My photo a day

August 21st 08 - dusting the bike off

2008-08-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

I've not been on my bike since the end of summer last year. The months I had recovering from my broken ankle haven't helped but I feel its strong enough now to take a bit of light exercise so if the weather stays good over the weekend I hope to take it for a bit of a spin.

I'll have to find a pump though first as the months in the shed haven't been too kind to the tyres.

Lets hope for a decent weekend with the weather, it would be good to get out in the fresh air again.

August 20th 08 - who can resist?

2008-08-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well I can resist...frankly he is a very loud and somewhat irritating man (well on the telly anyway, I've never met him face to face)

He is appearing at the Hull Food Festival this weekend. I've never been to the event but I'm told it is really rather good so if I'm free this Saturday I may head down and see what is on offer. I love to cook so I'm always looking for new ideas. Maybe they'll be giving stuff away too...yummy!

August 19th 08 - a very tired me!

2008-08-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is one of only a few self portrait I have on my photostream on Flickr. I hate having my photo taken but at least when you do it yourself you can control to a certain extent how good/bad you look.

I am very very tired after my weekend away, but a very pleasant tired not a worn out tired. So this is a photo of me with sleepy eyes about to get ready to head off to bed.

Goodnight

August 18th 08 - Ruby on her wheels

2008-08-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

This is my girlfriend Ruby on her new bike. It is a Suzuki GSX650F and it is a true beauty. She even let me sit on it and have my photo taken. I wasn't expecting it to be so heavy and big but it is a beautiful bike.

I even tried on her spare helmet and I know she has a spare jacket too...so maybe next time I'll get a trip round the block on the pillion seat *hint hint*

Thanks for a wonderful weekend Ruby, I loved going to the festival and sharing all those fantastic experiences with you, I can't wait to see you again xxx

August 17th 08 - Edinburgh Festival Day3

2008-08-21T13:09:00.000-07:00

In the morning we took a break from the festival and headed along the River Firth to a place called Culross. It's a small Scottish village saved from rack and ruin by the National Trust of Scotland and is now a popular place on the tourist trail. The buildings in the village are quite something and feel more like a Mediterranean fishing village than a place only a few miles from Edinburgh. We enjoyed our walk round and had lunch in the local pub. t was strange not to see a selection of typical Sunday roasts at the pub, I am so used to that being the norm down here in England. It was a lovely lunch though.

Then in the afternoon we went into the city again to meet a friend of Rubys for a coffee which was lovely. We then went into the excitement that is the Fringe once more. This beautiful lady was one of a number of Japanese people dressed up. They all looked stunning and were happy to pose for photos.

In the evening we went to see Brahms - The Two Piano Concerti at Greyfriars Kirk. It was wonderful and even though it was not something I would have necessarily picked out as something I would have wanted to see it was excellent and I really enjoyed it. However, Ruby and I nearly committed a cultural faux paus by putting out coats on at the point we thought it had finished ready to go only to find out it was the intermission and there was another concerto coming up. Hopefully not too many people noticed :)

Then it was back to Rubys for a late night supper of Port, cheese, crackers and chocolate...lovely :)

August 16th 08 - Edinburgh Festival Day2

2008-08-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today we set off into Edinburgh and headed over to the Pleasance, a Fringe venue on the southern side of town. The atmosphere there was great, lots of fun and lots of very interesting characters around either getting ready for shows or handing out flyers to upcoming performances.

We started off with lunch of Waffles with strawberries and chocolate for me, and Toffee and banana for Ruby before looking through our accumulated flyers and deciding on a play called Dad's Money. We weren't disappointed. It was really good. The story was of two Somerset brothers who, after loosing their Dad go looking for the tin of money he had kept throughout his life. Both brothers found it hard to trust the other and would constantly fall out while recounting how they'd both failed their Dad during his life. Their desire to find the money in the cellar of their Dad's house leads them in a bit of a predicament as waters from a flooded field start to fill the cellar. I'll leaver it to you to go and see the play to find out what happens at the end, but you will enjoy it. It's no comedy, even though there are enough funny lines in there for you to warm to the characters, but the story was very well told and the twist at the end was a great touch. Recommended.

After the play we headed off to the Royal Mile area again to soak up the performers on the Fringe. On the way we bumped into Shakespear himself listening to his iPod...only in Edinburgh!

One of my Flickr contacts had told me about a play that was showing at the festival which was being performed by her drama group. Unfortunately she was unable to take part in the play but she recommended we go see them anyway, so we did. They were the Filch and Blunder group and they were doing a play called The Village Idiots. They were brilliant. They story was of two young lads who stole a bag from an old lady's shoulder at the bus stop. What they find in the bag makes them feel guilty enough to try and track down the old lady to give her back the bag. The plays tells the story of their adventure to hand back the bag and the characters they meet along the way. The players all wear exaggerated face masks and as there is no dialogue all the story is told using body movement, gestures and music. Even though you know the masks aren't moving you swear they are as the body language and acting is so convincing. I'll definitely be on the look out for these guys again when we go next year. Brilliant.

That evening, after another lovely meal out, we headed over to see Antonio Forcione at the Assembly Rooms. He's an Italian acoustic guitarist and he was breathtaking. I loved it. What an amazing performance. He played the guitar like nothing I'd ever seen before, so fast and making notes from it you wouldn't believe. We were in the second row of a packed auditorium and the atmosphere was superb. He was accompanied on stage by Adriano Adewale, a Brazilian percussionist who was incredible to watch. He played drums, pumpkins, bells, bottles, pebbles, sticks, feathers, you name it he had it there to play. Between them they just held you attention for much too short an hour. I can't wait to see them again, if you love a good spectacle and enjoy your music then this is one show you have to go and see!

August 15th 08 - Edinburgh Festival Day1

2008-08-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

So, we're at the Edinburgh Festival. It is amazing! The atmosphere is incredible and there is so much to see and do. I've never experienced anything quite like it. I love Edinburgh, it really is one of the friendliest and exciting places I've ever been to.

Ruby and I spent most of the afternoon wandering around the streets soaking it all in, watching the performers, collecting flyers and trying to decide what we might go and see.

We eventually made it up to the Assembly Rooms where we booked to go and see a play called "One Small Step" it was a play by two young guys who basically told the story of the 12 years of the space race in just under an hour. They mixed seamlessly between playing Russian Commanders and NASA scientists. They used props in such a fun and inventive way you couldn't help but get sucked in by it all. At one point they had a Thermos flask hovering over a beach ball while the cap to the flask slowly rotated into place to dock with the mother ship over the moon's surface. An amazing piece of theatre, beautifully played and very funny. Well done guys.

Then, after dinner at the Grain Store (beautiful Scottish restaurant) we headed over to see Faure Requiem by Candlelight at the Old Saint Paul's Church. The atmosphere was beautiful, the whole church was lit by hundreds and hundreds of candles and tea lights. The choir were superb and the 9 piece orchestra really made it extra special.

All in all a great start to the Festival.

August 14th 08 - a chilli plant rival

2008-08-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

For those who may have seen my photos on Flickr over the last year you may be familiar with my chilli plant story. Basically I had a set of chilli plant seeds for last Christmas and have been gradually nurturing them ever since and they are now getting to the point where chillis might be about ready to ripen. It's been a long and hard journey we've been on, my chilli plant and I. So, imagine my horror when I arrived at Rubys this evening to find that she had gone ahead and bought herself a fully grown chilli plant from the garden centre. Hers is of course full of ripe chillis ready to be picked. Now I'm not jealous or anything grrrrrrr!!

I'll have the satisfaction one day of picking one of my homegrown chillis and cooking with it a fabulous meal....not like some certain cheater I could mention lol

August 13th 08 - Preparing for the weekend

2008-08-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Edinburgh to stay with my girlfriend Ruby tomorrow as we're both going to see some of the Edinburgh Festival. I can't wait. I've always wanted to go and as I love the city of Edinburgh more than any other place I've ever been to I'm sure it will be a fantastic weekend and a great opportunity to see more of Ruby too.

Ruby has some shows booked already but we've left plenty of time free to have a good look round the festival and take in the sights and sounds. I'm sure I won't be stuck for things to take photos of so I'm packing everything. This is my typical bag, I have a Crumpler XL which I use most of the time as it can go over my shoulder and hold the DSLR, a spare lens and most of the bits and pieces I need on a day to day basis, the main advantage is that it doesn't look too much like a camera bag so hopefully it won't attract too much unwanted attention.

Right, I'm off to pack clothes now...have a good weekend :)

August 12th 08 - Keeping the air safe

2008-08-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

I was out and about doing various things today and one of those was calling at a few of the automatic air quality monitoring stations we have around the county. This is the control panel in one of the older stations, the newer ones have flat screen monitors and better computers, but this is old school!

Note the 3.5'' disk drive, I bet you've not seen one of those for a while! I had to look it up in an old book on a dusty shelf just to work out what it was. I had tried in vain to find a way for my USB 2.0 flash drive to fit in the slot.

August 11th 08 - Climbing

2008-08-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

I have quite a small, but nicely formed back yard at home. I've tried lots of pot plants in there with varying degrees of success. Shortly after I moved in a few years back I painted all the walls and fences blues and greens to give it some colour. I then bought some ivy and put it in a large pot by the wall that divides me and my neighbour. I hoped the ivy would take and eventually spread up the wall and give it a nice covering. But after three years of barely making it out of the pot let alone sticking to the wall I gave up and removed the pot.

The year after this sprout of ivy appeared from the smallest of cracks in the patio and is now covering about a quarter of the wall and is almost at the top. It's great news but I have no idea where it came from and why my perfectly reasonable attempt failed in favour of this random sprout from nowhere.

