Freyalyn's Thoughts

This low patch in the middle of the field next to the river only floods in really heavy rain or when the river comes over the bank. The river's not quite there yet, but this was flooded yesterday and frozen today - it hasn't even warmed up enough for this to have melted by late afternoon today.


Bil steps his way particularly delicately over the ice - yesterday they were both charging through the water like mad things.


The larger pond in the nature reserve is too deep and probably has too many fish/waterfowl in it to freeze too easily. This is the much shallower pond next to it - the warden has recently opened up the trees and undergrowth around it, so there's very little shelter now.


I'm still not very good at this timer thing - it's a case of sit the dogs down, set the camera going then rush round to the front! They're usually very puzzled, and look it.

Made a fabulous steak and kidney casserole on Sunday, then managed to finally succumb to a migraine just before we sat down to eat it and had to retire to bed hors de combat. To add insult to injury I missed the last episode of Ray Mears (caught up this evening) and Top Gear too! However, a good night's sleep has resulted in a complete recovery as usual. No idea what triggered it - in the background all day, but didn't stop me from doing the farmers' market or whizzing to Harlow Carr (in the rain) for some Christmas shopping, or training for that matter. But when it finally hits there's no arguing.

Not been on the river for weeks now - the river was thinking about going down today, though not by much as there's so much water slowly draining out of the Aire valley. But it's been raining heavily now since about 8pm so it'll be up again. I shall go and take my frozen nose and nearly-as-cold feet to bed, which is mercifully pre-warmed by my electric blanket (OMG that sounds so middle-aged but really I don't care) and curl up with my current bedtime reading: Francis Pryor's Britain BC. And then I have a nice little ongoing daydream at the moment involving roundhouses....

Computer up and running at home at last, though sadly my old one was in terminal decline and unreparable. The lovely Andrew at Response Computing has built me a new one (much smaller box!) and loaded it with Open office and various stuffs. However, this has cost lots of money. The Pirate Coat has worked out not quite half of the value, so I now have to think about an Assassin's Creed costume for Tom. (Luckily he wants ACI and not II which is a bit more complex)

Have finally recovered from last week's vile cold and started training again. Recovery was no doubt delayed by working with Pauline at the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate from last Wednesday through to Sunday - utterly exhausting, as I'm not used to working 1: on my feet all day, 2: working whole days,3: bloody customers. However, I did treat myself to a piece of nice checked woollen fabric to make a tailored skirt for work, 3 metres of the most amazing silk velvet in golds and silvers to make an evening frock, and a couple of chunks of a decent quality doublesided polar fleece to make tops for me and Mark. Plus various buttons, another Sheila Payne book (this time on historical embroidery) and I have discovered Colinette's fabulous sockyarn. Two skeins came home with me, and another one jumped into my bag when I took the windblown angel up to Baa Ram Ewe on Monday.

Took the pupz for a run through the woods this afternoon, and was really looking forward to a sauna afterwards. The soddin' bus didn't come, and I got so cold at the bus stop after ten minutes I ran home and had a hot bath instead. Getting cold and crampy while wearing sweaty stuff at a bus stop is not my idea for a fun Thursday evening, especially when I have half a bottle of red wine sitting downstairs waiting for me, and curry goat in the oven. Off to put the rice on....

And the landlords have amazed us by remembering they said they'd get us a new fire for the living room without being reminded! We now have a thing that looks like a wood-fired stove but actually has a fan heater underneath. It's amazingly efficient and warms the room brilliantly in no time at all. You can tell it's getting cold now - my current sleepwear is a long-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, and there's two (admittedly lightweight) quilts on top of my summerweight duvet. One of the Welsh blankets I got the other week or so is ready to go on top when the temperature drops even more. When it gets really - really - cold I shall bite the bullet and suffer Mark's snoring...

My favourite stand of birch trees. Just a bit too late after the recent winds and rain, but there is still the gold of the leaves and silver stems against the dark holly green.


Copper and gold, green and grey, white and silver.


Sun through leaves.

I was supposed to be sculling in the afternoon, but the river was too high despite the sudden and unexpected sunshine. So, given I have a horrible cold at the moment, it was probably much better to have a gently stroll through Buck Woods with the pupz, even if they refused to pose in the sunlight. Training last evening was technical erg stuff - no cardio which would probably have finished me off - and then home for the last of the weekend's beef stew which I tarted up with some butternut squash.

