With the  family I had a beautiful walk around the River Wear, Durham Woods and onto Durham City . As I haven't had much exercise over the past week, because of doing my back in ,the milky brooding mist felt fresh and fun ! A total bonus was seeing a Peregrine Falcon scooting from tree to tree on the river bank . Mega ace ! The Market Place  was full of students and shoppers as well as young kids enjoying rides on the roundabout there  . Our two lads rode on it when they were little!  The tomato sauce and fresh pasta are cooking away and when it's ready we're watching the film  " Sliding Doors"   . Great to be back up and walking again but best of all is loving my friends and family !

Under a blowy cumulus cloud  laden sky I had a beautiful walk with the family around Durham City . The autumn leaves   are going to multicoloured kaleidoscope and we did the same walk as last week but in reverse . It was strange walking backwards but there you go . Biscuit break ,   actually it was a banana for me, was a hooting laugh fest but we settled down enough afterwards to go to Flass Vale Woods the new focus for our Durham walks . There were a lot of students and young people milling around the city streets enjoying that balmy Saturday afternoon take it easy feel which seems to come over Durham City on the weekend and the stop for coffee did nothing to calm our over excited expressions. As soon we got home I cooked   fresh pasta  and tomato sauce for the hungry minions and didn't overcook the garlic bread this week. Being on a weight loss binge I abstemiously had  half a bowl of soup and a piece of garlic bread. We watched the film "The Sum of All Fears" an action adventure romp.  Clifford is coming back on line again , good , Miles is planning his way into teaching work before he does teacher training next year , he has signed on with a supply agency , Fiona is in Garden Goddess hibernation mode because of the forthcoming winter showing  a   mellow happy glow,   like she looked after she gave birth,  but this will go on until the spring and I'm back on the song trail again after another minor slowdown wondering how my music ambition will fit into my current family duties. What I love about my family is the resilient cheer we always manifest no matter what happens. It's something that inspires me with the many fine folk I know as well . Warmest love to everyone !

A nice 8 miles of walking today. First 4 miles were in Durham City through a wispy disappearing mist from Shincliffe alongside the River Wear. At coffee break at Starbucks I had a great discussion with a man with mental problems who gave me a good chunk of his life story. Confirmed my view that alcohol is  very bad for some folk. With the wispy hazy mist still in the West side of the gorge that surrounds most of Durham Cathedral, shown nicely with the 11am sun casting a shadow over it, I headed back to a sunny Darlington. I still felt like getting some more miles in my legs so I  walked into Darlo center and back, a nice 4 miles. A walking day with a  lot of thinking done!

   Fiona and I walked around a blowing blustery Durham City under blue skies with deep dark grey cumulus clouds swooping in to rain strong showers. Lovely coloured hints of autumn matched   our happy glow . Hiking happiness the best experience of all in our 26 year long marriage. A frappuccino at Starbucks lasted long enough to avoid going to the Vintage shop with the clothes deprived imaginations of Fiona. The City was quiet and the Cathedral sombre under a massive cumulus cloud . Our prayers in the Prayer Chapel raised the glow to a bright light. Coming back along the River Wear  not yet full of the coming flood water a Woodpecker showed itself . Magic. Home now and the fresh linguine is cooking next to the tomato source . "Cop Land" a police drama about a New York cop who gradually realises his colleagues are corrupt is ready to be watched . The PSP family is rocking   but maybe not rolling as it usually does. Miles skateboarded to day at 4Motion in Darlington and Clifford chilled at home  as their  parents romped and romanced around Durham . A good day!

Gosh what a troublesome wife I have occasionally  . The first of the Garden Goddess'  tomatoes have ripened. I'm having a healthy salad and my own home potato salad for tea while the rest of the family pleberatti are having the usual fried fish and it's close relations. So, you'd think my request to have the first fruits of the summers seasons offerings on my plate would be a reasonable request . Nope . I'm getting HALF A TOMATO to go with my salad and that only after a googley eyed tense gunfighter style  stand off with the fine lady . Sometimes marriage is tough !

Fiona and I had a great urban ramble around Newcastle today and a mini ramble in Durham City. There was a cool breeze blowing in Newcastle. The tide was rushing in up the Tyne past the Kittiwakes and their fledglings perched on the Tyne Bridge. We walked along the Ouseburn River path with   the new buildings pushing up nicely and then to the Biscuit Factory art gallery to see the  landscape art of Julie Dumbarton. The heads up to see her work came from my FB mate David Forte who runs the fantabulous Larrys Lodge B n B  at Keswick in the Lake District . Mrs Dumbartons work is exceptionally  good and worth having a look at . A Costa coffee cool down slurping a crushed ice cappuccino was had before heading off to Durham to meet Miles and Clifford at the great Inshanghai eating emporium. After food wolfing was done we went  back home to  two episodes of the WW2 miniseries the Pacific. I've got another song written so that has to be recorded this weekend . I'm back on the tune trail now some family problems and potentialities have been sorted. I never forget that love is a rose that has thorns as well but I will never give up growing roses. Scratches and all !

Yesterday I had a beautiful day out in York with my family. We met up again with Verona a lady from Berlin who we did a big Yorkshire Dales tour and walks last Thursday. We paddled around York in the rain visiting churches and snickleways. Verona really enjoyed seeing the bits of York  she had not seen before. She has been regularly visiting the city since the mid 80s. As we walked up Birdcage Walk heading back into town for tea we met, joy of joys, Emily Peattie and Toni Maynor two fine ladies I knew really well from the 80s but had not seen  since 1996. The last time they had seen Miles and Clifford they were 4 and 1! It was a beautiful experience seeing them and they were as friendly as ever. Verona is going to do some trips out with us again next year when she holiday's in York again.  A very beautiful day out.