Glasgwm

We climbed the mountain of Glasgwm when we were in Wales. This the traditional photo of Rowan at the top. As you can see it was windy and not too hot, but a good climb
We climbed

Muse

The beach at Aberdovey has provided me with a lot of photographic inspiration. "Sand" my best seller was taken there, and each year usually provides more shots. It takes me a while to work out if a particular shot is good enough to make the grade or not. This shot is, therefore, a work-in-progress which may or may not feature in the next exhibition

Ride

One day in Wales I went on a long bike ride . Took a track over the mountains then along the Murdoch estuary to Dolgellau and lunch in a good cafe . Next was another climb on a track to Corris before a final effort down Happy Valley and back to the hotel. A great route ; totally knackered though .

Aberdovey 3

Another shot from the beach, this one on a slightly damper day. The dog spent the time charging from one member of the pack to another, hence this shot; Rowan is photographing a jellyfish, I am photographing her and Milo is relaying.

Aberdovey 3

Each year we have to visit the Talyllyn Railway, it has a place in all our hearts. This year we walked along the beach to Towyn then took the train up to Abergnolwin and back. This was the engine that took us "Tom Rolt" named after the first engineer on the revived railway.

Aberdovey 2

I really need a 100m exclusion to enjoy a beach. And that is what we get at Aberdovey. In this photo you can see Rowan [with her new hair style - all her own hair, no straightening] Danielle's knee and Milo the dog.

Aberdovey 1

Just back from our annual [9th] visit to Aberdovey in Wales. We all love it, and this shot of the beach on the day we arrived with Danielle, Rowan and the dog striding out to the sea on the deserted beach shows why.

Courgette

They are not hard to grow, and they never taste as good as they look, but nevertheless here is a nice courgette grown at home. Best either grilled or put in soup I reckon.

Myton

I was alerted to a new species - the mamil http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10965608

can't think why?

The photo is of Myton on Swale where there was a big battle between the Scots and English in 1319. It is peaceful now but still has an unreal air about it. This was heightened by my having a chat with a farmer on a bike [not a common sentence] about the area. He told me how the river freezes over occasionally and how he had seen a bullock walk across last time it had. He followed the bullock just to say he had walked across the river, and got very worried half way over - but he made it.

The Fringe

Last week the three of us went up to Edinburgh for the day [free rail tickets] and saw a show on the fringe "Just Macbeth" which was an antipodean comedy version of the play. We all enjoyed it and one bit of naked slapstick had Danielle in stitches for a long time [she's just about over it now]. The photo shows Rowan outside of one of the many stalls that spring up at fringe time.

York Station

One of these photos of Rowan on York Station was taken 7 years ago, one 7 days ago. Can you guess which is which? It has always been a happy place for us, when Rowan was 4 months old she was fascinated by the roof, then the trains.
I took this photo of Rowan last week. Yo

Beans

The French Beans have done pretty well this year. Here is a part of the crop in my trusty trug.

Victoria and Leeds

There are not many poems that have made an impression on me, but one of them is Ozymandias by Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away

I thought of it when I found this arch hidden, neglected and graffitied in the woods near Leeds Carnegie campus where Rowan was running. It was built to celebrate Queen Victoria's visit to Leeds, later moved to its present location, then forgotten.

Work

A photo from the walk from Goathland to Grosmont. Last time we did it Rowan was just out of her pram ...

Working in the public sector [massive cuts upcoming] as a consultant [pinpointed as the source of most of the country's evils by the Tories] did not necessarily seem to be the best career choice in the current environment. So it was good to secure a chunk of work starting in September for two days a week. This is perfect for me at the moment. Feel fortunate.

It is hard not to smile just a little at the news that the Audit Commission is to be scrapped by the government. In 12 years of working freelance, the one client I had who gave me grief was the collection of pompous folks at the Audit Commission. After years of giving pressed local authorities a hard time from a privileged position of immunity I am sure there are a lot of smirks across the country at this news.

Whitby

The amazing thing at Whitby was that

A} we found a cafe that was happy to have dogs

and

B} Milo behaved perfectly.

