Yorky Walky day .Around 7 miles. Low winter light showing Cathedral City at its best. People packed everywhere. Minster quiet. Prelude to illuminations evening. Candles in the aisles apparently! Prayers in prayer chapel for those here and those gone. Wandered over to university. Leafy trek very nice. Duckless lake had me wondering: "Where have they all gone!". Crispy duck crepe stall at Food Fair in Parliament Street had me wondering even more! Crash out on millennium Bridge. 20 mile an hour wind blowing up river and across my back cooled me down nicely. Rowntrees Park autumn multicoloured leaf heaven. Happy kids throwing themselves around skate park. Family thoughts and love for beloved wife very strong. Her love for me not strong enough to tear herself away from the garden today though! Great walk!

 Under cloudy patchy blue sky  rollicking walk around Durham Woods and City. Whole family  high spirits. Fiona renamed FUFL said "fuffle" . Fiona Urban Foxy Lady. Family falling over laughing . It will stick. Forest trees leaves mosaic patched duvet  over landscape. Beautiful. Biscuit break at Cathedral Cloisters. Viewed    Lego Cathedral project. Miles excited. Spends one pound   every two weeks to place a bit of Lego. 21 and still Lego bonkers. 10,000 Lego pieces at home   inspiration. Fiona in impulse buy tried on some retro jumpers at market stall. Size too small. City packed with students, shoppers and tourists. Happy productive atmosphere. Slurped coffee. People watched. Sides splitting with laughter as well. Crepuscular rays viewed from motorway on way home. Big discussion about  them being unique to  viewer because   miniscule differences in viewing angle. Clifford clever argument.   Person stands in the same place gets same view. Daddy trounced second son.  Earth has moved slightly in time person moves to same place therefore different angle.  Really good. Home. With Fiona crash , cuddle and listen to "Raising Sands". Family beautiful. Contentment good. Creative problems   keep me interested. I thank God for my family and my friends. God bless them all.

Beautiful afternoon with the family and Nimbo Stratus clouds drizzling rain around Durham City. Student boys and girls sporting it with female football and the US heavy stuff. Leaves grey green under the clouds to brown, purple red and orange. Beautiful. Lads and love of my life chatting and cheerful. Durham Cathedral sombre and quiet under the rain. Cathedral cloisters silent, Clifford and I mellowed on bench whilst Miles and Fiona visited Monks Dormitory, now a library. Loved the clash between the sporty students thrusting and active, just as I feel, and the quiet peopleless Durham. Home to happy house. Cohen, crash, cuddle with the lovely Fiona and then arising to Italian meal preparation. Have to pinch myself because I have felt several times over the last 25 years  my life is a dream and one day I will wake up. But it's real and I thank God for my family and my friends every day.

 Some things do not change. Today Fiona brought in the last of the tomatoes and arranged them on the window ledge to ripen from small to large, left to right. But she  made a couple of mistakes in the size progression of the tomatoes. I knew with total certainty that when Miles sat down for his tea next to those tomatoes   he would order them in size correctly because he has done that  since he was   two years old. So, just before the lad sat down to eat his tea he arranged the tomatoes from small to large in perfect ascending order left to right. Some things do not change. God bless him.