Crinkle crags adventure

On Monday we were up very early. We drove up to Langdale and parked next to the Old Dungeon gill hotel. We were huffing at the cold as we got our boots and coats on before setting off up the valley.
The valley was full of frost, and frost covered sheep, lovely Herdwicks. All fluffy and smiley.
The yomp up the valley side really got us warmed up. The sun was spilling into the valley bowl and casting its sunbeams through the crags and into the dale below.
Once onto the ridge we enjoyed a very sunny day, walking amongst the crags and looking back down into the green pastures below ,across to scafell and all the way back to Morcambe bay ashimmer golden perhaps thirty miles away.

Shaking off the Black dog

At the start of this week I was dead miserable. I just couldn't shake it off.!
But, I kept on taking young Basil out for his walks..I kept on being cheery with the people that I met..
A telephone conversation with an old pal really left me down on Tuesday..So..I got a bit pissed while watching an amazing documentary about Black holes..And it put it all back into perspective..
I had a good long chat with football Scouser lee, while the two dogs romped and chased this morning. And We are off to the Thai, for lunch with Ma n Da in a bit..
You've just got to chip away at the Black dog with as much low level Ecstasy as you can..

Enjoying Halloween

We cooked some chili and we carved some pumpkins. We had some pals over and we drank a bit of wine while the kids went off Guising into the night..
The pumpkins were placed outside the house to scare off any evil , and to welcome any neighbourhood children. Many came along, had some sweets and had their costumes admired..
It is one of the highlights of the year in K,worth..
What can seem like a bit of a frusty town at times, drops its guard and people give their easiest smiles.
My little Bloke dressed as some kind of Caledonian military zombie..

Art for arts sake

Recently I have been fiddling about with sculpture..I am interested in trying to manifest dark energy. The way I have tried to show it in this form, is in the way it has been sliced and interrupted.
The form I imagine as a billet of plasma..The annihilation affect of the dark energy has sliced it into three pieces. I am in the process of having five forms cast in bronze and maybe steel..
I am also working on a separate wooden one.

Blazing a trail

I am starting to feel a bit lost, being without employment and all..It gets to me, insidiously.
But then I thought, well why not go and visit my Brother in Oregon..I havn't seen him for ten years or so now..
So I have been fantasising of renting a cool bike, something like a Triumph Bonneville or just a big old single or a twin.
Pick it up at Denver and just blat over the Rockys for a couple of days..Take my time, looking all cool and a bit renegade, smoking roll ups. And rowing with rednecks..
And just ripping of into the hilly distance..Then he and I could fish for a weekend.Chew the fat and drink two bottles of twenty five year old Macallan.
And swear a bit..

Dirty dogs

Glorious weather of late. Walking back at dusk the other night, young Basil had snatched up some leaves.Or so I thought, He looked a bit shifty and wouldn't meet my eye so I grabbed the stuff off him..Turned out to be a big meaty lump of dog..shit.

.Egg was well and truly on my face..I could hear my wife and son, groaning and chuckling away behind me as I walked the rest of the way to our house..I still think he is ace though..

filthy animals

So I am between jobs at the moment, Which gives me lots of time to spend with Basil. Yesterday we walked in the local woods and we met Lee the international football talent scout from eighties Liverpool, and his Staffy pup Rocky.The two pups are exactly the same age and they loved each other.

Lee and I discussed the problems facing the English youth game, of which he feels partly to blame. He told me how important it is when taking on a young Argentinian superstar to know how he may react to being two nil down on a wet No vember night in Darlington..

While we talked, (me giving my best, fake, bloke footy banter). The two pups raced and wrestled each other filthy.I had to shower him straight away, pulling out loads of thistle heads.

Rejuvination time

The last few days I spent walking and swimming in Exmoor national park.
We swam in the East Lynn, up from Watersmeet. In a oxbow pool. The rivers are in spate and brimming with vigour.
We also swam in the Barle, downstream from Simonsbath..We wandered up the rivers course and swam in a pool below an ancient ruined settlement. We walked back picking raspberries and whortleberries.We didn't meet a soul until back near the village. A (East home county)Woman asked.
"Wots up there then?" I described the river meandering through the heather and bracken clad hills. I tried to en capture the tranquility and romance..
"Is that all!" We looked back at her..."No animals..Deer?"..
We wished them good luck.
We swam yesterday at Woody bay. And walking back up were asked again by a large group; "Is there anything down there?"
I looked askance..
They meant in a catering sense.
I was tempted to lie about a really funky kebab bistro ,with succulent shish kebabs cooked while you wait. And a little cool terrace, where you can sip ice cocktails while soaking up the view and the ambience.

