Just got back from a lovely 10 mile walk around York and entering the house there was the sound of cutting and scuffling in the kitchen as Fiona was manically baking a carrot cake and the pounding of my eldest math whiz Miles coming down stairs to excitedly tell me aboiut the 98% he got for his last assignment; " It was really difficult stuff Dad" he said just to magnify the moment and then my wife chundered in with a passion for carrot cake at the moment and how when she retires she is going "to be doing a lot more of this! "Well did you have a nice walk Daddy " nobody asked , that's why I blog my walks I'm unappreciated in a hiking sense amongst my gang but I had a great walk in York. Got there at 8.30 , absolutely loads of people walking down to Bootham Bar and past there it was really quiet . I thought "Is this one of thosae York moments , magical and mysterious where people really do disappear into thin air". Apparently so: just another day in the 'Ol Yorke and it was all blowy and fresh just as I like it . I trundled over to the University which was super quiet, well it was 9:30 am and I felt like shouting under the windows of a residential block "Get up and get going you sleepy brainworkers" but then I realized it was to nice and peaceful an atmosphere to do that . By Derwent College lake I saw a pair of nesting Pochards which was great because I haven't seen them for a couple of years and joy of joys along the banks of the lake were loads of Yellow Irises really prettying the place up . Yellow was the color of the moment because as I looked out over Walmgate Stray there were thousands of Buttercups which as they stretched to the distance all swishy and swaying looked as if they were thickly covering the stray a nice optical illusion which I more or less understood how it was happening from a mathematical point of view but when I told Fiona about it at home she understood the effect immediately from her artists way of thinking . Magical. Had a great laugh in Rowntrees Park although I didn't show it because all these elderly people and a couple of youngies were learning how to walk with walking poles which is great way to exercise but stood in a circle in the middle of the park wiggling their legs about and more was a hoot . Then off they went purposefully determined to walk with walking poles. I love 'em and I'm with them all the way . well I went off in the other direction , but I'm sure I understand what I'm on about. " Do you know what your on about Paul ?" "No". In the center of York was a handy Farmers Market , handy because I could buy some cheese to put myself in Fo's good graces for a couple of days but best of all was it was Richmond Cheese made in Richmond! When I told the guy I came from Richmond he thought it was quite funny as well . And yet another first : in a fit of doggie passion I woofed my first ostrich burger down. Well I'd seen them on telly so I wondered what they tasted like, bit of Northern class consciousness there "I'm white and I'm proud " sort of moment : pretty good but had instant worries about these monsters rampaging around the Northern Pennines ! Fortunately they do not farm them open range but if the Tories remain in power YOU NEVER KNOW! Anyway when I'm up in the hills this week I will keep my eye out! A great morning out and nice to be back to domestic mayhem , my wife is all lovely and radiant from baking , what is it about baking that makes her look so totally gorgeous? and my two lads are enjoying the start of their holiday . A lot of walking to do ! Whoopee!

With the family I've just got back from a 4 mile walk around Willances Leap in Lower Swaledale just out side of Richmond . There are three routes around the Leap and Fo and I went the lower to middle route to look at plants, birds and rocks and I sent the lads around the higher to lower route , about 2 miles further so they could stretch their legs . Off the lads went swiftly disappearing like some startled lost tribe into the heavily leaved woods and Fo and I ambled along under a low grey sky that threatened rain but promised fun . Going over a low flat plain we saw many Swallows and Sand Martins and they were chasing each other at high speed which seems to be courting for them . I could be wrong because by the River Swale there were many midges and insects which is all the food these birds ever need to breed , raise young and then fly back to Africa , all before winter . Amazing! We saw two large parties of walkers a 30 strong group of young and old hiking ladies , nice; don't worry, Fiona had me on a firm lead, and another group of happy looking misfits with no coats food or water! Good for them. We spied the boys with the binoculars on the upper path and as we found out later Miles had taken a wrong turning and ended up where he shouldn't be but then found his way to the right path and toddled along . The whole point of the going off on his own being in charge of his brother exercise is that he goes in the right direction but more useful is that when he goes wrong he gets back to the right path . I was very pleased with him getting back on track . It could have been less forgiving in the Lakes Howgills and particularly the relatively featureless Northern Pennines but I have noticed that he checks out the route very carefully when we go up there . Going the wrong way in any of those places results in doubling a long way and very tired legs . He is doing really well but I'll give him some more complicated routes over the summer in the Settle Ingleborough area where there are plenty of holes to fall down! We met up with the lads back at the car exactly 2 hours as planned and they were 10 minutes early . Meatballs, tomato sauce , garlic bread and spaghetti is now coming up prepared by moi coming up with two episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine . Yummy! A really nice day . I also cracked a A Level maths problem this morning which was very satisfying! I might make a maths teacher yet !

