Blood Brothers

I've just got back in after watching Blood Brothers at the Sunderland Empire. I wasn't sure whether I was going to like it, any musicals I have seen on the TV have soon been switched off.

Yet I'm pleased to say I really enjoyed it and would certainly go and see another musical, when I once again have some money (that'll be a couple of years then!)

Wish it was me

I was listening to the latest podcast from Backpackinglight.co.uk, which was an interview with Alan Sloman. He is walking from Land's End to John O'Groats but he is taking in some National Trails and the TGO challenge. I did briefly look at his site a few weeks ago.

This is very much what I would like to do, except I would like to throw a few extra challenges in as well. Its worth looking at his website and much like I'm sure I would do, he is blogging as he goes.

I didn't want to write too many details on his trip or why he is doing it because it's best to read it on Alan's site.

Work and thinking

I'm not really sure what the next month or so is going to be like. I will be on my own doing all the IT for 2 areas while my colleague is on paternity for a month. Previously there were 4 people doing the IT side of things over the 2 areas, so gonna be hard.

I also have the results of my job appeal due in the next week and a half. I could really do with some time to myself this week to mull over what I'm going to do if it doesn't come out as hoped. Unfortunately I have a very busy week.

Monday - Jeremy coming over to fix computer
Tuesday - Free so far
Wednesday - Blood Brothers
Thursday - Adopt-A-Path meeting
Friday - Night Out
Weekend - Canada Accommodation sorting and Lakes walking

I have Tuesday night spare, but gonna need more than 1 night to sort my head out and review my options. I suppose I can do plenty of thinking when I'm walking in the lakes one day at the weekend.

Still waiting for that lottery win. After over 12 years of dreaming I think I'm resigned to the fact it's never gonna happen and I'm gonna have to make my dreams come true myself without a windfall. One or two of my recurring dreams haven't come true yet, the others have. Maybe its time I pulled out the tarot to help me make the decisions I already know the answers to.

Extremely Lazy

I have had the laziest weekend I can remember for ages, certainly this year. I have hardly left the house except to go to my parents. I have listened to quite a lot of music while messing about on the computer.

The only TV I have seen was 3 episodes of Primeval, otherwise been sat in front of a computer. Oh I did make some stew tonight, very nice it was too.

Tomorrow I start proper training, I got my groceries delivered yesterday and purposely left out all crap by only ordering fresh fruit, vegetables and cereals. I need to get up tomorrow morning and go for a short run but will try to add in a very nasty hill in the middle, hopefully I will have enough time to do a reasonable run before work. Just hope I can get up early enough (fingers crossed).

Listened to this weekend...

I mentioned yesterday that I was listening to loads of albums again. The 1st are the albums from the 1001 Albums list:

• Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden *****
• Jam - Sound Affects ****
• Marty Robbins - Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs ***
• Muddy Waters - At Newport ****
• Santana - Abraxas ****

The above were all good albums but couldn't get into Marty Robbins. I was tempted to give Abraxas 5 stars.

Besides for the 1001 albums I also listened to some new albums:

• Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob ****
• Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque ***
• Mika - Life in Cartoon Music ***
• The Anthems *****
• Mashed ****

I only gave the Kaiser Chiefs 4 stars when I realised I'd given Bryan Ferry 3, maybe I gave each of them 1 star too many.

RSS

I've spent a lot of the last 24 hours messing about and thinking about RSS Feeds. They have been about for ages and I have used them on and off for years now. Yesterday though I noticed that a site I use a lot had started testing RSS Feeds for searches.

What this means is rather than me having to keep going to the site and doing a search for something, my RSS Reader would do the search as often as I told it too and it would return the results to me. So I no longer have to mess about doing it manually.

The next bit I have been trying to do is to get an RSS Reader to automatically download the results for me. This is possbile but unfortunately the site I'm trying to download from doesn't appear to have implemented the feeds correctly but as I said they are only testing it.

I have tried loads of RSS/podcast Readers over the last day, Google Reader (used before), CITA RSS Aggregator, Juice and many others, but decided I like Newz Crawler the best so far.

The Readers do appear to of got better since I first tried some a few years ago, Google Reader has improved since it launched as well but doesn't allow you to subscribe to password protected feeds otherwise I would of chosen it. Although wouldn't download files automatically.

