We've just got back from a windy and dampish walk around the Durham Woods and Durham City . We saw a Jay and a Little Grebe which is the first one we've seen since the winter before last winter. It's spring now so for the first time in 20 years we haven't seen Little Grebes on the River Wear in winter!

Weel , instead of making a mega tasty home cooked Italianish meal we opted for takeout Kebab because I couldn't be bothered to cook. I'll do that for the family tomorrow. We also opened a nice parcel from Berlin and our German female family friend which had chocolate bunnies , sheep and mini eggs as well as a Schubert Lieder with the poetry book (in German ) which ain't such a problem because there is a translation of it in the cd liner notes. I love our German friend because she worked out very quickly from first meeting us that in our lowbrow way our brows are quite high indeed. She also gave us a replica 1944 uk allied soldiers code of conduct book for how British soldiers should behave to the vanquished Germans . She's a good 'un and I like to tease her that I think Angela Merkel should be the British Queen!

Anyway , whilst sinking our teeth into Darlington finest kebabs , cracking fodder, we watched the sci fi film "Chappie " and that was great . I did a lot of music earlier on in the day so I'm now chilling and thrilling myself reading stuff ( maths to Uk history) and investigating getting an accordion to play at Irish sessions 'cos I'm sick of huffing and puffing and blowing my own house down on the harmonica. The trouble is since I started doing this last night all my FB ads are now about accordions. It's better than the usual Pink Ferrets . A great day and I love my family , friends and the whole human race. We're all getting there !

A cracking day. I had a morning trek along the River Wear  just outside Durham City and saw a lonely and very twitchy Goosander  deciding  whether to fly off or not with me staring at it.    The City was quiet but a sunny strewn coffee and a nice chill led to a great house head party in my own thoughts. Back off to Darlington to see Miles and Fiona doing a table at the Healthwatch InterFaith event and that was great . They were in with the Jewish and Islamic folk and all the other religions and Humanists , Pagans an Rastafarians were in the other rooms. Jill Dunbar organised the event with her team and did a really great warm job. When we got back home I knocked up the usual meatballs and tomatoes sauce which was fab and then watched EM Forsters "A Room With a View " which was a bit barfing and I'd rather have watched Skinny Killer Cats Nuke the KKK but the sophisticated culturoids I live with disagreed so a culture vulture session it was. I think I'm turning into a middle aged punk.

A cracking day. This morning I did a 4 mile wander around the Durham Woods and spotted the first Goosander of the Autumn on the River Wear which is a sure sign that colder weather is coming. Fiddled around with a song to sort the mix  out and knocked up a smashing Persian Rice for the family . Mustn't let the standard slip or they'll boot me out . This evening with the Fantabulous  Fiona we went to Durham Cathedral to listen to The Sixteen a  wonderful Choral group. One of the best . I vowed I'll improve my singing .  The seats we had in the North Transept were perfect and the sound quality was excellent . Expresso  and Hot Chocolate followed in our favourite romantic cafe and we had a good laugh there . Romance for us is having a good laugh. World Cup Rugby coming up this weekend and what more could a man want!

Birthday weekend.

It's been my birthday weekend a time when I get to do what I like with the family. On Saturday morning I had a smashing Durham Woods and city centre walk in the rain all on my own . Very nice and the River Wear was flooded so there wasn't a duck in sight . I've got a bright red case for my tablet and slurping coffee in Starbucks whilst having a read felt very trendy! Back to the family, then off to Newcastle for an urban ramble in the bright sunshine. Lots of new buildings going up so very nice. We stuffed our faces at a Chinese Buffet spot in Newcastles' Chinatown. After getting home we watched Ghostbusters and slurped Diet Pepsi. On Sunday we visited my Mum, who was well and in the evening Fiona and I went to an organ recital at Durham Cathedral which was also broadcast live on Radio 3. The music was wonderful particularly the very modern and atonal Paul Hindemith piece. I love atonal music. Very jazzy but without the rhythm. Durham Cathedral full of organ music is gorgeous. In a cumulus cloudy dusk we wandered the Durham City streets hand in hand until we got to our favourite romantic cafe, the Rouge Cafe, and enjoyed the ambience.  Today, not wanting to stop the weekend good time, I took Miles to the train station 'cos he's off to London to flutter his mathematical eyelashes at the National Mathematical Institute to try and get £25,000 out of them for his teacher training in September. He's already got the standard training bursary of £20000 but if he can show the London lot he's got great mathematical chops and is into teaching they give him 5 grand extra. Go Miles!  After dropping him off I went for a walk in York, which was in the rain at first, but then bright hot sunshine burst through. I saw a couple of Red Kites on the way back at their roadkill restaurant where the A59 crosses the A1 and they looked magnificent. Well, the fun is over and I've got a stack of songs to write this week, placements to be applied for for my Teaching Assistant course and a great family to love to bits. A very nice weekend!

It is my youngest son ( Clifford)  birthday weekend and we have  had a smashing time . Yesterday we did a Durham City walk ,  had a great coffee at the Coffee House and then went to the Naw Ruz, Bahai New Year Celebration,  at St Oswalds Church Hall. There were a whole load of Iranian Kurdish Muslims there as well and they were dancing there heads off with some Kurdish Iranian dancing . Really good and the food was  brill. Middle Eastern food is my favourite out of all the  grub we eat. Today, after taking Miles for a very energetic skate boarding session at RKade in Redcar we visited my Mum in Richmond who was frail but in good fettle. Clifford didn't feel like going to Newcastle for a twilight town walk and then feast at the Wok Inn so we've just wolfed Chinese Takeaway food whilst  watching Tears of the sun and swigging Diet Coke. A lovely weekend and I am grateful to God for my family  and friends  .

On the last day of the Bahai Fast I was out walking around the Durham Woods really early , down by the River Wear, and I spotted an Otter on the bank right next to me  5 metres . A very relaxed Otter it was 'cos it slowly slid into the water , rootled under some tree roots then  it's super cute face surfaced and it looked at me for about 5 seconds then dived back under the roots again. Toal magic. 200 metres down river I saw a pair of Mandarin Ducks and 3 more further down. It's never boring when you're walking ! I can't wait for the Bahai Fast next year because I'm looking forward to all the early morning walks . Well, I'll be at college or working next year but I'll do early morning walks on the weekends . A magic day !

Well, I got up before dawn for the 6th day of the Bahai Fast and no food or drink between dawn and sunset. I trucked off down to York and did a 7 mile walk up to and  around the Uni and on the   lake I saw 10 Goosanders a courting  trying to breed. Good odds for the males because there were two of them and 8 females. Weird how they congregate on that lake . Last year there was 30 of them and a better balance between the sexes. The males weren't getting anywhere  near the females so if they can't  mate at those odds maybe it's best they  stay single for this year!  I  got back to the family gang and we went to Durham City for a 4 mile walk. We had a good laugh at the cafe teasing Miles about his funny way of saying things when he was younger then stomped up to the Cathedral to listen to a choir and orchestra rehearsing some choral music. So , after a crash and  a cuddle with the good lady Fiona I'm now preparing meatballs and tomatoe sauce for the hungry hordes and we're are gonna watch "The Mist" some sci fi horror movie. Cool! I had a great feeling  of warmth and love for the whole of humanity today and particularly my family and friends . God bless the Hemsworth Chat  FB group that I have a lot of fun on . Great folk!  Smart and fun . The best !