Dog whispering/shouting

We thought we were moving so we bought a puppy. He is a lovable little tike, but I feel sorry that there are so many NOs in his world. He has many chew toys, but in fact likes to chew everything.
He had his last jab recently but we still have to keep him in, nearly all the time. We do take him to quiet places, for little strolls. And if we see another dog , I pop him in his bag. He sticks his head and paws over the top.
If we walk anywhere public, it brings on a chorus of ahhs. And many glances and nudges. It is possibly the nearest experience I could get to being a film star..
Oh, he is a Border collie called Basil..

way out west

We spent last week down in the west country. The first few nights on the Lizard, in an empty field bar one other tent..The occupant of which was a trained sniper! It isn't everyday you get chatting to a sniper..
Then we headed back along south Cornwall..We walked down to the cove at Lanssalos, all wet suited up ready for action. The sea however was far to rough so we headed inland and camped on Dartmoor..Headed north next day and swam in the Salmon pool at Castle Drogo.It really is a lovely spot..The River was in spate and was a rich tawny whiskey colour, it made our bodies look really magical.
The last few days we spent on Exmoor, probably my new favorite spot in England.We camped in the Lynn valley and swam in Crook pool upstream from watersmeet.

The big picture

On Friday I flew back to England from Gothenburg. We took off and headed north, up toward Marstrand then out over the Skagerack to Denmark.It was a beautiful sunny evening as we crossed Jutland and then down the North sea..All the way down are blocks of shipping, groups of twenty or so, on both sides about four miles off the coast, just anchored up waiting for commerce to start again..
On Saturday I rented a van and drove down to Shoreditch to move my daughters..One has moved to Clapham, and the other to Finsbury park..It was a hot day, and we had some tense swearing, as I manoeuvred the too large van through the busy teeming streets..
Next week is the beginning of my four week summer break, and we are starting off with a weekend of Foraging, wild swimming, Astronomy and Philosophy in Devon..

Stroking the landscape

When I cycle I feel as if I am stroking the texture of the landscape..All the bumps and hollows..
On the way up hills I am sucking in air. and forcing blood and energy through my thighs n Calfs and on through my tyres and into the ground..
My mind then holds a topographic memory. It is the same with astronomy. I am getting to recognise stars and know how far away they are. I am building a three dimensional map of our galaxy..It is intellectual effort more than physical, but the principal is the same..

Coast to Coast

On Friday we set off from Bideford. Our intention was to Cycle all the way to Plymouth..
The Tarka trail was a proper treat. Bluebells, Ramson, buttercups and new ferns all sprouting brand new growth..The trail follows an old railway track and there are many viaducts to cross with views along the river Torridge..
We spent a pleasant night at the Half moon inn at Sheepwash, then cycled back past Bideford and up the estuary into Fremington quay..
We put the bike back onto the roofrack and drove across the moor into Tavistock.
In the morning we cycled from Lydford to the Meldon viaduct, then back again..

Sublime Virile Dominator

So the other day we met up with some pals on the South coast and we circumnavigated the Isle of White..My pal has a RIB, which is really quite fast..We zapped up the Solent and stopped at a beach near Ryde.My pals had made a picnic lunch, so we ate that while we observed all of the pleasure and commercial craft making their way into Portsmouth and Southampton..Then we reembarked and scooted around past the Needle's and back up into Lymington before tying up outside the Ship Inn for a beer..My Mate has really got the hang of picking up the bow waves of larger craft and surfing their wake..
The Top Banana at work was talking to his acolytes the other day..Behind him on his Power wall were two images..One of a severely tailored jacket, like his. And the other was of The Rampant Gherkin building in London..Freudian overkill..

keeping a low profile

At the car factory we are obliged to attend meetings..My Friend has taught me his meeting expression.It conveys blankness tinged with disappointed interest..I think I have nearly mastered it, and I use it often now..At yesterdays meeting we were told how we are to work our extra three unpaid hours within a rigid time span..
Some of the permanent staff had a bit of a whinge. I just kept my blank look frozen and gazed between the two gaffers alternately..I kept my neck wound right in..
Next weekend I am headed off for my first wild swim of the year.. Perhaps in Devon..