It's a shame I can't get my email as an RSS Feed, maybe it's possible will have a bit more dig. I've already emailed the BBC to ask if they plan to produce the Live Text Sport Commentary as RSS Feeds, they have loads of other Feeds.

Tired

I didn't got out for my run this morning but that was a conscious decision not just because I couldn't be arsed. My alarm went off at 8:30 and I was knackered so decided to have a day catching up on sleep and relaxing listening to music with a bit of web surfing.

I also really wanted to give my eyes a rest from wearing contact lenses, I've worn them every day for at least 15 hours for weeks and weeks. Normally I try to give them one day at the weekend where I don't wear them but been so busy out and about that I haven't had the chance.

So today is my rest day, gotta decide whether to go walking in the lakes tomorrow or go for a run. I will take a look at the weather tonight and make a decision. I should probably just go for a run and save the petrol money.

1001 Albums Continue...

Ages ago I started listening to 1001 Albums To Listen To Before You Die, but as usual I got side tracked. I was looking through some of my notes in Google Notebook and came across the full list but this time decided to mark the albums off as I listen to them.

Started with Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden (like I never listen to this anyway), moved onto the Jam - Sound Affects.

I will probably start to post the music I've listened to on here again, not that anyone gives a shit but its a reminder to me!

Training

I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front recently. I haven't had much to say for a change and felt too tired. The tiredness comes from lack of exercise, hardly left my desk all week and done nothing at home.

I got an email about the Deerstalker run I'm in at the end of March, it sounds very hard from the descriptions, especially when they are constantly calling it an adventure race. I am going to go out and run up some hills tomorrow to start to train, gonna needs lots of exercise over the next month in preparation.

Going to Middlesbrough is messing my running up, I can't run when I'm there and when back at Durham I've not had the time to have any dinner let alone run. I'm gonna have to change that. The mornings are getting lighter now so could run before work and have thought about driving half way to work and running the rest of the way.


The plan had been to go walking in the lakes one day this weekend, which was to be tomorrow but from the look of the weather forecast I've postponed it until Sunday and intend to run tomorrow instead.

Buttermere Dawn

I was looking at some pictures of the lakes with my mother on Sunday and she loved this picture (me too). Her words were I could look at that all day. So I have contacted the guy (Richard) who took it and asked if he would send me a larger version so I could have it made into a canvas.

He has agreed and is going to send a larger version :-)

I would like this picture on my wall but maybe as photo and if I can afford it I will see about getting it made into a canvas for my mam (when's mothers day again?)

View of the fells from the couch

There has been a common theme in recent posts (walking), that's an 'l'. I finally got around to putting up my canvas picture on my living room wall. I was given a voucher towards a canvas from work last June for my birthday, I finally got around to ordering it in December and it has sat in the spare room ever since. Sunday though I finally put it on the wall and I think it looks fantastic.

I keep finding myself staring at the picture wishing I was back there walking. The picture I used is special to me because it was taken at a time when things were at a very low point in my life. It's from the top of Crinkle Crags looking along the Langdale valley. The view made me realise there are far more important things in life than work and has spurred me on ever since to get out walking.

Now with the picture on the wall whenever I sit down to watch TV I see that view and feel guilty for sitting on my arse and not being out there experiencing views like that again.

This is the picture I had made into a canvas, it looks so much better 30" by 20" though.

(Above) the canvas wraps around the frame so you don't see as much sky or grass

Something else I've been thinking about for the last few months is encouraging others to get out walking. So far I have only encouraged a couple of people but to be honest I haven't really tried, I have often needed time on my own to reflect on things. Which is part of what walking is about for me, it's a break from the day to day life.

Now though I am hoping to share that experience with people who I think would (given a bit of a push) enjoy the experience. I still need to spend time in the hills on my own as well ;-)

I mentioned in the previous post that I watched a DVD of the lakes earlier tonight, seeing this sort of thing just makes me want to give up work all the more and get out there. I know I can't do this at the moment (possibly could) but all I can do is make the most of each weekend and any holiday I have.

Wainwright's Memorial Walk

Wainwright's Memorial Walk: I rented this and stuck it in the DVD player to have a look at the beginning to see what it looked like. 105 minutes later I realised I had watched the whole thing not just the beginning.

