Netball

Rowan's school was in a 16 team netball competition yesterday. They won and Rowan got the "player of the tournament" award which included a fancy new netball. Very happy.

This photo is not of the crowds at the tournament but just another shot of the inauguration that someone sent me - it is very impressive to me.

Yoga

The good news is that I have been taking part in a Yoga for Back Pain trial. The bad news is that I was part of the "control" group, so I got no Yoga but had to fill in a lot of forms. As a sop, they gave us one session of Yoga which was last night. It went really well until after the session when the tutor got all these chilled out back-stressed people [including me] to rearange 60 heavy chairs in the hall we were using. We were so gob-smacked and/or relaxed that we objected not...

The photo is of the Multi-angular Tower [where my cross photo came from]

A Grain of wheat

This is the Yorkshire Museum in York. It provided some good raw material for the workshop participants to try their skills on.

In book group today we were discussing A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o , a Kenyan writer. The jury is still out on it, but we had a good talk about it, helped by plenty of wine and cashew nuts.

River Ouse

The River Ouse flows through York to join the Humber and the sea at Hull. This shot is from the road bridge over the river to the north of the city with plenty of mist around

Workshop

I ran an artist's workshop as part of York Open Studios on Sunday. It was at the art gallery and was a sell out! It went really well and I hope people enjoyed it. I got this shot as we all walked around the Museum Gardens looking for good things to take. I think it might make it into this year's exhibition - it is of an arrow slot in the Roman multi angular tower that borders the gardens.

The Cake

Here is Danielle's creation for Rowan's birthday climbing party. It is now totally gone so I think that counts as a success.

Rowan is 11

Rowan is 11. Today she had her party on a Climbing Wall at the local sports centre. It is pretty amazing to watch them speed up the vertical walls. It went well, with all the girls getting some way up the wall, and most of them making it to the top. The photo shows Rowan climbing high.

Cycle Sportive

Friend Dave and I have rashly [and from the comfort of our laptops] decided to embark on a series of Sportive bike rides this year. The first one is in May, and I think we will need until then to get into shape. Today I went a spin on my 60 mile White Horse Hill ride and it did not feel easy - good though.

The photo is from the series of Quaker portraits that I do for the local newsletter

Heathrow

I have joined the Greenpeace plot to use a piece of land to stop the Heathrow 3rd runway - I think I own a bit of it now. If only the government showed as much enthusiasm for the railways as it does for airports the country would be a lot better for it. It comes to something when the Tory policy seems better than Labour [that hurts to type]but there you go.

Tenor Recorder

Rowan has always been less than keen on the silly squeaky recorder, so she was well pleased to be given the tenor recorder to play at school. A lot bigger and a lot bigger sound, she likes it a lot.

Philly

Last photo from the US trip. Philadelphia can seem somewhat provincial compared with New York. Then you look up and see these massive buildings towering high - some province.

Cyclo Cross

It is 17 years since I last saw a Cyclo-Cross race - The World Championships in Leeds. At that event I saw an 18 year old Roger Hammond win the world junior title, and he was riding again this year. In the interim he has amassed 9 national cyclo-cross titles, an amazing career. He was the favorite at this years Nationals which Rowan and I went to see at Peel Park in Bradford. It was a great race with a good crowd. Hammond blew on the last climb and victory went to Jody Crawforth http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/cyx/EventReports2009/20090111_national_cyclo_cross_champs_day21.asp we managed to get a space right on the finish line to watch. A great afternoon out.

Church

This is a banner for Aunt Sheila's church in Philadelphia. 

Lincoln Logs

One of the delights of visiting Royce's house is playing with the Lincoln Logs - an old toy that she and I both enjoy playing with.

Here Rowan is showing off her version of loft living with the logs.

Old Siam

And here they are a bit more lively. We all went to the Old Siam Thai restaurant for Danielle's birthday meal. Had a really good meal and near enough to walk to.

