Finchingfield

Travelling between Braintree, where we had visited the Warner Textile Archive and Saffron Walden, on our way to Cambridge, we could not help but stop at the picturesque village of Finchingfield.

Dovedale

If you sometimes think, on your way from Ullswater to Kirkstone, that some of the valleys on either side would make a good walk, then you would be right.
The last valley on the right, lying between Middle Dodd, and High Hartsop Dodd, is Caiston Glen which has a path running alongside Caiston Beck leading to Scandale Pass. This was my return route.
My outward route one Sunday last month was up the next valley of Dovedale, starting from Brotherwaters Inn, or Sykeside camping site, where the convenient parking costs just £2.50 for the day.
After some mixed weather the previous two days, last Sunday was a beautiful bright clear day, with excellent visibility and a great day for walking.

The path goes through the camp site across the beck to some farm buildings, then turns left past another farm, where there was a herd of black cows. They did not seem particularly perturbed as I walked through the herd.
The walk was gentle at first, with Hartsop above How on the right, and High Hartsop Dodd across the other side of the valley to the left, with the stream some distance off in the valley.

After a while the path comes nearer the stream, and then crosses it over a footbridge. By this point the valley has widened, the stream turns off to the right, there is a hill in the middle of the valley, and on the left there are a series of streams, flowing into Hogger Gill, that cut into the hillside as it sweeps round the corner of the valley.

The path starts to rise here, and there are some waterfalls, including one high one, which was quite spectacular.

Then there is a second footbridge, and we joined the path on the right hand side of the stream.

I had seen three men in white shirts on this path, which had missed out the cows and the waterfall. They were young geordie lads, who were just drying off and warming up after a dip in one of the pools in the stream. Very hardy young lads. While I was chatting with them, we were passed by a couple I had met at the waterfall. Six of us had the whole valley to ourselves.

looking back down the valley, towards Caudale

The path continues climbing a little higher up the hillside from the stream, which curves round behind the hill. It feels quite concealed and closed in at this section. It is a river valley with steeply sloping sides rising either side of the stream.

The valley curves round behind the hill.

The path then takes a turn to the right, and becomes very steep indeed. It is almost a staircase, with stones set into the hillside making a clear path up the steep slope, which climbs to the right of the rather fearsome looking Dove Crag. The view gets better and better, across to High Street, and past Place fell across to the Pennines.

Part of the valley concealed behind the hill

Then it becomes less steep again, less rocks and more grass. I left the path here, and tried to find the cave, called Priest's Hole, but I did not find it. Then I ended up missing the path, so I scrambled up the last bit of slope to the ridge, and enjoyed a picnic looking down over Rydal Glen, and out past Windermere to Morecambe Bay.

I had my picnic looking down over Rydale, and out towards Morecambe Bay

I walked up to Hart Crag, where the all round view was spectacular, across to Helvellyn, and over Kentdale  to the Howgills. I looked down on Hartsop above How, that was towering above me in the valley not long before.

Looking out past Penrith to the pennines

The route back was down from Hart Crag, up to Dove Crag, which was quite busy, and then by a path that runs alongside a fence that keeps a respectful distance from the top of the steep slopes with the streams that flow into Hogger Gill, which I had admired earlier in the day.

Scandale Tarn in the foreground, and Windermere in the distance

I could see the three geordie lads ahead of me, and thought I might catch them up, but they went back across the top, onto High Hartsop Dodd, while I went at the bottom of the valley, walking alongside Caiston Beck.

A pond on the plateau

Caiston Glen is a river valley, with steep grassy sloping sides, strewn with rocks, and some shrubs growing toward the top on the south facing slope. The beck has carved a deep gulley at points, and there are some waterfalls. The valley runs fairly straight, and then turning slightly as it reaches Kirkstone Glen.

Waterfalls in Caiston Glen

Waterfall on Claiston Beck

From this point there was a breeze, stronger than there had been on the ridge, and coming from the North.
I met someone who has spent the afternoon climbing boulders alongside the path, who remarked that the breeze was quite cool. Then I met another man who had just recently taken up walking, who chatted with me as we made our way to the carpark, walking at some pace, so that I could get back to meet Ann at the agreed time, which I just managed to do.
What a great day's walk.

