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.

House Guest

Danielle's friend from College, Jurgen came up for a quick weekend visit. He is a Costa Rican of German origin who runs some eco-tourism lodges in the rain forest, over here for a trade show in London. Sunday he treated us to breakfast at Betty's which was great as ever.

Relay

Rowan was running for York in the National Cross Country Relay Championships yesterday in Mansfield. Her team came 29th out of 100, which they were happy with. The boys team came 1st! http://www.englishcrosscountry.co.uk/images/pdf/relays12/u15b.pdf which is a hell of an achievement for a York team; I believe the girls tried not to be too impressed.

The photo is of Ro and Pete's revamped garden in Suffolk.

Skyfall

As someone who has never seen Star Wars, and who last saw a Bond movie when I was 16, the question from Rowan "Can we go and watch the new James Bond film?" was met with mixed feelings. On the one hand I am well aware that pretty soon Rowan will not be wanting to go to the movies with a parent. On the other hand; its a Bond movie [uuurgh].

We went to see Skyfall and, you know what, I enjoyed it. So we were both happy.
The photo is of Rosalind; not easy to photograph a four week old baby, but not too bad an effort.

Geocaching dark materials

Rowan and I went to see a play based on Philip Pullman's Dark Materials at the Theatre Royal http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/shows/his_dark_materials_1.php#.UJQAuMVZnng
Neither of us liked the books very much but Rowan's friend Lily was in it so we wanted to show support. Lily was very good. The play wasn't.

When we were in Suffolk we went geo-caching with Pete and found one [in of all places] Great Glemham. Much excitement.The cache is in Rowan's hands in the photo.

Four Generations

The first photo is of Rowan and the three generations before her.
The second is of Rosalind with her three generations before, with Rowan now moved up a rank.