I tell you, gardening is very complicated!

August 10th 08 - a walk round Beverley

2008-08-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

It's funny (and I've talked to a lot of people interested in photography and they all say the same) how you don't often take photos in the town you spend the most time in. I hardly ever walk round Beverley with a camera, or seek out new places to take photos in the town. I suppose as I see this place everyday I take it for granted.

Today however, as it was a nice day, I decided to take a walk with the camera through the town centre and seek out new nooks and crannies to photograph. I headed over the main market area (Saturday Market) and St Marys Church at the top end of the town. I managed to time my visit nicely between the frequent showers and got some lovely weather. The place was pretty quiet too which helped get the photos I wanted without having to wait for a clean line all the time. I've posted more on my Flickr account, but this one stood out for me as it looks so unlike anywhere you'd find in this country. Especially with the vibrant blue sky, it looks more like Greece than East Yorkshire. It is in fact the top of the bandstand in Saturday Market.

I enjoyed exploring the town, so this certainly won't be my last time. It proves I definitely don't need to travel too far to find new things to shoot :)

August 9th 08 - The best cheese scones on the planet

2008-08-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

I'm very lucky to live in a town, Beverley in East Yorkshire, which has such a good market. I remember the town I grew up in, Worksop, having a dreadful market,m full of cheat tat and rubbish food. But Beverley is really spoiling me now with such a good market, full of a variety of excellent stalls and best of all some top notch local food.

My favourite stall is one where they sell all sorts of pastries, homemade cakes, scones and a massive variety of local cheeses. Here they sell quite possible the best cheese scones known to man. I used to think my Mum made the best cheeses scones on the planet before I moved to Beverley, but even she recognises how good these ones are.

So today, I treated myself to a batch and settled down to watch the Olympics this afternoon with some hot cheese scones and melted butter - yummy!

August 8th 08 - Fading sunset

2008-08-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'd had a very busy week and a long hard day today so tonight was all about relaxing on the sofa, having a nice dinner and then collapsing with a DVD. I wish I'd been less tired and then I might have bothered going out with the camera and finding what must have been a lovely sunset.

I caught the back of it purely by accident as I came upstairs to close the curtains when I saw this view out of my bedroom window. The colours were just fading and it was beginning to get very dark. In fact just ten minutes after this photo was taken the colours had all but gone.

Next time....

August 7th 08 - At last, a hay bale photo!

2008-08-07T12:57:00.001-07:00

After a very long day at work today stuck in a hot and humid office doing endless paperwork I decided to take a long drive home through the countryside. I saw this lovely field by the side of the road so decided to stop for a bit of a walk and some photos.

The light wasn't great as the sky was really cloudy so I kept loosing the sun, but in the end I got a few shots I was pleased with. However, I'm paying the price for it now as that field must have been full of biting insects as I itch all over!

August 6th 08 - A very happy day

2008-08-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

I've had a good day today. I've been working towards a major project at work for some time now. It will basically overhaul the way in which we use computer based mapping called Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in the team and I've been quite daunted by the whole thing for some time now. But today was the initial meeting of the project and it went very well indeed. It looks like the project will likely be delivered much earlier than I'd expected, with the minimal amount of hassle and will deliver everything I've asked for. I'm a very happy man.

August 5th 08 - The new shower

2008-08-06T12:36:00.001-07:00

Not a very exciting photo but the first one of the new shower I had to have installed after the old one went kaput. This one is really good and I'm very pleased with the job the plumber did for me, and at a very reasonable rate too.

The photo also depicts the weather too, rain rain rain!

August 4th 08 - Paddling in the sea

2008-08-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

I had a day off work today so after meeting a friend for lunch in town I decided to grab the camera and take a drive out in search of photos. Initially I was looking for some nice round hay bales in a field to catch a few photos with the golden light of late afternoon, but I drove for miles through the lanes and dales of North Yorkshire and didn't find one field that fitted the bill.

Then I spotted a sign for Scarborough and seeing as it was such a beautiful day I decided to take a trip to the coast. When I arrived the tide was right out and the sky was bright blue without any clouds at all. I walked along the beach, which was packed with holiday makers, and took a few photos of the bay. Then I did something I'd not done in years, I took my shoes and socks off and rolled my jeans up and went for a paddle. The sea was surprisingly warm and I really enjoyed feeling the water on my feet. Unfortunately the tide was now coming in so I kept getting caught unawares by the waves and before too long my jeans were soaked from the knees down, which made for a very uncomfortable drive home. It was worth it though!

August 3rd 08 - Hardwick Hall

2008-08-06T12:27:00.001-07:00

About a year ago we'd gone, as a family, to Hardwick Hall, a National Trust property not far from where my Mum and Dad live. It was Mum's birthday and she'd got a brand new camera and wanted to go somewhere nice to try it out. Unfortunately it rained all day so even though we enjoyed the walk round there weren't many photo opportunities to be had.

Mum had always wanted to go back and seeing as it was a lovely day that's what she and I decided to do. We didn't bother with going in the house as we'd done that before but opted for a walk round the gardens and a visit to the Old Hall instead. The gardens were very disappointing, and after paying nearly £5 to get into them I was shocked to find that only about a quarter of the gardens was worth even browsing round. The other three quarters were made up of a lawn, an overgrown area and a very sparsely planted orchard. I warn you that if you are visiting and you're not a National Trust member then you won't find much to occupy yourself in the gardens...best steer clear of them.

We managed a few photos of the Hall itself and one or two in the gardens, then we went for lunch before heading home. A very nice day out nonetheless.

August 2nd 08 - Oh how very English!

2008-08-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

We headed down to the Robin Hood Festival at Sherwood Forest today and after a long walk round enjoying the different shows and events we settled down to watch the cricket at Edwinstowe. It felt lovely just sitting there under the warm sun enjoying a picnic whilst watching the cricket. What a beautiful day, just right for a picnic.

We felt very English! Especially as not that far away to our right there was Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham battling it out in a jousting arena at the Sherwood Forest festival.

August 1st 08 - Guitar

2008-08-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

I've come home to Mum and Dad's for the weekend. It's my brothers birthday tomorrow and it was my Mum's last weekend so this weekend we're all getting together to have a joint birthday celebration meal. It's nice to see the family again and have a get together and a bit of fun.

This is a guitar in the now music room of their house. Dad has a couple of guitars, one acoustic and one electric, and Chris has an acoustic one too. They're all stored in the music room, which was once my bedroom - oh how things change!

July 31st 08 - Rain, rain go away

2008-08-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

It won't stop raining, it feels like the floods of 2007 are on their way back to haunt us. The rain just keeps coming and coming. This is a photo of the shed roof out in the back yard and the water butt that the drainpipe falls into is constantly overflowing, despite me emptying it just a couple of weeks ago.

Let's hope that summer makes an appearance again soon, as even though rain is good for the garden, I think we have had enough by now!

July 30th 08 - too tired!

2008-08-06T12:17:00.001-07:00

I've had a very busy, but very enjoyable week so it's time for an early night. Goodnight all

July 29th 08 - Lack of inspiration

2008-08-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

This was another day where inspiration for a photo had all but failed me. Then I went into the bathroom to draw the blind and saw the way the light had fallen on the houses over the road and how that looked through the funny glass in the bathroom window.

Well, I thought it made for a different photo. Maybe the inspiration fairies are in there after all :)

July 28th 08 - Anything but monkey brains!!

2008-08-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

I cooked chilli for dinner tonight as I had Ruby staying for a few days. I'd asked her last time we met up if there is anything she doesn't like to eat in case I ever cook for her and her reply was, "well I was once served monkey brains and they didn't taste too good, so anything else will be fine" - how can you compete with that?

So at least my chilli should be OK...fingers crossed!

July 27th 08 - PALA visit to Chatsworth House

2008-08-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

At the end of the PALA 2008 conference they had arranged a visit for the delegates to Chatsworth House. As I don't live far away Ruby had managed to blag me a ticket to come along. We couldn't have picked a better day for it as it was stunning, really hot and with a wall to wall blue sky.

After a walk round the inside of the house (something I've not done for years) we ventured off into the gardens. As I was the only one out of the group who had been to Chatsworth before I was appointed the unofficial guide, so I made sure we saw all of the main areas and water features in the time allowed. The place was packed, with children playing in the cascades and couples laid out on the grass taking in the sun.

It really is one of my favourite stately homes to visit, they seem to really cater for the visitor by giving them almost free reign in the gardens and even allowing photos to be taken inside the house, a real treat these days.

After our walk round the grounds we headed to the main courtyard area and to one of the cafes for lunch, which was delicious, if a little pricey. Then it was back on the coach to head back to Sheffield.

Ruby then followed me back to my place where she's to stay for a few days before heading back to Edinburgh

July 26th 08 - Shiny shoes

2008-08-06T12:03:00.001-07:00

Tonight I'm off to a formal dinner at Firth Hall in Sheffield. I've been invited by Ruby which is nice. We've not known each other for too long so it's great that she wanted me to come along. The dinner is for the Poetics and Linguistics Association (PALA) 2008 conference. Now I know I'm going to be way out of my depth as far as conversation is concerned but maybe my shiny shoes will make up for my lack of linguistical (is that even a word) knowledge :)

Actually, I'm really looking forward to it, I met up with Ruby and a few of the other people at the PALA 2008 earlier in the week and they are a great bunch, and any time to spend with Ruby has to be a good thing. Bring it on!

July 25th 08 - Blue wobbles!