I shall have a gentle and ladylike swim this afternoon (stop sniggering...)

... from Wednesday afternoon down at the nature reserve, when the sun was nearly shining.


Goosanders were sitting around on the water at this particular spot which is popular with most of the waterbirds on this stretch of the river; it's only just become uncovered again after the river's been so high the last week. I didn't even see the mallards in the grass until I looked at this in a larger version. The goosanders are particularly active at the moment.


I think it will be a very good year for sloes. I must get last year's supply out of the freezer and in some gin (actually, vodka's just as good) and get a new stash in the freezer. Sloes make better gin for a good freeze, and you can't get more of a freeze than a year in the bottom of the freezer!


These leaves almost look as if they're making a deliberate pattern against the rotting trunk and mossy ground.


There's something about golden copper birch leaves against their silver trunks that touches me. These ones are by the pond, but there's a patch of silver birches up in Buck Woods with dark holly growing low around them that is just amazing at this time of year.


Can't keep the buggers out of the water, though at least it's starting to run clearer and at more of a normal level now.

I'm supposed to be sculling this afternoon - the weather is lovely at the moment but is due to become appalling later today. Wind and rain and everything - more or less what I was out running with the dogs in yesterday afternoon, before cadging a lift up to Hollins Hall, a swim, and a decadent hot shower.

And this evening I'm off to see Swanhunter in Leeds. Much anticipation, though I rather dread at the same time how much they might have bowdlerised the Kalevala. There has been a theme running at Leeds Grand all Autumn about the myths and stories of 'The North', all of which I've managed to miss for various reasons (the one I was really cross about was Kevin Crossley-Holland talking about the Norse myths and sagas). Knowing my luck, I'll fall in the river and really run out of time.

Ma and I are both having problems with computers at the moment, so I brought her camera into work with me yesterday, downloaded and edited her photographs from the roof of the world, dropped them off at Snappy Snaps, and am collecting them on the way home.  Here are a few images....










Some of these require a closer look - not all the clouds in the background are clouds.



She had an amazing time.  And the most impressive bit what that Ma didn't even come down with a gyppy tummy until she was actually safely back at home!

Actually went swimming yesterday to christen the new costume!  Charged home, put a beef casserole in the oven, took dogs for a run in the woods (only half hour but we ran about lots), accidentally caught up bus up to Hollins Hall, did a few weights and then swam.  And having finally remembered to swim with goggles, I was amazed at the difference it made - I didn't have to worry about losing my contacts.  Damp hair for hours, though.

... of Dr Imaginarius is vastly overrated.  We made the effort to go and see it on Saturday afternoon, and really, I'd have been annoyed it we hadn't had one free ticket and one discounted.  Absolutely beautiful, of course, and all the beauty and glamour and glitter thrown into sharp contrast by the grime, squalor and bleakness in there as well, but once again for Gilliam, a complete triumph of style over substance. 

What really struck me was how well Johnny Depp,  Jude Law and Colin Firth all managed to act being Heath Ledger so well.  Especially as I have always been of the opinion that they're all so mannered that they can only act themselves.  Perhaps that was the key - they're all acting themselves but they're all too similar.

And if the inhabitants of the Imaginarium couldn't afford to feed themselves, how did they manage to keep four horses going in hay and shoes?

I have finally managed to get up to Hollins Hall to have a go at the fitness stuff up there - both on Friday (supplemental training on the ergs up there, and weights) and on Sunday, when the high river led to rowing being cancelled in the morning.  Really, it is extremely decadent - and despite the weights room being very well equipped it's been nearly empty both times I've used it; most people seem to prefer being seen in the cardio room (where there ergs are very much the poor relations and stuck in corners behind the cross-trainers and running machines and bikes, or swanning around in the pool in designer gear.  Quite how long we'll manage to hang on to the free membership I don't know - the card indicates a year - and it's unlimited - but I do feel slightly guilty.  But it takes as long to walk there as it does to cycle to the rowing club, so for supplemental sessions it's handier - with the advantage of a swimming pool and sybaritic showers.

