The "Old Year" is going out like a Lion

Take a seat!!

The old year certainly wants to go out in a blast if the winds of last night and today are anything to go by.  I don’t sleep well  at the best of times and as I dozed, was conscious of the wind stalking  the house for several hours.  The new cowl on the chimney has definitely changed the” tone of the moan” and the former shrieking howl has evolved into the irritable moaning of a fretful child denied a favourite toy.  But at least my cycle to work was enlivened by the leaves dancing and gambolling on the river path

What a difference a fortnight makes!

Running...but unenthusiastically

Muddy shoes drying by the fire

I’ve been jogging today.  I’m determined that 2013 will be the year I get lighter and fitter, just as I vowed  I would in 2010, 2011 and 2012 too.  Once underway, I enjoy running but maintaining the motivation to get out is a problem.  I’ve taken into account that successful resolutions are best NOT made at New Year (hence the premature start) but lacking a competitive nature, setting myself goals doesn’t incentivise me.  I’m not a shopper either, so a self-reward of new shoes or clothes is equally uninspiring.  I must maintain enthusiasm or run the risk of failure, AGAIN

Now Christmas is over when the the Colley Birds sing

I’m aware times change and traditions evolve but I find it rather sad to hear of friends taking their trees down just days after Christmas.  We tend to be fairly traditional, leaving our tree decorating to Christmas Eve and although we don’t have Colley Birds or Maids a’ Milking, we resolutely keep to Epiphany before we pack everything away for another year.   I suspect the practice of artificial trees going up towards the beginning of December, with no falling pine needles to litter carpets, followed by the huge anti-climax of the day itself is irrevocably changing the shape of Christmas 

ANOTHER "Deading" on Downton (semi spoiler)

Was I the only person in the country who hadn’t heard that there was to be a “deading” in Downton? I was horrified when the Christmas Special ended so brutally!

I abhor this need to “Eastenderise” every programme.  I remain convinced that a script requiring a manager for a tea plantation in India or a beef ranch in Argentina  could have been developed instead.  I don’t mind gentle storylines on Christmas Day for after all the festive excitement, I delight in sitting back and enjoying a programme that doesn’t require too much concentration.  But it seems I‘m in the minority. 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is one of my favourite days of the year. The food cupboards are full, the house wrapped in a blanket of fragrant, spicy warmth.  We re-enact our family traditions: mince pies baked as the choir rejoices in the beauty of King’s College, the well rehearsed reminiscences and exclamations over each bauble as we decorate our tree, the hanging of our empty stockings by the fireplace with a shared, excited anticipation of what’s to come. And finally, we make the last additions to our Nativity scene, remembering the first Christmas Eve in a humble stable long ago.

Happy Christmas

Walla Crag

After spending a delightful evening with Miss Glis, Alex and his parents, it was time to brace ourselves and face the shops today. Instead, we headed up Walla Crag with Judith as a welcome alternative! (There's always Christmas Eve for those essential items like presents and food.) We set off into the wind which had howled all night from Great Wood. Up on the top, we caught our breath and had a successful hunt for a geocache. Then it was a back down and a drive into Keswick, ignoring the consumerist temples and settling instead for a cuppa and scones

A cheerless office

The office atmosphere had a jaded feel about it today rather than the excited “end of term” exuberance one normally anticipates at Christmas.  I’m not sure if it was because austerity measures are really starting to bite, with colleagues feeling there is little to celebrate or that the winter seems to have been particularly long and damp after a fantastic summer of regal jubilation and Olympic euphoria.  Either way, the plastic tray of Greggs’ mince pies taking centre stage as the only festive embellishment in the room seemed an appropriate measure of the joylessness that’s been apparent over recent months

Christmas Cavern

Miss Glis is home!! It’s only for a couple of weeks but wouldn’t have felt like a normal homecoming without us meeting her demands for crisps, curry and melted camembert (not all at once) so we were happy to oblige.  But as a little surprise, we created a grotto of fairy lights and baubles in the hall, reminiscent of earlier Christmas caverns in Coanwood, to celebrate her arrival.  Alex managed to stall her exit from the car to give Andy enough time to switch the lights on before she reached the door.  Her delighted reaction was all we hoped for!

