Xmas Trip 2

Ben and Kari live near a cycle track that goes several miles through woods and by a river. We didn't ride on it but we walked and ran. Our first day I ended up carrying KC who claimed to be tired but looks pretty awake in this photo that Rowan took.

Xmas Trip 1

It is 2 years since Danielle's brother Ben wife Kari and kids Liam [5] and KC [3] came over to stay with us at Christmas. So this year we all went to their home in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the Potomac from Washington DC. It was a good trip.

We started off by staying the night before the flight at the Radisson hotel at Manchester Airport; it is well worth it as the hotel is actually on the walkway between the station and the terminal, and it takes away all the stress of getting to the airport on time.
This was the view from our bedroom window; a marvellously Wender-esque urban landscape.

Sand 2

The beach at Aberdvy has taken on a bit of a muse-like rôle for me.
This shot is taken from a viewpoint standing in the sea.
When the image is monochrome like this then the colour can stay.

Lake Fence

Taken on the water's edge of a lake near Castleford in Yorkshire. The whole area is in the process of reclamation from coal mining which gives a feel of uncertainty; is this industrial or is this recreational?
The fence in the water is a strangely ambiguous thing to see; the water's viscosity adds to the uncertainty.

Lumen 4

Pond Ice

Inspiration can come from unexpected places. Rushing to cycle my daughter to school I noticed this pond frozen in an unusual way.
The ambiguity of the shot lies in the ice itself; these are not bubbles of ice within water, rather the whole surface is ice, with bubbles within it.
Some have thought the shadow cast across the Pond is from the legs of the photographer rather than a Birch tree; in fact so many have thought that that I have started to believe it myself.

This shot was taken with a 4 megapixel camera, which is less than on most phones nowadays, so it just goes to show what a nonsense the race to have more and more pixels is.

Lumen 3

Lochan
Walking across a bleak exposed moorland in north west Scotland with a particularly reluctant daughter, I headed for this lochan for some respite.
What I found was this oasis of calm.
The dark reeds give a Japanese print feel to the image. The uncertainty of where the line of reflection runs across the image is confused by the lilies adding a third dimension.

Xmas

Lumen 2

COAST 
Wander down from some pretty grim post-industrial Tyneside landscapes and you come to Souter on the coast. As beautiful as it is unexpected.
What drew me to this shot was the rock in the foreground that looks like you could mould it with your hands – you can't.
This shot is actually shot in colour, although it is such a monochrome image that it is hard to tell. Look at the sky in the top right corner and you can see some blue.

Lumen Show

At the Lumen show I decided to write short bits about each photograph I was showing; the aim was to give a background for when I was not there. The feedback on the idea ranged from "terrible idea" [the manager of the gallery] to "brilliant" with the majority tending to the latter. Anyway I will reproduce the photos on the blog with the text over the next few weeks.

First one is Sand, my all time top seller.

Taken on the beach at Aberdyfi in mid Wales. There are at least three levels of ambiguity that seem to intrigue.
Firstly, which is the sand and which is the water? The waves of sand at the top of the image can lead to the viewer assuming that that is the water.
Secondly, this is a colour image, unmanipulated. The grey sand can lead you to assume it is black and white.
Thirdly, what scale is it? Some have thought it an aerial shot. In fact I was stood in the sea looking straight down to the waters edge.
Half an hour after taking this shot, the sand was changed for ever as the tide came in.

Preston Bus Station

I remember when Preston Bus Station was being built. My father drove us up and around its levels at great and irresponsible speed one Sunday. Big fun. Now it is set to be demolished http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-20766326 which cannot be a good thing. It is [in my opinion but not in Danielle's] a great building. If it is demolished then there will be  crys of "how could they have let that happen?" long into the post-Mayan future.

 The photo is of the Wolds contriving to look like the savannah plains of Africa [in my mind anyway]

Book Group Party

Our book group has been going for over 9 years now, people have moved on, and new people have arrived. Each Christmas we have a party with some book or people related activity as well as food that we all bring and drink that we all drink; John provides traditional champagne to get us ready for the quiz. This year's quiz was on the books we had read this year [loosely based on the Only Connect Wall concept http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00lskhg] which Danielle and John won. Then we each talked about "the best gig or concert" we had been to. These ranged from Bob Marley to Rachmaninov via 10cc, Doves and the Bhundu Boys. This provided the soundtrack for the rest of the party. Also we each drew up our own heraldic shield reflecting ourselves. Mine had a bike, guitar, camera and walking boots.