Here is the steep path from the tourist hell to the Abbey atop the hill

The Inglorious 12th

August 11th Rowan, Milo and I went a walk on the North York Moors above Farndale on the course of the old iron ore railway. A four by four monster approaches us, "Put you dog on't lead" grunts the charming farmer. "I never let him off near sheep" I reply. "Not sheep I'm worried about" he replies. It dawns on me that it is the grouse for tomorrow's slaughter that he is concerned about. I apologise and put Milo on the lead. Bit bizarre though isn't it? He is worried that the dog will upset the birds because tomorrow they are going to be shot.

Boltby

I went a 125k ride up to Boltby Bank on the North York Moors, this is another steep hill which makes it into the 100 greatest cycling climbs book just published http://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Cycling-Climbs-Cyclists/dp/0711231206 It proved a hard one, but it was conquered. On the way back I got caught up with cyclists on the York 100 ride which I had decided not to do.

Meantime Rowan and Danielle went round to see Lily Chris and Ted after meeting, with Rowan and Lily playing tennis in the park.

Spout

This is the Malyan Spout waterfall at Goathland. We had a meal at the hotel of the same name. The last time I had been there was 36 years ago when I stayed for 2 nights with my father on a touring holiday we had together. I remembered the dining room and the location of the hotel quite clearly.

Hills

This is what I like to see, some good steep hills to ride up. I got a couple of rides in whilst in Goathland including a couple of 25% hills. The North York Moors really are great for cycling. Plenty of tiny roads with hills and fords and open moors. Have to watch out for the sheep though.

Whitby

One day from Goathland we went to Whitby, a place that makes York seem light on the tourists. Danielle got some Jet earrings, I tried to get some gothic shots of grave stones and the abbey; not that successfully.

Goathland 2

This line was just 75metres from the hotel, so we had plenty of chances to see the engines struggling up the hill from Grosmont.

Goathland 1

My Mother kindly took the four of us [3 humans] to a hotel in Goathland on the North York Moors for a few days. It was going very well until she fell at night and broke her rib. Despite a trip in the ambulance to Scarborough A&E and a lot of discomfort it seems to be on the mend now that she is back in Suffolk. The first day Rowan and I walked down to Grosmont where we met Danielle and Mother who had taken the steam train. Danielle and I then swapped places for the return.

Walk the Line

The photo is of Danielle's paternal grandfather from Sioux City - another gem found in the house.

York Central Library has been refurbished and is now called Explore … I was looking at the Walking books section [tales of long distance walks, climbing guides etc] and spotted Johnny Cash – Walk The Line. I checked the numbering, yes it was in the right place. Nice to know that librarians make errors too.

Barn Owl

I cycled last week to Selby and Skipwith Common on the mountain bike. Saw a Barn Owl on the Ings at Fulford; a ghostly pale presence.

The photo is of Stratton Audley church, which has been renovated inside with a shiny glass floor panel to reflect the window in.

Sport

Rowan, Danielle and Milo did a 10k run last month. Meantime Dave and I did out next Sportive; the 100k Grimpeurs de Wolds. It was really well organised and a very friendly event, definitely one of the best [I did have another puncture though...]

The photo is of some of Robert's cattle at the farm in Oxfordshire. Cute burgers in waiting.

Cycle City York

City centre cycle racing came to York a couple of weeks ago. Good course, right past the Minster, with a sprinkling of rain to make it dicey on the cobbles. The speed with which the pros hurtled round the corners was truly awe inspiring.

Sarah Dean

Danielle, mother and I went to see Sarah Dean http://www.myspace.com/sarahdeanpluckybutterfly play her harp at the Sutton Bank national park centre in the North York Moors. She was really good again.

Photo is another from the Trolley Bus museum - but it is not a trolley bus.

Trolley Bus

Bringing Mother back from Oxfordshire to York we stopped off at Sandtoft Trolleybus Museum which was a really good place to visit. We were all surprised how good it was.

More Photos

More shots from the vaults. These are of Danielle in the 80s [never would have guessed] long before I knew her.