Caiston Glen has carved a deep gulley at points

Arnside on the previous evening

Swallows & Amazons

It exceeded our expectations. We went not knowing what to expect, as it was the only show on the evening of my birthday, but we were well entertained by Song, Dance, and Drama.
It told the story of 4 children from one family who go off to sail in a boat, the Swallow, on the lake, and camp on the island, where they met two girls sailing their boat, the Amazon. They make friends, engage in mock battles, and have adventures.

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The actors do a great job of playing children; John, twelve years old, in short trousers, captain of the ship, carrying the responsibility; Susan first mate, oldest girl, keeping the family together, and a very expressive dancer; Titty (short for Letitia, I thought it must be Kitty and I was mishearing it) had some great scenes, Ann thought she was the best; and Roger, played by the largest actor, was the youngest. He had some great lines, and made a great eight year old. The two Amazon girls were wonderfully fierce, until they started squabbling with each other.
The props were simple but very effective. Cormorants on long sticks, blue ribbon to represent the water, wood shaped like a boats bow, were all manhandled to give a very vivid impression of the scenes being conjured up. The scene where they were sailing and changing tack was very impressive, as was the night time storm with lightning and wind machine.
The props were maneuvered by other members of the cast, as well as the six children there were seven other actors who, when they were not playing four minor adult characters, would be on stage in gray coats and hats, moving the props, or fulfilling their other function, as musicians. There was a violin, two cellos, a piano, and a variety of other instruments.

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My worst fear of musicals, being bored during the musical numbers, proved groundless. Far from interrupting the drama, the music added to it and carried the plot along. It was very engaging.
It got even more engaging towards the end, as we in the stalls (so glad we did not manage to get the seats in the circle) got thrown bean bags to help throw at the villainous pirate, and during the final number a five foot model of each of the boats was passed over the heads of the audience.
There were a fair number of older folk who seemed to be enjoying it, and considerable number of teenagers including one large school group, in the seats near us. We were impressed how they quietened down as soon as the lights darkened. Young and older, we all enjoyed it, and it was a boisterous, excited crowd pouring out into Williamsons Square with the final number ringing in our ears, having enjoyed a wonderful evenings entertainment.

I, Claudius

This is the story of an intelligent, quick-witted, resourceful man surviving in a brutal and capricious age. Regarded as an idiot by many on account of his stammer and his limp, he was despised by many and the butt of  cruel jokes. But partly because of this he survived to become ruler of the Roman world, at a time when many in his imperial family met untimely deaths, with foul play strongly suspected.
The action takes place during the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula. Augustus ruled very ably, but as far Claudius was concerned his wife (and Claudius grandmother) was the evil power behind the throne. Tiberius ruled fairly ably, except in Rome, where he did not have the qualities to be an inspiring leader. Claudius' brother Germanicus would have made a better Emperor,  and Tiberius knew it, making him more insecure and malicious. Caligula was completely of the page.  As Claudius said, all the members of his family were either very good, or very bad. There are not many shades of gray.
It is written in the first person, as if Claudius' autobiography had been lost for 1,900 years and suddenly discovered in the 1930s. Most of the major events are a matter of public record, and if the gaps are filled in with speculation, Robert Graves was given a head start from all the speculation that was around in Roman times.  There is an amusing incident where the young Claudius engaged in a conversation in a library between two eminent historians, one writes attested truth, the other writes readable speculation.  We get all the speculation, with unlikely explanations of how Claudius got to know real truth.
It is an enjoyable read. There were several amusing incidents or well written paragraphs you want to share, but there was a problem. After a while I stopped being as offended by Caligula's outrages, and caught some of the black humour of it. It is fun to read in its context but difficult to share.
At the end of the day you forget the injustice and outrage, and remember the inspiring stories. Many people despised Claudius and treated him shamefully, but he had a few, very few, friends and family who appreciated him and were very loyal. An old professor, a soldier, the daughter of a prostitute, a servant, a cousin, a brother (and great general); these are the noble characters.
The final page opens a new chapter, with Claudius as Emperor. Whether Graves does as good a job of persuading us of Claudius' virtues in that book remains to be seen, but I Claudius was certainly a good read.

Troutbeck

On Saturday we gave a lift to a friend who said how they enjoyed Kentmere, so I headed there, but as often happens, all the parking spaces by the institute were taken, and I drove back and parked beside the road opposite the mill. Map I took the path that goes through the mill's yard, behind Kentmere Tarn to Kentmere Hall, and then walked up Garburn Pass meeting a few other walkers, but more cyclists, getting as far as the ridge before having to turn back. I was glad to reach the ridge, as I was there again the next day, approaching from the other direction.  On getting back to the village I walked back on the road. At one point I turned back to see an approaching  vehicle, and saw the valley beyond the village was full of weather.   I was glad to have put my waterproof back on for when the hail came.