Picture of us lost near Glen Affrick

Less bucks for my bang

Still banging away at the car factory . But today they have told us that they are cutting our hourly pay rate by ten percent..We were also informed by our local managers that they want us to work faster..On the way to the contractors car park, the Rozzer on the gate searched my bag for the second night running.. I am a little miffed to be honest..And yes, I know that I am one of the lucky ones with a job..
At the moment though I don't feel so lucky.. I only feel venom, and disenchantment..Less than Gruntled..
There is a terrific programme on telly about a fella living up near Applecross.. He is doing up an old bothie. He has bought some Sheep, pigs and some chicken..He has taken a young dog with him and he is very content...
I think that there will be a lot of civil unrest this Summer.. I hope that the youths smash up some posh little villages in the stockbroker belt, instead of their own impoverished back yards..
Back to wild swimming soon..

All together now...!

Busy at work in the car factory..On Friday it snowed ,a bit..So at ten o clock they sent everyone home..This caused immediate gridlock,..People questioned us as they left, " Why are you fellas carrying on working?"..
Well , we have a deadline and more importantly as a contractor I don't get paid for sitting in traffic jams..Some responded that they would rather sit in a traffic jam than sit in "this place"..
This is an attitude that seems to prevail quite strongly..
Them and Us..Masters and Servants..Actors and Technicians...
It seems so out of place in a modern working environment..But it works both ways, some of the top Duces can barely hide their disdain...Not all...
And they want the tax payer to blithely wodge a load of cheap cash their way...
Here are some more Glen Coe images..

aching old legs

took a road trip up to Glen Coe with a couple of pals.. We drove up in my little Yaris, which is a little snug but very gentle on fuel..
The upper slopes are full of icy compacted wind slab and the scenery was incredible. We spent all day boarding, finally getting the hang of it again after a cup of tea and some dried fruit for lunch..
It is a lovely feeling knowing that the mountains and slopes are just up the road a bit, if you are willing to make a bit of an effort..

absence of colour

We took a boat from Vathi around to the northernmost shore of Ithaka.. As we skirted the east coast, we were close enough to hear the billions of Cicadas in the thick forests that cover the slopes and shores...
We disembarked to a beach, and spent a hot couple of hours swimming and nervously dodging the rocks dislodged by the feral goats in the woods above...
When it was time to leave, the sea had become to frisky, and we had to swim out and board by a hastily gripped ladder as the boat rolled heavily in the ultramarine rollers..
The captain was a mildly belligerent scruff, and he smoked and gulped away at cans of lager throuought the day...
The slightly risky approach to health and safety added something to our experience. And in the middle of this chilly winter of uncertainty. The vibrant colours of a Greek summer still bring a whist full smile to my pasty English face...

collective nouns and iambic pentameters

Trying to speak my native tongue to the best of my ability is my hobby as much as a compulsion..I used to feel embarrassed when people at work would mock for " getting up yourself"..
A bit older now and I have no care for dull opinions. I suck as much marrow out of the spoken word as I can...
Phrases like; A charm of Goldfinches or A flight of locks always give me a flush of minor ecstasy..
I still feel like a gormless oaf ,way out of my depth when I try to read poetry.. Listening is easier although I couldn't quantify or categorise my pleasure...
Why for instance is "He bangs the drum and makes a dreadful noise" iambic as a pentameter..

Into Infinity

In the dog days of a hot and lazy French summer, my two sons and I liked to swim out to the middle of the river and drift down to the weir..We could observe the sea trout spawning in the spume below and sometimes we would slide down the canoe slipway in the centre on our airbed our our old battered dingy...
The drop was about eight feet, and was a little intimidating at first..
Occasionally we would help a bewildered kayak group to find the slipway, and we would aim them down the middle with a vigorous shove.
The Kayakers were usually grateful and glad to find the way down stream, from the river you can see only air at the rivers edge and an unknown drop...
It was a nice way to practice French, trying to assure novices that we knew what we were doing..
Votre guide de Ardeche toboggan..

David versus Goliath

The last week or so I have just been cooking drinking and eating, and I am a bit bored of it now.
I have been keeping half an eye on the news, watching Israel the ally of our greatest ally as it terrorises the Palestinians some more..
We have all been numbed by the images, but comforted by the fact that they are probably terrorists anyway...
I just wonder how powerful images like this are affecting the young Islamic youth of Britain..If I was an angry young man .."And I was angry about stuff like the Miners and the like"then I would be sure to admire the nerve and perhaps most importantly, the zeal of these two young Moslem's...