Harvest

The blackcurrant harvest has been a good one [not shared with the birds this year]. Here is a kilo of our crop after we have topped and tailed them; it produced a good six jars of jam.

Marbled White

On a walk in the Wolds we were lucky to see some Marbled White butterflies. This was a first for us. They are common only on the chalk of the Wolds and in the south. Very beautiful and, crucially, quite tame allowing us the chance of identifying them. Also saw a Small Heath, drab but new to me.

Trains at Jim Thorpe

This is the heritage railway we went on at Jim Thorpe. It is certainly a long way from the cute steam train narrow gauge lines of Wales - still good though.

Family

Made a trip down to Stratton Audley to collect mother who had been staying at her sister Alison and Geoff's. It was the first time I had seen Geoff since his stroke earlier in the year. He was in good form and seems really well considering what he has gone through. The photo is of Geoff and Rowan by the pond in Stratton.

Sun Oil

This photo is of Royce and colleagues when he worked in PR at Sun Oil in the 60s. One black man, two women – not the most diverse workforce to find yourself in.

Photos

We found plenty of photos while we were clearing out the house in the States. This one is of Danielle with her proud parents. I imagine Royce is saying “take it quick, she's about to start”.

First Piercing

Rowan decided she wanted her ear's pierced. This was fine by us. Danielle took her to the dreaded Claires Unnecessaries [a terrible chain know only to parents of young girls] and she emerged pain free with two nice gold studs.

Bumper Deal

In the Jim Thorpe town museum we found this collection of alternative bumper stickers for sale. We liked them.

Jim Thorpe

We stayed at the town of Jim Thorpe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe,_Pennsylvania which we chanced upon and was fantastic; listed in the “10 coolest small towns in America”. It has, a disused rail line to walk on, a preserved railway to ride on, a great restaurant to eat in – Moya, and a lot of history [Molly Maguires, Conan Doyle's Valley of Fear]. The whole renaming of the town from Mau Chunk to Jim Thorpe is a bizarre tale of opportunism that is not finished yet. The hotel was a great old fashioned place on main street, complete with grumpy waitresses – perfect.

The AT

Milo is recovered. He is strangely wary of going near the bee hive though.

We took a trip out to the Appalachians for a couple of nights. I had always wanted to see the Appalachian Trail, which we duly did. Talk was of it being a lot of woods, and not many views; the tiny bit I walked lived up to the publicity. Rowan and Danielle, having read Bill Bryson on Bears in the woods, decided to let me go on my own.

Milo fought the bees ...

… and the bees won. We extracted 23kilos of honey yesterday, which was a bumper crop [with more to follow] and good news. The bad news was that Milo decided to try and eat as many bees as he could whilst Danielle and Rowan were bringing in the honey frames. The bees did not think a lot of this and decided to fight back, or more literally, to sting back. The result was a very very sorry Milo with 8 stings and a lot of illness. We thought he might actually be on his way out to the great bee-hive in the sky, but he seems to have pulled through.

We had to hire a car in the States. We got what they call a "mini-van" but what I would call a truck. Here it is, with Danielle distancing herself from it.

Danielle also caught up with a friend from High School who she had not seen for 20 odd years. Debbie came over from New York with her friend Philip who is an artist http://www.philsouthernart.com/gallery11.htm his paintings look really good on-line. We met them off the train at Trenton [motto "Trenton makes, the world takes"] New Jersey.

The photo is another from verdant Bryn Gwelled.

Rev Sheila

Here are Rowan and Danielle with Aunt Sheila. On the Sunday we went to Aunt Sheila's church where she is the Minister. It was really good. The music is provided by a bloke who has played with Stevie Wonder, and you can tell ... Church of England it was not.

Catfish

Whilst in the States we caught up with some friends of Danielle's from high school [Tim and family] who we had last seen in St Andrews Scotland when they were on holiday in the UK. They cooked us a great meal of Catfish and veg on the grill in the garden - so good to have real food. Jameson may be rowing at Henley next year so we could see them again.

