Macbeth

I did Macbeth for A level, consequently it is one of the few Shakespeare plays I know well. Rowan has studied it as well and we have seen a comedy naked version at the Edinburgh fringe as well as an outdoor version at Ripon castle last year. We have also watched the Polanski film version. So I got out a 2006 film version, set amidst Australian gangsters in the current day but using the original text. It was far from perfect but definitely worth seeing, particularly the portrayal of Duncan [the killed king] and Macduff [the killing hero] as just as bloody and ruthless as Macbeth. Good stuff.

Still jumping

She may have got bigger but Rowan still runs down that platform at York Station. We walked into town to get her school shoes for the new school year that starts next week.

Mates

Rowan found this photo on her phone, she took it of me and the dog in Wales.

Ouse

Bank Holiday Monday and we all went down to walk by the River Ouse. I took this shot which seemed suitably off-kilter. By the afternoon the rain is set in and I might light a fire ...

Book Group

In book group we welcomed two new members and discussed Danielle's choice Popular Music by Mikael Niemi http://www.amazon.co.uk/Popular-Music-P-S-Mikael-Niemi/dp/0007145519/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345885699&sr=1-1 which is a Swedish novel set in the far north above the Arctic Circle. It was not very popular, but generally people thought it was OK but nothing special.
The photo is from a bike ride Danielle and I went on in the summer [what do you mean it's still summer? Not here it's not, as the rain pours on Bank Holiday weekend]

Newcastle

I took this shot of St James Park and a great new building adjacent to it when we were up for the Olympic football.

HSM

We drove Mother over to Holme On Spalding Moor where her friend from Oxford, Audrey, was staying with her daughter. Whilst they caught up on their news [aka gossipped] Rowan and I walked on this old railway line that ran past the house - lovely place.

Bring It On Home

Here is the new poster for my show in November. I will be reminding everyone about it next month. 

One of the songs the band played last week was Bring It On Home To Me by Sam Cooke; as they played it I realised I did not have a version anywhere. So yesterday when I was doing some work in the garden [with Danielle sorting out the bees] I spotifyed it and listened to 20 versions in a row. It is such a good song that, amazingly, I did not get tired of it. I still chose the original in the end though.

Gig

Here is a cake Rowan bashed out last week.

Friends Adrian and Cath invited me to a blues gig at the Theatre Royal on Friday night - The Al Morrison Blues Experience  http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/shows/al_morison_experience.php#.UDCgf92GpqE . Adrian, who is a jazz pianist, has played with Al in the past. It was a great gig, real big band blues with some great vocal performances from the four singers.

Beningborough

We took Mother to Beningborough Hall, the local National Trust place, for a look around and some lunch. Here they all are.

No Use Crying

I picked the penultimate crop of blackcurrants yesterday - the best crop ever this year I think. Took an hour or so. Started to make a lovely blackcurrant cordial, smelt delicious. Meantime I picked another round of courgettes; they too have had their best ever crop this year. So I was making a courgette soup at the same time as the blackcurrant cordial. I had the dollop of Marmite ready to put into my soup [it gives flavor], Danielle came into the kitchen and asked me something. I answered at the same time as putting the Marmite into the blackcurrant pan. Quick immediate and irreversible in effect. Nothing to do but accept the situation. I tasted it, not too bad actually, and bottled it anyway as a condiment knowing that a] only I would try it, and b] that chances are it would end up on the compost heap. Oh well. Hope its not potap.

The photo is of a Heron on one of the weirs in Sheffield; Rowan had netball and high jump down at the EIS this week. Jess Ennis' coach was busy back at work already.

Beach

After the party at the house in Holderness we went to the beach south of Brid. Not as beautiful as Aberdovy but still plenty of space.

Holderness

A couple of weeks ago friends John & Katy had a big party at their new house in Holderness, East Yorkshire. It needs a lot, and I mean a lot, of work on it, but as you can see it is a thing of beauty. We could not make the party, but went next morning for breakfast and a walk on the beach nearby.

Nottingham

We went down to Nottingham to pick up Mother who had been taken to cousin Sarah & Markus' new house there. Sarah is expecting their first child in September so all is excitement and anticipation. My brother in law Pete is due to retire from teaching at Christmas, so all change in the family.

