River Derwent

Taking advantage of the amazing warm weather I cycled down through the sleepy flood plains of the River Derwent. Just like a lazy summer's day, but without the leaves on the trees. This shot is of the Pocklington Canal where it borders Wheldrake Ings a floodplain meadow.

Science of Triathlon

Rowan and I went to a Royal Institution lecture on the science of Triathlon in Leeds - http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayEvent&id=1250 It was really good, with interactive surveys of the audience to keep us interested.
Getting the train back I made us leap onto the dreaded Slow Train to York. This is the rare service that exists in a parallel universe where every station between Leeds and York, even some which I am sure were shut by Beeching in the 60s, is visited. By the time we made it back to York the lecture seemed a long time back.

This is another photo from the foggy horse race.

Bird News

Not a good day to be a bird in our garden. First a beautiful Mistle Thrush killed itself by flying into a window, then this male Sparrowhawk had a Redpoll for its tea.

Tipping Point

For six months our old mattress has sat in the garden. Each time I see it I think “I must do something with that ...” But my usual rubbish bloke has disappeared without phone number and I can't bring myself to pay £30 to have it taken away by the Council, and it won't fit in the car. So it has stayed there awhile.

Until yesterday in meeting, when I thought “I could cut it in half”. So I took a saw to it and it fell apart gratefully. I then let it dry in the sun before taking it away in the car.

I never enjoy going to the Council Tip. Never quite sure where to go. Faintly menacing people lurking around. But I could put it off no more, and decided to take the severed mattress and the old TV. I confidently drove up to the barrier and wondered why it did not open for me. Meantime a Council truck had come up right behind me. He gets out the truck and walks towards me. I lower my window “I'm in the wrong place aren't I?”. All smiles as I do a neat 7 point turn and exit for the public tip rather than the professional one I had tried to enter.

Photo is of Rowan atop Sergeant Man in the snow last week.

Slates

This is the cave, above Rydal Water, that we visited last weekend. It is an old slate quarry that has left an amazing large flooded cave. When I was 11 I came here on a school trip. We were amazed at how easy it was to get the stones to skim across the water compared with the usual line of fluffed throws.

Choir

Friend John has set up a new choir in York called South Bank Singers. We all went to see their first gig in support of Solace http://www.solace-uk.org.uk/ at the Unitarian Chapel in York last night. Really good, enjoyable program, lots of people, good stuff.

The photo is from our walk Friday; I am trying to capture the fragile images you get when the fog and sun take away half of what you see.

Spring

Danielle and I went a walk in the Wolds around Warter. A lovely spring day, wearing shorts. This is the start of Meadow Dale, a dry valley. Pretty much a perfect bucolic scene.

Garden News

For the last couple of years I have not really got on top of things in the vegetable garden. This was brought home to me last year when a photography client looked out over the veg patch to say "Is that some waste ground you have next to you there?" Her husband ssh sshed her but the damage was done.
So this year I have used the beautiful dry weather we have at the moment to try and get things sorted out - so far so good. Photos will follow when you can tell it is a veg patch and not a tip...

The photo is one girl and her dog.

Rydal Water

Rowan has been choosing her GCSE options this week. We think we have it sorted now. Unsurprisingly Latin did not make the cut.
The photo is of this magnificent tree we saw en route to our outdoor Quaker meeting on Sunday morning. The serenity of it all was changed when Milo went chasing ducks ...

Glenthorne

This is what Glenthorne looks like. It is a hotel / guest house run under Quaker principles [with wine]. It is a great place to go.

More Before & After

Yesterday's photos covered an 8 year gap, not 10 as I posted. These two have the same gap. Rowan Cottage has changed a bit too.

Glenthorne

We have just got back from a weekend at Glenthorne with 30 Quakers from York. We first went 10 years ago, and this is our third or fourth trip. It was good. Saturday Rowan, Milo and I led a walk up High Raise and Sergeant Man, then today we all walked to a cave above Rydal Water where we had outdoor worship [sort of] for twenty minutes.
The photos show how Rowan has grown a bit over the course of those 10 years.

The Winner

Here is the winner of the race in the fog. 

I am enjoying splitting logs at the moment. Got a maul, watched how to do it on YouTube and now no log is safe; it is amazingly satisfying.

Kinplingcotes Derby

Yesterday I went to the Kiplingcotes Derby http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiplingcotes_Derby the oldest horse race in England. It was thick with fog http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Kiplingcotes-Derby-Going-tough-fog-hits-oldest/story-15531643-detail/story.html but still an interesting experience. It takes place high on the Wolds along bridleways in a straight line for 4 miles.
It was first run in 1519, and it is brilliantly informal - no charge, no prize over £50, no course as such, no judges, no photo finish.
I met someone who, it turned out, had seen my photos in York, and so we had a good chat.
The photo is of the riders heading off into the fog to the start.

Engineering

Rowan was part of a three-girl team from the Mount that took part in an engineering challenge event at the National Railway Museum. They had to design and build a coin sorting gadget, which they managed. They came 5th out of 26 schools, which is pretty good I think; girls were thin on the ground.

Rowan has also been selected to play Hockey for York schools - this is despite us all showing little enthusiasm for it [she does have quite a lot of sport on]. Oh well.
The photo is of some worried sheep not quite sure what to make of Milo.

Slackers

Had a good long walk in the Wolds yesterday. Accessed some pretty remote areas. This is of Helperthorpe Slack [Slack meaning a dry valley]. Milo and I walked for about 5 hours all told and passed no-one. The way I like it.