2008-07-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

A strange photo I know, but this is the surface of my new wobble ball from the physio. Apparently if I stand on it and use it to develop my balance it will help strengthen the muscles in my calf and heel. All good stuff. I just hope I don't fall off it and break another bone :)

It's also Mum's birthday today, so Happy Birthday Mum, see you soon xx

July 24th 08 - meal and drinks with Ruby in Sheffield followed by a late night walk to find the car!

2008-07-25T15:18:00.002-07:00

I went over to see Ruby at her conference in Sheffield this evening and we went for a drink then out to dinner with several of the delegates. Now for someone who knows nothing at all (apart from what Ruby has patiently tried to teach me) about linguistics I was really interested in the conversations and even managed an intelligent comment or too :))

Seriously though, they were a great bunch, really good company and all had fascinating stories to tell. Especially a guy from Zimbabwe who had some harrowing tales from the troubles over there and how the country is changing day to day. Really compelling stuff.

This photos shows the path I took back to my car, which I eventually found after walking the side streets for a little longer than I'd hoped for at midnight!

July 23rd 08 - sleepy summer's bed

2008-07-25T15:18:00.001-07:00

Something really nice about summer, seeing the sun streaming through the window in the afternoon. I'm quite tired actually today so I might just get into this bed right now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

July 22nd 08 - Chilli plant success and a visit from Ruby

2008-07-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

I can't quite believe it, but the chilli plant has survived me being away. It was very dry and a bit wilted in the sun, but amazingly it has now sprouted about 8 chillies. There were a few flowers when I left to go to Berwick and I hoped they might turn into chillies in time but I'm so happy to eventually have something from this plant. I'm no green fingered gardener so this is a proud day for me :) I just have to wait for them to mature now and then find something to cook with them...can't wait!

I had a visitor today too. Ruby came down to see me all the way from Edinburgh, she is at a conference in Sheffield for the later part of this week so I was the port of call on the way home. Lovely to see her again and spend time with each other. I cooked a meal and we chatted over a couple of bottles of red wine on the sofa...perfect.

July 21st 08 - A week away...the aftermath!

2008-07-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Finally back home, after a great week away. I really enjoyed the holiday, seeing Dilys, partying at Phyllis' 90th and of course seeing Ruby too, but it is always nice to be home. Although I did have piles of washing to do, but at least the weather was dry and warm so they soon dried out on the line. Luckily I have tomorrow off work too so I can have a long rest and recover from the busy week.

July 20th 08 - Happy 90th Birthday Aunty Phyllis

2008-07-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

The reason I was up in Berwick for the week, Aunty Phyllis' 90th Birthday party. What a night...it was brilliant. She certainly doesn't look 90 and no way does she act 90. In fact she put many of the guests to shame with her dancing and carrying on. I hope I'm half as sprightly as she is when I get to 60 let alone 90. Well done Aunty Phyllis, thank you for a great night and I can't wait for your 100th!

July 19th 08 - Dilys and Mary having a bowling conference

2008-07-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

Back at the bowls club. This time for an important triples match where Dilys, Mary (both pictured) and Margaret got through to the quarter finals in a major competition sponsored by Famous Grouse. They all played really well. By this time in the week, Chris had come up to stay too so we'd both gone to Holy Island (Lindisfarne) earlier in the day for some photos but as is usual in the English summer the heavens opened so photo taking was cut short in an attempt to run for the car. We made it back to the bowls club in time for the bar to open though :)

July 18th 08 - A view of the Firth of Forth after a lovely couple of days with Ruby

2008-07-25T15:13:00.002-07:00

Another trip north to see Ruby. I had a great time, and didn’t want to leave in the end. We had a relaxing meal, a long chat and then in the morning we went for a walk along the coastal path before heading out for lunch to a place just up the road. On the way back to her house we stopped at a view point and got some beautiful views out over the Firth of Forth. This is a small island in the Firth with an Abbey on it. Apparently you can get a tour boat out there and have a walk round the island. That's something to do another time I think. See you again soon Ruby xx

July 17th 08 - One of the frogs

2008-07-25T15:13:00.001-07:00

Aunty Dilys is/was a huge fan of frogs. As with anyone that has a fondness for items such as this she was always bought them for Christmas, birthdays, special occasions etc and eventually the house was full of them so she had to call for a stop. Now there has been a frog cull in the house and only a few special ones remain. This one lives in the bathroom by the shower. I'm not sure what his name is though :)

July 16th 08 - Paxton House

2008-07-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

While Dilys was at work I jumped in the car and made use of the good weather to head out in search of new places to visit. This is Paxton House, a stately home just over the border into Scotland. It's a Scottish Palladian mansion built in 1758. It's well worth a visit. More info at http://www.paxtonhouse.co.uk/. The gardens are a nice walk and a path takes you down to the River Tweed where, at certain times of the year, you can watch the fisherman out on the river trying to catch Salmon the traditional way. I watched them bring in several nets but without so much as a tiddler. The house itself is open but it's guided tours only. I was lucky to be the only one in the tour at the time I visited so was treated to a personal guided tour of the house...brilliant and very interesting.

July 15th 08 - Berwick Bowling Club

2008-07-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

Aunty Dilys is a real bowls fan and plays at almost every opportunity during the summer. The Berwick Bowling Club is just over the walls from her house and is a beautiful setting. The green is a real sun trap and has beautiful flower beds all around with plenty of benches to either watch the action or get lost in a book. This time Dilys was playing a tie against another lady which she went on to win. I took a few photos of the action but I was worried I was proving to be too distracting, so this is a shot of one of the flower displays instead.

July 14th 08 - View of the Berwick walls

2008-07-25T15:10:00.000-07:00

I also try and make time when visiting Berwick to get round the walls as often as I can. They're a great way to see the town, and a good source of exercise too. I've taken so many photos of the town over the years that it's sometimes hard to find a new angle. For this shot I went out over the main road bridge to get a photo of the old bridge with the houses and walls in the background. My Granny and Granfy used to live not far from the walls so this side of town is really familiar to me. Luckily the light and the sky worked to make a nice HDR image which was a stitch of about 7 photos I think.

July 13th 08 - Lunch at Gleneagles

2008-07-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

While staying in Berwick I took the opportunity to go up to a place near Edinburgh called Dalgety Bay to see my good friend Ruby. She works in Edinburgh and we know each other through the Flickr photo site. She's a lovely lady and full of energy with a wicked sense of humour. I also enjoy being in her company so I was looking forward to seeing her. When I arrived we had a drink and a bit of a catch up then she suggested we take a short drive out to a hotel near her for lunch. I opted to drive and after a nice drive through the Scottish countryside we arrived at a beautiful golf course. She'd navigated me to Gleneagles Golf Course of all places. What a beautiful setting, a lovely hotel with great views of the surrounding hills and a wonderful golf course. We had lunch in one of the main bars in the hotel and it was lovely. We then headed south to visit Rosslyn Chapel before coming back to Dalgety Bay for dinner. Thank you Ruby, you're a star xx

July 12th 08 - Walk around Berwick pier to see the lighthouse

2008-07-25T15:08:00.001-07:00

No visit to Berwick is complete without a walk round the pier to see the lighthouse. It was really windy when I went down onto the beach by the pier so I had to tuck myself tight against the wall to get a steady shot out of the wind. I love being by the sea, something really calming about listening to the waves and watching the energy as they crash against the walls of the pier. Lovely.

July 11th 08 - Berwick for the week!

2008-07-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

A much needed break, some time away in Berwick to see my aunty. I love going up there for a holiday as Aunty Dilys is such fun and welcoming, also Berwick is a lovely town and holds many fond memories for me as my Granny and Granfy (Dad's side of the family) lived there. If you've never been to the town then it is worth a visit, not least for the walk around the walls which offers great views of the town and across the River Tweed to the North Sea.

When I arrived, after nearly 4 hours driving in very heavy rain Dilys was out playing bowls, but she had left me dinner on the stove and a bottle of red wine all ready for me. Thanks Aunty x

Going away - be back soon

2008-07-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm going away for a little while, so I'll post my photos from the trip when I get back. See you in a week or so :)

July 10th 08 - The start of physio

2008-07-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

May I say first of all, that this photo is not a shot of me with my underpants round my ankles, as many of my Flickr contacts thought!!

I was so embarrassed to read their comments lol

This is the rubber band that my physio has given me following our first session today,. Apparently it will help me with some resistance work to build back up the muscles in my leg and foot after breaking my ankle back in March. I'm relived to hear that all the pain will eventually go away however the ankle area will never go back to normal completely due to the swelling, at least I will be back walking in the hills again before too long which is great news

July 9th 08 - In need of some inspiration

2008-07-10T14:25:00.001-07:00

Sorry the last few posts have been somewhat lacklustre but I'm struggling with inspiration with this project right now. I think I've hit the wall! But hopefully this will pass and more exciting opportunities will present themselves soon. I turned to my magazines today and they gave me some ideas, unfortunately I got sidetracked by the food magazine and ended up making a batch of chocolate brownies for the team at work instead...they were delicious though :)

July 8th 08 - A green pepper on a red pepper plant!

2008-07-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Now this is a little odd. This is a red pepper plant bought as a friend to my red chilli plant and this is the first fruit to appear and it seems to be the wrong colour.

I'm assured by people in the know, and I needed to ask as I certainly don't have green fingers, that this is just the development stage and a red pepper will emerge. In the meantime I will brush up on Trading Standards legislation just in case :)

July 7th 08 - Bathroom chaos

2008-07-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

The bathroom is in a bit of a state today, all thanks to the new shower being fitted. Roy, the plumber, has done an excellent job so far, and even though this looks like a right mess now he assures me that a new shower will be in and working by Friday :) Frankly, I can't wait.

