As soon as the Leeds 10k was over( slightly faster than last
year) and the team had celebrated in Wetherspoons with sticky cakes, Margot and
I set off south stopping for supper with Rosie and Richard before staying over
at the Premier Inn in Dover.
Anduze
First thing we headed for the ferry and got to France by
lunchtime, heading south by way of the autoroute, intending to get south of
Paris to camp. Saw a couple of really nasty accidents on the way but eventually
we got to a nice campsite towards Dijon.
The next day we stuck to smaller roads looking for those with the greenlines
indicating ‘scenic routes.’ We stopped for lunch by a canal and then past
Clemont Ferrand and on down to Arles on constant mountain roads with barely a
straight worthy of the name. This became a problem when we met a hay wagon head
on. Margot had to stop dead and although he managed to creep past I had to get
out and check we still had rubber on the tarmac as we were poised over a deep
ditch.
It was dark by the time we got to Arles but at least we knew
the way from there. We were late at the campsite but they let us in. Unfortunately
we were put in the wrong place and the following morning, just as we were about
to leave to meet JZ, we were asked to move. Bit of a cheek but in the interests
of international harmony and with the help of the site staff and neighbours we
moved the tent and contents round the hedge to the next site in about 5 minutes
flat.
Meeting JZ at her sister-in-law’s we went to collect the
items from Mon Estaou. Fortunately it was not too much and by moving the seat forward we were able to
get it all in - albeit packed solid to the roof - and still leave access to the
cooker. We even got Edwards bike in. It meant sleeping in the tent but that
worked out fine.
We also finished in time to pop into the Mairie and see the
exhibition of JZs father’s work.
The next day we moved on to Le Vigan, to the west of the
Cevenne, and found a good site not too far from the town. We had brought Robert
Louis Stevenson’s ‘Travels with my Donkey’ and a book of 30 walks in the Cevenne
and managed to do 3 of them over the next 3 days. Beautiful weather and,
although a lot hillier than the author was prepared to let on, they were lovely
walks. One evening we had a dutch blues band performing on site and on the 14th
Juillet (Bastille Day) the town had a festival with bands and fireworks to
celebrate.
Probably the best walk was to the Cirque de Navacelles where we descended into the
village and had lunch in a little auberge before climbing back up. Very steep and very hot but fantastic views.
On the way back north we reversed the process by taking the
green routes for the first day. The road north through the Cevenne past the
Gorges du Tarne was as twisty and spectacular as the road in but thankfully
free of hay wagons. Both routes were paralleled by single line but active train
tracks and it would be great to do this trip again by rail and bike.
That night we found ourselves in Nevers but it was past 8
and the campsite was closed. So was the
hotel we had stayed in with Jim so we headed through the town to the Etap and
snuck the remains of our picnic in.
Next day we more or less retraced our steps but avoiding the
‘peage’ which was cheaper but meant we were too late to camp. We stopped to eat
supper in Armentieres, just south of the Belgian border, and indeed could have
been Belgium. A nice meal, but by the time we got to Dunkirk it was pretty full
and we were lucky to find a robot F1 – no human staff but check in through an
ATM by the door. Weird but good enough.
With a last minute shopping trip for delicacies to the Cite Europe
Hypermarche and a fill up with diesel we got on the ferry and were back in York
for supper.
Kim and Adrian
Barely time to disembark and tidy up before Kim and Adrian
came to stay for the weekend after a week in the Dales. They amused themselves
during the day but were good company in
the evenings and we went out to eat at the Thai restaurant on Fossgate.
Saturday was the York Festival of the River and I took part
in the canoe and kayak racing from Millennium Bridge to Clifton Bridge and back. 4th out of 5 sea kayaks but
not too disgraced. Anyway, no-one was looking.
Sunday was ‘Try Sailing’ day and I went down after Kim &
Adrian had left and got a nice sail in. Quite windy and some good photos from
Angela though not of me dong an involuntary 360 under the bridge.
Monday had a session with Mark – just me and one of those
800, 400, 200, 100 runs. Tough but a Personal
Best and I am as light as I have been since I started going to him. Then
straight on to Greenways meeting to talk about funding and a winter programme.
See website for latest. Then on to squash training. What a busy life.
We got urgent calls from Rupert that the cycle path near
Skelton was virtually impassable due to overhanging comfrey so had to go up
with the scythe to clear away. I took the brushcutter but found the scythe far
more effective – so much for technology. Keeping the path clear is more than we
can cope with so told Sustrans they need to incorporate it into their maintenance
programme. We will see.
I had Community Payback lined up to do a day clearing Himalayan
Balsam but discovered several outbreaks of Giant Hogweed which can cause nasty
burns and boils so they had to pull out. I arranged to meet Sue Penn from the Environment
Agency on site. They will deal with the GH and it seems they will have some
funding to help with the HB but its too late to do anything for this year.
