Triathlon Academy

Rowan has been chosen for the Yorkshire Triathlon Academy http://www.triathlon-academy.co.uk/ which is a great achievement. The program includes trips to the velodrome at Manchester, and a mountain bike weekend away. Here is a photo of her in tri action from warmer times back in the summer.

UFQ

Danielle and I went to a gig at the NCEM last night with Patrick and Adrian, it was the Urban Folk Quartet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWp3xxfYBOs&feature=related who were really fantastic.

In the day I got some fresh air after three days of the exhibition by walking in the Wolds [having been talking about to punters all weekend]. These sheep wondered what I was doing. I walked for 2 1/2 hours and saw one other human [bit of a shock, that was].

Inspired 3

Final day at Inspired went the best of the three, so things felt a lot better than on Friday. This shot, of Worm Dale got a lot of interest which, again, was pleasing; I like it but was not sure how it would go down.

Inspired 2

Inspired picked up a lot today. Plenty of good contacts, some sales. We got coverage in the Press  http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/leisure/exhibitions/9385884.The_Inspired_Christmas_2011_

This photo has proved a big talking point, which is good as I really like it, but never assumed it would necessarily strike a chord with others.

Coincidence

Inspired started today, and it was a slow day. Problems with the venue. Should be better tomorrow we all hope.
Lunchtime I went for a stroll to Prets to get some lunch. The Isley Brothers on the iPod, one of my all-time favorite bands. I got into them when still at school, loved Ernie's guitar. I have since found out that Danielle's cousin has done their make-up before now. Anyway, Summer Breeze came on the headphones just as I entered the cafe, I was thinking "I have never heard the original of this song..." I order my latte and mozzarella croissant and listen to the music on the Prets sound system; it is Seals & Croft and the original of Summer Breeze. Now what are the chances of that, a 35 year old song being played on cue?

   This photo is from 2006, one of the Oxford gargoyles.

Inspired Reminder

A reminder that Inspired runs for 3 days from tomorrow. We are all set up and ready to go.

This year I have a large canvas of Coast up which works really well in that medium.
Just back from watching a school production, Alice, which was a nicely post-modern version of Alice in Wonderland that was enjoyable - a big improvement on conventional versions.

Book Group

In book group we discussed The View From Castle Rock by Alice Munro. No one really liked it, no one really hated it. Some [ok, me] did not finish it.

My scroll through old photos has got to 2005 and this shot of the Constantine statue outside the Minster, with Rowan and her red nose day nose getting in the shot.

D'Olivera

Basil D'Olivera, the cricketer, has died http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_D'Oliveira . I shook his hand when I was a boy watching him play for England at Old Trafford.
The photo is of Cliffords Tower in York.

Spen Valley

Saturday, Rowan was cycling down the Spen Valley Cycleway http://www.sustrans.org.uk/sustrans-near-you/north-of-england/easy-rides-in-the-north-of-england/spen-valley-greenway in Bradford with the Triathlon club. So I walked down the converted railway line with Milo and really enjoyed it. It is amazing how quickly the city turns to the semi-rural / sub-urban.
This photo show an interesting philosophical graffiti shoot-out on one of the bridges.

Hickleton Hall

My work generally takes me to the dark and dingy side of town. Visiting a social services location rarely coincides with great architecture. So you have to make the most of the exceptions when they arise. This is Hickleton Hall, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hickleton_-_Hickleton_Hall.jpg which is now a Sue Ryder nursing home near Donny which I visited last week.

It is an amazing place, in a lovely location.

Mira Leaves

Rowan ran in the York & District schools cross country race on Thursday for her school, years 8&9. 144 competitors, one winner. Proud of her; we didn't even know she was competing.

Mira went back to Germany after staying with us for a week. She is a lovely girl, we were very lucky to have her.
The photo is of Happy Valley at Aberdvy where we go each year.

Candour

I don't often take candid shots any more - it used to be my main m.o when I started out in London. On the Walk it seemed intrusive and inappropriate to take shots without asking first. Now I focus on other aspects of my work. But I saw this shot today - the contrast of the joy of materialism and the reality of the lonely fag-break seemed to good to miss. She didn't seem to mind.

Swim Match

We got to watch Rowan swimming for the school last week - it is a couple of years since we last saw a match. It was a good close match, that they won. This is Rowan doing the butterfly.

Drinking

Danielle and I went to another Wine Society tasting at St Williams College in York last week. The wines were all from Spain, and we had a great time. As usual there were people we knew there which makes it a nicely informal social occasion. Eddie and people we had cycled in Scotland with last year were there this time.

Meantime here is Milo's approach to drinking when he is thirsty - Get in the Glass.