Jet Lag

We all kept falling asleep on Thursday when we returned from the US. Here the other two doze together on the sofa.

Ride

We all went a bike ride to Tadcaster on Saturday; it was really cold. A fact that Rowan made sure we knew about. Still it was good to get the cobwebs blown away.

The photo is Royce's house amidst the trees.

Treecreeper

Ever since we moved to our house on Hob Moor I have expected to see a treecreeper http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/index.asp it just seems the obvious place for them to creep. I have been disapointed, until today when Rowan and I saw one on the nut feeder. Now we just need to see a Nuthatch as well.

The photo is of one of the great images of America, the water tower. There are plenty strewn around Philadelphia; this one caught my eye.

Back

We were jet-lagged out of New Years Eve, but all went round to Patrick and Julia's for a New Years Lunch which was great. Then on Friday night Rob and Julie invited us for a meal in Harrogate which was great again. So we feel socially re-engaged here in the UK.

The photo is one of the downtown blocks in Philadelphia; does it look cold? It was.

Philly

Danielle and I went into Philadelphia on Monday. It is  a good place to wonder around, with some impressive buildings. We saw the Liberty Bell through the window [that's good enough for me]. I spotted this medic having a fag outside the hospital which seemed worth a photo.

Legroom

Whenever I fly, the person in front of me always tips back their seat to its full extent. Sometimes it seems they are the only person on the plane to do so. This might seem exaggerated, but on the flight back from Philly the woman in front of me leant back before we had even left the runway. Flying gets less and less attractive.

The photo is of the Quaker meeting house at the homestead. Compared with bustle of York meeting [attendance of 80 is regular] the meeting was a rather sad affair with five people there [we therefore managed to double attendance and send the average age plummeting when we arrived] and a feeling of decline.

BG

This is a shot of the creek at Bryn Gwelyd, the Quaker homestead where Danielle's father lives. It is an idyllic and incongruous place amidst the endless malls and roads of the burbs, where the deer run free and the cardinals fly.

H&S

America gets a bad press in the UK for being the root of the health and safety / litigation nightmare-quagmire into which we have sunk. It is not as simple as that. There are plenty of situations in the US where there is a refreshing laissez-faire approach to it all. Two examples: there are no fences alongside railroad tracks, even in urban areas. You can just walk right onto the tracks if you want - that could never happen in the UK. Second example: bin men ride on the back of the bin truck routinely - far too dangerous for the UK.

The photo is of Marna and Natalia, who accompanied Rowan to see a movie earlier in the week.

Eagles

Danielle's family are all Philadelphia Eagles fans. Supporting the Eagles is a bit like supporting Newcastle - their fans think they are a really big team, they always do quite well and never win anything ... ever. So as we all sat down [including baby Liam in a replica Eagles shirt] to see if the Eagles could pull off the most unlikely win over the Dallas Cowboys and so progress to the playoffs, expectations were not high. But they did it, amazingl, and it was a walkover too. 

The photo is of Liam, unsure what to make of it all.

Christmas Morning

This is the classic Christmas Morning 6.01am scene I think. Hyper-happy child, parent trying to believe it is still the night.

A Fine Balance

Christmas is a good time to catch up on reading for me. I have read the book I got as a leaving gift, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fine_Balance 

which really is a great book. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Next I read the Chris Hoy book which Ro gave me for my birthday http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heroes-Villains-Velodromes-Britains-Revolution/dp/000726531X

which is also a great read, and very uplifting [for cyclists especially].

The photo is of Rowan and her cousin Natalia, bonding via a Nintendo DX.

Christmas Day

Happy Christmas. We managed to hold off present opening till 10am which was pretty impressive. Danielle and I went for a run, then we all went over to Aunt Maxine's for dinner [15 people in all including Uncle Randy and Aunt Joan and Wanda]

Liam

Ben and Kari arrived with Baby Liam, the first time Rowan and I have met him. There is no doubt about it he is a lovely baby.