A winter sunrise to warm the heart

As yesterday morning awoke, the sky was absolutely stunning.  I often ride into the embrace of a rose-tinted sunrise as part of my journey is in a South-Easterly direction, but yesterday it was breathtakingly beautiful.   The city looked as if it was on fire, the intensity of the red and pink dawn light creating a ruby glow over the timeless sandstone buildings.  It was so glorious I stopped to take a photo on my phone. It was delightful to hear that several friends in Cockermouth, 25 miles to the West had shared the very same joy in the sunrise too

Sadly, the phone doesn't do this scene justice

Seasonal Celebrations

It has to be something special to draw me away from our log stove on a cold December evening, but last night, I left the house with a spring in my step, lured westwards by the thoughts of good company, conversation, poetry and food. The warmth of the community gathered in Papcastle was equal to that of my birch logs, as we shared favourite seasonal readings and poems, both old and contemporary, mined with love from a rich vein of literature.  Despite my sympathies with George Bernard Shaw’s curmudgeonly take on Christmas, what a perfect evening to begin the celebrations!

Festive Flash Mob

I never thought I’d be part of a “flash mob” in Carlisle (or anywhere else for that matter), but not only was I there, singing Jingle Bells along with numerous other geocachers, but the organisation was all mine!!  So what had brought us to the holly bedecked bandstand on a wintry night so cold that our extremities were tingling with imminent frostbite instead of anticipation? It was the date of course - 12/12/12; the last time this century that the numbers will align.  True to form, the Cumbrian caching community turned up to celebrate, enjoying  mince pies and mulled wine

A ONCE MAJESTIC TREE

For so long, a fallen tree exudes an overwhelming sense of helplessness.  Roots, brutally wrenched from the earth, lay bare the very soul of the tree.  Once proud limbs lie broken and twisted, their fingers clawing at the air above them, life draining away, imploring for help.  Vulnerable and naked, the former majestic presence is exposed to plunder, stripped of all dignity.  But then, imperceptibly, delicately, the helplessness is overcome.  For from death comes life, the shattered remnants nurturing and sustaining a myriad of tiny creatures and plants, dependent on the transformed remains for growth, for life, for the future. 

Is it a bird or an orange beetle?

Christine’s exploits on her freezing cycle ride yesterday became reality for me this morning when I set off for work looking like a rotund orange beetle.  The rain on top of the icy river path made my journey fairly treacherous and with my dodgy left toe protesting at being forced into cycling shoes, I was nervous about taking a tumble.  Needless to say, I didn’t have any inclination to admire the scenery through the glacial drizzle.  I concentrated hard so I made it through without any mishaps, although I experienced the terror of a rear wheel slide at one point! 

My colleagues took this in disbelief that I'd cycled through the icy drizzle with a broken toe

This little piggy........

For those of you of a squeamish disposition, do not read on (or look at the photo) for this has been the week of the broken toe.  I was rushing to tend a pot on the stove and managed to reach the kitchen with my left, little toe at right angles to the rest of them, having hit it on the corner of the living room door.  The pain was indescribable so I decided that it would be best to just put it straight myself immediately.  So I did!  Thankfully, it’s improving and the pain, bruising and swelling are reducing

3 days after the event!

D of E!

One of my proudest accomplishments STILL, some 30 odd years later, is achieving the “full set” of "Duke of Edinburgh Awards”.  I remember the effort that I put into the expeditions, the over-riding aspects of “service” and the long term commitment to a variety of disparate “activities” including of all things, flower arranging and canoe building.  It was tough!  So, a generation later, it’s hugely gratifying to now be able to celebrate Nerea’s successful achievement of the awards too. But notwithstanding Nerea's personal determination, many thanks are due to all those at Friars who've helped her reach this satisfying goal.

