Conference

The photo is from the ride at Harewood, it really was perfect autumn morning sunlight.

Danielle has been at the Labour party conference for her work today, she said Ed Miliband's speech was impressive; not a bad day to be there I guess.

Guests

Paul and Coral came up to York with Amy and Hannah. We cooked a meal for them on Saturday [I did the starter, Danielle the main and Rowan the pudding]. Great to catch up, it was the first time we had met Hannah who you see here fast asleep after all the excitement.

Leeds Garden City2

While Rowan was at her triathlon training in Leeds yesterday I took the mountain bike and went for a ride up to Harewood and Ecup [say the latter with a strong west riding accent for best effect]. It was a beautiful crisp autumn morning, with the bridleways seeming like the Black Forest and Ecup reservoir looking like a Scottish Loch. Chuck in some Grey Wagtails and Red Kites and it was a perfect Saturday morning.

Balloons

The Knavesmire, where York Racecourse is, is just across the road from us. I was walking the dog there last week when the regular hot air balloon company was in action. You can see two on the ground, one nearly ready for take off, and two already in the air. I find it almost impossible to be blase about hot air balloons: we are always excited by them. At home we usually know they are there by the sound of their burners before we see them struggling to gain height over the moor.

New Hair

Here is the new haircut. Better photos to follow.

Rowan really enjoyed the netball weekend, and her team won the whole tournament, winning with an extra time goal 6-5.

Shoes

Together with the bike came my first pair of spd shoes with cleats for the clipless pedals. Amazingly this pair have also lasted 20 years. 20 years of rides in all weathers, several tours when they have been my only shoes. Seeing as how Rowan's trainers seem to last just 20 weeks this pair have been miraculous. They are now being retired to the Hall of Fame.

The Condor is 20

Twenty years ago I returned from cycling in Turkey with Paul determined to get a touring bike that fitted me. The result was this tourer made to measure by Condor Cycles in London. It has stood me in good stead, bits have been changed but the frame remains the same. The bike has taken me far and wide and I still use it today. Not bad going, I may give it a respray someday soon.

Netball

Rowan is off on a netball tour, so we have had a weekend to ourselves. Dave and Emma popped in on Friday night, Milo delighted to see his foster family.

Saturday we saw Tamara Drew at the Cityscreen - loved it. http://www.tamaradrewe-movie.com/ then chatted to John and Katie on their allotment before not going to the CAMRA Beer Festival [it looked too much]. Watched Julie & Julia on DVD - rubbish.

The photo is from the Northumberland coast part of our ride.

Knock

Friend Helen had a play on at the Theatre Royal last week "Knock" http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/cgi/events/events.cgi?t=template&a=662 So we went to watch it and another new play. They were both really good - funny and challenging too.

The photo is of a Spitfire? being assembled outside the Minster. There is a strange military feel to the Minster with a lot of links to local regiments. Very strange.

The Pope

Saw Mark in London, one year on from the wedding and just moved house. Always good to see him. Also saw Wendy who I haven't seen for a few years and John who I last saw when he was having a suspected heart attack in my office in Highbury; the ambulance got there on time. We met up in the National Gallery and I had a chance to look around some of the galleries. The older I get the more I appreciate old paintings. Which reminds me of a tweet I saw yesterday.

"Most of us get more right wing as we get older. The trouble is the Pope was in the Hitler Youth"

Photo is from Edinburgh; hotel corridor, strange apparition.

Maps

Danielle had told me about the Map Exhibition at the British Library http://londonist.com/2010/04/review_magnificent_maps_british_lib.php so I had a look at it today when I was in London. Fantastic. Really interesting and with some great maps to look at, a great example of how to put a museum show on that keeps you engaged all the way through.

The photo is on the cycle track to Edinburgh.

Apex

Our two intrepid cyclists relax in the Edinburgh Apex hotel on Grassmarket. It is a great location and a bit of a treat after the various strange places we had stayed at. Edinburgh looked fantastic in the evening sun as we wandered around. I am always amazed and what an incredible geography the city has, full of twisting stairways, cobbles and views - fantastic.

Glass

The photo is of me in Wales dressed for dinner.

A friend in York has worked for the same organisation for 40 years as a glazier. He was due to retire next year when he reached 65. On return from his holiday this summer he received a letter from his employer. He has been made redundant with 2 months notice. An incredibly cruel and stupid action.

And who might his employer be? A multinational behemoth? A local company ignoring worker loyalty? No, the Church of England, he worked at York Minster.

Pennyfarthing

Sunday Dave and I went a 100k ride up into the Wolds to my favourite cafe at Fridaythorpe. Up there in the middle of nowhere you find cyclists from the east, Hull, the south, Donny and the west, us York folk. On top of that were about 50 motorcyclists from all over. The food is classic greasy-spoon with tea in big mugs. Perfect.

Meantime Rowan and Danielle went to the York cycle-fair event at Rowntree Park where they had a go on these mini Pennyfarthings, as well as a side by side tandem which was sadly not recorded for photographic posterity.

Bettys

Everytime we go to Betty's Rowan will read out the cookery courses and try and persuade us to go on them. So far Danielle has gone to a couple and come back with an impressive array of dishes.

Last week it was my turn. I attended the one day vegetarian course. It was brilliant, a really well appointed kitchen, great tutors, interesting co-learners and some great food to bring home that, unbelievably, I cooked. This included Tomato Tart Tartin, an Aubergine Tangine, a Cannelloni and Courgette Fritters and a Salsa.

The photo is of the beautiful River Tweed from the old railway bridge at Innerleithen.

Day 4 Innerleithen to Edinburgh

A perfect cycling day. Favorable wind, mountain ride, good lunch stop and finishing off in a sun-kissed Edinburgh.

This shot is just before we began the climb up over the hills.

Day 3 Berwick to Innerleithen

We saw Danielle off on the train back to York, then Rowan and I rode the 62 miles to Innerleithen in the Scottish borders. It was a great ride up the Tweed valley. The River Tweed has to be one of the most beautiful in Britain; a real river. We crossed it five times over the course of the ride before arriving at a good hotel in the town of Innerleithen which has been revived in recent years by the Mountain Bike centre up the road at Glentress. Evidence? the Tattoo parlor that now graces the high street.

The photo is of Rowan crossing the Tweed on a suspension bridge.

Day 2 Warkworth to Berwick upon Tweed

The Northumberland coast really is beautiful, and so deserted as to make Aberdovey seem crowded. We stayed in Berwick which, considering it has such a great location and architecture, is a pretty dismal place.

Day 1 Newcastle to Warkworth

Here is the peloton at the start on the waterfront in Newcastle. This was the last time we needed to wear raincoats, the weather was amazingly good. The route headed out on old railway lines towards Tynemouth where it turned and headed north along the Northumberland coast through Blythe [as in Spartans] to the castle at Warkworth http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/warkworth-castle-and-hermitage/ where we stayed in a small hotel.

Coast and Castles

Friends Sue & Eddy invited all of us to join them and 3 other families on a cycle ride on the Sustrans Coast and Castles route from Newcastle to Edinburgh http://www.coast-and-castles.co.uk/Index.html. Danielle joined us for the first 2 days, with Rowan and I doing all 4. It was a great ride with great weather. This is day one - Rowan powering away...

Year 8

It is Rowan's first day back at school today - year 8. Here she is, with a corresponding photo from her first year at school in 2002.

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.