July 6th 08 - Ready for a new shower

2008-07-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today I had to get the bathroom ready for the plumber coming tomorrow. He's fitting me a new shower, doing some tiling, some sealing and a few other odds and ends. I can't wait for it all to be done as I'm fed up with having to use those plug-in showers that fit over the bath taps. The hot water pressure in my house is so feeble that you hardly get a trickle over yourself...not easy to get ready in a hurry for work which seems to be me every morning!

The "so" came off my shower curtain, it has the words shower, wash and soap printed all over it. Apparently they are there to remind stupid people what a bathroom is for. Maybe I should get some tea towels with the words wash up, dry and put away written on them for the kitchen :)

July 5th 08 - The last of the poppies

2008-07-06T11:51:00.001-07:00

I've had some really great poppies growing in the garden for the first time this year. No idea how they found their way into the garden as I didn't plant them, But as the garden has gone a bit wild this year, mainly due to me being off my feet for three months with a broken ankle, I can't say I'm surprised they turned up.

I'd leave the house every morning to the poppies just opening up and looking really splendid, then by the time I got home each evening the wind had blown the petals off and they didn't warrant any photos. But today, as I was stood by my front door fumbling for keys, I thought the poppy head itself was a very interesting shape so it got picked and dragged inside in front of my camera :)

July 4th 08 - A day trip (at work!)

2008-07-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

I was the only one in our office today, everyone else was on a mix of leave or off to a course somewhere or other. So, faced with the option of spending the day in the office doing paper work or getting out in the car to do some site visits the car trip won out. I can assure you it had nothing to do with it being a beautiful day though!

The area I cover at work is just over 900 sq miles and has some great countryside and sleepy villages so I quite enjoy getting out and about and exploring. There were quite a few areas I had to visit to I turned off the climate control, wound the window down and took it easy, enjoying the sun and the cool breeze. Oh this is the life :)

July 3rd 08 - A food photo

2008-07-04T09:33:00.001-07:00

Every now and again I fall back to a food photo for my Project365 (photo-a-day) set. They're easy to do and provide a good reminder of what I've been eating over the year too lol

I love to cook so it's nice to find time to make myself something really nice. This is a replica of a meal I had out not so long ago and really liked. It's chicken, fresh pasta, leek, mushroom and roasted cashew nuts in a green pesto sauce...and it was delicious.

July 2nd 08 - Old faithful boots :)

2008-07-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

Another one of those multi-agency days today. We had a joint operation with the Police, VOSA, HMRC, DVLA and us at the Council. It was really interesting and we got some good results, and it was a great excuse to stand in the sun all day long too. I had to get the old Dr Marten steel toe capped boots out for the day.

They live in the boot of my car and the socks are always simply stuffed inside after each use, I realised today that they'd not been washed for at least a year...but get this, they don't smell!!

July 1st 08 - Beautiful skies

2008-07-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

The sky over East Yorkshire today was magnificent. It was a deep blue sky with the most awesome wispy clouds I'd ever seen. They were the really high altitude cirrus clouds and looked incredible.

I was on a site visit with a colleague of mine and even though we were trying to do some serious research and sampling I couldn't help but stop and gaze at the clouds all the time.

Maybe the fact that I had my head up looking at the sky all the time was the reason I have a bright red face now from having caught the sun!

That will teach me :)

June 30th 08 - DIY...no thank you!!

2008-07-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

A week go my electric shower went kapputt. It was very old and had run its course really. So, today I had a local plumber come round to give me a quote to replace the shower with a new one, re-tile a section of the bathroom and do a few other odds and sods around the bathroom.

Now I have no idea at all when it comes to DIY. I must have missed that gene when they were handing them round...so I tried to act like I knew what he was talking about when he started to describe all the different steps he would take and how long things would take, but it all sounded like some strange foreign language to me. I did decipher that he'd like me to strip the old sealant off the bath so that would save him a job (and me lots of money) when he has to re-seal when he comes next week. So, this afternoon I set about taking the old stuff off...goodness me, what a job!! After about ten minutes I six different tools to help me: a flat head screwdriver, a stanley knife, a pair of scissors, a pair of pliers, a chisel and a plastic ruler!! It was a mammoth job. Then I reached out to steady myself over the bath and managed to sit on the tail end of the shower curtain which caused the shower rail to come down onto my head. I'd managed to pull the screw fixing right out of the ceiling, leaving a rather nice hole. So I had to go find the drill and some raw plugs from the shed to put a new fixing up...the result, lots of dust, lots of swearing...and in the end I had to go to Focus to buy some superglue to attach the new fixing to the ceiling as the plaster is so old it wasn't strong enough to drill through properly.

The moral of this story is...tradesmen, you get a bad rap but you are worth your weight in gold!!
I take after my Granfy, who, according to my Granny never learnt how to use a screwdriver in his entire life :)

P.S. Single ladies...I'm not a complete lost cause...I can cook!

June 29th 078 - Some time by the sea

2008-07-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

I don't know what is about being by the sea, but I love it. I really like just going there and enjoying the scenery and listening to the waves. I live about a half hour from the sea and I wouldn't change it for the world. These are the cliffs just below the main lighthouse at Flamborough.

My Granny and Granfy lived by the sea in Northumbria and Nan and Granddad didn't live that far from the Norfolk coastline so we've always been able to go spend time by the sea all my life.

Being into photography helps too as the coastline round where I live offers some really diverse photo opportunities from quiet coves to great chalk cliffs, from busy seaside resorts to eroded groynes jutting out past disused lighthouses.

Whenever I need some time to think, or some Jon-time, then the seaside is where you'll find me...usually with camera in hand

June 28th 08 - Stripes on an eco-building

2008-07-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

This stripey feature is on the side of the fruit market in Hull. A highly innovative building that is extremely eco-friendly. The roof is basically a huge gutter to capture rain water and along one side of the roof is a vast array of solar panels and wind turbines. They make a very strange fluttering noise as you walk past.

I like the building as they have really pushed the boundaries in design and made it as "green" as possible which is a great way to test out new technology and push to see what is possible and importantly, economical when it comes to trying to build a self-sufficient building. Well done to them.

If you want to go have a look yourself then it's signposted off the main A63 that goes through Hull and isn't that far away from the main marina.

June 27th 08 - The pollen count

2008-07-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

Every morning at this time of year I have to undertake the pollen count. This involves me firstly changing the pollen trap on the roof of the Wilbert Court flats in Beverley, then taking the used drum into the office and analysing the tape under a microscope to actually count the pollen grains! As a team we are responsible for the data that informs the national pollen forecast for this region. We do it between beginning of June and start of August every year. The data is then phoned through to the National Pollen Research Centre in Worcester where they combine it with data from other centres and use it to model the grass pollen forecast which you see on your TV and in your newspapers etc.

I don't mind going up there on the roof every morning, as long as it's not too windy, but I do hate doing the count under the microscope, especially making the slides up as it's very fiddly and easy to make a hash of. The roof offers some great views of the town, and not something you see everyday. So I'll put up with the rest of it just for that.

Thankfully I don't suffer with hayfever, but if you do rely on the forecasts for your hayfever then spare a thought for us poor souls counting it on your behalf :)

June 26th 08 - Raining again :(

2008-06-26T12:45:00.001-07:00

Well it's a year since the awful floods of June 2007 and rather poignantly it's raining hard today. I feel very sorry for those affected by the floods, and many of them are still in caravans or alternative accommodation even now...they must feel a shiver go down their spine every time it rains.

I hope summer comes along soon, as it's very hard to find new things to take photos of when you're stuck inside watching the rain drops on the kitchen window :)

June 25th 08 - A rose from the garden

2008-06-26T12:41:00.001-07:00

As I lived with my parents while recovering from the broken ankle my front garden has taken on the look of a jungle whilst I've been away. It's in a very sorry state and full of weeds. It's even gone beyond the stage when you can pretend it's a wildlife garden and supposed to look a bit scruffy :(

I just don't have the energy right now to do much about it, I'll get round to it and give it a good tidy up in the next few weeks and hopefully that will do for now. I've never been much of a green fingered man, although I do enjoy it once I put my mind to it.

The only items that are seeming to flourish amongst all the weeds are the roses and some newly emerging poppies. The poppies look great first thing in the morning when I'm off to work as the sun gets on them but by the time I get home they have been battered by the wind and are about to close up. It's a shame as they'd make a great photo. Hopefully sometime over the weekend I'll get a chance to get out with the camera and catch them at their best. Goodness knows where they came from as I didn't plant them!

June 24th 08 - A book clear out

2008-06-26T12:38:00.001-07:00

I have too many books. Simple. I need to get rid of some as I live in an old terrace house from 1850 with very little storage. I hate throwing books away though so I've been very careful in deciding which ones are going and which are staying.

This lot are off to a charity shop in town, or maybe to be sold to a second hand store, I'll see what I'm able to do with them.

In fact after I put this photo up on Flickr a few of my friends have asked for one or two so they're about to be posted off to a better home...I hope they enjoy reading them too.

Now I have a little more space I can go buy some more :))

June 23rd 08 - Blue sky thinking

2008-06-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

First day back at work today after nearly three months off. I was really nervous and excited at the same time. It was great to see everyone again and to catch up with what has been going on, but it was a shock to the system being back at my desk dealing with normal life again.