I even went and got a swimming costume yesterday too, so I can indulge in that too.  And Ma, where did you get the idea that I'm not a strong swimmer, or even very good?  Both Mark and I were gobsmacked when you came out with this on Sunday evening.  

Missed two buses as that whizzed past as I staggered* to the bus stop yesterday afternoon so I stuck my head in the St Gemma's Hospice charity shop in Roundhay at the bus stop and found these.


Two beautiful welsh blankets.  The orange one is double, the blue one single, both well used (the blue slightly more) but still in excellent condition.  And still with the original label - Merionweave, 100% wool welsh blanket.  These wash up beautifully and I'm planning to use them for camping next year - warm, practical and lovely to use.  I do feel rather guilty about these however - the shop was having an 'everything for £1' day, so yes, I did pay only £1 each.  I reckon the larger is worth pushing £75, and the smaller at least £30 - see here for comparison.  I love this style of blanket, I already have an early 20C one I use in the winter and treasure, and I have been known to drool (carefully) over these in antique shops (they were a few at Wonderwool Wales this year) because I can't afford them.  They're one of those things that don't actually seem valuable until you're interested in them, which is why they've ended up in a heap in a charity shop priced for peanuts - and yes, I will go back and give the shop some more money.

You can't really see from this photo (yep, crap photo, taken after dark as they were hanging up after washing), but the doubleweave construction (although they're known as 'tapestry blankets' it isn't tapestry at all) means the pattern is different on both sides.  Woven from 2-ply Welsh wool, beautifully crisp and springy but not particularly soft.  No darns or repairs, no moth damage (oh yes, I checked very carefully before they even came inside), and the most wear is on the fringe of the purple blanket.  The orange one is practically perfect.

And here is a photo of the Soddin' Pirate Coat, finished.

I'm actually extremely pleased with how it came out - worth all the swearing and sweating over the heavy velour.  The braid is actually a narrow black ribbon with gilt edges, which has worked very effectively, and the 'buttons' are shiny brass-effect studs.  As I needed over 20 of them, it really didn't seem worth spending lots of money on real buttons, which aren't actually needed for fastening anyway.  I just love how the shape of the coat is instantly 18thC and pirate-y.

*Training on Wednesday night.  Day off yesterday - not a good idea.  I stiffened up rapidly and am still horribly in pain.  Will have to go and do something today - the dogs will suggest a run but it's still wet and muddy out there.  But if I go up to the gym at Hollins Hall it's still a 20m walk up the hill before I even get there.  Decisions....

Yesterday was a bit of an odd day at work - either flat out or twiddling my thumbs waiting for the next flat out bit.  So I went wandering....

We had this last night - Senegalese Peanut Soup.  I do like to use peanuts in cooking, and the combination seemed rather yummy.  I tweaked it a bit - I think American slowcookers/crockpots must be hotter than ours, because I'd never put cold things in and expect them to get up to cooking temperature in time.  So all the liquids went in hot, and I fried the chicken pieces with the spices before they went in too.  Got back from training* just after 9, and really enjoyed this after a shower.  Just what I needed, protein and complex carbs.  There's about half left, so I'll thin it down with a bit more chicken stock and turn it in to more of a soup - it was so thick last night it was more of a chowder.  I shall add ginger next time, and possibly a few cumin seeds.

And I also found this in my aimless wanderings, which is a really good and secure way of stuffing quite as much hair as I've got out of the way with one stick and two pins (except my braids go across the bottom, round the top, across the bottom and back again to the top!)  And at least my sticks are much plainer than the ones in here.  Fortunately on mucky blonde hair with a plain wooden stick it doesn't look Chinese in the slightest!

Bonfire night tonight.  Lunil will be gazing out of the window at the pretty lights.  Bil will either be stuffing himself in the smallest, darkest place he can find or clawing his way up the walls, and that's after we drug him.  Poor little bugger...

*Weights again.  Ow!  And I failed miserably on the bench press, which really hurt my competitive bone!  Must work on this.  Have an erg session to fit in before Sunday, and really don't fancy club night down at BARC tonight, so might even get to try the facilities at Hollins Hall today or tomorrow, now Dad's wangled us free membership!