So a great evening all round.
Rowan took this photo at the end of the evening [you might be able to tell] after a couple of people had left.

A Walk on the Wold Side

Friend Andy is to blame for that title. This is another from Whey Dale the other week. I do hope that the magic I feel in these places is transmitted through the photos.
Played music with Greg this afternoon. We are definitely coming on; the volume controls are creeping up and all is well with the world.

Cousins

These are Rowan's cousins in Virginia, Liam and KC. Yes, that is a Barcelona shirt he is wearing.

Ball

Rowan went to the Red Hot Ball for 14-16 year olds in a cattle market [say nothing...] near Thirsk. It was packed, jumping, noisy, alcohol-free and she enjoyed it! This photo was taken after the event.
In other breaking Yorkshire news, the Tour de France will start in Yorkshire in 2014 http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/tour-de-france-departs-to-yorkshire-for-2014-8414112.html which is great and exciting news. It might come right near our house, you never know.

Carol News

Last week we all went to a Carol Service in the Minster. It was put on by the University of York St John [York's second University] and was a bit cac-handed but still fun. Trying to get into the main Christmas Eve service is a thankless task.

Then Saturday it was Rowan's school carol do, a lot of fun as always [the end of term]. We managed to get sat right next to where she was playing French Horn with her mate Amelia on Trumpet [who showed an admirably left-field interpretation of having to wear "a black top"]

Black Ice

I drove to London to take the exhibition down yesterday. Setting off at 5.30am I noticed that it was 1 below, when it had been predicted to be a non-freezing night. In the first 30 miles of my journey I saw 8 separate car crashes, several with mass police/ambulance/fire attendance. Black Ice. Until the temperature crept above freezing south of Sheffield I [and most other folk] drove at 40mph and hoped.
Then in London it rained in a biblical style as I delivered photos to various people who had bought them from the show.
Got home at 9pm vowing never to drive to London again - I should be able to keep to it too.
The photo is from the Wolds last week. Spot the faithful hound.

Likes

Rowan gave me this graphic for Father's Day this year. It was a total surprise; her summary of what I like and what I do. I treasure it.

Rowan went ice-skating at the York Xmas rink this week, with her netball crew. Rather her than me. She loved it.

Fairy Dale

First walk in the Wolds for a while. Met all the requirements; no people, good light, just brilliant. These horses run wild in Fairy Dale. We gave them a wide berth, and they did likewise to us. Everyone happy.

Ouse

Down by the river in the cold winter air, the saplings are devoid of cover. Reaching up to the sky like a pleading throng.

Good Wreath

Whilst Vicky was making out Christmas table decoration, Danielle put this wreath together for by the front door.
Dave and I went a ride in the wind today - knackering. No other way to describe it! Good though.

Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday [55 if  you're asking]. I forgot until I got home from London [where I had been for a couple of days showing a number of people around Lumen]. Danielle and Rowan had a nice meal and some presents for me, including "Milo's" of a man-bowl [as opposed to a dog-bowl] which will exactly fit my needs for a proper size cereal bowl.

Wreath News

Danielle's schoolfriend Vicky came back with us from Paris and stayed the week. One day Danielle forced her to go the Christmas Wreath making class on at the Mount. Here is one half of the result!

Crib

No more cute-dog photos after this one for a while, I promise.
December 1st each year we put up the cloth advent calendar and the wooden crib. Milo is keen to get involved.

Ice

Rowan was on dog-walking duty whilst we were in Paris. She took this shot of Milo wondering why the water has gone all solid.

Resin Drive

The drive was falling apart, with the tree roots turning the tarmac to a crumbling dangerous mess. Gravel is no good for cycling on so we went with a resin drive which is solid, allows the water to flow through it and looks good.

Paris 2

I first visited Paris in 1976 with Gill and Jude in the VW beetle, staying at the Bois de Boulogne campsite. Since then I have seen the finale to the Tour in 1993, and passed through many times but I have never done too much of the tourist thing. Memorably one year I hitched a ride with a doctor, we arrived into Paris at 5 in the morning, and he drove us around the traffic-free city pointing out all the main sites and boulevards with gusto.

So this weekend was the first time I had ever been to Montmarte and the Sacre Coeur where I took this shot of a football-busker on the steps beneath the church. I am really pleased with this shot.

Paris France

Danielle has a school friend Chris who lives in Dortmund. Another school friend Vicky was visiting from New York. So they all met up with me and Frank, Chris' husband in Paris this weekend. Danielle and I scooted over on the Eurostar [truly one of the wonders of the modern age] and we all five shared an apartment near the Pompidou Centre.