DVSM

On Hob Moor there has been an outbreak of a fungus all over the moor. One of the Friends found out its official title Dog's Vomit Slime Mould http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/june99.html, which has to be one of the best names for anything - it is also surely a band name somewhere in the world.

Magna

Last night Rowan had friend Helen and their two German exchanges for a sleep-over. They were all upstairs leaving the downstairs nice and quiet for us. It seemed to go OK. Then today Rowan, Mira, Danielle and I went to Magna http://www.visitmagna.co.uk/ in Rotherham which was quiet and good fun. We then had lunch at Meadowhall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meadowhall_Centre which was neither, being a massive mall. We did choose Giraffe though, which is a great place to eat.
The photo is of Rowan and Mira amidst Magna, an amazing old steelworks.

Harrogate

Rowan was playing netball for the school in a round-robin event at Harrogate, where they played five matches. She went in the school minibus, so Dave and I decided to combine a good bike ride [no rain this week, just mild sunshine]with seeing her play two games. She was brilliant [TISSM] and they did really well as a team.
From Harrogate we went to Knaresborough for lunch then back to York. Dave is still annoyingly fit from his climbing trip to Kyrgystan las month, so I spent a lot of time in his wheel.
Friend Derwood sent me this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15689652 reckoning it looks like one of mine. I agree, a bit underpriced though...

Exchange

Rowan's German exchange arrived yesterday evening. Mira is a lovely girl, I hope she likes it here. We took her straight to the Weatherby Wailer for fish and chips which seemed to go down well

Woody Returns

It has been a couple of years since we saw our Greater Spotted Woodpecker, so it was a great surprise to see him today; I had just put out some new bird-feed so it obviously attracted him.

Inspired

I am exhibiting with five other artists at Inspired again this year. Still the St Nicholas Fair weekend, but in a different venue this year.

Coffee

When I left home to live in Leeds, aged 17 in 1975, I stayed initially with my brother-in-laws brother in Chapeltown. Day one, I had courgettes for the first time in my life, cooked by Jane. Day two Steve announced “don't have sugar in coffee, it's too expensive”. I was their guest so I obeyed, but he never said “don't have sugar in tea” so despite not having sugar in my coffee I carried on with sugar in my tea for another 10 years before it dawned on me that I didn't like it.

1984 I was hitching up north. I arrived, unplanned, at Joanna's family house in Leeds. Jo was not there, but here mum welcomed me into the busy home. People in and out, conversation criss-crossing the room; “Would you like a coffee Simon?”,

“Yes please”

“Well here's the grinder, and here is the coffee”

Up to then I am not sure if I knew that coffee came from ground beans, but I got into the swing of grinding then by hand. It is a ritual that has stayed with me, coffee from pre-ground powder is just not the same.

The photo is one of the first of Rowan walking - although actually she was already running by this stage

Light Showers

Dave and I went a ride yesterday. "A couple of showers" said Accuweather. Started off dry, after half an hour a heavy drizzle began, and carried on, and on to Knaresborough for lunch, and on all the way back to York. Oh, and I had a puncture. Wet through, but warm and surprisingly happy, we both rode strongly [the only way to keep the cold away].

In the evening I went to John & Katy's traditional allotment bonfire party - Danielle and Rowan stayed at home to look after Milo.
The photo is Mother and I in 2000 at Waddesdon manor.

35 Years On

Tuesday evening in London I met up with Charlie, Rob and Mark and went for an Indian. 35 years on since we met. Then I stayed with Mark & Mandy in their arts & craft house in Wimbledon - very nice.
The next day I had lunch at Regents College where Maria is a lecturer in psycho-therapy, four years or so since we last caught up with each other.

Continuing the trawl through old photos, this is Rowan and her adored friend and neighbour Helen when we lived in Newlands Drive in York. 

Halloween

Rowan went to a Halloween party on Monday night - that is one annual ritual I am very happy to outsource. Here she is in her ghoulish costume [and hand made t shirt].

London

This is Rowan playing with her cousins James & George long ago.
Yesterday I came down to London for the second of my autumn networking trips. I had lunch with Victor at the House of Lords which is always a bit of a hoot. Then I walked up to Long Acre via the V&A who had a really good photography exhibition on [tucked away on level 3] There were some great Cartier-Bresson shots there which I had not seen for a long while. It made me realise how much I was influenced by some of the old masters. There was a very good Ansell Adams landscape as well. Very inspirational

Deer Barnsley

Cycling through the woods on Sunday I stop and look around me. A magnificent stag is having a look at me; but this is no wild beast, but part of the famous [well it was on farming today once] deer farm of Barnsley. Fenced into fields but still magnificent, ready to be eaten by humans. Other unusual animals I have seen farmed recently include Ostrich at Alne and Llama in the Wolds.