... has been carried off and will (I hope) return next week all shiny and new and working. About the only thing that I would be bothered about losing is the photos, and all the ones worth keeping are up on Flickr anyway.  The Soddin' Pirate Coat was carried off with it, and I did take some photos first, but once again I haven't been bothered to bring the card into work to download them here.  It did look rather good on its intended recipient who has curly dark blond hair just perfect for pulling back into a piratical queue.

We are now suffering in typical November weather, which is only fair, as we did have to pay for the perfect golden days of late October somehow.  Saturday in Chester was utterly perfect, weather-wise; warm, sunny, beautiful trees - and a good row too, although we didn't win.  But pulling away from the crews behind us and taking two (albeit women's) on the way down is always good.  Lots of pain though.  Ow.  And then Sunday morning - I cycled down to the club in pouring rain and a head wind, rowed time trials in even more rain and wind and got completely drenched (even down to knickers and rain running down the back of my calves into my socks) and cycling back through a head wind (again, which was odd!) and through floods and even more rain.  When I stripped off in front of the washing machine a puddle actually spread out from my wet things with no additional wringing required.  And the river is still far too high to even think about sculling this week.

I lost my lovely knitted leafy headband on Friday afternoon at the pub - serves me right for stopping off for beer on the way home - I took it off along with various layers (it was warm inside) and somehow didn't put it back on.  Actually, the two pints of bitter on an empty (and slightly dehydrated) stomach probably didn't help.  I biked home *very* carefully.

And Ma is back from Nepal, a half day earlier than I expected so came back to a house untidied up and uncleaned by me - oops.  But she's had a fantastic time, and brought me back a lovely bag and beads and stuff.  Again, photos when the computer's up and running.

The weather yesterday afternoon was just gorgeous, hazy blue sky, golden sunlight, still and warm.  And I took the pupz to the river!

We had to cycle the long way round, along the canal, because the thought of those two on a lead while I was on a bike is just, well, unthinkable.  Bil was easily able to canter alongside, casting nervous sideways glances at the turning wheels.  Lunil just trundled along behind, and I had to keep stopping when she decided to say hello to all and sundry we encountered.  Sociable creature...

Three of us out on the river, all in single sculls.  I stuck to Airey-Fairy again, on the grounds that if I spend more time in one boat I'll get the hang of sitting it better, which indeed I seem to be doing.  I even felt brave enough to try a few trips at three-quarter pressure, some of which went really well - at least until I fudged a finish! 

The pups decided to follow me up the river instead of staying down by the boathouse - busy riverbank, it's a public footpath - and the first time I reached the top they didn't stop, kept going up to the top of Seven Arches (where the canal goes over the river) , came down the other side, and had to swim across the river to get back to the footpath.  Bil did try and come out to me and had to be dissuaded - a dog trying to join me in that particular boat wouldn't have been successful. 

After this they just trailed up and down the footpath, plunging up into the woods every time they thought they saw a rabbit or a squirrel calling them names, and reappearing much further on.  A large puddle of black smelly mud was leapt into at one point, but they were also paddling in the river too so that got washed off.  Luckily the one field that butts on the river was sheepless, as Bil kept leaping the dry-stone wall to cut the corner off up into the woods.  Lunil did swim out to Howard towards the end of our session - whether she thought he was me, or actually hadn't realised there was more than one boat out, I don't know.  Dogs can't swim as fast as fine sculls can row.

Took me two attempts to get my boat into the landing stage on my own, but no-one was watching.  It's an awkward angle to get if there's no-one to guide you in and grab an oar.

So my legs are hurting now - walking is painful.  Which explains, of course, why I'm off to the river again this afternoon.  Dogless this time, I don't think they'd appreciate it this afternoon (they're lying around in heaps at home and completely passing on the usual leaps and bounds when Mark gets up) and we have vague plans for beer afterwards.

And Dee Head tomorrow - in a men's eight, or seven plus me I suppose!  I must be utterly mad.  Not to mention time trials in the women's eight on Sunday morning.  Am I overdoing this whole rowing thing....?

Quick download of photos from the other weekend:


I made Mark stop just before we drove through Shap - it was such a lovely morning we left the motorway.  The sun had just risen behind us.