Bear alert

You see deer and rabbits and squirrels on a daily basis in BG. Snakes are less welcome, and the Bear that was sighted last year sounds good when you are 5000 miles away, less so when you are walking in the woods. The red Cardinal birds are another highlight of the place. In high summer it really does feel like a jungle...

US 1

To the States to try and start sorting out Danielle's fathers affairs. It is one year since he died. There is a lot to do. Royce's sister Aunt Sheila lives in the house in Brynn Gweled http://www.bryngweled.org/index2.html which is always a pleasure to visit. This photo is of the pond. Last time I saw it was Christmas 2008 when it was frozen solid.

Holiday 1978

The next year Sue and I hitched down to Le Puy in the Massif Central and walked on the pilgrims trail, the Chemin St Jacques from Le Puy to Moissac http://www.gr-infos.com/st-james-of-compostela.htm for three weeks. It was a remote and beautiful place to walk. I recently spoke to some friends who had done the same walk last year, and it sounded like not a lot has changed in the last 32 years. Back then I did not take a camera "I shall record all the images I need in my head..." oh well, I grew out of that eventually.

The path was a French GR long distance footpath, and it sowed the seed for later ideas of long distance walking that came my way.

Holiday 1977

For 1977 girlfriend Sue and I decided to hitch around Europe. We were going to drive but I read an article by Tony Parsons in NME, and had been given a copy of the Hitchikers guide to Europe on my travels the year before ... so hitching it was.

It was a great experience encompassing Spain, Norway, Austria and all points in between. Fantastic kindness from people, a knife wielding psychopath in his flat in Munich, a rock and roll fan in affluent Sweeden, just a great great experience. We never took any public transport, it was all hitching or walking. On the boat back to England our ride was an album cover designer for Island records. "Here, you'll remember this for the rest of your life" he said as he chucked us both a KitKat at a petrol station on our return to English soil; and, you know what, I have.

The Car

Another photo of the car that went around Europe with me in 1976. The paint job and illustrations were all my own work [as you probably tell all too well.] The illustrations include Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and, I think, Fred Bassett. On return from the epic trip it finally expired six months later.

Seebohm

Danielle and I went to a reception at the Treasurer's House http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-treasurershouseyork by the Rowntree Society. They have been instrumental in getting the BBC to do two films on Seebohm Rowntree http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Seebohm_Rowntree which go out next month. They showed a clip, which looked really good. It was good to catch up with lots of people we knew. This is the view from the garden where we were.

Boot

Rowan had to make a shoe in Design & Technology at school. I think the idea was to do a dainty little high heeled shoe, so I was pleased when she went for a walking boot made out of Ordnance Survey maps - very impressive.

Holiday 1976

After the Torquay debacle 1976 saw me setting off in my old beat-up VW Beetle with cousin Gill and her friend Jude. I am in the hat, Gill is peeping out from behind Jude. I was due to go with friend Alistair but he cried off so Gill and Jude travelled with me for 3 weeks before starting their own inter-rail journey. We drove down through France, and Franco's Spain [with scary Guarda Civil] to the Algarve in Portugal where we stayed at a villa that belonged to some friends of my parents. Next we drove back up to France where we parted as planned. I drove on alone, hung out at Antibes with some French guys, then met up with Martyn from England. Together we drove through Italy to Florence and Venice before heading up to Austria where we parted. I then made my way up through Switzerland, Germany and Belgium before heading back home. It was a great start to travelling.

An example of how youth thinks: my father suggested before I went that “you just check you know how to change a tyre on the car”. This was an entirely sensible suggestion – which I ignored. Luckily I had no punctures. The brakes failed though, so I had to negotiate a couple of Alpine passes on the handbrake; all part of the fun.

Green

Friend Karen stayed over last week, en route to another course at the University.

Another photo from the bridleway ride.

Idyll

This is from the bridleway ride. It is in the middle of nowhere, where the limestone meets the millstone grit, where the Vale of York gives way to the Pennines, where a lovely stream runs strong.

Off road

When the weather is like this, hot and dry, there is nothing better than taking the mountain bike out onto the bridleways and carving out a route. I took this route which encompassed fields and woodland, Roman roads, old railway lines; just fantastic.