Neverteless she identified the woodland along Hurns Gutter as ‘wet woodland’
which is apparently of interest to the Forestry Commission and I later chased
them up and they promised to move it up their to do list if I could send in a
schedule of all the woodland we own within York boundary. Sounds hopeful we
might get a planning and management grant.
I also saw my first Tansy Beetle! Can see why people get so
excited, its lovely. Equally exciting was meeting the new owner of the Escrick
sidings. It seems if we let him use half the site as a paddock he will reinstate
the other half, including the maze, and give it to us. He is getting a proposal
drawn up and if it is as agreed we will support his taking it to Sustrans and
the Planners. Still a way to go but at least things seem to be moving at last.
Meanwhile, the Olympics started. We had organised to meet
Ann and Alan with Adie and the boys at Coventry to see Canada vs Japan at
women’s football. Not a great game but fun. Margot and I also went up to
Newcastle to see them play Sweden. A much better game but slightly confusing too
as the know-it-all in the row behind convinced us all that Canada needed to win
to go through, so we were all a bit anxious that they seemed to be playing for
a draw and were apparently thrilled when they got one. Clearly a draw was enough
but it was a nail-biting 10 minutes while the confusion lasted. We stayed
overnight at the Jury Inn on the Gateshead side. The game was in the afternoon
so we had a chance to look around and go to the Laing Art gallery which
featured an exhibition of paintings of family life through the ages and a
lovely room by Quentin Blake. We ate in
a seafood/jazz restaurant - the Big Mussel Bar near the water front - before
heading back for an early night. Too old for a night out In Newcastle I’m
afraid.
I woke up early and went for a run up past the Sage and over
the Tyne Bridge pretending I was part of the Great North Run though I don’t
think the commuter traffic was convinced. A lovely morning and I felt like
going round again ( but didn’t). After breakfast we went next door to the
Baltic and saw the exhibitions - Mark Wallinger and Janet Cardiff’s The
Forty Part Motet - and
then back to the Laing and finally a quick look at the big screen Olympics in
Monument square.
Thursday got me out to Dunnington for table tennis. Glad to
say I am still getting better and can hold me own, no longer the weak link
though still unable to grasp how they do what they do at Olympic level. It
looks like a different game altogether.
I’ve been managing to fit some gardening in between all this
and it needs it as the wet weather encouraged the weeds while we were away.
Margot has been busy both with Florinda’s shop and now with the Amnesty
bookshop but still has managed to do the pruning while I do the heavy lifting.
Back up to Northumbria again to meet Alec and George near Caster for a walk along past the castle and lunch at the golf club
Sunday 5th
August
Matt and Jim over for the York 10k. A perfect running day meant all 3 of us got
PBs. That’s it for me for the year and I am terminating the mailing list and
rethinking what to do next year – probably still do 10ks but also more on
cycling and maybe swimming – and of course squash and sailing and kayaking. I’m
considering joining the new gym at the Uni. With discounts and concessions its
affordable but only if I use it fairly regularly. The boys on the other hand
are getting into it in a big way with the Great North Run in September and
plans for Triathlon, half- and full-Marathons to follow. Already booked for the
Edinburgh Marathon next May.
And then of course the Olympics started. Like many I was a
bit cynical – the corporate sponsorship and rampant nationalism not really my
style but we were all won over by the opening ceremony, the sport and the
general air of ‘niceness’ and competence which overcame our anticipation of
failure and international humiliation. For once national pride seemed a justifiable
emotion though I still wish we could get rid of that national anthem. I also
drew the line at being asked to sing ‘ Id like to teach the world to sing’ at
the Coca-cola Beat Box in the Olympic Park. Nevertheless the first week was spent
half in the garden with the TV on and the French windows open so I didn’t miss
any of the key events.
To get into the Olympic Park we had managed to get tickets
for a hockey game – we didn’t even know
who was playing until we got into the
arena. It meant driving down the night before and camping in the Lee Valley
Camp site at Picketts Lock – a rather sad reminder of earlier failed regeneration
projects. We were planning to cycle in but were advised to take the train which turned out to be good advice. Up at 5.30
we were in the park by 7.30 and ready for kick off (bully?) at 830. It turned
out to be New Zealand against Argentina with NZ winning which made Margot
happy.
After the match we simply spent the day in the sunshine
soaking up the atmosphere and walking round the site looking at the buildings .
Highlights included the Orbit from which you could see across London and into the stadium next door. Even from that
height and distance feel the roar of the crowd as the women’s 400m relay heats
took place. Also really impressed by the landscaping which was really
imaginative, based on native wildflowers and a welcome alternative to local
authority blooms which it could have been. In the centre was a lake in a valley
from the sides of which you could sit on the grass and watch two big screens showing
live events from the various venues.