Blencathra from the A66.  The weather was glorious, a brilliantly clear sky.  I was so envious that Mark and the pups actually had time to get up here, via Striding Edge no less, while I was teaching.  Though I did enjoy the teaching, of course, but it's not the same.


Sarah - this one's for Chris.  Couldn't resist....


Denise and Mark hacking furiously.  It was actually very cold first thing in the morning (good thing we had lots of bacon and sausages and eggs and stuff to keep us going!).  This is Mark's walling sweater - I  knitted it for him years ago, possibly even before we got married, and it's gradually getting longer and longer.  When damp it reaches his knees.  Given how many times he snagged it hedging here, it may not last much longer.


That same bit all finished.  This isn't pretty hedge-laying, but extremely practical and tough - the trees and shrubs being laid are thick and strong and don't lie down easily.


Holly supervising Tim taking the branches away.


Alpacas staring quizzically at the dogs.  Lunil wasn't at all sure what to make of them - they're certainly not sheep!


Ancient barn cat in the hay.  She ignored us beautifully.

Mark's birthday today, but we'll hardly see each other as he won't be back from work til about 9.10pm and I'll be back from training about the same time.  However, I made chocolate cake yesterday and the pupz managed to remember to get him a card and pressie, so all is not lost.  There is a huge vat of mince and potatoes that I made yesterday, though if I get organised today I'll prepare sausages and mash with onion gravy to heat up when we get in.

The Soddin Pirate Coat took most of yesterday evening.  Now because I do lots of sewing, and regard myself as pretty competant (!) I usually don't bother with transferring marks from the paper pattern to the fabric pieces.  The time and blood and sweat that the sleeves cost me last night were a salutary reminder not to be so cocky next time.  I eventually got it all on in the right order and position, after removing the cuffs once and setting the sleeves in three times. Just fake buttons to add and the bottom hem to finish.  

And I'm rowing in Dee Head this weekend again!  We originally planned to put a IV in from the women's squad but someone had to pull out.  I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I'm now rowing in the men's veteran VIII!  I haven't even rowed with them yet (just as well we boat from the finish so I'll have the row up the course to get used to them) and I've only actually rowed twice in a 8 and a few times in a scull so far.  But they seem pretty confident it'll all work.  

I will be in pain on Sunday.

This note is more of an aide memoire to me, briefly written at work when I should be doing something else - the computer at home's still broken.

Last night's training session was tests more than anything else; the others had last year's scores to compare with, but I could only compare with them.  But the results were interesting...

I'm not so far behind as I thought I might be.  In things where my weight is against - like sit-ups and press-ups - I didn't do particularly well, but certainly not last.  In things where power was more relevant - vertical jump, max power on the erg - I was right up there in the top two or three.  I surprised myself with the pull-ups too.  The 1000m erg at a rating of 24 hurt lots, but again, I did better than I thought - I came in third.

Wearing my lovely LTS green trousers to work today; I thought I'd better get some more wear out of them before they really don't fit anymore (instead of just about being on the point of falling down by themselves).  I don't mind altering jeans and combats and suchlike - a quick removal of the waistband at the back, centre back seam taken in as much as necessary, waistband shortened and reattached.  In fact I do this frequently, as I tend to buy them from the men's range at Tesco for rough wearing.  However, I can't really do the same for smart trousers as all the seams have to be taken in equally - by the time I've done all the work necessary I may as well have made the dratted things from scratch.  So in a few weeks (provided something doesn't go really wrong with the whole training thing) these will be added to the charity shop bag.

End of November I'm going to push the boat out and make some short skirts!  Sadly, this will involve the purchase of more shoes....

I was going to do a lovely photo-rich post about my weekend, the beautiful morning we drove early up to Mungrisdale in the Lakes, seeing the light of the rising sun behind us over the hills, Mark taking the pupz up to the top of Blencathra while I taught*, popping in to see Hazel as we left, then the drive up and over the Howgills and Pennines as the sun set behind us.  Then on Sunday Mark hedge-laying with Denise and Tim while I sat in the Aga-warmed kitchen with assorted dogs and knitted furiously.

There are some nice photos.

However, I just haven't got around to getting the card out of the camera and bringing it safely here to work, and my computer at home is dead.  It's been steadily getting unhappier and unhappier, and on Friday evening it declined to start altogether.    I was hoping that Andrew would come round last night and fix it (and bringing Tom to try on the Soddin' Pirate Coat) but they couldn't come.

