Rose

A rose picture I took last year.

"Burned" out

As if I needed another reason to dislike summer, but I'm getting ahead of myself here. I had been planning to attempt to ride two imperial centuries in the first two days of 2005, but being sunburned today on the final day of 2004 has put paid to that. I can really only blame myself, it was in the final stages of the ride home from Brisbane -- reflection off the water mainly. Guess that's what happens when you take the coastal route.



Of course, the time in Brisbane was spent assisting my mother with moving apartments. Something she seems to do with alarming regularity. At least she's now eliminated most of the really big furniture. Small inner city apartments in Brisbane don't leave much scope for that I guess. I did get a pleasant early morning trip to Mt Coot-tha -- a reserve to the west of Brisbane city, but that was about the only exciting thing I've been up to in the last couple of days. It was nice to see the mist obsure the surrounding suburbia that day.







Apparently there was a road rage incident near Brisbane Airport yesterday. I'm told that two drivers had a heated argument over a parking space, one guy took off at high speed when he lost, clattered into a young woman on a pedestrian crossing, who ended up with serious brain damage as a result of the collision. The driver himself suffered a heart attack as a consequence and died.

The reason I say "apparently" above is because the local news didn't see fit to report it. Now I know the Tsunami in South East Asia has quite understandably taken up a lot of media space in recent times, but surely this incident deserves some kind of billing -- especially in view of the fuss made over the "selection shocks" in the Australian cricket team. What I want to know is this -- is this another function of society losing focus? Or have incidents like this (and indeed deaths on roads generally) become so common that it's not considered worth even a 30 second news report?

Rough Start to - 3 fatalities

2007 has become a dangerous year at Mount Rainier, even with the roads closed. Since mid-February, there have been three fatalities within the park boundary, a terrible trend as the park prepares to reopen this spring.
The first incident involved a skier who ducked a ropeline at Crystal Mountain Resort for backcountry turns. The intent was to catch fresh tracks down the White River drainage (and into the park). That skier was caught and killed in an avalanche and the Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol recovered the body.
The most recent accident involved a married couple who drowned in Ipsut Creek. The pair were crossing a footlog when Annette Blakely slipped, fell, and was quickly swept downstream in the frigid current. Her husband, Robert, immediately shed his backpack and leaped into the stream in an attempt to save her life. Sadly, both were caught in a log jam and drowned.

The News Tribune, Seattle Times, and Seattle PI have been covering the accident and recovery in detail, but a few details have emerged in the stories that are inaccurate. Some are minor, for example, a helicopter did not spot the body from the air. Another, however, is misleading. That is that the footlog to get across the washout was clearly established and marked. Here in this photo, you can see the two foot logs in question. The lower log was the one where the accident occurred, the upper is the preferred log to cross...
An accurate point about all of this is that the park, the roads, and the trail system are in very rough condition. With so much damage, climbers, backpackers, skiers and hikers will need to take extra precautions when visiting this spring and summer. Normally minor incidents in places like Ipsut Creek will be more difficult to respond to and manage.

As for the latest recovery, my thoughts are with the family and friends of the Blakely's. I would also like to thank the Pierce County Swiftwater Rescue team (and the bomb team, the dive team, and the SAR team too) for the outstanding assistance in this incident. In the image above, the field operations leader views the screen of an underwater camera.

That Ten-Petalled Anemone

Several commenters asked questions about that Anemone heterophylla shown in the bloom day post. I took another photo once this morning's drizzle let up.

Here's the Ten-petalled Anemone with more of the foliage visible. These leaves sure do resemble columbine's leaves, maybe because both Aquilegia/Columbines and Anemones are in the Ranunculus/Buttercup Family? This time I included a ruler for scale - it's a very petite flower! They look cute in the grass, but are not going to compete with the kind of Anemones you buy from bulb dealers in the fall, like Anemones de Caen or St. Brigid.
Since the 15th more flowers have opened. The Lady Banks yellow rose is completely full of buds and has opened a few blossoms. I kept this rose in a series of ever-larger containers for about 5 years, then last summer finally planted it next to the patio arch. It isn't an repeat flowering rose, blooming just once a year in spring. It also comes with the warning that growth can be rampant, but I don't care. This is one of those plants often mentioned in garden books, and occasionally seen on the Southern segments of the Victory Garden show on PBS. So for me, growing it is a kind of statement of place - that I live here now. .
These iris were all just buds on the fifteenth, but look at them now!

The Iris buds burst open on Sunday morning - both the simple, rather small white iris, frequently seen as a passalong - and the larger, more ruffled, slightly fragrant pale orange variety. There's another bud on the mystery iris which froze in the ice storm , and if this one opens, I'll show it to you.

Dog Days

Got out for a couple bike rides in the last couple weeks. Seems like I am busy, its too hot, or its too windy. When it stuck my head out of the door this morning, it was looking to be a great morning for a ride. Kitted up and loaded the hybrid on the car rack and headed for the Wabash Trace Trailhead.

The thermometer in the car registered 74 degrees - not too bad! But when I arrived at the trailhead and unloaded the bike, I realized it was also very humid this morning. Well, I am here, see how it goes.