Today with the family I went to Upper Teesdale to Morehouse National Nature Reserve to look at birds and rocks and send the boys on a 6 mile walk around Cronkley Scar to see if they would get lost. They didn't but they did run into a mega hailstone shower because they were about 600 feet above us . We just huddled behind a wall to keep out of the rain! As we left the road and went past a farm a nice lady came out and told us where the Pennine Way path was and complained about the lack of signs ! The grass meadows were coming into flower , mostly Buttercups for now and when we crossed the bridge over the River Tees we went straight into a Redshank breeding ground , going on all the noise they were making which indicates we were close to their nests so they were trying to distract us away . Being ground nesting birds it is the only defense they have ! The sky was low , multi greyed and promising rain which it delivered about half an hour later , a quick hard shower , which glistened the grass making it sparkle and smell of worms rising to the surface which is what they do after it rains . We saw many small birds which I've yet to identify , that being a big part of the fun and had a good look at some shale conspicuously sticking out from the lava laden Whin Sill. What on earth was it doing there ? Well it had been pushed around by an unimaginable force of hot rock prying apart and cooking the sandstone , shale and limestone which is why there were many outcrops of locally know " Sugar limestone " the remnants of a baking session 295 million years ago . We met up with the lads as they were working their way around the bottom of Cronkley Scar alongside the Tees and had biscuit break a few yards from the low but clear water . I was keen to see a Ring Ouzel bird in Falcon Clints gorge but no chance although I did notice something black screech across the river in the high wind and it was black , a little bigger than a Blackbird but going to fast and to far for me to identify it but there are no Blackbird habitats in that part of the Tees Valley so it must be a Ring Ouzel but self deception plays no part in my quest! On the way back after we met the lads it bucketed it down and the wind was behind us and the back of my legs and pants were soaked in about 5 minutes and then it started running down into my hiking shoes and before I could get really excited it just stopped and out popped the sun as if nothing had happened. Getting wet out in the fells really puts you in touch with nature . We will be visiting this area once a month to track the the hay meadow growth though the summer and next time we visit there will be Redshank, Oystercatcher , Lapwing and Curlew chicks running around . A lovely walk topped off with meatballs , tomatoes sauce and spaghetti for tea and two episodes of Star Trek.

Well, I turned 55 today and I feel good for it . Whilst the family were still tucked up in bed I headed off to Bandland to try some amplifiers out with my harmonica but was sorely disappointed . Even though they were bigger and better than the 18 watt thing I've already got they didn't sound that good. The keyboard amp was particularly disappointing and I think I was missing something with how I connected my microphone with it . Still , I came I saw and I went onto Saltholme RSPB reserve and that was cracking . The wardens were as keen and eager as ever and pointed out some gems like Greenshanks and Widgeons that I really enjoyed looking at . The Terns were particularly beautiful and looking at one flying over it reminded me of a jet fighter ! One tern in 1982 did 22000 kilometers in three months from when it was ringed as a chick. Amazing . And what is extra great is that it was ringed on the NE Coast at the Farne Islands Hooray! Back to the family and Fiona was still feeling not well from her infection so I took the lads for a sprint around the Durham Woods , well I told them to go the long way around and I went by the River Wear which was low and almost standing still , so I could stop along the way and enjoy the vegetation which after some light showers smelled wonderful. Everything is just shooting out of the ground so fast at the moment . Biscuit break was at Starbucks and they woofed their biscuit and muffin down pretty fast . A pile of chicken followed when we got back and 2 episodes of Startrek. A nice quiet day just how I like my birthday to be !

Yesterday with the family I visited my Mum in Richmond in Swaledale and had a sultry but fresh walk in the wind through the Easby Woods under a very green canopy of leaves that doesn't seem to be bothered at all by the dry weather although the River Swale was complaining because it was just inches deep a long way from its usual magnificence . Mum was in good fettle and we had a good laugh as usual . After this I took Fo and Clifford home and then took Miles to RKade skate park in Redcar where he did a 4 hour skate session which was a memorial session for a skateboarder and skate shop owner called Bingo . It was great and wild with about one third of the lads and one girl! manically ripping around . Miles went hell for leather for 4 hours with just a 15 minute break . A lot of the regions best skaters were there like Froggy who was awesome . His girlfriend looked pregnant so a Little Froggy could be on the way ! It was great to see all the skate chappies , and one girl , having a ripping time and it was a fitting tribute to Bingo. I met him a couple of times years ago and his shop in Stockton called Mischief was a business founded on a huge enthusiasm for skateboarding and encouraging the young and the not so young to get out there and roll . A great evening and many thanks to RKade for supporting it and all of the entrance fee cash went to the British Heart Foundation because Bingo died of a cardiac arrest but he was only 36. Thats to young and the more the British Heart Foundation and all those dedicated researchers understand our hearts the less chance things like this will happen . A great night out and Miles reliably informed that after the 11 miles hike yesterday and the 4 hour skate session his legs had " turned to jelly " Good doggy! Thats what your body is for : using and abusing !