I enjoyed it though, it gave me something else to think about other than my ankle! I've missed the people I work with so it was great to see them again. I'm lucky that I work in a really friendly and supportive team and have some close friends there so in that respect I have a nice environment to go to each day.

In the morning I caught up on post and the hundreds of emails that had come in while I've been off. Thankfully much of the work had been undertaken by colleagues or managed in such a way that it could easily be done once I got back so there was nothing too urgent to attend to which was nice. In the afternoon I got out and did some site visits, more to ease myself into the working week than anything else, but it was great to be out in the sun again.

I wasn't even supposed to be in today. My manager and I had had a mix up when we were deciding when I was coming back. Today was supposed to be one of my compressed (I work longer hours each day and get every other Monday off in return) days...oh well, not to worry, I'll carry it over to next week instead :)

June 22nd 08 - A dry Beverley Westwood

2008-06-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

I'd been thinking about doing this photo for a while. About a year ago to the day this region, along with many others in the UK, suffered the worst floods for decades. Hull was particularly badly hit and parts of Beverley were deluged too.

This row of houses backs onto the Beverley Westwood, a large area of public parkland on the edge of town, and they are some of the most sought after properties in the town with a great sense of character and an ideal location. When the floods hit they suffered really badly. I remember going down one evening after a meeting at work and being shocked by how far the water had come and feeling really bad for those people who were watching their homes being damaged.

I took a few photos at the time, the one below is one of them, and you can see to what extent the flooding impacted the homes. It made, photographically speaking, for a great photo, the light was perfect and the reflections really stood out. But I remember feeling very intrusive and uncomfortable taking the photos. I think it helped that the water had been there for a day or so, so no-one was in the middle of trying to save possessions otherwise I would like to think I would have put down the camera and gone to help.

Thankfully it's a beautiful day in Beverley today, bright summer sunshine, warm and breezy. I hope it stays this way, and remains a lot drier than it was last year.

June 21st 08 - An interesting invite!

2008-06-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

I received a letter from a TV production company today asking if I would be interested in being a contestant on the Channel 4 show, "Come Dine With Me", I bet they sent it out to loads of people but it was an interesting proposition nonetheless.

However much I like meeting people and cooking I don't fancy the idea of making a wally out of myself on national telly, and having seen the programme a number of times I don't like the idea of other people rummaging through my house while I'm cooking in the kitchen either.

So thanks, but no thanks :)

June 20th 08 - A trip up the coast

2008-06-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

I love the north Yorkshire coastline, Scarborough, Robin Hoods Bay, Whitby and all the way up to Saltburn. Full of interesting little place, great views and beautiful beaches. It was a lovely day here so I decided to take a run up to Whitby in the hope of seeing a nice sunset and getting some photos of the town. It was a lot quieter than I thought it would be, I suppose the summer holidays have not quite started yet...it's a shame the town has become so much like a cheap holiday resort in season as I think it spoils the character of the place. The old town still has much to offer though and if you head there out of season it really is a beautiful place.

I had a walk round the outskirts of the Abbey, then down the 1999 steps to the main town before walking out towards the lighthouses for a view back into the town. I'd been there a while before I noticed that the sunset was looking a bit promising so decided to hedge my bets and head further up the coast to Saltburn as it offers some of the best sunsets in the UK in my opinion. All looked on track when I got there, and the local snappers were certainly out in force with about 8 different tripods vying for position on the beach. But as is often the case the sunset disappeared behind a low lying, thick layer of cloud at the horizon and fizzled out to nothing. I enjoyed the ride up there though and it was nice and peaceful standing on the beach listening to the water.

I took the time to get a few light trail photos on a quiet stretch of the main Whitby to Scarborough road on the way back. I set the camera up on a tripod about a metre or so from the road looking down a long sweeping stretch of road and fired off shots with the infra-red remote. I was quite pleased with the results (see below). I didn't stay too long as people driving along the road were beginning to suspect I was a policeman with a speed camera and I worried a real policeman would come along and give me an earful!

June 19th 08 - Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire

2008-06-21T07:13:00.000-07:00

I'd gone back to Mum and Dad's last night for the night as a friend of the family and business partner to my brother was hosting a Pampered Chef party at the house and I said I'd go along. We had a great time, ate some fabulous food and I ordered a few things for the kitchen too. I love kitchen gadgets, but I always run out of room to keep them, so I made sure I stuck to small things this time.

Today we went to Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire for the afternoon. I'd told Mum and Dad about it before and said it looked worthy of a visit. The house itself isn't open to the public, except for special occasions, but the grounds and gardens are beautiful and very accessible. They offer great views of the house itself and there are lots of interesting nooks and crannies to explore. After a long walk round (we only saw half of it) we then headed to the cafe for a slice of cake and a drink. I'd recommend you head over there if you're in the area and it's a nice day. The adjoining golf course didn't look too bad either :)

June 18th 08 - Starting the rat race again

2008-06-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'll be going back to work on Monday, for the first time in three months since breaking my ankle. It'll be very strange after having taken it easy and living at a much slower pace than normal, to be thrust into work again. I really like my job and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again and to getting my teeth stuck into it all. But I must admit to being a bit apprehensive about what awaits. I'm, sure a lot of the work that was on my desk when I left will still be there, and some of the reports I know I have to write up are not my favourite thing to do!

It'll be good to tax my brain again, do something more difficult than daytime telly for once! There have been a lot of changes within the structure of the team I work in too so it will be odd having to adjust to that too. I'm sure the changes are for the best though...it'll all work out in the end.

Now I just need to look forward to my next time off, hopefully a week in Berwick in July and a visit to Edinburgh thrown in too :)

June 17th 08 - A very lucky find

2008-06-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of South Dalton Church, this wasn't going to be my photo of the day but I got sidetracked on the way back to Beverley so I decided to come straight home. This is what happened.

I was driving back down the back road into Beverley from South Dalton where I'd taken this photo when I saw what I thought was a wisp of smoke coming from one of the ditches off the right hand side of the road. I found somewhere to pull over and turned round. When I got back to the spot the smoke had gone but I pulled over anyway and got out of the car. I had a look through the bushes and down close to the ditch when I found the remains of a bumper and the grass was all flat. I walked further down the ditch following the debris and found a car in the bottom of the ditch with a lady trying to get out of it. I managed to get her back to my car where I phoned the police and ambulance service. She was really shaken up but appeared to be OK.

After a short while a paramedic first responder arrived who was followed a little while later by a police car then an ambulance too. The lady didn't remember what happened at all and there were no skid marks on the road just a trail of damage through the undergrowth into the ditch. The paramedics and ambulance crew guessed she must have blacked out and left the road. She was so lucky, the car had missed a large tree trunk by less than a metre, and at 50mph(ish) you can only guess at what would have happened. I'm just really glad she's OK.

I was pretty shaken up myself and I didn't realise how much until I got home and sat down and thought about it. Walking to the car in the ditch I was feeling sick to my stomach as I had no idea what I would find and what I would do about it if it was as bad as I feared. I only had a very small amount of battery left in my mobile so I knew I would have to leave whomever was in there and go back to the car to call the ambulance, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to leave anyone who was badly injured. I'm just so lucky that she was a walking wounded and was able to come back to my car with me. It just shows you how lucky some people are, her car was pretty hidden in that ditch and had she been trapped she may have laid there for sometime before anyone got to her.

Although it was a happy(ish) ending, it's certainly not something I'd want to repeat anytime soon.

June 16th 08 - The Deep at night

2008-06-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Another nighttime run out in search of different photos to take. This time I had a long drive taking in the sunset at Hornsea Mere (fizzled out to nothing), the wind farm at Easington (not enough light) and then into Hull (run the risk of chavs). I ended up at the Deep down by the fruit market. I'd seen several photos of this place at night, some of the best by a Flickr contact, CMP72 so I knew it would make for a good shot.

I was really lucky as the tide was just at the right height to make the reflection the right size to fit in the frame. It would have been no problem for a wide angle lens (10mm maybe) but I had 18mm to work with and just about managed to fit it in.

It was a lovely warm June evening too so it was quite nice standing there all peaceful taking the photos.

June 15th 08 - arty farty food shot

2008-06-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

I was struggling for a photo to take today so resorted to copying an idea by a Flickr contact, Ben Garside, who'd done something similar a few days ago. I turned it B&W to try and give it a moody effect, but the light wasn't that great in my kitchen so it turned out a bit flat...something to try another day I think. Mind you the pasta bake that preceded this shot was superb :)

June 14th 08 - spent a day in York with Ruby

2008-06-17T13:47:00.001-07:00

I met up with my Flickr friend Ruby today in York. She was staying there the night on her way down to Portsmouth for work. Bless her, she'd ridden all the way from Edinburgh on her motorbike then rushed into town to meet me at the Minster. It was great to see her again, having met up with earlier in the year in Edinburgh.

We went and found somewhere for lunch and ended up at Cafe Rouge near the Minster before heading back and doing the Minster. I love it in there and I'm always awe struck by the beauty of the place and how it manages to stay standing and looking so magnificent after all those years.

I've always wanted to go up the tower as I'd heard the views are amazing, but every time I'd been I was either too late or for some reason the tour was off. Today however, we were in luck. So after just over 250 steps we reached the top, out of breath and with shaky knees. But the view was worth it. You had a 360 degree view of the city skyline and as it was a fairly clear day you could see for miles.

After we made our way back down we headed into town and had a coffee...any excuse to rest our weary legs really :) We also had a walk through the town and sat down by the river and watched the boats for a little while before finding a restaurant for dinner. Then we had an adventure trying to find out where her hotel was...unfortunately Ruby shares my carefree attitude to navigation so we were like lost sheep for a while, but we got there in the end.