Plan was to ride to and around Lake Manawa. That was same route as my last ride (and had logged the fastest speed for the year). That was a little cooler morning, knew I was not going to make that speed.

Took it easy on the way down to Lake Manawa. Decided to ride the Nature Trail ti add a little distance to my ride. Besides, I had not ridden that loop for some time. Today's photo was taken on the Nature Trail.

Continued on the Indian Creek Bridge. By the time there, it was getting a bit HOT. Turned back towards the trailhead. Did a short detour to the levee at the mountain bike trails. Back to the main trail and on up to the Wabash. By the time I got back to the car, I had enough.

Its time to change to early morning ride - like sunrise.

A New Reading Challenge for

CHALLENGE BUTTON

January 1, .. through December 31, ..
Click on the button above to see a fun reading challenge for next year. It's from Letters From a Hill Farm blog. Some of the listed authors will be new to me. I've heard of them but haven't read any of their books.
One thing I love about my bookgroup is that I read books I wouldn't have tried on my own. This challenge will be good that way too. It'll make me get out of my reading comfort zone.
And who doesn't love the movie You've Got Mail? It's filled with books since both of the main characters are bookstore owners. The reading list comes from books mentioned in the movie.
So click the button and have fun!

Playing with PhotoShop

I have been in the hospital since Tuesday. Nothing major - biopsy and colonoscopy. Just that being on coumadin, it take 2+ days in the hospital before and procedures and 3+ after.
Anyway - so I have been playing with the filter effects with PhotoShop and Microsoft Picture It! Really like the glowing edges filter.
Downloaded filters from Filter Forge and The Plugin Site. Its amazing the artistic effects with PhotoShop filters.
I was able to get the hospital to bring a stationary bike into my room. Been getting some time on the bike - just not like riding outside. Still have to finish my Christmas cards. Other projects had with me in the room - so lots of stuff to do. But really want to be back home. Hopefully tomorrow.

Life at Home

This post is for Jonny and Ming Ming, and also for Joanne Noragon ... they have missed reading about what happens around this place.

....We have drunk lots of tea..white tea, green tea, ginger tea....we love them all.



George had a mountain of ash logs delivered, we then had the great fun of wheel barrowing them around the fruit garden, up round the house, through the vegetable garden and up to the log store.

Our cheeks were glowing rosy by the time we finished that little job.

If the predictions of an arctic winter should come to pass, then at least we have plenty of logs to feed the Rayburn and the fires. The log man didn't come alone, he had two wonderful canine friends with him...



One was very shy and stayed out of sight, however, this little chap was determined to have some attention, he is called Monty.

The shy one is a rescue dog. He spent the first nine months of his life confined to a kennel, no walks, no interaction. The log man rescued him and he now has a wonderful life with Monty.

Show-off Sparky

Bennie plays hide and seek behind the books

The cats are having such a lot of fun - days are spent hunting mice and rats, running up trees, chasing Toby-dog, stalking the hens.

Then they spend cosy evenings indoors...Ben likes to find new and interesting places to hide from Sparky.

Here she is tucked between the wall and the books in our bedroom.

Toby watching the hens

Toby continues to plod along - here he is focused on the hens as they ramble around the woodland, he finds them fascinating...so do the cats.

Frankie, Boadicea, Xiao Ji and Isadora

Here are the girls. Their new feathers are coming through thick and fast now, their combs are pinking up and they are happy and healthy.

They roam around the woodland from dawn to dusk scratting in the soil and doing chickeny things.

Today we left the woodland gate open and allowed them the freedom of the garden. It didn't take them long to make their way across the gardens to the kitchen door. It was almost like old times with the other hens. Their characters are developing and they come running when we call or whistle for them.

Harry is settling well into school, he still gets tired at the end of the day, but then he is only four and a half years old! He has a small speaking part in the school nativity play - he is to be the inn keeper. George and I will be at his school a week on Monday when he makes his debut.

This little poppet is doing well, she is on the brink of walking by herself...just not quite ready to relinquish her hold on someone's finger or the furniture, even though they are scarcely needed.

I have also been having a major sort through my books and clothes. Five huge sacks of clothes have gone to a charity shop in Louth, I have also thinned out some of the books from the Dressing Room. If I could repeat this exercise many times over I could finally begin to live clutter-free...it won't happen, but I keep trying.

xx

PS I am so excited about seeing you both in the summer. Three whole weeks, wonderful!

For John Grey: Through The Keyhole of The Old Cow Shed

We took Harry to pre-school, helped his mum get sorted, then drove to the Aged Aunt's, did her weekly shop, pay her bills, etc. All the regular stuff.





The bit which proved tiring was teaching her how to open a tin of easy-to-open baked beans, and then how to heat them in the microwave oven and pour them over her slices of toast. Bear in mind that she has never cooked anything more difficult than salad, although she does manage to reheat her Wiltshire Farm Foods meals. Let's hope she can manage the beans on toast, if not, she will be on the phone for further coaching - again, and again, and ...





YesterdayJohn Greyexpressed an interest in seeing the rest of our kitchen/livingroom/diningroom. So John, especially for you...