2  generations, 2 sets of Duke of Edinburgh Award Badges

Rivers are my life

Somehow, rivers define me; I’m at one with them.  Life giving, abundant, curvaceous, dangerous, benign but with hidden depths….I share so many characteristics it should be no surprise that I’m drawn ineffably to them.  I too have my share of restless energy like an infant river, tumbling carelessly across the rocks of a narrow valley but similarly I can be stately and sedate when the occasion demands it.  So perhaps it was inevitable when cycling to work along the swollen River Eden, that I couldn't help but be transported back to other rivers I've known in different times and places 

"Art is tree"

I’m toying with entering this “installation” for the Turner Prize.   But on a more serious note, you can see our progress on our 2012 Christmas cards.  I still enjoy making them but can’t help reflecting how much the “doing” has changed over the past 30 years.  When Andy and I first set up home together, we’d design and create the cards as a loved up twosome.  Then, when Nerea came along, dad generally  left us alone to play with glitter, glue and paint.  But now Nerea’s away, it’s back to the two of us…………….. but there’s a lot less mess!

Whistler while you work

Andy and I are so proud of Nerea as she has just been accepted as a ski instructor on the Whistler Ski-Kids programme for next November.  She had a gruelling hour long  interview on Skype with a huge range of questions and scenarios before they offered her a place.  We’re absolutely delighted for her as not only does it mean that we’ll be ski-ing in Whistler next season (yippee)  but it’ll be yet more  experience for her future Primary Teacher plans.  The confidence and maturity she has shown for an 18 year old is astonishing and actually leaves me awestruck.

Tree surgey

We attacked the bottom of Grandma’s garden with a vengeance yesterday.  She wanted Andy to take drastic action on a tree growing out of the 15 foot high retaining wall below. But in order to get to the tree, dense ivy, galvanised mesh and several posts had to be tackled first.  It took 9 sacks of green waste, a reviving cuppa and the removal of numerous deeply embedded staples before Andy was able to “go over the top” and dispatch the tree, his ancient Whillans harness coming into its own as he belayed himself onto a post with a sling.

Possibly the worst breakfast ever..........

Feast your eyes on THIS

The Pain au Chocolat was extraordinary!

Some of you will know that I occasionally travel for work but I’d hate any of you to think it was all glamour! And these photos illustrate it!  I’d forgotten I’d taken them and only remembered when I was down-loading a photo from my iphone (recently bequeathed from “Mr Glis” who has upgraded…..such fun) that I’d taken earlier today.   So, feast your eyes on my recent “Travel Lodge” breakfast. It was probably the worst breakfast I’ve had in a long time and exemplified all that’s bad about the plasticised, anodyne, characterless, budget “hospitality” experience so prevalent all over the country.

Banksy it ain't

I can’t remember when Nerea’s graffiti wall was “born” but Andy and I have never had an issue with it.   Why would we? We’ve always felt that her bedroom was her personal space and it was up to her how she decorated it. So I must confess to an element of surprise at the shocked reaction of a colleague when I mentioned it during a discussion about “the decorating” (not that it’s featuring largely in my life or anything)!  Clearly, other parents have a very different view of how their child’s bedroom should look, unlike our own, apparently liberal, approach.

I may be weird but I do like apostrophes

I'm without my "not so Prairie-like" Home Companions!!

“It’s been a quiet week in Carlisle”, to paraphrase Garrison Keillor.

As Nerea’s in Spain and Andy’s working in Lincolnshire, for the first time in several years, I’m “home alone”, dog and cats excepted, for a comparatively lengthy period.  Believe it or not, I’m actually quite a shy person and enjoy my own company so the thought of several evenings alone after a hard day in the office hasn’t been too daunting.  I’ve disciplined myself to ignore the temptation of a good book and chocolates and continue with the loathed decorating chores.  I’ve surprised myself at how much I’ve achieved.

EDINBURGH

Up the close

Lady Stair's close paving stones

The Royal Mile

Spooky!

Greyfriars Bobby

Defeated but unbroken

Feeling the cold

Nerea came home this weekend and it was an absolute joy to see her even though it was something of a whirlwind visit and passed all too quickly.  She packed a lot in, including a day up in Edinburgh for the All Blacks v Scotland Rugby match (although I spent the afternoon geocaching as I don’t “do” spectator sports). Importantly, she spent time with Alex, spending an evening relaxing over a restaurant meal with him. But inevitably, she left a trail of destruction behind with “Nerea litter” on every surface! Unusually, I’m happy to tidy up after her on this occasion!

Decorating Doldrums!

How many layers to the lining paper?

