End of the Decade

Rowan is back at work; this is the view from her office. Not bad to have St Pauls to look at. I used to love working on the dead days between Christmas and New Year; time to get everything sorted.
This is the last post of the decade, see you in the Twenties.

Meal

So here is the photo from the meal out.
Rowan went back to London yesterday evening, so all is quiet after a hectic Christmas.

Guests leave

Ben and the kids headed home on Friday, it was good to see them all. Yesterday some friends took Danielle and Rowan to the York Panto, they know us well, so did not expect me to go too. Then we all met up for a meal at the Ivy. Very pleasant evening.
The photo is of the desert in Cap Verde, it is a little warmer there than here.

The Bear

In time-honoured fashion nephew Liam and I visited the bear, who had been seasonally decorated.

Party

We had a Boxing Day drinks party this afternoon. Great to catch up with lots of people. The Mulled Brandy (with wine) went down very well.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas to all.
We walked into Christmas Eve Quaker Meeting, having gone for pizza at the Angel on the Green beforehand. I came across this paved footpath, lined up the shot, and the strange figure appeared.

Xmas Visit

The traditional walk round the city walls took place yesterday. Ben, Rowan, Liam, KC and Danielle.

York Station

We both went to the station to meet Ben and the two children, KC and Liam. The train was a little late, but that gave me the chance to photograph the magnificent place that is York Station.

Rowan

Rowan has arrived back for Xmas. Here she is at the Tower of London skating with her mates.

Best Music of The Year 5 - Our Native Daughters

Rhiannon Giddens is just fantastic (various friends have seen her live, not us yet though).

Best Music of The Year 4 - The Specials & Saffiyah Kahn

Rowan played me this, and it was love at first listen. Just brilliant. Great that the Specials are still doing it right.

Best Music Of The Year 3 - Your Smith

I heard this on NPR and really liked it. Then, when we were in Cleveland Ohio in March, it soundtracked our visit to the diner for breakfast one morning and it sounded even better.

Best Music of the Year 2 - Kirk Fletcher

Finding a really good current blues player that doesn't just churn out 12bar stodge is a pleasure. And this guy is great, good song, good voice and great guitar. Pretty much perfect.

Best Music of the Year 1 - Martha

Martha are a firm family favourite - from Pity Me in County Durham (aka Brexit Hell Central) who make fantastic punk-pop. Just love it. And they're vegan.

Birthday 3

In the evening we saw the Early Music band Fretwork at the National Centre for Early Music in York. A really good performance of Byrd, Tallis etc.
Meantime here is a photo of the eBikes Rowan and I hired in Cap Verde.

Birthday 2

After the museum we had lunch in a pub that Danielle had found: Vege sausage, yorkshire pud, peas and mash and gravy. Cuisine Nouveau? je pense not. In case you think it is just me, Danielle had haloumi and chips. Class.

Birthday Blues

Well the election was just about as bad as it could be. Turkeys voting for Christmas, reminded me of 1979, my first election. Grim.
On the good side York returned our Labour MP Rachel Maskell who is really good. A small speck of red in a sea of blue. And Preston stayed Labour too. The fact that these seem like triumphs says it all really.

Ok. Moving on up.

I was away on my birthday, so Danielle gave me a day out yesterday instead. It was well up to scratch. Train to Burley Road then we walked to the Armley Industrial Museum which was really interesting.

Danielle is here modelling a Scooter Car, the Leeds version of the bubble car from long ago.

Cap Verde 4

It is real desert, the purest dunes I have ever seen. A cooling breeze as well

Cap Verde 3

This is the beach we ended up at on the bikes, the shipwreck is from the 1970s, it was en route to Brazil with four bells for a cathedral. They are now somewhere down in the sea - make up your own tale of how they can be heard ringing on dark nights.

Cap Verde 2

The high winds and sandy tracks everywhere meant hiring e-bikes was a good option - it was also the only option, so that was fine. Rowan had ridden one before, I had not and it took me a while to get used to it, but they were good for the conditions. There is a mix of immaculate new roads with few cars on, and incredibly rough tracks with quite a few jeeps taking people to the coast. It was adventurous cycling.

This is Rowan negotiating the sand and moonscape on the track down to the beach.

Cap Verde 1

I joined Rowan for four days in Cap Verde (in the mid Atlantic, off Senegal), and what an amazing place it was. A group of islands, part of Africa with one of the most stable democracies on the continent, ex Portuguese colony, so that is the language, with the Euro as the de-facto currency.
I arrived at the hotel and Rowan took me a walk on the massive, deserted beach where we saw Ospreys and Boobies.

Hob Moor Frost

Hob Moor in the frost is always special. I manoeuvred the sun behind the tree for this shot.

1981

Taken in 1981. Mother and Granny came to visit with my Father when I lived in Cannonbury Square with Mark.

1980

I always liked this photo of Granny, Sheba and Me. We all look pretty pleased to be where we are.

Skipwith

Danielle got a walk in together at Skipworth Common last week. Another of my favourite places, and one that will be featured in my Elmet book. Pretty primal.

Vauxhall Bridge

When I moved to London in 1980, I was glad to hook up with friend Mike (RIP); one mid week day that we both had off we went to make a cine film on Vauxhall Bridge. Mike had discovered the figures on the piers of the bridge. I never saw the result but I always look over at the figures when I visit. I have now delved just a little to find out more.

"Attached to the bridge’s piers are eight colossal (they’re twice life size) statues of allegorical figures. Designed by two artists F.W. Pomeroy and Alfred Drury, they took four each with Pomeroy completing the ones up stream (Agriculture, Architecture, Engineering and Pottery) and Drury down stream (Education, Fine Arts, Science and – weirdly – Local Government, well it was supported by the LCC)." 