For all there was hail, it was quite mild, but by six o'clock the temperature had dropped, there was a clear sky, and the stars looked very bright that evening.

On Sunday I did the other half of Garburn Pass, starting from a parking space on the road between the church and the Queen's Head in Troutbeck, past Limefitt caravan park, getting some great views as the track led higher.

Last year's grass has died back to a a reddish brown, giving the valley a beautiful colour in the bright sunlight.
Climbing the southern slopes gives a different view of the valley than you get from the road, on the other side.

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As you climb higher, you are rewarded with views of Windermere that you do not get to see from down in the valley.

At points the path was quite icy, even in the bright sunshine.

The valley has a flat bottom, while Raven Crag by Kirkstone can be seen in the distance.

On reaching the ridge just past Garburn Nook I took the path that that follows the ridge. It is a great walk, taking in some peaks along the way, The Yoke, Ill Bell, and Froswick. It was a beautifully clear, with impressive views not just over Kentmere to the right, but beyond that to the Howgills, looking quite distinctive in the distance. At one point there was a clear view across to Great Dun Fell, not that I could do justice with my camera.
There was a group of about eight from Manchester just ahead of me, and I caught up with them at different points along the way.  It was comforting seeing them ahead of me showing where the path was. We sat down at a sheltered spot at the Yoke, and I had a bite to eat, but when I got to Ill Bell and Froswick, it was getting too cold and windy to sit and eat.
Of all the peaks, Ill Bell was the steepest clamber to get up to the top, more so from the other direction, which was a careful few steps down for me.

Further along the ridge widens out, and the valley floor is hidden from view

Snow lying on the North facing slopes

Snow capped peaks in the distance

A view looking South at Windermere, with Morecambe Bay in the distance

A frozen pond on the high ground.

A view of Kentmere resevoir

The View to the West

The crags looking down over Kentmere

The path near the Yoke

Another view showing Windermere and Morecambe bay

Looking down over Kentmere. You can pick out the Howgills to the left in the distance

Looking back 

Had I gone on, the path would have forked, with Threshthwaite at the far end of Troutbeck, and the old Roman Road, High Street, to the the right. The path I took down into Troutbeck was the route the Romans used to take up to High Street. It was steep at first, and there was a section with ice and frozen grass which was quite beautiful.
The valley is divided in two by the Tongue. I followed close to Hagg Gill which passes to the South of the Tongue, while Trout Beck runs to the North. The A592 turns out of Troutbeck at that point, so from the road you do not get to see the top end of the valley.  The Tongue always seems curious viewed from the road, but from this end you can see the long gentle rise that gives it its name.
Hagg Gill is a delightful little river, and the walk would be very pleasant with more time to savour it. As it was I rushed as quick as I could, and was still late meeting Ann and she had to wait for me. The path also went past Hall Hill, a very small hill, in Troutbeck park, just before the confluence of Hagg Gill and Troutbeck.
Altogether a Great Day.

On the descent showing the Tongue and Trout Beck

The Rush Grass frozen in Ice

Frozen Grass

A waterfall of icicles

These stones lay at intervals beside the path

Decisions

I have discovered the secret of making decisions about important issues.

In section 133 of book one of the Histories, Herodotus writes of the Persians:-

They are extremely fond of wine... it is usual for them to be drunk when debating important issues. However, any decision they reach is put to them again on the next day, when they are sober, by the head of the household where the debate takes place; if they still approve of it when they are sober, it is adopted, but otherwise they forget about it. And any issues they debate when sober are reconsidered by them when they are drunk.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

