24 December 2009

Christmas Eve And It's Still Snowing

18 December 2009

It's cold up North

12 December 2009

Billy Pigg And The Northumbrian Small-Pipes

I remember hearing the Northumbrian small-pipes for the first time many years ago.  I was about 10 or 12 and we went with some of my German relatives - probably my Granny - to Wallington near Morpeth in Northumberland. 

19 November 2009

Antony Gormley And 2 Modern Icons (Or Maybe It's 4)

I have just been for a short family visit to Corbridge which is from where I hail.  I am born and bred in Northumberland and have Northumberland, the Tyne and the North coursing through my veins and deeply embedded in my psyche.  I love the North and...

04 November 2009

Autumnal Leaves Falling

Autumnal leaves are falling everywhere.  They have hung on in there for quite a while longer as we have had a short spell of decent warm weather and very little wind.  But even so, nature cannot be stopped and even the delicate finger-like leaves of...

31 October 2009

For Halloween let's enjoy Calan Gaeaf

It’s Fright Night which seems to be the name that Halloween is now being marketed under.  This is not its first branding makeover as All Saint’s Day was shifted from 13 May to 1 November, and so All Hallows’ Even to 31 October, to hijack and repress...

17 August 2009

Goethe and an afternoon walk at Harlow Carr

We went as a family to Harlow Carr Gardens on the outskirts of Harrogate this weekend.  We go every so often to enjoy a quick walk in the gardens.  It's pretty small and really quite genteel, which is just what you would expect for Harrogate.  I pref...

02 August 2009

Enjoy your local history and culture - St Wilfrid's day

Yesterday (1 August) was Yorkshire Day and also the day of the St Wilfrid’s Day Pageant in Ripon.  

18 July 2009

Some facts about Ripon

14 June 2009

A walk on the River Ure

10 June 2009

Get Some Peace, A Quiet Early Morning

I woke up really early this morning and was downstairs by 5am.  The house was quiet and the world was asleep, yet outside was suffused with a beautiful warm yellow light. 

26 May 2009

In awe at nature

04 May 2009

Summer is here, let's celebrate

The swallows arrived on 17th April this year. They got to Northumberland on 19th April. Summer is now here. This winter has been a long haul – cold, with lots of snow, and pretty glum. 

27 April 2009

Summer weather?

The weather in North Yorkshire has a beautiful irony.  After 3 or 4 weeks of almost perfectly glorious sunny weather, school decides that Monday (today) would be the best day to start summer clothing (i.e. our children have to wear T-shirts, shorts a...