Willow Bridge

This is the pack-horse bridge at Oxsprings, a 17th Century beauty. We rode over it on the ride on Sunday.

Spring is sprung

I persuaded Dave to come with me yesterday when I took Rowan to Sheffield for the Netball Academy. We rode on the mountain bikes on a loop that involved a good hill, plenty of old railway lines and a cafe at Elsecar http://www.elsecar-heritage-centre.co.uk/ . As you can see it was a perfect day with Spring just about kicking into gear.

Sir Charles

I have been reading a bit more about Sir Charles Palmour [my great uncle].
"In 1938 he led the British delegation to the International Congress of Accountants in Berlin at the time of the Munich crisis, and though he behaved with dignity and decorum in public, his colleagues were frightened behind the scenes that he would bring on war a year earlier than it happened"
and

"He was a forceful and picturesque character, with a manner as blunt as his heart was kind."

Free Food

This morning Rowan was doing her German cafe, which resulted in a free lunch for us support crew. So I had goulash soup and apple strudel. Then this evening Danielle [and I as her consort] was invited to the top table at national conference on Credit Unions that just happened to be here in York. The speaker, the president of the World Council of Credit Unions http://www.woccu.org/ was very impressive. I sat next to the Lord Mayor and had a very enjoyable meal and a lot of chat. When the entertainment started [An X factor contestant in 2008...] it was time to leave.
The photo is of a hot air balloon over Marston Moor last year.

Gore

In Book Group we discussed Richard Russo That Old Cape Magic http://www.amazon.com/That-Cape-Magic-Richard-Russo/dp/0375414967 which was given the so-so verdict. Good writer though.

Yesterday Danielle was in London at a lecture given by Al Gore ["I used to be the next President of the United States"].
The photo is the final snow-shot.

Campaign

I have been getting my local MP involved in the Times Cycle Campaign. He is a keen cyclist and chaired the Commons debate on the campaign two weeks ago. So I ended up in this article in the press. http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9571399.On_their_bikes_for_cycling_campaign/ It all helps get the message across.
The photo is another shot of the snow in Brubberdale.

Report

I found this report on one of Rowan's netball performances:

York and Selby U14s aces scoop North Yorkshire Inter-Area Netball crown

9:00am Saturday 4th February 2012 inJunior sports

UNBEATEN York and Selby under-14s swept to victory in the North Yorkshire Inter-Area Netball Tournament at the University of York.

The York and Selby girls saw off Scarborough/Ryedale, Harrogate/ Craven and Hambleton/Richmond to seal their triumph.

They made a strong start against Scarborough/Ryedale, taking full advantage of every opportunity they had to seal a comprehensive win and a clean sheet.

York and Selby trailed Harrogate/ Craven at half-time of their second game, despite outstanding defence from Rowan Palmour and Megan Coulson. The team excelled in the second half and superb shooting from Amy Storey and Kelsey Dobson helped them to a 9-5 win.

object

The final game against Hambleton/ Richmond ended in a 6-2 victory and a tournament win for the U14s.

Lent

I have given up alcohol for Lent again. So booking us into a cheese and wine event at the Hotel du Vin was not such a great idea. Anyway we went, and I sipped on a glass of fizzy water tasting the cheese whilst Danielle tried the wines; it was actually a lot of fun as it was organised through the school for parents, so we knew plenty of people there. On top of that I won a hamper containing [yes, of course] more wine and cheese. It will have to wait until Easter Day.
The photo is from when the snow covered the Wolds.

German Cafe

Saturday Rowan was at a German masterclass at a nearby school. Next week she returns and they are running a German Cafe to which we are invited. Meantime this week whilst she did that Danielle and I walked by the Ouse at Poppleton. Goosanders on the river again, with a this strange light illuminating the trees [spot the black blob as usual]

Food in Wales

Lunchtime, Morrison's cafe, Barry. One of our team, asks

“What type of omelette's do you have?”

“We have mushroom, cheese, ham.....”

“I'll have cheese and mushroom please”

The meal arrives, two whole omelettes on the plate, one cheese, one mushroom.

Later that day we gather in Rob's hotel in Cardiff for a discussion as to how the project is going. It is one of those Victorian city centre hotels that has seen better days, forgotten about them, and struggled on. We decide to eat in there: it is pretty grim.

Ellen orders Seared Tuna Steak on a salad. Sounds good? What she got was a limp salad with a tin of Tuna emptied upon it. It went back.

Rob and I ordered Penne Arrabiata. We both tucked in, it wasn't bad. After a short while Rob noted “This is not very Arrabiata is it?” I agreed, it was no way Arrabiata, not hot at all. But it was OK so we carried on. After another short while “It's not Penne either”. Sure enough that Pasta shape was in no way penne. So it was a good Penne Arrabiata, without the penne and without the Arrabiata.

The photo is Bob on his guitar

Card

I have not posted this before; my birthday card that Rowan made for me. I was really touched by the effort she had put into it, picking my interests for the card.

Inspiring

Saw a really inspiring project today. A furniture and electrical goods recycling scheme that has a “shop” area where people can come in to browse the goods before buying and also bring stuff in to be processed then re-sold. The shop are is primarily staffed by people with learning difficulties who would, in darker times, be safely shut away in day centres. A charismatic project leader has set it up and worked with staff, support staff, and the community to develop a real community asset. It did remind me how good it is to work hands-on with people. http://www.track2000.org.uk/track/index.php