Win - Lose (Draw)

In a strange twist to normal life, this weekend our football was moved to Sunday, which meant Saturday was walking day.

I fancied a walk with a concept, so I set out on a Win/Lose Tour. Starting from Bamford I walked up Win Hill, down in to Hope then up to Lose Hill.


(pic from PeakDistrictInformation.)

The weather was glorious and the day still young so I continued on to Mam Tor.

This changed the concept of my walk: no longer just Win/Lose, it was now The Hope Valley Three Peaks.

Everywhere has Three Peaks, if you care to look for them.

Of course, you could just walk along the ridge from Lose Hill to Mam Tor, but that isn't really in the spirit of a Three Peak Challenge, in that every peak should be climbed, and you should go up one way and come down another. Much more fun to drop down to Castleton, then head up to the summit via the Broken Road and the Mam Tor Wall of Death. (Actually I don't think that's its real name, it is just what we call it because it was blowing a gale the first time we ever climbed up it.)

Finally, down the dark side of Mam Tor to Edale and time for a quick pint before the train came.

One Sunday, FC were at home to league leaders, North Ferriby. It was a Draw, 1-1.

Go Green

What's that? You might well ask.

It is an exciting event that is currently underway at this university. Under the guise of environmental sustainability, we are in the midst of a month of activities showing us how to grow our own food, mend our clothes, darn our socks and ride a bicycle.



All of which suggests that the next round of redundancy packages are going to be meagre at best.

Ah well, at least none of us can say that we haven't been prepared.

Today's activity was 'How to Make a Valentine's Card'.

I could have spent my lunchtime pissing about with coloured card, glue-sticks and glitter, creating something to surprise Mr Crab with tonight.

But I didn't.

Happy Germination Day!

They reckon it takes seven years for a Strelitzia to flower. It is true.

This is a Strelitzia Mandela's Gold which I grew from seed.

On this day in 2006, that seed germinated.

Look at it today!!

Happy Birthday, Lovely Flower!

January. It can be a bit difficult.

Last Wednesday night we were meant to be playing at Ashton United. The pitch looked like this:

The match was postponed until tonight.

Now the pitch looks like this:

No, in no sense of the word is that an improvement. No football for us tonight. Sigh...

On the other side of Manchester, where we live, the snow has melted and the world is dry and bright again.

Anyway, moving on. I think we are far enough into the New Year to look back on the old one and make resolutions for the new one.

In brief, 2012:

Miles walked - 1,961. This is 182 miles less than the year before (it was a very wet summer), but 91 miles more than 2010. This works out at an average of 1,991 miles a year - which I think is perfectly adequate.

Hare & Houndses visited - 4. This is a pathetic effort by anyone's standards, but I think I can take some comfort that two of the pubs were far away. The other two were very close, in fact one of them is across the road from Ashton United's snow-bedecked and frozen ground (as seen above).

Away Games - 30. This is a new category for 2012. I have included the first team, the youth team and the women's team; league, cup and friendlies in the tally. That's a lot of miles and a lovely amount of football, isn't it? Now I don't feel so sad about tonight.

New Year's Resolutions:

Actually that should be resolution - I have only made one:
Pen-y-ghent.
When I was doing my Pennine Adventure last year I could see it in the distance, and I've seen it in the distance when travelling to some of those Away Games (above). I have got a hankering!
I haven't worked out the details of my resolution yet (it still is only January, after all) but it will almost certainly involve a bit more Pennine Way. It might also involve a Yorkshire Three Peaks walk, or possibly a Twin Peaks walk (the latter isn't an official thing, it's just me not being arsed to trudge all the way over to Whernside). I might like it so much that I try all three options.

Oh, this is going to be a brilliant year!

So many things to celebrate

That's the first full week back at work staggered through. It hasn't been too bad.

On this day, back in 2005, I got run over by this bus on my way home from work.

(Photo by maljoe)

Arriva 2251
(It's amazing how you can find a picture of almost anything on Google, isn't it?)

Anyway, back to the bus. It shot around the wrong side of a traffic island just as I stepped of the kerb and splattered me. Three nights in hospital, then they let me go home.

To this day, I am still rather delighted with myself for not being dead. Yay me!

Okay, I know it's not the greatest anniversary to celebrate, but it's January, it's cold and it's dark and right now we are all clutching at straws. Things will get better.

PS. In case you are wondering, I broke its windscreen.

Here Comes the Summer!

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope you've all had a festive season that was merry and bright.

On Saturday morning we packed up Christmas and put it in back in the cupboard. Just the decorations, that is, putting mince pies and cake into long-term storage is just asking for trouble.

On Saturday afternoon we were off to South Cheshire, for an away game against Nantwich Town - always a lovely, welcoming club to visit. And they have smashing sunsets!

(pic by Matthew Wilkinson)

Sometimes we win, sometimes they win. This time it was our turn to win, 3-2.

Yesterday I was out walking in East Cheshire - Middlewood to Bollington, up here (White Nancy) for some views and a sandwich, then back along the towpath to the station.

(pic by Andrew Huggett - Geograph)

And that was my weekend - lots of Cheshire, lots of sky.

Oh dear, I may have spoken too soon about the summer. I've just noticed it has started to rain.

Hurrah! It's December

And I've been knitting. (Click on the pic if you'd like a larger image.)

The patterns for the geese and the hen came from Fiona Goble's "Twelve Knits of Christmas":

And the patterns for the cat and the dog came from her "Farmyard Knits":

She has a pattern for a cow too, but the highland cow is my own design. As are the sheep, the donkey, the camel and everyone else.

Christmas isn't just about the decorations though (although they are one of my favourite bits), it's about festivities and fun and seeing friends.

Unfortunately, my plans to catch up with Dear Pork Chop tomorrow have been thwarted by the weather - because December is also the month when frozen pitches and postponed matches kick in.

We were lucky last weekend though - an away trip to Blyth Spartans, in Northumberland, which was ON.

(Photo by Matthew Wilkinson.)

A smashing ground and an astoundingly lovely club. Thank you Spartans for your wonderfully warm welcome!