If you like walking in the lakes it's well worth viewing, will make you wish you were there.

This isn't a movie but if it was I'd give it 8 out of 10.

Complete Lakeland Fells

I saw a book mentioned on the internet which I wanted but unfortunately Amazon didn't appear to be selling it and it was over £20 at the associated sellers. I found a copy on Ebay with a starting bid of £1.99, although the postage is £5. I had a good feeling that no one else would bid on it.

I decided to use auctionsniper again so I could just forget about it. I was the winning bidder at £1.99. Kind of a waste of a free snipe but I would of forgotten about it otherwise.

Killhope Law

Distance: 3.11 miles
Total Time: 1 hour 21
Time Moving: 1 hour 6
Average Speed: 2.53 mph

I decided last night that I was going to be too tired to get up early enough for the lakes. I still wanted to walk somewhere and I wanted to check out a route up to Killhope Law as part of a larger walk in the future.

The walk up, again was easier than I expected and I ran a few flat bits. The reason I needed to check the route out was because I was intending to walk over some land that doesn't have any official footpaths over it but it is Open Access land. Walking over this area was quite hard going and fairly dangerous because the heather covered a lot of very deep holes. One I fell down was as deep as my leg, which could of been very nasty (luckily I was fine). This is an occasion when maybe a walking pole would of come in handy to check the ground before stepping on it.

When I got to the top I was greeted by fantastic views for as far as the eye could see in every direction, this was unexpected. I could clearly see Great Dunn (with golf ball), Little Dunn and Cross Fell. To the North I could see for maybe 70 miles (at a guess). I took some pictures but unfortunately they don't look very good and just can't show the distances the views went on for.

I ran along the tops, then headed back over the moor land and down to wood at Carriers Hill. I ran down through the wood back to the car. The GPS lost the signal in the wood on the way back which is why the route looks different.

I would certainly recommend anyone in the area to walk up to Killhope Law on a fine day for some fantastic views :-)

(Above) A Felled wood

(Above) Looking towards the large cairn on the top of Killhope Law

(Above) Another felled wood, this was still shown as a wood on the map

(Above) Killhope Law trig point

Looking North(ish) from Killhope Law, you can see for a lot further than this picture shows

(Above) The 3 summits in the distance are Great Dunn, Little Dunn and Cross Fell

(Above) Shooting cabin with Killhope Law cairn on the hill behind

(Above) Looking along the tops, at the far right is where I was yesterday, I think (Burtree Fell)

Lakes Off :-(

I was intending to go to the lakes today and walk Graystones, Ling Fell, Sale Fell, Brook Fell, Lord's Seat, Barf & Whinlatter but I was watching the boxing last night and by the time that finished and I got to bed it was 1:30. I was intending to be up at 5:30 to give me a full day, once I was so late I knew I was never going to make it.

I decided I would spend the day planning routes and doing a few jobs. I am making bacon and Sausage sandwiches then I 've decided to do a very short walk up to Killhope Law which isn't far from where I was yesterday. I'm considering running it but its quite steep at the start and over some boggy ground on the top. I will see how it looks when I'm there around dinner time!

MusicStation

I was reading earlier today about MusicStation which would be like having Napster on your phone. You only have to pay £1.99 a week and you can download and play as much music as you like on your phone. You are able to download it using the data connection in the phone and the £1.99 also covers the cost of data so you're not paying extra to your network for every song.

Its worth having a look at it but it wont be available until later in the year in the UK.

Middlehope Moor (Burtree Fell) Walk

Distance: 5.91 miles
Total Time: 3 hours 6
Time Moving: 2 hours 13
Average Speed: 1.95 mph

Number of Tops: 2/3
Burtree Fell (2008ft)
Black Hill

I decided last night that I would go for a walk and wanted to do one of the English 2000 footers near me. I decided on Burtree Fell which is only just over 2000 feet and decided to add the trig point a bit further along the top and walk over to Black Hill.

I rang my parents this morning after 10 because I knew they wanted a lie in, they weren't doing anything so asked if they wanted to come. They said yes, I knew this would mean I would have to go a lot slower but haven't been walking with my mam for ages and she keeps saying she needs to get fitter again.