On Saturday with the family I had a great day out in the Howgills and Pennines. We dropped the boys off at the bottom part of Bowderdale and they went up to the Calf and then down into Sedbergh. 11 miles which they did in 3.5 hours . Good doggies. It was a easy map reading exercise for Miles because has has been up there so many times before and he didn't really need the map but it is useful to identify hills and places as you go along and adds a bit of interest to the journey . Fo and I drove around to Caultley Spout to look at rocks , plants and birds and it was beautiful in the valley . We didn't get to see the Golden Plovers we were after it is a bit early for them but there were a lot of Wheatears about and they were amazing . Every time we go to Cautley we notice the general drift downwards of the rocks and parts of the hillsides . Give it a couple of million years and it will all be a lot smaller! Then, onwards to the Adam Sedgewick Geology Trail just outside Sedbergh and that was pretty amazing even though it is only half a kilometer long . As well as lots of fossils I saw the breccias and conglomerates I'd been longing to see . I did not do much preparation for this trip because I wanted an overview but next time we go it will be a full day there and I will decode the rocks and understand their story with magnifying glass geologists loupe and guide . Some of the rocks are from the Lake District but they were transported to Sedbergh 350 million years ago and they are virtually intact as rounded pebbles some being very big which indicates erosion before deposition buried them but best of all were the breccias which are fragments of rock with far less erosion ie more jagged fragments . Mega interesting . We met up with the boys in Sedbergh and they were fresh as ever in spite of the 11 miles and we then visited Veronica in the South Lakes and had a really nice time there and Becky Fiona's sister came for a while but she was on call for dealing with intensive care patients (shes a physiotherapist) so couldn't stay for long . A really exciting and nice day out where everyone was very happy !

With the family I had a beautiful day out in the Lake District yesterday. We parked up at Glenridding at the top of Ullswater and the lads went over Hellvelyn and down to Thirlmere on the other side whilst Fiona and I did a 6 mile walk around the lake. What a walk. I didn't prepare any notes for the walk I just took it as it came but all the geology and ornithology reading came through with understanding the rocks and identifying the birds but my knowledge of the smaller birds wasn't good and there were several species nesting in the Juniper and Gorse bushes . The top of Ullswater has a mini delta and when we scanned the reeds with the binoculars , we saw a diving duck that we couldn't recognize at the distance , around 300m, but we did identify it later. The weather was crystal clear and the low lying pastures rich with vegetation. Trotting along we saw out first buzzard just taking off and going into its circling routine to get height to allow it to find food . Looking up at it 50m away against the backdrop of the crags behind it was thrilling! At our turnback point we were munching the sarneys and spied the same diving duck we saw at the head of Ullswater but it was still to far off to see the details but I did briefly glimpse a hook at the end of the beak so it must have been a Sawbill , which got us very excited but which one ? When we got back to the car we went around to Thirlmere via Ambleside and just as we were coming up to the Thirlmere car park the boys had just come onto the road having descended Hellelyn . Good timing and I knew they would take no more than 4 hours ! Good fit doggies and they were as fresh as collies and keen to go to our next adventure . This was rowing there lazy parents around Derwent Water at Keswick and they grabbed the oars and off we went . A very nice surprise awaited us at the first island because we could see the diving duck we saw at Ullswater but very close and it was a Sawbill and I claimed it was a Goosander in summer plumage . Wrong as I found out when I got home . The pair of Sawbills we were looking at were feeding very close to the bank and speeding underwater in the shallows , you could see their wake on the surface and completely oblivious to our presence . Magic . I knew we would see something interesting further up on the opposite side of the lake so we drove the lads to row us over there as quickly as possible ! In a mini delta area where a stream entered the lake there were two Sawbills roosting on the water and as we approached they went into their feeding routine and we guided the boys to slowly and carefully turn the boat so we got the best view of them with the binoculars . Total magic. Best view of a diving duck I've ever had: about 20 feet away . So. we were running out of time and it was a mile back over the lake so we got the lads really pulling on those oars to get us back and hopefully see some more Sawbills . We did : not feeding but 4 male and 1 female were doing a mating dance the males crooking their necks back and thrusting their beaks in the air and rushing at other males to barge them out of the way. Sort of feathered slam dancing ! Magic! We ate at the Loose Box , the same meal as a week before then home and Star Trek . A wonderful day with my lovely family . We have now established a pattern for the lads to walk together at young mens pace, nice and brisk, and Fo and I doing the geology and nature bit . The Sawbills that we saw were Red Breasted Mergansers. Lovely duck!