I was looking forward to a quiet evening in last night when David rang and asked if I wanted to see Mission Impossible IV - Ghost Protocol at the iMax at 9.30pm? It was a big evening.
The first  big thing is the zigzag staircase to the Odeon at Liverpool one; the secret is to go behind it to the escalator behind. The second big thing was the ticket price, at £12.60 it is not cheap. The next big decision was whether to buy an overpriced drink; I opted for a Ben & Jerry ice cream instead.
It is a big experience watching an iMax film. The screen is large and the sound is impressive. The seats are comfortable and tiered quite steeply, so there is no problem if you have a tall person in front.  The front seats, designated premium were all empty; I dread to think how much they would be.
The film was ideal for iMax, stunning shots from sky scrapers and lots of action, and explosions. They certainly looked and sounded great. The experience was good, but was it a good film?
Well, although it is called Ghost Protocol, it is nothing to do with ghosts. The protocol just means they have no contact with any superiors, which just means there is no need to disobey orders or possibility of being betrayed from above.
The action takes us from Budapest, to a Moscow prison, to the Kremlin, to Dubai, and then Mumbai. Tick.
There is a blonde assassin and an attractive agent who has a task attracting attention from a playboy character at a lavish party. Tick.
One of the team is a computer whiz who can hack into computers and take control of systems at a moment's notice.  Tick.
At one point Ethan climbs up the outside of a sky scraper, discarding one of the high tech gloves that starts to malfunction. Tick.
There are multiple high speed car journeys, including one mega car chase ending in a front end collision. Tick.
There is a scene where everything has gone wrong and the team are incriminating each other, and secrets from their past come tumbling out. Tick.
Nuclear catastrophe is avoided with just a few seconds to spare. Tick (Woops, I have given the end away!)
There is a clandestine operation inside the Kremlin, and a tense scene exchanging money and codes between two sets of simultaneous negotiations. Tick
There are gun fights, fist fights, and a fight on several levels in a multi storey car park, which lifts and ramps. Tick.
It does seem to have all the right ingredients, and was a lot of fun.

2011 Sailing

At the start of the year, each sailing session had its own blog post, but that seemed to peter out in May, so this looks back at the whole season.

I was pleased to have most of the family sailing this year, including Chris on Easter Monday, and John Kim and David in the summer. It was great to have all three Pendray men together in the boat, and Kim seemed to enjoy the experience, even when the helmsman did not have his full attention on the boat.

Three Pendray men in the boat

Enjoying the experience, even when the helmsman did not have full attention

John got a second go at helming, as he was with me for two days when I took the boat to Glenridding. He took to it quite well, but did not really get the bug.
David got three sessions altogether, with Chris on Easter Monday, with John and Kim, and with Claire and John (G) at Glenridding, when he swapped boats and sailed with Tom on his Nimrod.
John (G) loved the experience, having raced as crew for several years in the past. No cleating the jib for him, he held it by hand and was ready to make the minutest adjustment at a moments notice.
Another of my days at Glenridding was with Dave, where we had a good force 2 wind, just right for introducing someone to sailing. Dave especially enjoyed taking the helm, and feeling the surge of power during the gusts.
The strongest winds I experienced was probably another day at Glenridding, when I came with two work colleagues. They were not content with sailing back and forth in sight of the sailing centre, so we headed up Ullswater, past Howtown and Watermillock and getting in sight of Pooley Bridge. I forgot to take my watch that day, so we turned back in good time. After a while when it seemed to go calm, a steady force 5 or stronger picked up, coming from the south, so we had an hour or two of sailing into the wind. Waves were splashing over both bows, so both colleagues got splashed quite a lot, while I stayed relatively dry at the back.  I was quite relieved to get back in the sight of the sailing centre again.
Jeff, who experienced the strong winds in May had so enjoyed it that he bought his own wetsuit, and enjoyed  another day of strong winds at Killington, toward the end of the season.
Sadly, I did not get to sail with Dave, who learnt to sail on the same course as me, although we did meet up when he very kindly let Jeff borrow his wetsuit. On a much sadder note, Neil Murphy who taught me on the level one course, was tragically killed in a road traffic accident on his way to work one day this year.  Ellie, who was on the same level one course now has her own gaff-rig boat at Watermillock, where we had a very gentle sail in a force one wind.
As well as the company, I had several days sailing solo, sometimes having not just the boat but the whole of Killington lake to myself. Sailing solo is good fun as well, the main problem is not being heavy enough to stop the boat heeling. The other problem is knowing when to let go of the tiller and reach for the jetty. I made several approaches that fell slightly short, and started drifting back, getting the mast caught up in the branches of a tree.
This was the point where the forestay snapped, which made life interesting. With the mainsail further back, it took the jib to get out of irons and sail round to the slipway. Once in shallow water I lowered the sails, starting with the jib - the wrong choice - the jib was all that was holding the mast up. It is great keeping the boat at Killington, as within a week Pete Lawson of Sail Blades had repaired the stay and I was sailing again.

