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)."