And I cycled down to the rowing club in the pouring rain last night and my sculling partner not only didn't turn up, but didn't let me know what was up anyway.  So I got wet and cold for nothing, and my arse is getting very bruised from the bike - which I think will take some getting used to.  Much, much quicker than by foot, but also much harder work than I remembered (I think it's as least as long since I rode a bike as when I last rowed).   Of course, it's fairly basic with only three gears, but that's much better than nothing.  And it's green.  With the seat lifted a bit it's actually the right size for me - the last bike I had I inherited from my 'little' brother, who at that stage (we were both either at or just left university) was 6'2" with long legs.  I really had to make sure that when I came to a stop on that bike I knew what side I was coming down on and get my leg stretched down ready.  If I misjudged it was a big splat!

On the plus side it looks as though we're taking a four to Dee Head next weekend, Saturday 31st.  My ARA membership has come through and we've found a cox.  So Sunday morning will be hard work - a full session in the 8 and then this 4 actually getting in a boat together for the first time!

Much work was done on the Soddin' Pirate Coat yesterday afternoon before I rushed out to get needlessly wet.  And a bit more last night, until I completely ran out of yellow, pale yellow, and finally orange thread.  Main body done, sleeves part-assembled, need to get more thread, black braid, cheap shiny buttons.  The full skirts will make it swirl nicely, and the rich yellow velour actually looks rather spiffy.  Again, photos when the computer's on again.

*I'd been asked for a general 'spinning workshop' and it had been suggested that I could end up with three groups: beginners, improvers and some more experienced wanting fancy-yarn stuff.  A bit overpowering for a day, and because it was so vague I didn't even bother preparing any plans.  I turned up with tools, fibre to use, lots of fibre to sell, and feeling postive as they're such a nice lot of people in the Eden Guild.  The entire pre-lunch session was spent with about 15 near-beginners - a quick talk and demo, and then going round one by one, seeing what they were doing, whether they were happy with it, and more important, checking the wheels.  It always amazes me how many people get started with spinning and don't have a clue how their wheel works, or even how to maintain it.  I ask when they last oiled it and am gazed at in astonishment - You mean  I need to oil it! Or someone who doesn't realise the function of the brake band and keeps tightening it regardless - the look on her face when I adjusted it correctly.  But it's useful for me too, to have a go on everyone's wheel.  And then later in the afternoon I just wandered around talking to people, making suggestions to achieve various results, correcting wheels/hand positions etc, and having fun.  And they certainly bought lots and lots of fibre!

...was in the Long Room at Headingly, the only room there that could hold 350 people.  And the tables were very snug - I'm sure they were designed for ten to sit round, and each had twelve people sat very cosily together.

It was billed as 'A Tribute to Brian Close, CBE', in aid of the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation.


These photos were taken on Ma's camera, mostly by Ma, hence the slight head-cutting-off.  This is me with Jan and Jerry Waller, my little brother's godparents and wonderful family friends.  I've known them all my life.

My godfather, Uncle John.  He and Dad were at school together.


Ma thought there had better be one of Mark and I together.  We've both scrubbed up quite well.


At some point during the dinner I thought I'd better get one of the cricketers together - Dad, Geoff Miller and Ian Botham.  There was also the ex-Manchester City footballer Rodney Marshall sat next to me (remember the 'cosy' tables?), just to the left of this shot.  He'd been playing golf with Pa earlier in the day, and done surprisingly well considering he'd 'borrowed' Ma's clubs without permission!

Harry Gration had charged up from the BBC's offices in Leeds to preside over proceedings, and we had taped 'tributes' from Richie Benaud, Tim Rice, Gary Sobers, Ray Illingworth (the latter was lovely).  And the chap at YCCC who'd done such a tremendous job of organising this (James Hogg) had even found original Pathe film of when Dad did his first England tour to Australia - 1949, when he was only 19.  James burnt me a dvd of this, which I did want to Youtube but apparently it's still under copyright.  It was lovely to see it, but also rather sad when I think of how he was treated by the other players and how it affected his confidence for years.

