip, and I did not make it today. A downpour meant that a flash flood was making its way down the same time as me and Milo. Discretion became the better part of valour and we retraced our steps [the alternative was drowning in the torrent.] As you can see from the picture, Milo was only too ready to go back.

Sportive

Rowan and I rode the York 100k sportive today, it was actually 108k and those extra 8 were very noticeable. She did brilliantly to ride what is nearly 70 miles including some tough hills in the Wolds. The weather held, the organisation was brilliant [http://www.action.org.uk/york_100] with a pasta lunch and the route good too. Some sportives are run by private organisations, with a sense of being a bit of a rip-off. This one was run by a good charity, and we felt really well looked-after.

The photo is of Rowan with her race-bike, kindly funded by Granny.

Honey Honey

We extracted some honey from the new bee colony, about 8 kilos, not bad for a start; it tastes good too. Today we all rode to Bolton Percy for lunch at the cafe, plenty of cyclists there.

Another photo from the seaside at Aberdovey

View from the rock

This is the view looking down from Bird Rock in Wales. I have grown to like this shot. That is a Cormorant in the bottom left hand corner.

Tywyn

Walking along the beach from Aberdovey to Tywyn is one of our favourite things to do. This year we came across this group of pony-trekkers going the other way.

Style Victim

There comes a point when all parents get their style-sense criticised by their children. I remember telling my Mother, who was wearing a mac, that she looked like she came from Accrington. Sure enough Rowan saw my socks - "You can't wear those with those shorts. Ever." It is her job to make these comments, just as it is mine to ignore them.

Here we all are at the wedding.

Riots

In 1981 I was cycling back from a meal at friends in Wood Green at about midnight, when I noticed people walking down the high road with TVs etc. It really did not dawn on me that it was a riot, I even waited for the red light to change before cycling on back to Islington. The next night in Upper St shopkeepers were boarding up shops which all seemed a bit over the top.

When I moved to Tottenham in 1986, it was a year after the Broadwater Farm riots. The riots continued to cast a shadow over the place for the whole 10 years I lived there; but it did seem that things had moved on.

Today Rowan and I were in London for the day; Science Museum, Clothes Shops in Oxford Street [Rowan has decided to be a teenager after all], lunch at Yo Sushi etc. By 4pm shops were being shut early and a feeling of fear was tangible. We were due back on the 19.30 train, but I checked if we could leave early because of the quasi-curfew. We could, so here we are on the 17.30 train just coming up to Stevenage.

When we had set off I had failed to make the connection between a day-trip to the capital and the depressing riots in the suburbs; I soon woke up to the situation.

More wedding

Sarah and Markus had a best-woman, and four bridesmaids. Here they are all are.

WOTY

My niece Sarah got married at the weekend to Markus. All the family made the trip to Thorpeness in Suffolk and we had perfect weather for the wedding on Friday: it was a great day. We even joined in the country dancing...

New Look

Rowan had her hair done for upcoming bridesmaid duties, and her brace off her teeth. Here is the new look.

Rowan runs

Whilst Danielle and I were doing the 10K run on Sunday, Rowan was running the junior race over 2.5K. She won the girl's race, here she is crossing the line [and breaking the tape] and with her spoils of victory

Tanks and Tomatoes

This YouTube clip should get you smiling if you are an urban cyclist

http://bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/2011/08/02/mayor-clears-bike-lane-with-a-tank/#.TjhyAufqTXg.facebook

The tomato harvest has been good this year, here is part of the crop.

Yorkshire Day

The private view for the exhibition went really well. The turnout was really good, far better than I expected. Great response to the new work, sales-wise we will have to wait and see...

Rowan got her caricature done as part of the National Trust shops Yorkshire Day celebrations.

Bird Rock

We finally got round to climbing Bird Rock, whilst we were at Aberdovey http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-2081 , this is a view up towards Cadair Idris on the way up. We saw Cormorants but no Choughs when we were there.
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