I love spending time with Ruby, she's a lot of fun and is great company. I hope we get to meet up again soon, thanks for a great day Ruby x

June 13th 08 - Windy day on the Wolds

2008-06-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

I was sick of being stuck indoors again so decided to head over to Huggate on the Yorkshire Wolds where I knew there were some great views of the countryside. It was a fairly windy day but the sky was very dramatic so I took the camera along just in case.

This spot was just off the Huggate to Middleton road so I parked up and walked a little way into a field and set up my tripod. I had to take a few shots before I got a steady view of the trees and fields in the background. I used a solid ND filter to give me a longer than normal exposure time, making the crop in the field move in the photo to show the wind. I'm really pleased with the result and will use this technique again.

June 12th 08 - Skidby windmill

2008-06-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

It was getting late and I'd not taken my photo of the day so I went out for a short drive to try and get inspired, thinking if I didn't see anything at all I'd take some long light trails of the cars long the motorway as there are lots of bridges along the stretch of the M62 near me that make great vantage points.

I was on my way to one of these bridges, having not seen anything of interest at all, when on the horizon I saw the windmill at Skidby all lit up. It looked great so I found somewhere to park and thankfully you could get quite close, so I took the tripod and got a few shots. The light was beautiful with a really strong moon behind me helping with the lighting.

I was so lucky spotting it when I did....I can now save the car trails for another non-inspired night :)

June 11th 08 - My new toy

2008-06-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've got a new phone! My contract isn't up just yet but I'm finding that I'm going over my set allowance almost every month so I thought it was time for a change. I've stuck with T-mobile, even though I have no brand loyalty whatsoever with any of the mobile phone providers, I felt that they've been OK with me these last 15 months or so.

SO, the phone. It's a Nokia N95. I went for this for two reasons really, number one being the camera, it's packed full of features and at 5MP it will do as a stand in when I see a photo I want and don't have the Canon 400D with me. The second reason was the up to 8GB storage with removable memory card...perfect for lugging round the MP3s and storing lots of photos.

I'm really p-leased with it so far, and being a total gadget nut (like most blokes I know) I'm in my element with this phone...it even has maps and GPS :))

June 10th 08 - The seaside

2008-06-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

I miss the sea when I've not seen it in a while. Today was the first time I'd spent any real time there in several months and it was nice to be back. My ankle didn't stand up to any more than a very short amble along the sand but the weather was beautiful and the clouds looked great so I was glad to have had the camera with me.

There's something really peaceful about being by the sea, it helps me get my thoughts in order and certainly relaxes me. I'd hate to move far away from the coast as I like to have it within a short drive of me. I'm lucky living where I do in Beverley as the coast and the Yorkshire Moors and Dales are no more than half an hour or so in the car so I get the best of both worlds.

June 9th 08 - Clumber Park

2008-06-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is Clumber Park, a National Trust property in North Nottinghamshire, near Worksop. I used to work there as a teenager between about 1992 and 1997. It's a beautiful park centered around a lake and has stunning countryside and lovely walks to keep you occupied. There isn't a house there anymore as it burnt down a long time ago but there is a shop, walled gardens, chapel, cycle hire, restaurant, plant sales and a whole host of things to do. Or you can simply sit back and relax in the sun or watch the cricket on the green.

I love coming here, it reminds me of what a great time I had working there...especially on beautiful days like today when it truly does stand out as a great place to be. This photo was taken while Mum, Dad and I sat on a bench soaking up the view (and the sun) and shows the chapel and restaurant buildings from the lake side path

June 8th 08 - Early Father's Day day out

2008-06-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Mum and Dad are busy with friends visiting next weekend so we decided to get together as a family and celebrate Father's Day a week early. It was a beautiful day so we grabbed the cameras and headed into Derbyshire to the Crich Tramway Museum. It's funny how photography as a hobby opens up so many different places to visit for you. I wouldn't be at all interested in going to a tram museum without having been interested into photography but I really enjoyed the day. They had all the working trams out on the tracks and they were all available to ride on and have a good look round so we all took plenty of photos :) This is a shot of Chris (my brother) on the front of the top deck of a tram.

They have 1940's themed weekends there every August bank holiday so they should be really worth a visit as there are lots of old classic cars and people in period dress around. A must for anyone with a camera I think!

After a good old soak in the sun we headed home for dinner. We all had a really good day. I was shattered though as I'd gone the whole day without using my crutches, trying my best to get my foot working again...I managed OK although I was very slow and in pain some of the time...but it is getting easier which is good to see.

June 7th 08 - The fat fairy

2008-06-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back at my parents for the weekend after spending a few days at home in Beverley. I'm here for Father's Day, which isn't until next weekend really but we're celebrating it this weekend as Mum and Dad have people over next weekend. It's nice to be back again, even though I don't intend spending another two months here as I did on my last visit. (I really must stop breaking my ankle!)

I also had some help from Dad with my computer as my copy of Photoshop had decided it wasn't going to work anymore so he helped me reinstall Vista and get CS3 working again...thankfully as I was really lost without it. Some of what we did was trial and error, but it worked so that's the main thing.

The photo today of the "Little Fat Fairy" was a random shot really, but it does have a bit of significance as I have lost a lot of weight since breaking my ankle. I'm surprised really as I feared I'd pile the pounds on after being off my feet for so long but the opposite happened and I'm slimmer now than I have been for a while. Don't get me wrong, I'm no stick insect and have more to loose, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Now I just have to be mindful of the "Little Fat Fairy's" wand as if I go near a chocolate biscuit or some cake a bolt of lightning shoots out of her wand and zaps me! Hopefully she'll be the incentive I need to keep the weight off :)

June 6th 08 - Come on technology, catch up!

2008-06-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading New Scientist and the BBC Focus magazine today and they were both packed full of the way in which technology is improving our life and how better off we all are for it. I agree, it is responsible for such massive leaps forward for the planet and humanity, I mean we've put men on the moon, begun mapping the human genome, explored almost every inch of the planet, gone higher and faster than ever thought possible...and then I went to put my washing on and wondered why on earth they can't make a washing machine that not only washes your clothes but dries them, irons and folds them then puts them away in the wardrobe. It can't be that hard can it??

June 5th 08 - Presentation Day

2008-06-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

We had our project presentation today and it couldn't have gone better. I'm so proud of us all. We did so well. The panel heaped praise on us left right and centre and gave us a distinctive mark overall and the Director who was sponsoring our project was very impressed with the work we'd done so far and was keen to progress it even further, with us on board, once the time is right for the development of the ideas. I'm really chuffed and very relieved to have it over and done with. Well done team!

No significance with the photo - I just liked it :)

June 4th 08 - Beautiful day in Beverley

2008-06-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

I spent the majority of today stuck in an office at work preparing for a very important presentation my project team and I have to give tomorrow. We've been working on this project for just over a year now so it will be great to finally put it to bed tomorrow. We worked hard today and I'm sure it will all come together when we present to the panel in the morning.

It was strange being back in the work environment today, even though I don't go back properly for another few weeks I enjoyed being back there and having my mind active again. There's only so much daytime telly one man can watch without going mad :)

After we'd done with the practice I headed out for a short drive with the camera as it was a beautiful day and managed to get a shot or two of the beautiful sky against what has to be the only oil seed rape field left in flower around here. It made for a great contrast with the blue sky I thought.

June 3rd 08 - Back home

2008-06-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

My first day back home today since I broke my ankle. It seems like such a long time ago, but it is good to be home. I enjoyed staying with Mum, Dad and Chris while I recovered, they were really good to me and made sure I wasn't too bored by taking me out and about which was great. I think I'd have gone stir crazy if I'd just sat with my foot up the whole time.

I love having some of my independence back too, I can now drive (short distances) so that's good, and I'll be ready to go back to work properly in a couple of weeks too. In the meantime I'm going to rest and get used to being back at home in Beverley

Thanks to Mum, Dad and Chris for looking after me, running around after me and for generally being a great family x

June 2nd 08 - These boots were made for walking

2008-06-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

I took myself out for a drive this afternoon, I felt like I needed some time on my own and to enjoy my own company. I ended up near Haversage in the Peak District and as I drove along I saw the most wonderful view down into the valley so I pulled up on the side of the road, gingerly made my way over a style and sat on the grass and soaked it in for a while. It was really peaceful up there and it made me long for the day when this ankle is back to normal and I can pull my hiking boots on again and go for a walk with the camera. Hopefully it won't be too long now.

Today is my last day at Mum and Dad's as I'm moving back home tomorrow. The broken ankle has healed enough that I am able to get about relatively easily and can now get up and down stairs easily enough and as I can drive now, getting to the shops shouldn't be a problem either. So I thought I'd spend the last 2 and a half weeks or so before I am to go back to work recovering at home. It'll be strange being back at home after spending so long here with the family. It's been great though, they have really looked after me well and, even though I'm sure it hasn't been easy for them, I have felt very welcome here...taking over the music room :)

Thank you to Mum, Dad and my brother Chris for being so patient with me staying at their place. You've all been very kind xx

June 1st 08 - If friends were flowers...

2008-06-02T12:12:00.001-07:00

This is a sign that Mum has in a pot in the courtyard at their house. It always makes me smile as it sums her up really, very friendly and always out to make people happy. So I thought it was about time I took a photo of this for my project365. That and the fact that it's been a horrible day today, rain and cloudy, so not many photo opportunities presented themselves.