Bryan Stott and John Hampshire (who I didn't manage to photo) did a lovely little chat about Pa later in the evening, and Ian's talk was brilliant - as you'd expect. 

Pa was nearly moved to tears several times, but especially when he was presented with a letter from Prince Philip congratulating him.  They have met on several occasions and always got on tremendously well.

We didn't even leave until after midnight, and still up at the usual time this morning.  It's not caught up with me yet, but I have been both running and sculing this afternoon.  I'm having another cup of tea and some rather yummy 65% cocoa Madagascan chocolate and going to bed early.

Off to this tonight.  I'm slightly dischuffed that the main photo on the page is of Ian and not Pa.  But I suppose that's the selling point these days.

Still not sure what wearing.  (Most things in the wardrobe are at the point of not fitting any more, but should I start taking them in now or wait a bit?  Decisions, decisions.)

Anyway, it'll be mostly black.

So I organised the third parcel of fibre I had to send out today, gathered up the pupz and the camera, and set off up the hill this afternoon.  Since the Disco died we haven't walked over the moor very often - because it's up the hill and through the village - but since we all love it so much and the weather was gorgeous, off we went.  Parcel duly dropped off, we went out of Northgate onto the moor and turned left up the old track to the top of the moor.



There's quite a bit of this on the way up.  In the 18th and 19th C the moors round here were heavily mined for iron and coal - these were the old tracks up to them, very well worn from the iron-shod cartwheels that ground up and down all day.


This is the view over Bradford - you can see the valley leading straight into the city centre with the railway and canal route along the bottom.  Lunil and Bil have got into the habit of jumping in front of the camera whenever I get it out, whether I'm intending to immortalise them or not.


And this is back down in the direction we've come up.  The hill in the middle distance is Buck Woods, where we usually walk/run. 


Due to the industrialisation, the moor is covered in old mine workings and bell pits.  Nothing really deep - all the mining was fairly early (there is prehistoric stuff up here, a few cup and ring marked stones and such like, but any medieaval and earlier diggings are long since obscured) but some fill up with water.  The pups know which ones they are and make sure they get there before I can stop them jumping in.  The water is not necessarily of the sweetest!


This is north towards Ilkley Moor and up the Aire valley.  As you can see, the sun was hazed over by now and it was getting windy on the top, but still warm (ish).


Then I thought we'd have a go with the self-timer on the camera.  There're a couple of benches by the triangulation point on the very top, which were handy to balance the camera on.  The pups didn't get the hang of it at all - my dashing round to the front was their cue to rush about gormlessly, not looking at the lens.  We'll have to practice.


Then we dropped back down the 18th green of the golf course, across Bingley road and down Strawberry Bank.  This photo was taken above Moorside stables, where I did much of my riding in my earlier days.  This is the only photo that really shows the colours changing in the trees; that's Spring Woods down at the bottom of the little valley.


Oh, and this one, taken from the same place and just to the right.


Going back through the fields towards Tong Park and back home, I found some horses posing artistically beneath an oak.  Behind me as I took this Bil and Lunil were racing up the steep hill towards the rabbit warrens.  Never caught anything yet, but it doesn't discourage them.

They're supposed to be peaceful and zonked now.  But Bil nearly took an eye out this morning on some wire (he's got a big raw patch between his eye, a scratch down the right side of his head and a grazed nose) and is a bit restless.  Lunil's sitting watching the door and letting me know every time someone walks past.  It's too cold to sit upstairs and wrestle with the pirate coat (can't be bothered to get the heater on yet) so I think it's back down with the telly and some knitting.  Mark's out - perhaps I might indulge in some Robin of Sherwood, or shall I treat myself to Labyrinth (goblin kings just don't work without 80s glitter) or even Hellboy 2 (for this particular pale prince I'm prepared to do without the glitter).  

And people - you know who you are - it's just a horoscope, and it was apposite at the time so I put it somewhere where I knew I'd be able to find it again.  All sorted now, don't read anything into it, there isn't anything to read. 

Both this morning and yesterday, as I've left home to walk up to the station at 6.25, the stars have been beautiful.  Better yesterday than this morning.

Orion is climbing fast away from the south-eastern horizon, Sirius brightly dogging his heels. 