New York New York

Monday the three of us went to New York City on the train from Trenton New Jersey. US trains are bizarrely old fashioned, so much so that I think they could be marketed as "a trip from yesteryear". On arrival in the city I can honestly and accurately state that I have never experienced such cold before - way way below freezing with a dry icy wind. My teeth ached as we walked up 7th Avenue.

We met up with Vicky, who we had last seen in Brussels last year, and had a great Italian meal for lunch near her office in Park Avenue. 

 

Service

We all went to Aunt Sheila's church on Sunday. The service was 1 1/2 hours long but ... really good. Some great singing by the choir, candle lighting etc. Royce was in charge of the audio-visual display and that went to plan as well. 

Obama

Danielle's cousin Aliesh is a make-up artist http://www.alieshpierce.com/ who has famously [in my eyes] worked with the Isley Brothers. But even that has been eclipsed by her assignment this year, doing the whole Obama family - now that's a good name-check.

The photo is of Danielle with Aunt Sheila at her church.

Mount Fuji

First night we went to Mount Fuji, a Japanese restaurant that Rowan loved when she was last here with Danielle. The food is cooked by acrobatic chefs in front of you on the hot plate. It is fantastic simple food and great fun. You can see Rowan is excited, Royce is anxious [the chefs do tend to throw titbits of veg to you to catch in your mouth]. A great place

US Airways

So I was thinking that flying from Manchester to Philadelphia would be a quiet flight - there can't be that many people wanting to make that journey? The dread word is Hub. Philly is a hub for US Airways flights to Florida. So the plane was packed, totally packed, with people going to Florida. Not great. Anyway they managed to mess up on the vegetarian meals [par for the course] but they did get me a legroom seat, which was a real relief. 

The flight went well, we watched the Sex in the City movie, which was great, and Royce was there to meet us. The weather in Philly is exactly like Manchester, cold wet and grey, so maybe that is why they hooked the two cities up.

The Press

The trouble with not getting the local paper is never knowing when you're in it. Then again it might have been better to remain oblivious to this appearance. I think it unlikely that this will be a big seller on the York Press photosales sight...

Back on Court

Edward and I played badminton yesterday for the first time in a while. We have both had man-flu so were short on puff, but it was great to get back to playing. The great thing about badminton is that you can have a real good competitive workout without needing to high a skill level. This compares with tennis where, unless you are pretty good, the work-out is considerably less with the ball flying all over the place [but not in the court]

The photo is to remind us all of spring; a Comma butterfly taken in the garden.

Dog News

Rowan and I took Murphy the retriever for a walk today. He is a puppy who belongs to Alison a friend of Danielle's. It is lovely to see Rowan so happy with a dog after her years of being so scared of them.

Hysteria

I met up with friend David for a drink in London last week. He runs the Whittington Hospital. His staff had some contact with Baby P, and did everything right which means they have escaped the sick hysteria that the media have launched at just about everyone involved [except the killers of course].

The photo is of Rowan and cousin Sarah 5 years ago. Rowan has always been at her most relaxed with Sarah!

Book Group

Book Group Christmas Party last week. Always great fun. John brings the fizz, we all play ex-libris [including Rowan] and I do a quiz on all the books we have read in the previous year. As we age, as the memories drift, the average score on the quiz plummets .... oh well.

I am not sure if I have posted this photo before. Me at 19 or 20 I think.

Article

A photographer came to take some shots of the house today. They are trying to get an article about the house into the national press or specialist magazines. It would be linked in to York Open Studios next year. All potentially pretty exciting.

Still getting over the illness - not up to full speed yet.

The photo was taken 23 years ago. Ribblehead Viaduct in the days when the trains had engines and coaches.

Last Day

Today was my last day working in Richmond London. I could not understand why the normally empty train was full of people with college scarves and strange complexions. Then I worked out that it must be the Varsity Rugby match at Twickenham.

At this afternoon's meeting I was amazed to be presented with a leaving present - usually consultants are not considered worthy of such warmth. I was really touched. I was given the book "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry - it's good so far.