Olympics past

One last photo from the Olympics. This is the entrance to the Olympic park on the day we saw the Hockey. We watched the truly dreadful closing ceremony last night, but it could take away from what was a brilliant two weeks. Every bit as good as everyone is saying.

US Trip

A few pictures have emerged from Rowan's US hockey trip. Here she is having far too much fun in the Mount's 7-0 defeat to "Extreme Hockey Boston".

Olympics 7

The final part of our Olympic odyssey was to go to Leeds to see the mens Triathlon on the big screen in the city centre. Local lads the Brownlees came 1st and 3rd, so you can imagine it was a good place to be. Yorkshire are now 11th in the medal table I think, ahead of France. No surprise for us up north.

The photo is of Mark, Danielle and Rowan enjoying a toast to Sir Bradley Wiggins last week.

Olympics 6

The next part of our Olympic summer was back in the north. We took the train up to Newcastle to watch Brazil v Honduras in the men's footballs at St James Park. It was a brilliant atmosphere with the crowd including Samba bands and chanting for Brazil who included Neymar amongst their players, but with neutrals quickly supporting the hard-done by Hondurans who took the lead twice, had a biased ref send off 2 of their players and give a dodgy penalty to Brazil, but who still only lost 3-2. The crowd included loads of kids and women, a real nice change to a typical football crowd. Coming home the trains were packed, and we ended up becoming detached from Rowan who took a different train. All well in the end though - thank goodness for mobile phones.

Olympics 5

Mark cycled with us to Kingston to watch the Mens Olympic Time Trial on the road. It was a brilliant day, with Bradley Wiggins taking the victory. The streets were packed, the atmosphere amazing and Wiggins and Froome magnificent. The local theatre threw open its doors so that after Wiggins had passed our viewing point we could all pile in and watch the finish on the big screen.

We all needed to have a drink by the river after that. The photo is Bradley at full tilt.

Olympics 4

We moved on to stay with friends in Marylebone whilst Rowan went with her school to watch Water Polo and Volleyball. Danielle and I went to the big screen area at Hyde Park and watched a variety of sports on the differing screens.

Next stop was Wimbledon where we stayed with Mark and Mandy after cycling down there across the common, which looked strangely like Hob Moor.

Olympics 3

After watching the hockey on the smurf-turf we wandered around the Olympic Park then cycled over to friends Alison and Brian in Hackney to watch Lizzie Armitstead [local girl from Otley] win silver in the women's cycling road race. Then back on the bikes to Wanstead. The weather ranged from the glorious morning in the photo to freezing rain later on. No problem.

Olympics 2

On the Sunday we cycled down to the back entrance of the Olympic Park, locked the bikes in the guarded bike-park area, then sauntered through security and into the park for our ticketed event - the women's hockey. We had no idea who we were seeing; it turned out that we saw both New Zealand beating Australia [hurrah and for the first time ever at the Olympics] then Holland v Belgium with lots of Orange people making a lot of noise. It was really great.

Olympics 1

Last Saturday, the day after getting back from Wales, we took the bikes down to London for our Olympic Holiday. Taking the bikes to London was the best thing we could have done, allowing us to get around easily, and giving Rowan a taste of real urban cycling. Both aspects worked well. One day we cycled 8 miles or so into town on one of the Cycling Super Highway bike lanes; all very different from when I started cycling in London in the 80s.

The first two nights we stayed with Victor and T and daughter Isabella in Wanstead just near the Olympic Park. The photo is of Isabella [who is 6] and Rowan.

Four Years Ago

2008 Rowan won an award at her athletics club annual event. Presented by one Greg Rutherford, a long jumper neither of us had heard of. We have now - Greg won a gold medal in the Olympics tonight!

Glow Worm

You see that green spot? It is a glow worm that I saw in Aberdovey. In the dark it looked just like an LED, which is what I thought it was, in the grass on the sand dunes. Eventually I was able to discern that it was Glow-worm (Lampyris noctiluca) http://www.glowworms.org.uk/ . Quite a sight.

Aberdovey 4

This is looking across to the Cadair massif from the mountain road on my bike ride last week. In the mid-ground is Bird Rock which has the only inland colonies of Choughs and Cormorants. It is now about 7 miles from the sea but the inlet long ago silted up; the birds however remain.