Another Earth

This is quite an intense film, with just two major characters, but William Mapother and Brit Marling give strong, credible performances, and do justice to the heavy issues the film raises.
When a planet similar to earth appears in the sky, the possibility of space travel and exploration opens up, but this is not a science fiction film. Rather the planet is thought to be a parallel earth, inviting the question, what would happen if you met someone who is actually you?
How you cope with yourself, and come to terms with your past, is a mega question for Rhoda Williams, played by Brit Marling. What does a beautiful bright young twenty one year old do when she finishes serving four years in prison for reckless driving following an accident when she caused the death of two members of a family?
When she learns where the bereaved father and husband lives, she goes to meet him to say sorry, but when it comes to it she fluff's it, and things take a different turn.
The start of the film is quite moody, with little dialogue to explain what is going on, but I guess life is like that coming out of prison. Brit Marling looks good as a bombed out character, and truly beautiful when things start going well for her. William Mapother does a good portrayal of a disolute widower, and it was good to see how that changed as hope comes back into his life.
It is worth avoiding the preview, I am told one of the central scenes is showed in full. It is a great scene, and worth enjoying it and its build up without having seen it before. Brit Marling worked with the director, Mike Cahill on the script, and it is all very believable.
There are more than two characters in the film. One work colleague is quite important. Pay careful attention in the delightfully tender hospital bed scene, and do not miss, as I did, the word being spelt out, it is quite important to the scene, and the film.
Altogether, a beautiful and very satisfying film.

Garsdale

The Howgill Hills are often beckoning, in view from the M6 and while sailing on Killington lake, but the hills further east, the other side of the Rawthey River have their attraction as well.

It was not very windy on Sunday, so I left Killington, and went past Sedbergh and stopped at the car park at at Tom Croft Hill.  I crossed the river Clough, and made my way up to the triangulation point at Knoutberry Haw, at Garsdale.

I did see someone walking their dog as I set off, and met three people making their ascent on my way down, but apart from that I had the whole hillside to myself.

 

There was a bit of mist or low cloud in the valley, and I had the brightest of the weather on the higher ground.  It was all grassy and slightly boggy at places, with an ill defined path marked out by the path tractors had taken.  The route follows to the side of a well defined stream be called Ringing Keld Gutter.
It was a steady climb. After leaving the valley there is a flatish area called Breaskey Moss, then a steady climb alongside Ringing Keld Gutter, with a short steep section which gives access to a plateau section at the top.   This slopes gently to the North, and I took one or two video clips before making my way down.

The Bookseller of Kabul

I casually picked this book off the bookshelf, and found the first chapter timeless and charming.  It could have happened almost anywhere in the world at any time in history. The second chapter by contrast is brutal, and fixed in place and time. Kabul under the Taliban.
Most of the book takes place after the Taliban have left, and life gets back to a rather bleak shadow of better times that can still be remembered. The bookseller can get back to openly selling all the books that were banned during the Taliban, books that told of the county's ancient history the Taliban soldiers neither knew nor cared about.  He was proud of that history and prepared to suffer to preserve its memory.
The story is not so much about the bookseller, as of his family. The individual stories of different members of the family are told from their point of view.   We see a wedding, a pilgrimage to another part of Afghanistan, a neighbourhood chat, a trip the school, younger members of the family running smaller shops and kiosks, the womenfolk visiting the public baths, and brushes with officialdom and police.  On the way we pick up an idea about Afghan customs and values.
As you would expect, there is quite bit about what life is like for women in an traditional Islamic society, recently reinforced by the Taliban. But there is a young man and young lad in the family as well, and their stories, and the pressures they are under get told as well.
The bookseller himself becomes a rather remote figure, with a strong influence over every aspect of the family members lives, even when he is not there. The more heroic figure he cuts in the second chapter seems to have been forgotten.
This was apparently the experience of the author Asne Seierstad. For this is not a novel, as I thought when I read it. This journalist was so impressed by the book seller that she arranged to stay with the family to learn more about Afghan culture. I don't suppose it is a factual account either, but it does give a flavour of a family and society struggling to recover during a bleak period of their history.  It is also a good read, if somewhat bleak at points.