Glasgow 2

There is a beauty in the bridges over the Clyde in Glasgow. Dusk was well on its way when I crossed.

Edinburgh

Next day I got the train to Edinburgh to catch up with Peter (who moved up from York with Siobhan last year). Then I saw friend Fiona (who also moved up from York last year!) and had a great catch up in the old Scotsman building. Two days, two great cities, good friends.

Modern Art Museum - Glasgow

Glasgow

I went up to Glasgow to stay with friend Paul (flat in the Merchant City) and see the Ezra Collective (hip young north London jazz band) play a gig. The venue was under a church in Hillhead (as in by-election) and had the best atmosphere I have experienced for years and years. Fantastic. The drummer spole "it's great to see black, white, men, women all enjoying the music. And all ages too, I swear I have seen some people older than my dad..." That would be me and Paul.

Voter Turnout

York had the 4th highest voter turnout at the last general election. Things like this (and the fact York voted Remain, and has had a Labour (I know) MP since we moved here over 20 years ago, all make it seem like a good place to be in these troubled times.

Good Photo

You'll have seen this photo already no doubt, but for me it is both a great photo and a great couple of people. We need them.

City Walls

I walked round the city walls last week en-route to b from a via c. It always throws up something interesting. I like the contrast in this shot of the minster and the pretty ramshackle house in the foreground.

Penn Club 3

Rowan took some snaps of the interview bit for me.

Penn Club 2

And here is the interview in action.

Penn Club Show Launch

The launch of my show at the Penn Club went well, plenty of people and me being interviewed by friend Victor was a success: he is brilliant at doing it. Sales were good and I really enjoyed working with the staff from the Penn club getting the event together. Totally exhausted now!

Snicket news

Considering I have lived in York for 21 years, and considering that I love nothing more than to explore hidden snickets and ginnels, it is almost unbelievable to me that last week I found this alleyway for the first time. It must have slipped through a quantum tear, and here it is.

Backlighting

The floodlights from the RI sports ground next to us provide some spectacular lighting sometimes. I had been burning some leaves and it all looked pretty dramatic.

Some Like It

Eddy is 60, the party was a screening of Some Like it Hot, fancy dress required. Danielle nailed it I think - I was a pretty lame gangster. We had never seen the movie before, but enjoyed it!

1981

Tunnels at Interlaken in Switzerland. Taken in 1981 when I was hitching in Europe. I still love this shot, the Wim Wenders influence is there to see.

Upper Street

Another photo from 1981, taken on Upper Street in Islington. It still looks the same but the whole ambiance of the area has changed. Mind you it is close on 40 years ago in the most dynamic of cities, so of course it has changed!

Music News

The band is on hold at the moment, but we had a jam with bass, drums guitar which went really well. It is always good to be playing.

My track The Loss got played on the local radio station over the weekend. The DJ apologized for not playing all 13 minutes of it (perhaps excusable) but obviously understood the track, saying it was a cross between Funkadelic and Pink Floyd and that you should listen with headphones in the dark. 

Taken in 1981 when I lived round the corner from Cannonbury Square. I always loved this statue - it has alas been removed now.

The Screen Strikes Back

We were having blinds fitted, so I had to take the metal screen down from in front of an outdoor door. It splurged over the sofa, and I rather liked how it looked.

Back to Brigflatts

Last weekend I took Danielle to Brigflatts to see the old Quaker Meeting House, and walk by the river through these woods.

Short Film Festival

Friday we went to the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, the best thing in York all year in my opinion. As usual there were plenty of great great films including my favourite Judas Collar which you can watch here. No humans, no dialogue, but brilliant.

The Pond

Brigflatts

Another shot from Brigflatts Meeting House. A magical place no doubt.

Northern Lights

Thursday evening Danielle and I went to see Northern Lights at the Minster. Hard to explain, it is an amazing dynamic 3-D projection onto the Minster walls, windows and ceiling. Incredible.
https://yorkminster.org/whats-on/event/northern-lights/

North End top of the League

As at Sunday after North End beat Charlton away.

I get footage of the goals courtesy of Steve in New Jersey watching on ESPN.

Sedbergh 3

Before returning on Thursday we cycled to Brigflatts Quaker Meeting House. This dates from George Fox's time in the 1600's and is a beautiful and spiritual place.

Sedbergh 2

Wednesday we walked up the Howgills on a great route. These fells are between the Lakes and the Dales and have their own quality. This shot shows is looking south to the Kent estuary and Morecambe Bay.

Sedbergh 1

Friend Edward and I had a couple of days cycling and walking near Sedbergh. Tuesday we cycled round Barbondale on beautiful roads in sunshine with no traffic. Pretty good.

Family Snaps

Auntie Alison showed me some photographs that are from my Granny's family. Not sure who took this photo of my great-grandfather, my Granny (Emily) and her brothers, but it is a great shot for 1907 with a good eye for composition.

Oxford 3

Sunday we went up to the farm to see Auntie Alison and bits of the extended family. Great to catch up with everything. Not sure what they are looking at here.

Oxford 2

Saturday Rowan got the train to Oxford so we could all have lunch and catch up in Oxford. Great to see her. Sunday she was off to see Arsenal v Palace at the Emirates which she looks like she is enjoying (the beer not the score)

Oxford 1

Danielle was at Oxford University for two days for meetings with an economics project she in involved with. I came down for the last day. I had met some of the people involved 3 years ago in Santa Fe, so it was great to catch up with people.
It rained most of the time but on the Saturday I found Hollywell Cemetery which I had never discovered before. Atmospheric and well hidden.

Barwick

I visited Barwick in Elmet and visited the old Norman castle which is within the Iron Age hill fort that now has the whole village inside of it. Not the most dramatic of locations but still worth a visit.