The walk was a lot easier than I actually thought it was going to be although my mam was finding it hard up to Black Hill. I was thinking it would be a nice route to do a bit fell running once I improve my fitness a little more. We had to make a few stops and stopped just before Burtree Fell cairn if I could call it that for dinner. We stopped again on the top of Black Hill.

I must have a crap memory because my dad kept telling me we had walked Sedling Rake before but I couldn't remember it until we reached the disused mine workings and it jogged my memory.

In summary I found this a very easy walk with some boggy parts following the fence along the top where there wasn't a footpath but I'm sure its open access land anyway. It could be a good route to run in sunnier times.

(Above) Looking towards the tops of Middlehope Moor

(Above) Parents pushing on ahead while I take pictures

(Above) Parents stopped for dinner, Burtree Fell top is only a few yards further on

(Above) Burtree Fell summit (I think) rather disappointing :-(

(Above) Me at the trig point on Middlehope Moor better than Burtree Fell's top

(Above) Parents stopping for a drink on top of Black Hill

(Above) Parents striding along Sedling Rake

Getting Better

The last couple of days there has been a glimmer of hope that things may be getting better at work. The new staff in the unit are beginning to answer most of the helpdesk queries without much help. Unfortunately I don't think the new staff have had enough help and have often been left feeling lost, which is understandable. When I've been there I have gone out of my way to try and help and explain things which is hopefully now starting to have a difference.

I've been working out a few things the last few days and trying to see the positive side of stuff. If my job appeal comes off maybe I can finally start to not hate going to work. Not that money is going to make the work any different but with hopefully getting some of the stuff I hate off my shoulders and being able to concentrate on the work that I am most valuable for and enjoy doing.

If my job appeal totally fails though I don't care how much the job changes for the better I'm gonna be fucked off and will leave as I've said many times before. The decision is due within 20 working days from the appeal which I think 9 of has passed already.

Away from work I have 3 seperate people ask me to fix their computers in the last week. I could make some money out it if I wanted to, I've put them all off for now. They are all friends so can't really charge them. As usual people only get in touch when they want something!

Back to work again and things could finally work out for the better with decent pay and more interesting and challenging work. I live in hope...

Cold

The gas where I live has been turned off because of a fractured gas mains pipe, see the BBC article here. So it is very cold in my house.

I had just got in and was eating soup when I heard a knock on the front door, no uses that side of the house. I opened the door and the bloke said is your gas turned off. Err No I said, well can I turn it. I asked why, then he told me about the gas being off and having to turn everyone's gas supply off before they could fix it.

Once I had shifted the TV, he turned it off. Then just as he left I heard them mention it on the news.

I think I will go to bed now, because my feet are like ice. If I had been out and not seen the TV I wouldn't know anything about it. There had been nothing through the door. Supposedly there are heaters and hot plates available not that I need a hot plate.

Anyway I'm off to bed where hopefully I will warm up (just as well its a bit warmer than it was last week).

Very Lazy Weekend

I have had a very lazy weekend and feel like I have wasted it. I went to a friends house yesterday afternoon to help them move furniture back. Then went out in Crook with Jay, Wayne and Mick. I have spent all of today recovering and am sat in bed typing this.

I am pleased I went out because it reminded me why I stopped going out drinking, I lose the following day and it wasn't exactly great anyway. I hadn't planned anything for this weekend one of the few weekends I left spare but not gonna leave anymore for a while after feeling that its been a waste of a weekend.

Next week I'm off to the lakes again I hope, I'm tempted to stay in a youth hostel on Saturday night and have 2 full days walking. Might have a look now to see which have space :-)

The Week

I can't remember what has happened this week its been a long one. Monday and Wednesday I was in Teesside. Tuesday I had my Job Appeal hearing thing, I'm not really sure how it went and never really had any time to prepare anything. I'm sure I will get moved to a higher pay band but not sure if it will be as I high as I had hoped.

I had a figure in my mind of how much I wanted to get from the pay review, if after the appeal it gets to that I will stay. If not it could be an interesting few months, the only thing that is stopping me from walking away is my holiday to Canada which I already have the flights booked and paid for. I need money to pay for this and can't sell everything and go walking for months because of this commitment.

I guess I'm realising more and more how much the dream of getting away and walking means to me. I first need to do some wildcamping, I may find I hate it (unlikely). I'm off to the Outdoors Show next month where I am hoping to see a lot of the stuff I want to buy before I splash the cash I don't have.