Melancholia

Kirsten Dunst gives a great performance in this film as Justine, who is suffering from depression, or melancholia.  It is a shock to see the face that was so animated as Mary Jane in Spiderman looking so expressionless.
But the film is more than about depression, as Melancholia is also the name of a planet, several times bigger than earth on an erratic orbit that swings close to earth. When scientists disagree as to whether the planet will swing close to earth "Fly by" or swing back and crash into earth, "Dance of Death" it has the ingredients of a disaster movie. But it is not that kind of movie and the Kiefer Sutherland character is no Jack Bauer.
All the action takes place at the rather grand home where Claire, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, lives with her husband and son. They put on a great party for her sister Justine on her wedding day, and become increasingly embarrassed by her erratic behaviour. The opening scene sees the newly weds arriving late when their limousine is too long for the tight bend in the driveway.
To be fair to the bride, her father, mother and father in law, who is also her employer, would have been embarrassing enough even if her behaviour had been exemplary.  If you feel for Claire's embarrasment, it is excruciating, if you just enjoy a dysfunctional party, it is great.
After the party, it is just the two sisters, and Claire's husband and son, and the two horses. The first half was entitled "Part One:Justine" and this is entitled "Part Two:Claire" I am not sure why, they all have different responses to the impending doom, and that includes the horses. Perhaps Justine's is the most sane after all.
We know the end from the beginning. There is a superb opening sequence, comprising a series of still pictures or very slow moving video, set to beautiful music from Wagner (I think).  The images are bewildering or disturbing, but find their meaning as the film develops.

Capernwray House

If you are looking for somewhere to stay between Lancaster and Kendal, then Roy & Mel's bed & breakfast at Capernwray House comes highly recommended.

There are many reasons why people stay at Capernwray House. The Lake district and Yorkshire Dales are in easy reach, and there is marvellous scenery nearby in the Lune valley and the Silverdale & Arnside Area of Outstanding natural beauty.  Some people come for the nearby diving centre, others to visit the RSPB centre at Leighton Moss, and others to visit family studying a residential bible course at Capernwray Hall.  It is great for breaking a long journey; within ten minutes of turning off the M6, you can be turning into the driveway. We visit when Ann attends courses at ArtyBird in Carnforth.

The rooms are outstanding. Spotlessly clean, ensuite, beautifully decorated in restful colours, wardrobe and drawer space, seating area generally with second TV, and what what we all come for, a comfortable bed with various pillow and duvet options if needed.

The welcome at Capernwray House is wonderful. Once your bags are safely in your room, there is a complimentary cup of tea or coffee in the guests lounge, or perhaps outside on the patio. Mel & Roy are comfortable in their role as hosts, interested in what you are doing, ready to engage in conversation or just let you get on with things. When you ring the bell they are attentive to your needs, a flask of fresh milk for your room for example, and their easy manner helps you to enjoy the wonderful offering at breakfast.

When my son John asked me which room has the best view, I struggled to give an answer. There are no spectacular mountains, although the view North to the lake district is impressive. It is more rolling and lush, whether facing the ridge beyond which lies the Lune valley, or across Carnforth to Morecanbe bay beyond, or towards Arnside Knott, it is all green and refreshing.  There are also some good sunsets.

If there is any disadvantage, it is that all of the nearby places to eat are a short drive, rather than walking distance, away.  What you lose by having to take the car, you gain in the peace and tranquillity.  Our favourite eating places are The Bay Horse at Arkholme and the Wheatsheaf at Beetham.

As a village Capernwray has no discernable centre. The church, the Hall, the diving centre and the canal are all about 5-10 minutes walk away. Most people will arrive from Carnforth or the M6, turning left at the cross roads in Over Kellett. After passing the the 17th century cottages on the left, the road dips to cross a beck at Swarthbeck House, and as the road rises again the white sign of Capernwray House is visible on the right.  Avoid the road to Capernwray Farm to the right, and go over the cattle grid between the stone pillars, and park in front of the house.

Enjoy your stay. We do, again and again.

John's Summer

We may not get to have John to stay for an extended break with us again, so here are some of what he got up to when he was home in the summer of 2011.

He worked hard:-
He painted the piano room walls, three cream and one green.
For two or three days, as work was available, he worked at packing goods in a warehouse down by the docks.
He cleaned a house between tenancies, and disassembled a reassembled a wardrobe.
With his friend Pete, he trimmed the branches of the cherry blossom tree in the front garden.
They lifted and re-laid the paving flags in the front of the house, making it all look much neater.
They spent a marvellous Sunday evening having a bonfire on the front drive, burning the branches cut from the tree, sitting on the garden chairs eating their chips. It looked great.  A week or two later some local youth followed their example and built fires in Smithdown Road, but they were inspired by events in London rather than our front drive.