I loath decorating: I dislike painting, stripping wall paper and even choosing new colour schemes.  But there comes a time when the evil activity can be delayed no longer and sadly, that time has come for Nerea’s bedroom.  So we decided that while she is away in Spain we would confront the multiple layers of paper lining the walls of her room and start stripping!  But what a job it’s proving to be.  It’s taking hours to get to the base layer and both Andy and I have sustained fleshwounds during the process. I keep telling myself it’ll soon pass!

A "flying" visit ...literally

We’ve just collected Nerea from Manchester airport for a weekend visit. It seems incredible that it’s almost 2 months since she went over to Vitoria.  Naturally it‘s been raining all day, which makes her transition from warm, sunny Spain all the more startling. We’ll not have much time together as the primary purpose of her visit is to cheer Scotland on to victory against the All Blacks (snork) on Sunday, but it’s lovely to see her all the same.  Naturally no visit from Nerea would be complete without some demands so dinner will be a takeaway curry from the Shaha!

Pyrotechnics. What's not to love?

How the ignition of a tube of powder can transform the velvety blackness of a night sky into a kaleidoscope of iridescent colours, chasing across the heavens like a shower of shooting stars is beyond my pyrotechnical knowledge, but no matter. My family and I love fireworks.  So it was with our usual enthusiasm that we wrapped up well and made our way to the Bitts Park Fire Show. And we weren’t disappointed.  The display, which draws up to 40 000 city residents and visitors, was outstanding, with a huge variety of shimmering cascades, sparkling chrysanthemums and twinkling, swarming beehives.

Scones at Sunrise

Dough at Dawn

Whipping up a storm (or a pot of cream) in the office

Help yourself

My colleagues frequently declare that I’m not normal.  They base their assessments on all sorts of irrational criteria, be it my penchant for singing snippets of songs (badly) as I roam about the office, my love of Bassetti liquorice sticks or my passion for geocaching.  But today, as I brought warm(ish) scones into the office, the categories were extended to include early morning baking sessions. Personally, I see nothing abnormal about getting up 10 minutes early to make up a batch of scones while our porridge cooks, fitting in my shower while they’re in the oven, but clearly others do!

Barcelona or bust

It’s just over a week until Nerea comes home for a long weekend and we’re really looking forward to seeing her again, albeit for a brief time.  She seems to have settled in well to her new role in Spain, enjoying the experience of living with her Spanish family.  She has embraced her Spanish lessons and feels that her language skills are improving although she has some way to go.  And she’s experienced her first ever football game when Barcelona played Alaves in the local stadium, although unlike the boys, I doubt she’ll ever be a fan of La Liga! 

Hurricane Sandy

Sadly, the terrible destruction on the Eastern seaboard of the USA caused by Hurricane Sandy is an all too familiar sight!  It’s unthinkable that New York, the city that never sleeps, has closed down, with power failures, public transport cancellations and wide scale flooding.  No matter how advanced we are as a society, nature can always give us a timely reminder of our fragility, be that with an earthquake, volcanic eruption or perfect storm.  Thankfully, for the most part, evacuation procedures seemed to have worked, although tragically, there has been some loss of life.  Our thoughts are with everyone affected

Snape Castle

Snape Castle

I’ve been to Yorkshire today and on my journey home, I stopped off to find a geocache hidden in Snape Castle Chapel.  What a hidden gem the Chapel was!  It was a truly beautiful and peaceful place. It’s caches like these that made me so pleased we took up the hobby.  I’d barely detoured off the A1 before finding myself in a lovely Yorkshire village, complete with castle and pub.   A few tantalisingly, delicious-looking raspberries were hanging over the allotment wall and there were a few hardy ducks bobbing on the stream. It’s a place worthy of a return visit.

The Ruins

The Chapel

A wet wander in the woods

A slick carpet

Where's Molly?

Autumn glory

It was as well that I enjoyed my youthful regression in the woods yesterday as today has been the wettest day we’ve had since ….the last one. A fortnight ago!  Such a long spell without rain is unprecedented!! Although tawny-coated Molly continued to blend seamlessly into the autumnal scenery, our walk this afternoon was of the damp and slippery kind, the crispy leaves turned overnight into a slick orange carpet. The return to GMT made the afternoon seem shorter, (although that may have been due to our mid-morning cinema excursion) with dusk falling much earlier. Winter is round the corner!