A view from the Lakes

It might be kid's tele, but that doesn't make it any less brilliant!

2007-03-13T20:55:00.000Z

Ways to feel old - remembering it the first time round

2006-11-04T22:05:00.000Z

I've definitely now got to the stage in life that I remember all the dance remixes from the first time round. Not a problem - but there seems to be more and more people who don't!

The latest is Infernal's remix of Laura Branigan's Self Control - which was playing in the bar I was in in Sheffield the other night. Pretty good as these remixes go - have a listen, but please tell me you also remember it the first time round!

Heritage Sunday

2006-09-10T20:56:00.000+01:00

Today is 'Heritage Sunday' - the one day of the year when loads of buildings across the country that you don't normally get to see open their doors to the general public. When I mentioned to Chris (one of my closest friends from university) that I was thinking about popping down to Manchester to do some shopping he suggest I join him and Audrey on a tour of the clock tower at Manchester's Town Hall.

Now, I don't really have a head for heights - so a tour of a clock tower might not have been the best way to spend a Sunday morning, but it was absolutely fantastic.

Manchester is a really great city - and to see it from so far up from an angle the general public don't get to see that often was something else. The weather helped - you could see the entire city right up to Heaton Park and down way past the university. There's been lots of new building in the city centre since I left in 1999 too, and we got to see buildings which don't look as good from ground level.

The building itself is fantastic. Manchester's Town Hall is defintely in the gothic tradition, and the clock tower follows the rest of the building in this respect. The staircase up is a very tight spiral one, but closed in enough not to cause me problems with the height. The bells are massive, and make a fair bit of noise (they were a set of bell-ringers in the tower while we were there). The scary bit though was being right at the top as the bells were being rung - the movement of the bells causes the tower to sway just a little, but it's very off-putting when it's such a long way down!

Lost in the forest?

2006-08-06T20:18:00.000+01:00

P8060011, originally uploaded by Paul in the Lakes.

Grizedale Forest is fantastic - not only is it a forest (which I'm pretty fond of anyway), but there's loads of artwork in between the trees as well.

I spend a lot of time at Grizedale - it's peaceful, and a good place to go in the wind and rain because it's quite sheltered. I covered parts of the forest I've not been to before today - and came across this - multitudes of signposts in the trees.

There's more photos from my past couple of visits to the forest on flickr.

Hmmm... might regret that

2006-04-03T20:54:00.000+01:00

Have come to the conclusion that I'm in desperate need of some exercise. I'm working all hours at the minute, with the result that I seem to be putting on weight like never before. And I'm only getting a game of squash every couple of weeks if I'm lucky.

So, when I got home from work tonight, and it was still light and sunny, decided to cycle from Kendal to Staveley and back again - about 8 miles. Haven't cycled anything like that distance in years. V good for the mind, not sure about the body - I guess we'll see if I can walk in the morning!

On the downside - it started chucking it down with rain when I was half way round, so I got absolutley soaked. And it's still that cold winter type rain that's verging on hail. Grrr...

What date is it again?

2006-03-12T14:01:00.000Z

There was me thinking it was supposed to be the Spring now, and I awoke to a snow covered Kendal - the worst snow we've had all winter. Roads closed left, right and centre, but at least the kids seemed to be enjoying it (though I'm told they don't sell sledges at Argos...!).

Went for a wander up the castle, given driving anywhere wasn't really an option.

Sledging!!!

From the bridge over the River Kent

The Castle

A walk above Grasmere - in beautiful sunshine

2006-02-19T21:25:00.000Z

The weather today was amazing - much better than it should have been for February. So I took the opportunity to do something new, and longer than I have been walking of late. A walk up Silver How from Grasmere, and along the ridge to Blea Rigg before coming down to Easedale Tarn and back to Grasmere through Easedale. Perhaps in the summer, when there's more light (and perhaps more energy in me) I can do the same thing across to Stickle Tarn and the Langdale Pikes - hadn't realised how close to Grasmere they really were.

Anyhow, some photos from today - taken on the mobile phone as someone from work has my camera for 'work stuff'.

Thr route up Silver How from Grasmere

The view of Grasmere from Silver How

Looking across to a snow-capped Helvellyn

One of the waterfalls of Sourmilk Gill above Easedale

Brokeback Mountain

2006-02-08T21:43:00.000Z

Went to see the film that everyone is talking about the other night. Though before you ask what took me so long - when you live in a world of two screen cinemas it takes a while for stuff to filter through. This was the first week it was showing at Bowness-on-Windermere - though waiting is worth it. The main screen at Bowness has a circle as well as stalls. I for one end up with an aching neck in most cinemas. In the circle at Bowness you're looking down on the screen - much more comfortable. And the seats are proper old fashioned comfortable seats too.

Anyway - back to the film. It was good - but I agree with much of what Niles has said. It's obvious that it came out of a short story - and they haven't added anything to it to eek it out into a two and a half hour film. After the inital rush of action during the first summer, you end up with huge spaces of nothing, and I thought it had rather fizzled out by the end.

That said, the scenery is fantastic, and the acting great. And bottom line, this is a mainstream film tackling the question of homosexuality (even if it wasn't that thought provoking) in an environment where it's still not really accepted - and it should be given credit where credit's due for this.

Busy, busy - stinking cold

2006-01-31T20:52:00.000Z

Hmmm... start a blog, then appear to abandon it - not quite my intention! Been stupidly busy of late, and have spent the last couple of weeks trying to fight off a really annoying cold (drank so much orange juice I think it started doing more harm than good...!).

Ah well - cheered myself up no end on Sunday when I was gazing out the window and reminded myself that that up there was a fell, and I lived in the most gorgous bit of the country.

I know - there's a fire station in the way - but I think it's quite comforting to know that if our house ever caught fire, the men who would sort it are just round the corner ;-)

Pledge £20 to make a difference to the lives of cancer sufferers

2006-01-09T15:05:00.001Z

Rob has pledged £20 to Cancer Relief UK if 50 other people sign up to coincide with the anniversary of BBC News Online correspondent Ivan Noble. I've always felt so helpless when people close to me have suffered and died from cancer - please join Rob in his pledge. There's more on Rob's blog here and you can sign up here.

Thank you.

A New Year's walk on Loughrigg Fell

2006-01-01T21:37:00.000Z

Fighting off a bit of a cold today, so just went on a short walk up Loughrigg Fell near Ambleside. Didn't stay up late last night, so got out before the crowds, and it was worth it... This was the view across a very tranqil Grasmere.

And this was the rather intrigued sheep half way round - well it is a new camera!

All in all a relaxing start to the New Year.

Presenting: A view from the Lakes

2006-01-01T21:29:00.000Z

Hi there, and welcome. A new year, and I'm back in the blogging world. You'll guess pretty quickly that I've got a new digital camera, and this blog will be much more of a photographic thingy that my last one. Hope you enjoy it!

By the way - there's more photos in my flickr account.

Cheers
Paul