The Tyne

After the photo of the Ouse, which people like, I have this one of the Tyne. There could be a series starting here.

Back to normal

The man-flu is subsiding, I was back at work today but still feeling a bit weak. The photo is of the meal on Saturday.

Birthday Gig

Today is my birthday. Last night we went out with a group of friends to Loch Fyne for an early meal, then to see a great gig at the early music centre http://www.ncem.co.uk/cgi/events/events.cgi?t=template.htm&a=1086 Abram Wilson playing a blues/jazz set. We all really enjoyed, there were about 14 of us all together. Rowan appreciated it as a fellow horn player!

St Pancras

Last time I was in London I was in St Pancras again. It is one of those buildings that is as impressive every time I visit; truly magnificent. This is not a shot of its grandeur but I do like the interesting perspectives you can get from the different levels.

Slug on the Tyne

Last photo from Newcastle. It is hard to resist shots of the Tyne Bridge and the Sage Gallery, it is a spectacular landscape. The train journey north from York, passing Durham with its Cathedral and Castle and then crossing the Tyne is definitely one of the best there is.

Goldcrest

I saw a Goldcrest http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goldcrest/index.asp in the garden the other day, first time for a good while.

The photo is of Newcastle.

Newcastle Trip

This sculpture is in Gateshead. Pretty impressive for your average high street

Not a Great Weekend

Danielle is in the states for her grandmother's funeral. Rowan has been off of school for two days and still has flu/cough/etc and I now have it too. Both John and Edward came and did a bit of impromptu babysitting for me on Friday. I have been laid really low for the whole weekend. Rowan is being good and watching a lot of ski-ing [thank heavens for eurosport]. 

Tyne

I used my last free train ticket last week to travel to Newcastle, walk around and get some photos. I was surprised to find these heavy cranes still in use. On the train up I saw friend Kim who was on her way to a work meeting in Newcastle too. The train was delayed by what the guard described as "a technical problem with a passenger" the mind boggled, he later corrected it to "a technical problem with a pantograph"

Wheel Me Out

One of the new ubiquities of tube travel in London, is the wheeled suitcase. People emerge from trains, assemble their wheels behind them, then trundle off together resembling Duracell bunnies pulling their batteries behind them as though they are an essential part of forward motion. 

Which is fine.

Except people pulling the things do not realise that they do not pull them directly behind themselves, but off to one side. This makes the total package two people wide, only the puller does not realise this. Clattered ankles [usually belonging to non case pulling folk] result.

Great Grandma RIP

Danielle's Great Grandma died yesterday. She was in her 90s, in a nursing home, but it was still a shock. We had the feeling she would go on forever.

The photo is from happier times - four generations of women. BJ [Danielle's mother who died 6 years ago] Rowan [7 months old in the photo - now a little taller] Great Grandma Lavinia Grayson, Royce [Danielle's dad and token man in this shot] and Danielle.

Routine

Here is my Saturday mornings these days.

6am the alarm goes, get up, kettle on, splash water, wake Rowan, cup of Barleycup, out the house by 6.25. 

6.45 Rowan starts swimming at the pool, I go for a 4 mile run around the River Foss.

8.15 Back at home for pancakes that Danielle has cooked whilst we are out.

9am Start the day.

Photo is of Rowan having recieved her prize at the Biathlon on Sunday

More Biathlon

This photo is after the first 100 metres. It was a great stadium. It is where Hunslet Rugby League team play. with a tall grandstand that I was able to climb up [when no one was looking] to get this shot.

Biathlon

Today was the regional heat of the National Schools Biathlon held at Leeds. Rowan was part of the school team seen here being coached by their excellent games teacher. Rowan won the run [1k in 3minutes 28 seconds] and the overall. Her classmate Kiri won the swimming, so everyone was happy.

This means that Rowan and the team of three from school qualify for the national finals again at Bath in the new year.