This is the room we use the most, it was the old cart shed end of the Byre. When we bought the place it was rat-infested, full of junk - including an urn of 'Grandpa's' ashes which the previous owners had forgotten when they moved. Or so they claimed!





I am not a great cook and I particularly dislike being isolated in a kitchen while all the fun is going on elsewhere, so we decided that open plan would suit us. We have all the white goods in the utility room, but the cooking range and a sink are in the kitchen.

It is a mish-mash of styles, but it works for us.

Reaching the Pinnacle

The previous weekend I had decided that this would be the day I would finally reach "the Pinnacle" from the other side. The Pinnacle is a rock formation jutting out from the mountains of the Border Ranges National Park, near Kyogle. However, the bottom of it can also be accessed from Pumpenbil, near Tyalgum. It took me a few years to discover this, and even longer to actually do something about it, but this was going to be the day, regardless.

It all started simply enough, Martin joined me for the first 45km, and we took the usual route through Urliup. My legs were caning after the previous day's ride to Binna Burra in the mountains, but I also knew that I could ride myself into form given enough time and distance. The wind picked up from the south on the other side of Murwillumbah, and I prayed that for once it would continue from that direction, keeping the temperature down and giving me an easier ride home.

The clouds continued to hover around Mt Warning as I reached the pretty dirt section along Byrrill creek after Uki, and started the long, gentle climb through the forest passing the usual little waterfalls in the creek. This is one of my favourite stretches of road anywhere, but today it was made a little more treacherous by the local council's decision to water the road into submission, possibly in the hope that it might grow in the same kind of way that their integrity didn't. Of course, they tried this trick on me with a patch of roadwork at Tumbulgum some years earlier that led to me crashing, and the entire Tweed Shire Council were sacked for corruption a week later, and yes, I am going to keep reminding my 3 regular readers about this fact.

Descending off that climb into the grand, sweeping vistas of the Tyalgum section of the Tweed Valley is always a pleasant experience, but today I detoured out along Pinnacle Road, which offered a nice, steady climb for a few kilometers, before petering out at the bottom of Pinnacle Rock. Even without the view of the Pinnacle, the ride itself was pleasant, as it steadily rose above the surrounding area of lush green rolling hills. I was so inspired I later took a side trip along Bald Mountain road to see if it did actually climb Bald Mountain. It didn't, but the view it offered was pleasant enough anyway.


There was nothing left after this other than the return to Murwillumbah for the final climb over Tomewin to get home. This is actually a much more pleasant climb on a relatively cool day, as the bits exposed to the sunlight don't burn quite so badly. Of course, this was also only the second southern ride that has actually finished with a tailwind in the last two years, so that may have assisted in the fact that I had now ridden myself back into form.

The ride home from there was reasonably uneventful, apart from a couple of absolute idiots that I encountered upon returning to the coastal strip. I get the feeling that at least one of them won't be alive for much longer without some major behavioural changes, and the feeling is definitely a comforting one. Just why so many idiots around here feel the need to stop dead in the middle of the road for no readily apparent reason is beyond me, but sooner or later they'll try it on someone driving a bigger car than they are, and the results will end badly for them, but maybe not so badly for the rest of us.

Fineshade-Duddington-Tixover-Wakerley-Fineshade

With Maureen, Barry and Gordon. Very nearly 10 miles, hence the confusing label below this post. Weather grey, a bit of drizzle-mizzle, some mud, but we didn't get anything like wet.





We set off from Top Lodge, followed the Jurassic Way round the wood, then down to Duddington - an interesting village which I never visit unless I'm walking or cycling. It's tucked away between the A47 and the A43.
Notice on the gate of the old school. The gate was open!



The old water mill with the mill race still there
We crossed the bridge over the Welland, into Rutland, and walked through Tixover,leaving the Jurassic Way and meeting the Rutland round. Tixoverchurchis a little out on a limb. Maybe we'll visit some sunny day.

We followed the route I took on this walkon October 18th, when the sun shone on me. This time we stopped for a break just before Welland Spinney, where there was a convenient set of logs and tree stumps - the perfect café.





When we reached the road between Barrowden and Wakerley we turned left and crossed the Welland, then passed the old station house. Further along at the road junction, beside what used to be the Marquis of Exeter pub we took the footpath (Jurassic Way again) which leads behind some houses and the church to the road to Wakerley Woods.

We walked along the main pathway until we met the Jurassic Way sign, pointing to the left. It can be a little tricky to spot.

Then the path turns quickly right, and can be muddy. The signs are there, but are missable. The path continues in a more or less south-easterly direction and comes out of the woods at a gate which leads across a field and a patch of trees, eventually coming to a large metal gate where Laxton Hall is visible some way to the right, and the arch of its gatehouse to the left.

Turn left here towards the A43 - cross it and follow the Jurassic Way across a field to a bridge, then uphill past Fineshade Abbey, over a stile to a path between two fences. This path crosses a field then goes into the woods, still climbing. Once you emerge from the woods, all that's left is a cultivated field which unobligingly goes downhill and then quite steeply up to meet the road to Top Lodge.





This last section from Wakerley is one of my favourites.