We had a great time, a lot of walking, looking, experiencing Paris. It is not my favourite city by a long chalk but it was still good to be there for a couple of days.

The photo is of the four of them in a Parisian square

Flood 2

The floods continue to play havoc with the trains - or not. I have been lucky so far. Danielle and I continued to be so on a trip to London. All other trains were delayed but ours left on time. We got to our seats, to find one of them occupied. The occupier explained that our train, the 14.01 from York was also a completely different train from Newcastle; in a quantum physics kind of way we thus had two parallel universes on one train. Everyone got on with it though and the staff were brilliant. At Grantham [which gave us Thatcher least you forget] some very posh folk got on, displaying a not unfamiliar lack of social skills as they hurumped to the world about it all. "It will get worse as we go further south as well" said one passenger. "What you mean, that there will be more southerners?" said another innocently enough. Wry smiles all round from the good northern folk on our tables.
The photo is another of the flood in central York.

Learning

Another flood picture. The building in the foreground is the Bonding Warehouse which is in a state of perpetual imminent development that never quite happens; these floods are not going to help.
I have started to take my binoculars out with me onto the Moor in an attempt to identify birds when I walk. I do like to keep on learning, and I have a lot to learn about birds. It is really satisfying to increase knowledge.
At the show last week someone from York popped in who is in London 3 days a week learning Turkish - he is well over 60, very impressive.

Flooded York 1

The Floods have been pretty dramatic after all here in York. The rain long since stopped, but we are susceptible to the waters coming down from the Dales. It takes a couple of days then hits with a vengeance. This is the racecourse, transformed into Lake Knavesmire for the second time in a couple of months. No one canoeing or windsurfing on it today -too cold.

Flood dependent

On the train down to London, to meet up with people viewing at the gallery. Hoping the floods will not delay the train. The river is very high in York, but not disrupting normal life - although Danielle's rowing club is now a sub-mariners club. 

Apologies for yet another Woodpecker shot, but I do like this one.

Lumen

I managed to forget to take my camera to the private view. Luckily friend Carl obliged. This shows the general view of the hanging space. There is a cafe with tables to the left.

Film

Friday night I went to see Chasing Legends http://chasinglegends.com/ a movie about Mark Cavendish in the 2009 Tour. It was on at the local community hall; plenty of people I knew there and a great film. Tried very hard not to ride too fast on the way home. Failed.
The photo is another from the strange topiary at the University.

Floods

It has rained pretty much non stop for the last few days. The ground water on the moor and in the garden is as extensive as it has ever been. The bank of the beck by neighbours Ken & Sarah's house is slowly falling into the beck itself: we hope a lake does not result.

Friend Cath has been up to stay for the weekend; her daughter Lily is in her first year at York Uni so we all got together for a meal here yesterday. Real good time.
The photo is of Derwood's place in the Californian desert; I need to see a dry place.

First Night

The private view went very well. Far more people than I thought would make it, plenty of sales and lots of useful comment. The trick now is to try for more sales through the next three weeks. Not going to be easy. I am down in London on three days and am asking people to let me know if they want to meet at the gallery. We shall see how it all goes...
After the show we went for a meal at Carluccio's round the corner at the Brunswick Centre with Rob, Cath, Mark, Mandy Sean and Jill. Then the three of us collapsed at the Penn Club [Quaker hotel] just round the corner.

Swan

In Book Group we read Simon Armitage's version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Reviews were mixed, but I liked it so much I am now going to have a crack at Seamus Heaney's version of Beowolf.

The photo is of a black swan on the lake at the University in York. Very beautiful but a little incongruous half a world away from its Australian homeland.

Driving

Since we moved to York we have travelled to London literally hundreds of times; it could possibly have hit the 1000 if Danielle and my journeys are counted separately. In all that time we have only driven once, the rest being by train. The reason for this aberration was that Rowan was under 1 and we needed to take her carry cot.
The second time was yesterday, as I drove down to Kings Cross with my 50 framed photos for the exhibition. Time by train two hours, time by car five [count them] hours. Uuurgh. Why would anyone ever drive by choice? Anyway my day went from 05.10 [alarm goes off] to 23.05 [arrive safely back home]. The Lumen space looks great and all is ready for the big day tomorrow.
The photo is one from Zurich that has made it into the exhibition at the last moment.

Topiary

Rowan was playing Netball at the University on Sunday. So I took a walk around the campus and came across this amazing area of topiary in the grounds of Heslington Hall which is now part of the University. Quite a strange place, it feels like a film set for a 60s surreal film.