I hope this isn't a sign of the summer we're going to be having...not a good thing to have such poor weather on the 1st June for goodness sake. We battled through it though, showing that British resolve, Dad put a coat on and lit the BBQ while the rest of us stood inside with the heating on waiting for the food to arrive :)

Got to love the British summer haven't you!

May 31st 08 - Things change don't they

2008-05-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today I took a drive out to Meadowhall with Chris to buy a few things then we headed out to the Peak District to take some photos. While we were in the area we decided to call by an old outdoors centre we used to go to while in Scouts. Today was the first time I'd been there in 15 years at least so it came as quite a shock to see the state it was in.

The photo shows it as it was today. It's called Wilkin Hill if you ever pass that way and is near Low Bradfield in the Peak District. We used to go there almost every winter when we were in Scouts and it was a brilliant place. We have such great memories from spending time there. The Scouts always used to go in winter time so there was a thick layer of snow all around. We'd sledge down the hill just off to the left of the photo on plastic fertilizer bags, go hiking off into the hills and round the nearby reservoirs and have a whale of a time.

When we got there today we found one of the doors open and went inside to find the place wrecked. All the furniture we used to use is still there, in fact the beds we slept on are still in their place. It was so sad to see it like that, I'm just glad I have the memories of the weekends we used to spend there. It's just a shame that other people don't get to enjoy it the same way we used to. Hopefully someone will invest in the place once again and let Scouts and other groups go there and have the sort of fun we had.

I suppose it just goes to show that things move on, people grow up and life changes. I hope the activities they used to run there and the visits from the Scouts weren't put paid to by this silly culture of no win no fee there seems to be. Children are wrapped up in cotton wool when they should be out getting dirty, having fun and taking risks.

May 30th 08 - Gainsborough Old Hall

2008-05-31T12:23:00.000-07:00

The last day in my black and white week of my photo-a-day project365. It's been quite a challenge really, so I'm glad of that. No point taking the same old photos day in day out so it has given me new ideas to think about and new processing techniques too.

This photo is of the inside of one of the rooms at Gainsborough Old Hall, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. It's an English Heritage property which seems to be run by Lincolnshire Council. I'd recommend a visit if you're in the area, not only is it a beautiful building but they actually allow you to take photos inside and out, quite rare these days when it comes to old houses.

I thought some of the rooms were a bit plain and the furnishings didn't seem to match the era in some cases but all in all it was a great visit. Make sure you visit the kitchens (bottom floor) of the hall as they are beautifully presented and very interactive. I hear the Hall is often used for school parties and I can see why.

You can find out more about the Hall by visiting their website here: http://www.gainsborougholdhall.co.uk/

May 29th 08 - Gateway

2008-05-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

The penultimate day in my black and white photo-a-day week. It has been harder than I thought it would be to tell the truth. But I suppose that was the challenge, to find out new ways to take photos and what subjects work as black and white and which don't. I'm not sure what the next challenge I'll set myself will be, for now I'll just keep taking photos and see what takes my fancy.

This one was taken at the gates to a long driveway down to a lovely farmstead near Firbeck village, not far from where my parents live. It was set in a valley, surrounded by lush fields, woodland and a large lake. Somewhere I definitely wouldn't mind living.

I liked the way that the driveway was flanked by the tall trees and fell away from you down into a vanishing point, not really revealing much about what was at the end. It must be nice to drive down there to your house after a long day...I think a Jaguar E-type with the top down would be perfect for that :)

This afternoon I had to go back to the consultant about my ankle. Its been nearly 9 weeks now since I broke it and I'm still in quite a bit of discomfort and some pain from it. After an X-ray today the consultant was happy the bone had healed correctly but said the pain etc was down to the amount of trauma the ankle has suffered and is how the muscles are correcting themselves and rebuilding the strength. I have to work the ankle as much as possible and try and build up the strength as best I can. He told me that it would take up to six months to completely heal...but he was happy with my progress so far. I've been signed off work for another three weeks so hopefully by then I should be mobile enough to get back to work.

This evening my brother, Chris and I headed into Clumber Park for a few photos.Chris wanted to have a god session with his new camera, a Sony Alpha 200 D-SLR, as he's been pretty busy ever since he got it. He loves the camera,and rightly so, it's packed full of features and he is managing to get some superb photos with it. I know he'll only get better and better as the ones he got with his old Fuji were great too. You can check out his photos on flickr by visiting his photostream here.

May 28th 08 - North Anston Butterfly House

2008-05-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today was a tricky choice for the black and white photo, part of my black and white week. We'd gone to a Tropical Butterfly House in North Anston, just up the road from my parent's house for the day. Now as you can imagine most of things to photograph there were very colourful so getting a black and white subject proved rather difficult. I settled on this group of flowers as there were so many different colours and tones within the bunch that they made for an interesting black and white when converted. Also I like that it's slightly out of place...flowers are supposed to be colourful after all. But I think it works (IMHO).

The centre was really good, better than I expected it to be. Even though it was very expensive to get in it was worth it if you had the time to spend with a camera. They have a large enclosure (hot house) where they keep the butterflies and there were lots fluttering around, along with the odd parrot, some terrapins and other insects. Including a number of snakes and lizards but thankfully they were kept behind glass. Initially the lens fogged up on our cameras due to the humidity which made taking any photos really hard, but eventually the cameras warmed up and the macro lens came into its element. We all took several photos within the butterfly enclosure before heading out to the other animals, including ducks, geese, goats, llamas, pigs, parrots, birds of prey and many more.

I'd recommend you pay them a visit if you're ever in the area. But avoid busy times such as weekends, bank holidays, half terms etc as it gets very busy indeed. All in all it was an ideal place to go with a camera...especially if you have a macro lens, and a perfect place to take children as it was very child friendly. You can find out more information about it by visiting their website at http://www.butterflyhouse.co.uk/. A review of our day out will appear on http://www.communityfriend.co.uk/ shortly. Head over there for lots of info on attractions in the area as well as dozens of delicious recipes, book reviews and lifestyle information.

May 27th 08 - What lovely weather?!

2008-05-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

The third day in my black and white photo-a-day week. I had no idea what to take today, the weather has been awful all day; cold, wet, windy and now foggy! Dad suggested a shot of the barometer in the hallway, so I decided to set it against a stormy sky and this was the result. I'm pretty pleased with it. I just hope it's not jinxed us too much and the weather improves soon!

I feel shattered this evening. I've had a busy day but it's been fun. I went to the garden centre with Mum and bought a few things...she went for a plant that they had ordered for her a long time ago but it was way too big and too established for the garden so Mum decided to pass on it. We also talked to a lovely young lady there about my chilli plant and she gave us some great tips for what to do to rescue it. It's now doing really well and keeps threatening to produce the first chill peppers but then the buds die off, hopefully the tips the lady at the garden centre gave us will come through and we'll have fresh chilli's soon :)

I gave the chocolate brownie recipe another go today and cooked them for about 10 minutes less this time, they turned out perfect, really soft and moist. Beautiful. You can get the recipe here. I've asked the web admin to change the cooking time, but if you get there before he gets chance then make sure you cook them for about 35 minutes not 45 minutes as stated. They need to be slightly undercooked for the best texture.

I had some great news today from a stock photo site I use to store some of my photos. A large bank has contacted the site after selecting a small number of images to use for customers of the bank to have on their new credit/bank cards. My photo was amongst those chosen and I'll be paid a royalty for each time a customer decides to have my image on their card. It's not certain I'll get any money at all, but the market will be huge and obviously it will give my work some huge exposure and the potential to earn quite a bit is very high :) The image is this one of my eye.

Lastly, before I go and get a bath then settle down to watch the Apprentice. I wanted to wish my friend Ruby a very happy birthday. I hope you have a lovely time Ruby xx

May 26th 08 - Roche Abbey

2008-05-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is Roche Abbey, an English Heritage property near Firbeck, South Yorkshire. The Cistercian abbey was built c1170 and now stands in a valley which was landscaped by 'Capability' Brown to show the ruins off to visitors. The abbey has one of the most complete English Cistercian monastery ground plans.

I last came here when I first got my old camera, so just over a year ago. It's not the most photogenic of places and really needs either a very dramatic sky behind it or a lovely sunrise or sunset to make the most of the location.Unfortunately none of he above came to our rescue today when Mum and I decided to make a visit. But we managed to take a few photos before heading to a nearby pub in Oldcotes for a drink. I enjoyed the walk though!

My brother had some great news today and is now the owner of a brand new Sony Alpha 200 D-SLR camera which he is chuffed to bits with. Read all about how this particular piece of good luck happened here.

May 25th 08 - Carlton in Lindrick

2008-05-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

This is day 2 of my black and white week of my Project365 (photo-a-day). This one was taken on the way back from a BBQ at my brother's girlfriends house. We had a great time, it was lovely to meet her family, all of whom are very nice. I spent some of the night reminiscing about scouts with one of the lads there, it brought back some great memories. I wonder how much of what we used to get up to back then would be allowed now due to health and safety and worrisome parents!

This field is an oil seed rape field and much of the yellow flowers had died off apart from the metre or so either side of the footpath so it gave a really nice lead-in line to the church. I wished I wasn't doing the black and white week as it's lost the yellow from the photo...but I suppose that's half the challenge isn't it?

May 24th 08 - start of the black and white week

2008-05-24T12:12:00.001-07:00

Mum and I decided to brave the Bank Holiday weekend traffic and headed out on a drive to find a few places to take photos.After a long wait in a traffic jam on the A1 we found ourselves at Tuxford so headed to the windmill there for a slice of cake and a drink. I plumped for chocolate cake while Mum had coffee and walnut. Both were delicious.