Although McDonalds featured large there was plenty of
alternative, with 3 outside food malls with plenty of picnic tables to go
around and all manner of food from around the world. Not sure if it would have been
so great if it had not been sunny and warm, t-shirt weather well into the evening.
About eight we went to a Panasonic 3D HD summary of the highlights so far and came
out in the dark just as the 200 yards men’s finals was due so joined a mad rush
to squeeze into to see the big screens. The excitement was almost as strong as
if we were in the stadium itself.
All I all a great day
marked most of all by the volunteer ‘Games makers who were constantly friendly
and helpful.
Claires
The next morning we headed off to Claire’s where we were
surprised and pleased to find Ed over. Later in the evening Jim arrived as he
was coming with me to the mountain biking at Hadleigh Farm the next day while
Margot took his car home to be there for Kumiyo’s arrival for a brief visit.
Net morning Jim and I set off early and got the campsite in
plenty of time to assemble the bikes and get to the track in good time.
Saturday was the women’s event and we managed to see them off then walk round
the whole track and back in time for the finish as the whole race takes about
and hour and ¾. The British woman got us excited by leading for the first lap
(of 6) but clearly overdid it and
eventually came in 8th. In the end the French woman won by quite a
distance. It’s a great track with plenty of good viewing points in spite of the
crowds and a couple of big screens too. Jim managed to get a lot of good photos
and the day ended with a trial bike display and the RAF Falcons parachute
display team.
We had an Indian meal in Rayleigh but there was not much
else doing there so we went back to the campsite and listened to the diving on
Radio 5 live while watching the pictures on the TV through the window of the
next door camper van. In bed by 10.
Sundays racing was an hour later starting which was lucky as
I got a puncture on the way over. Fortunately there was a bike shop right next
to the bike park and a mechanic who lent me the tools to fit a new tube. I had
deliberately left all my tools and spares in the van to avoid the security
check that had taken a while on Saturday.
The racing was even better than the women’s with 3 fighting
it out until the last lap and a sprint for gold and silver right up to the
line. Unfortunately the British ride tried too hard and crashed, breaking his
ankle.
This time we got away quick and manage to get back to York
in time for supper and to see the closing ceremony on TV. A great ending to an amazingly successful
event – don’t see how Rio is going to match up.
Its all been a very sporty few weeks but the brain is
ticking over too. I have been soldiering on with Laurence Durrell’s Avignon
quintet despite occasionally finding it too highbrow for my taste (and
education) and a bit pretentious. A lot of it goes right over my head but it’s
an interesting scenario ad I also find the references to Avignon and the Pont
du Gard interesting as we have been there the last couple of years. I want to
finish it before the new term starts where I have enrolled on a Philosophy course
on ‘Contemporary Theory of Mind’. I also borrowed ‘Revolution in the Mind’
about the Freudian movement up to the second world war which was a fascinating
insight into how movement form and develop though again much of it was over my
head. I think Peter (who lent me both books) is in a different league from me intellectually
though I do grasp enough to hold a decent conversation with him. And discovered
he plays table tennis and have got him coming to Dunnington to play.
I at last got a
decent essay mark from the Psychology, the one on the nature of prejudice and
discrimination in which I managed to quote from Sven Linqvist and I have just
met the man himself. I am writing this on the train back from the Edinburgh
Book Festival where I saw Roy Hattersley – who may have convinced me to vote
for Labour again after 15 years – Clive Stafford-Smith – who was very funny and
hugely provocative as well as being very scary about the American judicial
system – and finally Sven himself. He is now 80 and rather slow in speaking and
walking but his brain is clearly intact as he gave a very lucid insight to his
approach to writing and dealt really well with the questions. This included the
compere asking him to give a brief account of the new book to which he replied
if he could have done it briefly he wouldn’t have written the book. I bought it
and got him to sign it and have already started to read it.
Thursday (16th) saw us in the Museum Gardens at
the York Mystery Plays which this time took place in the ruins of St Marys. The
lead roles were played by professional actors but the crowd scenes, with lots
of local amateurs, was perhaps the highlight. It was very well done with a two
live choirs and excellent sound and it
felt good that this ancient tradition was being kept alive.
A fringe event to the Mystery plays is the Soul festival at
the Theatre Royal. We missed Ruby Turner but managed to catch Al Morrison Blues
Experience who were brilliant with Juliet Roberts as lead singer but a great
band with brass section and 3 ‘backing’ singers who all got solo spots and
could have fronted the whole show. All local talent, so ones to watch out for.
Next week it’s the South African Gospel singers. Margot is in Edinburgh so I am
going with Jim.
To round off a busy week we went into town today (Sunday)
and saw the Imposter, a fascinating documentary followed by an equally
fascinating live video transmission of a Q&A with the director, producer
and one of the participants.
Enough for now, let’s try and keep up to date a bit more regularly in future