He played hard:-
He played some games of tennis; he got around the place by cycling.
He played ultimate frisbee with the lads on Mark's stag weekend. His general level of fitness did not serve him well, but he did not give an inch, and played hard so as to not let his friends down.
We played frisbee in Newsham Park with Scott Dan Nathan Dave & Lu while Anna and Rachel sat and chatted.
We played many fast and furious games of Settlers of Catan. He was generous at teaching us the game and pointing out good tactics. He introduced several people to the game. (Several friends were made to play - they given no option!) Special thanks to Amber for sending the game from America.
We played one game of Carcassonne.
After a great Sunday lunch with friends, with 13 people round the table, all but two stayed put for a great game of Zilch. Amazingly, I won that.

He appreciated and made music:-
When Kim arrived six of us went to the Philharmonic Hall for a program of Gershwin Music. and later on four of us went to see Serita Cheeks in Manchester.  Serita came to stay for a couple of days and and they visited the Beatles museum as well as some other sights.
John got drawn into the Worship team at church playing keys for a couple of different worship leaders, where he seemed to fit in very well.
Towards the end of his time John arranged a couple of piano recitals at a friends house, playing Mozart and Chopin. It was part fund raising for university fees and part a way of saying goodbye to folks.  It was also a good challenge getting pieces up to performance standard. We enjoyed two great evenings with about 15 folk, and another Sunday afternoon with six of us. It is lovely hearing him play at home but was very special hearing him perform.

Climbing through windows.
One day he managed to get locked out of two houses on three separate occasions. His own keys to our house, and those to the house he was working in, were locked inside. Before climbing in through a first floor window, he fetched a stepladder from our house, climbing through a window to get at it.   All of this was after being rescued once, when the outgoing tenant turned up to hand in a set of keys at a very opportune moment.

We watched some films:-
On John's first evening we watched The Bourme Identity. (Actually I think I was out that night). During the stay we watched the Bourne Supremacy. Then on his last night, we watched the Bourne Ultimatum.  Thanks to Nathan for lending it.
We watched Invictus and the secret life of bees, and probably some others as well.

John passed his driving test.
Well done John, and well done his teacher Judith Pegram. She managed to replace the bad habits he had picked up from me.  He went on the car insurance for seven days, and he took Ann for a day out in Southport, and got his first motorway experience when we picked up Anna from Sheffield.  Visitors got a lift home each night and when I got in the car the next morning I found music I did mot know I had on my iPod.

Enjoying the Hostelry.
The three Pendray men managed one brief visit to a local pub, where John drank cider, his choice of drink after nine moths of being tee-total, being too young to drink legally in America. His favourite meal with us was probably the evening with Kim at the Bay Horse at Arkholme, but his best evening was with Kim at Ego restaurant and afters at the Panoramic Restaurant in Liverpool.

We saw lots of countryside.
We took Kim to Llandudno before Anna went to Romania, spending a lazy afternoon on the west shore and going round Conwy castle before fish and chips at Rhos and viewing the sunset from the beach at Colwyn Bay.
We visited Skelghyll falls at Ambleside, and Aira Force by Ullswater, with great views of Windermere Troutbeck and and Kirkstone. We stayed near the Lune valley and visited Kendal castle, with Kim. Another time John and I had a great picnic on Scout scar overlooking the Lyth valley.

We went sailing.
David Kim John and I had a morning at Killington before going onto a picnic by the river Kent at Kendal, and John and I had two sessions on Ullswater while Ann enjoyed the view from the sailing centre at Glenridding. It was a nice force 2 both days, and John got the hang of helming quite well.

John got a US Visa.
There was quite a lot of emailing back and forth, getting the right papers and letters to his college before they could issue the form he needed to apply for the visa. Then came the cheap but uncomfortable coach ride to London, just on the night the riots became widespread.   By nine in the morning he had visited the US embassy and did his sightseeing bit round London.