The windmill was very impressive and quite photogenic, if you could stand up in the wind! Ironically the windmill wasn't turning as it was too windy. We both go quite a few photos and then headed off past my old Scout camp at Walesby and onto Clumber Park. Mum and I took a few photos and I managed to explain to Mum all about the histogram function on her camera, no mean feat I can tell you! I think she understood and now knows how to do exposure compensation...she has come a long way :)

I've decided to do a week of black and white photos for my project365 (photo-a-day). Hopefully it might make me look harder for what to photograph and improve my digital editing skills. I'm going to allow duo tone and sepia too as they are of the same style I guess.

Let's see how I get on shall we?

May 23rd 08 - Walkington

2008-05-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

I had a trip back to Beverley today with Mum and Dad. We checked on the house and all was OK, thankfully. I'll be glad to get back there properly...even though I've loved the rest being at Mum and Dad's I'll be glad to be finally back on my feet and settled in my own house.

We called back at Walkington on the way home and had a sandwich lunch at the Fergusson Fawcett, a pub in the centre of the village, which was lovely. Dad and I had a roast beef sandwich while Mum went for salmon. All were very tasty, so if you're in the area I'd recommend you visit and try them for yourself. They also do an excellent carvery too.

After lunch we had a walk down to the village pond and took some photos. This one is of a row of cottages just by he pond and the entrance to the bowling green.

The best thing about the day fr me was that I managed to drive there and back. The first time I've driven for two months since breaking my ankle. It was a nice feeling being behind the wheel and gave me a feeling of independence again which was great, Although I'm paying for it now as my foot is very swollen and painful tonight...but at least that's one more step on the way to full recovery :)

May 22nd 08 - Piggy Lane storm

2008-05-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

I've had a very lazy day. I had an awful nights sleep last night, I woke this morning feeling awful and with the bedsheets and duvet all over the place. I must have been very restless. My foot aches worse than it has for a long time today. I hope it gets better soon, I can't put up with much more of this.

Shortly before we drove down to the local pub for the carvery this evening, Mum and I went down to Piggy Lane, a footpath out of the village through the fields to take some photos of the rape fields under a very story sky. Unfortunately the rape was on its last legs so didn't provide a very good contrast. I settled for a shot of the lane itself instead. The sky still looks quite threatening so it wasn't a wasted trip. It's the first time I've been down there in at least 15 years, we used to go down there as kids and play in the woods. Those were the days.

May 21st 08 - Lest we forget

2008-05-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

A wonderful day out at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire today. We visited the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight museum and saw the beautiful Lancaster. What a sight she is. It was quite emotional seeing her there and hearing the stories the guide (Syd Marshall...brilliant!) was telling us.

My Granfy was a navigator on the Lancasters and flew in the Pathfinder missions too. I can't comprehend what it must have been like, the sheer terror of being up there, at the mercy of everything they had to throw at you. Incredible. Everyone of them showed remarkable bravery. Thank you to them all.

"There is no parallel in warfare to such courage and determination in the face of danger over so prolonged a period... it was, furthermore, the courage of the small hours of men virtually alone, for at his battle-station the airman is virtually alone... Such devotion must never be forgotten." Marshall of The Royal Air Force Sir Arthur (Bomber) Harris CinC Bomber Command 1942 to 1945

After looking round the museum we headed off to one of the viewing areas towards the end of the runway and found a mound to climb up to give us a great view of the Typhoons coming in to land. They were incredible and the noise they made just gave me goosebumps. They have the best job in the world! It seemed to me to be a really busy day's flying with Typhoon after Typhoon either landing or taking off. Then we saw a Dutch F-16 take off which must have been visiting. I'll definitely be back as I just loved watching it all...getting the photos was a bonus.

Then before heading home to went over to Tattershall castle, not far away from Coningsby, for a visit. Its a beautiful place, very picturesque and fantastically maintained by The National Trust. Well worth a visit.

May 20th 08 - Locked up

2008-05-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

Not much happened today. I got my assignment finished and emailed off to the tutor in plenty of time. I felt it went OK, not the best I've ever written but when there are no other grades than a pass (40%) its hard to summon up enough effort to go for a really high mark. I just hope I've done enough to pass.

The rest of the day was spent being lazy...relaxing now the assignment is over and done with.

The photo for today is the lock on the shed door in Mum and Dad's back garden. I love taking photos of old things, especially rusty things as they are full of texture and quite fun to manipulate in Photoshop too.

Tomorrow we're off to RAF Conningsby in Lincolnshire to see the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) museum. I can't wait as I adore the Lancaster and the other old aircraft that make up the flight. Hopefully they'll be available to see up close, if not I'm sure the rest of the site will be well worth a visit. I may even get to see the Typhoons taking off and landing as they're based there too. Fingers crossed for good weather!

May 19th 08 - Assignment time

2008-05-20T12:47:00.001-07:00

I've spent much of the day today doing the last of my CMS assignments. This was due in a couple of weeks after I broke my ankle but I was granted an extension and even though I have set my won deadline for getting this done I left it until the last minute as usual. In the end it was pretty straight forward to do as I knew what I was going to write I just needed to sit down and get it done. Just another 2000 words or so to do tomorrow and as long as it's all done before 4pm so I can email it off to the tutor I'll be OK :)

I won't bore you with what it's about, suffice to say its management theory and involves quality assurance models...are you asleep yet?

May 18th 08 - North Leverton windmill

2008-05-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

After a visit to a rater quiet and disappointing computer fair in town Chris and I decided to make use of a rather impressive sky and head out taking photos. We went over by Retford and down to a spot by the Chesterfield Canal to take some shots of the boats and the lovely houses down by the canal.

Then we checked the map and found a windmill nearby at North Leverton. It was quite impressive and even though t had obviously seen much better days it was still being used occasionally by the local farmers to grind their corn. Its looked after and maintained by the local people,good for them. Its great to see them keeping history alive.

The windmill itself is open on Saturdays for you to go inside. At the same time as Chris and I were taking photos there were two women having a look round, one giving a short tour to the other one. After a short while they came over and asked if we were windmill enthusiasts too....never before have I sounded cooler saying "no, I'm into photography" :)

May 17th 08 - The beard had to go

2008-05-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

As I'm currently off work with my broken ankle I've taken to not shaving everyday...in fact it's come very easily as I hate shaving. It's a real trial doing it every morning ready for work and it's been nice just letting it grow over the last couple of weeks.

However, today I had had enough and the itching was getting almost unbearable so it had to go. I thought this was a quirky shot so I thought I'd share it with you. I actually think I look alright with a bit of stubble, maybe not a longer beard like this, but some stubble is OK :)

Apparently the Chinese and other eastern races are the most highly evolved humans on the planet and as don't have anywhere near as much body hair as the rest of us. So why haven't we caught up yet? Why do I have to shave every morning when I go to work? Why can't I take a pill or have an injection which stops the beard growing for ever? I think anyone here in the west who has a beard is holding up evolution, you're keeping us in the beard-ages. Shave it off...let us progress, become beardless and evolve!

So, please; David Bellamy, Brian Blessed, Santa Claus, Bill Oddie and all the rest of you...shave them off, now...for the sake of the rest of us!

May 16th 08 - Missed BBMF Lancaster

2008-05-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning at about 9am to Chris knocking loudly on my bedroom door to tell me that he'd just seen on BBC News that the Lancaster is going to be flying over the Derwent Dam in the Peak District to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Dambusters raids. great news I thought, perfect for photos. We didn't have an exact time but the news people were guessing the flight would get there at about 10.30 so Mum, Dad and I quickly got ready and made the 45 minute drive over to the dam to find half the country had had the same idea. We drove around but there was no sign of anywhere to park and the road up to the dam was closed for a ticket only event. Such a shame. So, we cut our losses and headed over to Meadowhell to do some shopping. As we approached the far end of Sheffield we saw the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Spitfire and Hurricane going over Sheffield on the way to the dam, then as we approached Meadowhall there was the Lancaster on the horizon turning over the Tinsley Viaduct on it's way to the Peak District. So, we got to see the flight after all, maybe not close enough to take photos, but it was better than a completely wasted trip.

When we got home we decided to make plans to go down to the BBMF visitors centre at RAF Coningsby in the next week or so to have a look round the exhibitions and hopefully see the aircraft close up. The Lancaster holds a special place in the family's heart as Granfy (Dad's Dad) used to be a navigator in them during WWII and even flew in the Pathfinder missions. They're all heroes.

To console ourselves after missing the Lancaster at the flypast Mum and I decided to do a recipe for the Community Friend website. It's hard work having to cook and taste such delicious treats I can tell you :) This time we chose a gooey chocolate cake slice...it was delicious. The recipe and many others are available on the Community Friend website.

May 15th 08 - Styrrup Hall Golf Club

2008-05-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is the clubhouse at Mum and Dad's golf club; Styrrup Hall Golf Club, Styrrup, Nr Doncaster. They were some of the founding members when it opened just a few years ago. It's a lovely club and has really become very popular. We went down there today to take some photos in the woodland just by the 18th green as it has a lot of bluebells in there. When we got there it was pretty overcast, but dry, and the bluebells were a little past their best but it was still lovely walking through the wood. I managed a shot or two of the bluebells which I think came out OK. You can see one at the bottom of the blog.

The main photo above, is a shot of the clubhouse and the pond that sits between it and the 18th green. A lovely setting to sit out and watch the golfers finish their round. The bench to the left on the between the pond and the clubhouse was donated to the club by Mum shortly after it opened, and very comfortable it is too :)