Power Stations

I took this shot on my phone at the new University site in York. It was a still day, the three plumes you can see are from the three massive Aire Valley power stations 30 miles to the south - Drax, Ferrybridge and Eggbrough.

Bogs and Boats

Another shot of the peatlands, that gives some idea of the Great Emptiness.
Danielle has got well into her rowing, and tomorrow competes in her first race in a four man boat: I will keep you posted.
I was very surprised to hear the Israel Government spokesman talking on the BBC and being introduced as Yigal Palmour this week. Here was a connection that I did not know about. Given that Yigal was attempting to defend some pretty indefensible actions I was relieved to find out it was a misspelling - Yigal Palmor is his name.

Bog

The Humberhead Peatlands is a huge area of Peat Bog between Doncaster and Goole of nearly 3000 hectares. Vast, and now a National Nature Reserve. There used to be extensive peat extraction here which has now ceased. There used to be coalmines nearby, which have now ceased. A wind farm has been built to the south. I walked right across the reserve and back this week. 12 miles or so that started in a drab sad ex-mining village but soon took me to the most amazingly isolated place. 5 hours I walked and saw not a soul. Brilliant.

Yorkshire is so full of amazing natural areas that it seems almost unfair that it should have this gem too.
Photographing it was not easy.

Bird News

We have had a pair of Tree Sparrows sniffing around the last couple of weeks http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treesparrow/index.aspx . I have never knowingly seen one before, so it was a nice surprise.
Next surprise was to see a Jay. Common as muck in most places, but unseen on Hob Moor in the 10 years we have lived here.

Then today Treat Man [the name we have given to the kindly gentleman with a black Labrador who always gives an appreciative Milo a biscuit] told me there were some Waxwings [above] in a tree on the Moor. Sure enough, there they were. Again I have never seen them before, so it was a real pleasure.

Zurich 4

We came across this outdoor pool on our walk through Zurich on a calm day. The light was very unusual. I am not sure if I captured what I was wanted to with this shot. Time will tell.

Art

I have to admit that dragging Rowan around an Art Gallery is not conducive to appreciation of the great works of world art. So Danielle and I took advantage of looking round the gallery in Zurich on our break. It is a perfect gallery for me; no one there, paintings by all the big-hitters to look at in peace, and some real surprises. We both spent a long time looking at a work by Giovanni Segantini "Alpweiden" which was really something. The photo is of the room containing several Munchs, and a knackered visitor. I am not a great one for captions of photos but "What Have I Done?" is what I would call it.

Hiltl

We went to the oldest Vegetarian Restaurant in Europe in Zurich - Hiltl. http://www.hiltl.ch/ The food was absolutely fantastic, I had vegetarian steak tatar [much better than it sounds] and Danielle had crispy tofu salad to start. Then we both had mushroom stroganoff with rosti. It cost an arm, a leg, and the other arm but it was worth it.

Zurich 2

The river is central to Zurich, it flows through the city to the lake. On the left bank is the Cathedral and the old town, on the right the snooty shopping district that we managed to avoid most of the time.
It is a great place to walk around with plenty of interest. The less you spend the better; a fiver for a coffee is not unheard of.

Zurich 1

Danielle was invited to speak at a European Charitable Foundations meeting in Zurich. Friend Teba house and Rowan sat for the 3 nights, and I went with Danielle.
It was a great break. Day 1 Danielle was doing her speaking which went well. This shot is across the lake to the Alpine mountains beyond; they are 100k away but look far far nearer.

Obama

"Do we still have to go to America at Christmas if Romney wins?" A question from Rowan that thankfully we did not need to consider following the brilliant result. What a relief. For sure it is not the same sense of elation as four years ago, but the alternative was so scary that it is still a great day.
So here is a photo of the desert in Nevada

Gunpowder Plod

We saw John Etheridge, a jazz guitarist, play at the Early Music centre with Greig and Maxine. He was pretty good, but not as good a communicator as Gordon Giltrap who plays in a similar style and who we saw a couple of years ago.
Rowan went to a Halloween party and sleepover, then we all went to a Gunpowder Plod run on Bonfire Night that was truly awful, http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/10029536.Organisers_apologise_over_Knavesmire_fireworks_event/ the worst time since we all froze at a car boot sale 10 years ago.
The photo is of Rowan having a great time in Paris.

Netball news.

Rowan was playing for her Netball club on Sunday at York University. It was a great game to watch - they won, and played really well. It is a league set-up and so far they are unbeaten.