Uncles and Aunts.
We took Kim to London and had a meal in Amersham with the other Pendrays. Only Katy and Anna were missing, both on the same Romania trip. John and Kim also had a meal with Carol & Jim in Hoylake.  Giving them a lift (it was before John had passed his test) I caught up with some friends in West Kirkby, and it seemed a very pleasant atmosphere when I called to pick them up.  On the way back we called on John's former piano teacher, who was very pleased to make contact again.

Parties in the rain.
After thunder and lightening the evening before, and heavy showers during the morning, we spilled out after Mark & Zoya's wedding into a pleasant afternoon milling amongst the guests with music from the Cello and Saxaphone of Ian & Lucy, before making our way to the reception where the bride sang accompanied by Chris Horn's jazz band.
The worst rain was one Sunday when various choirs and groups were performing at the bandstand to a small but dedicated and bedraggled group of onlookers. It was not all rain.  I did stroll out one afternoon and and join the tail end of a very pleasant picnic in Sefton Park.

London
John and Kim joined us for lunch in the cafeteria of the National Museum by Trafalgar square.  While we had visited the Courtauld gallery at Somerset House, they viewed London from a height at the London Eye. In the afternoon we went to Liberty while they went to Hyde Park.
We bumped into a Nivea promotion at Euston station, and John got photographed as a potential model. I got given a free sample as well, but they never took my photo.

Anything else?
Well I have to say I was disappointed that so many of the Pringles I bought got devoured in a "How many Pringles can you eat at once?" competition. But whatever I thought we will probably remember the evening that Chris came to visit.

Really, anything else?
Oh Yes. He popped the question and Kim said Yes. Kim and John are engaged. How exciting is that?

Sarah's Key

On Wednesday night Ann and I went to see the film Sarah's Key. It was in French, with subtitles, with some parts in English.
It is a very moving film. The character played by Kristin Scott Thomas is researching the way that Jews were treated in in occupied France in 1942, when she discovers a story centred on the very flat she was about to move into.
As the police call to arrest the male members of the family, her father is away and Sarah protects her younger brother by hiding him in a cupboard. When instead they are all taken away Sarah has to escape so as to free her brother from the cupboard.   We see the story played out in the squalor and chaos of the Velodrome in July 1942, the story that the journalist is investigating.
There are three stories in the film, Sarah as a little girl in 1942 which is very engaging and moving, Sarah as a young woman after the war which I thought was not entirely credible, and the journalist's personal story, which Ann enjoyed the least. I enjoyed Scott Thomas' performance, but thought the other characters were merely there to move the plot along.
The film confronted the way that the French treated the Jews in quite a challenging way, and also portrayed the way families keep secrets, although possibly not so very credibly. It has a feel good ending, but I was not convinced. It is the earlier, 1942 story that is the enduring memory, with all its courage and anguish.
A very moving film.

Serita Cheeks

Last Monday a group of us went to see Serita Cheeks in concert at Nightnday cafe in Manchester.

We arrived in good time and got more than we bargained for as Serita was on after three other performers. They  probably got less than they bargained for, as besides groups that came to listen to other performers there were very few others in the venue that Monday night.
Rosie Dunn sang and played guitar, had a nice voice, and introduced each song, most of which she had written herself. The couple from Salt Lake City sang songs that were not to my taste, but they were great folk and it was good talking to them after their set. Judith Ude had an easy manner introducing hers songs, and a powerful voice with a touch of African sound, which came across very well in the songs she had written herself.
I was already familiar with some of Serita's songs, having bought then on iTunes. I was really glad to hear her in person, and enjoy her music much more than I did before.
She has a very distinctive voice, which the recordings do not fully do justice to, especially in the higher registers. Having now heard her sing live, I can pick out more of the qualities of her voice even in the higher notes, though the lower ones are reproduced with a richer in tone.
To say that Serita sings accompanied with guitar would be to downplay the guitar. Her guitar is as much part of the performance as her voice.  It sounded great when she was alone on the stage and even richer when she was joined by Simon Blake on the drums and Martin Ledger on base guitar. They had some good instrumental moments together which added to the evening. I have listened to the recordings quite differently since.
What stood out most about the live performance was the way Serita's voice blended with the instruments.  Her voice never overwhelmed the accompaniment as some of the other singers did, nor was it ever drowned out. It was always there, nicely in balance, giving a distinctive voice alongside the rich sound of the instruments.
Serita's songs are largely love songs that go down well in a music venue, without it being very obvious that they are worship songs, sung to God by one of his children.  The message is good, and the musicianship and performance added up to a great evening.