Venus, sinking back into daylight rapidly, is still brilliant above the paling east.  And nearby are Mercury and Saturn, and the former is hardly ever visible - usually far too near the sun.  If the skies stay clear for the rest of this week, they'll be a conjunction of all three planets with a thin old moon. 

And it looks like another lovely day out there.  As I am determined not to do anything energetic today (right heel has had enough for the time being, not to mention my legs as a whole), a potter in the woods with the pups and the camera sounds good to me.   Mark's out quizzing this evening, so I ought to gird my loins and spend the evening with the Soddin' Pirate Coat.  Yellow fuzz everywhere....

... and his soddin' coat.



It has taken me nearly an hour and a half to sort out the paper pattern, take the two huge curtains apart along the seams, remove the lining, and cut out all the pieces for the pirate coat.  And my wrist is killing me - this is heavyweight cotton velveteen, and a double layer is not easy on me or my scissors.  I really can't face anything else with it this evening, and as I'm leaving to walk to training in half an hour I may as well give up - for now at least.

As the computer here is playing up a bit I really need to get enough of it started for Tom (Captain Jack Sparrow in potentia) to come and try it on, and bring his dad to fix the computer!

October 12, 2009

1. Virgo (8/23-9/22)

   If this secret thing goes on much longer, it's going to make you crazy. You want to tell a certain someone about a certain issue, but you're not sure that you should -- and uncertainty isn't your usual state of affairs. In fact, if anyone is ordinarily quite sure about their next move, it's you. This, however, is an extreme circumstance, and you know it. You're also painfully aware of what can happen with one false move. Don't worry. You won't make it.

... again, but I keep forgetting to take the camera out with me.  And it was a gorgeous day today.  Nice later start, and marched down to the rowing club for ten-ish, knowing it would be very quiet given that nearly everyone was off at Ancholme Head today.  I spent twenty minutes getting all hot and sweaty on one of the ergs, then actually got out in a scull!!

OK, 18 years since I was last in one - perhaps I shouldn't have gone out in such a fine one.  But Howard was going out and he just got Solitaire out for me without querying it, so I didn't. Twice up and down the river, and a few hairy moments turning around at either end, but I didn't fall in, which is always a bonus.  And I could have found a sculling partner - Howard works shifts and is often out sculling during the week; for obvious reasons one shouldn't be out on the river on one's own - so we're going out again on Wednesday.  I'm bound to fall in sooner or later.  But I did have fun, albeit very wobbly fun.  (The women's 8 has nice little shoes, but all the sculls have whopping men's size ones, and I only have tiny feet - my toes had to hang on for grim death at times!)

Must get the camera down there before the weather turns and the leaves fall.  Pushing my luck to actually take it out in the boat though!

It was then off to Mark's parents for lunch, and me still in sweaty rowing stuff as I hadn't been home yet.  Mark had thought far enough ahead to bring down a clean t-shirt and pair of trousers but not as far as a dry bra!  Never mind, lunch was good (meat and potato pie and creme caramel), and we all took David's ancient salukis for a gentle walk in the woods afterwards.

And Friday night, contrary to my worrying, was great fun!  The bar was never so busy or so noisy that I was overpowered, lots of people were really pleased to see me back, and I found out lots more about the set up and politics and general what's-going-on down there.  Sadly we didn't win a prize in the Stand-up-Bingo, although someone did give me a box of Cadbury's Roses later.  This I forgot to take home, and naturally there was no sign of it this morning. 

Mark actually fitted into his dinner jacket, once we'd retrieved the jacket from Pa (who hasn't fitted into his for years and years and has had Mark's on long term loan while he's been president of Yorkshire CC).  The trousers fitted too, largely due to the fact I've been starving him for the last week.  So he was wearing the natty combination of an expensive dj and a £4 white shirt from Asda!  And looking just like a bouncer - I mean, there was a strong leaning in this direction when he still had hair, and now there's no hair and a thicker neck....

It's getting cold in the evening, and our landlords have no doubt completely forgotten they're supposed to be getting us a new electric fire before the winter.  I'm really not happy about putting the (ancient, threadbare and creaky) old one on at all now, so this evening I've just had to resort to legwarmers, a fleece and a woolly headband to keep  my ears warm.  Won't be long before I succumb to the electric blanket in my bed.