This was supposed to of been a review of the week but I can't remember much of it, its been long and unmemorable.

Skiddaw Group

Distance: 12.4 miles
Total Time: 5 hours 56
Time Moving: 4 hours 44
Average Speed: 2.22 mph
Total Ascent: 4200ft

Wainwrights: 8
Dodd (1612ft)
Carl Side (2420ft)
Long Side (2405 ft)
Ullock Pike (2230ft)
Skiddaw (3053ft)
Little Man (2837ft)
Longscale Fell (2344ft)
Latrigg (1203ft)

Today was the start of trying to complete the Wainwrights (hopefully all this year), I have walked some anyway but starting again.

I clambered out of bed at 5:45 this morning and slowly got all my stuff ready for the day ahead. Driving along the A66 you go down a big hill and this is the point where you can normally start to see the lake district hills. Today when I drove down there it was fantastic, there was inversion. Which is when the mist and cloud is on the valley floor and the mountains are sticking out of it, once I saw that I couldn't wait to get there.

The days walk started from Applethwaite a small village above Keswick, I parked in the layby next to a small white church here I could hear people singing inside.

I don't want to write a full diary of the entire day or I will be here for days, so will summarise. I set off in fog and walked up into Dodd wood, early on I took a wrong turn because I wasn't looking at the GPS or the map properly. As I walked through the fog and gained height I suddenly emerged above the fog and could see what I had been waiting for, the moutains opposite sticking out of the fog (inversion). I took tons of photos today (73), I kept on going and came to a point where I couldn't see any path and both the GPS and map were saying there was a path up to Dodd, but the book said it was a bit faint after forestry work. Faint wasnt the word it was none existant, the bank was very steep, covered in the remains of felled trees and was very hard work, I had to stop lots of times. Eventually I made it to the top and could admire the view and look in horror at what I had to clamber up.

From Dodd I had to descend the head up to Carl Side, when I was half way up Carl side I looked back while having a breather and saw a man running up towards me. I stood there and waited for him to pass, I said hello as he passed and he started talking away, which I was open mouthed at because he sounded less out of breath than me. I continued to walk up and by the time I got to the top I spotted the runner half way up the very steep ascent to Skiddaw (still running!). I then walked along Longside to Ullock Pike, I went a bit too far here but turned around and headed back the way I had came (intentional). I stopped for something to eat and drink on Longside. Then headed up the steep climb to Skiddaw where I'd seen the man running earlier.

I just started up the hill and felt my thighs tighten up, so I stoppped and started to do some stretches, probably looked a total tit doing stretches on the side of the 5th highest moutain in England. I continued on but had to do the same again another twice, then once two thirds up I felt fine and continued on to the top of the steep bank then walked along the top to Skiddaw. It was fairly breezy up there, so spent a couple of minutes taking pictures before turning around and heading for Little Man. I felt my muscles tighten once again going up here, so did the same as before. Quickly got to the top and descended the other side heading back to the main path and crossing straight over it towards Longscale Fell, I ran down the hill towards the Flag Pots, before heading up the short inclince to the summit of Longside Fell. I took a picture and ran back down to the Flag Pots again. I then crossed through the gate and ran down the bank until I joined back onto the main path again. That's my fell running for the weekend (all down hill or on the flat).

I was now heading for my last summit, Latrigg. Not that it really has much of a summit, its tiny and couldn't actually find where the top was supposed to be so just stood everywhere that looked high in the area. The next part was the bit I was most unsure about because when I was planning the route from the book (Walking the Wainwrights) I couldn't see any path where it said go or anything on the satellite photos. Luckily when I walked off the western shoulder as instructed I found a path an walked down a very steep grassy frosted slope to a track. This was now the final section which was over fields which I covered very quickly.

Once back to car I changed at at the boot of my car into jeans and headed for Keswick intending to have a coffee in George Fishers as well as looking around the store. The cafe thing was full, so turned around and left, I did look around the store first but spent nothing. I was going to go straight to the car and home but decided to call in the Oddfellows Arms for a pint before I drove back :-)

I took tons of pictures so below is only a handful of them.

(Above) Fog in Dodd Wood

(Above) First view of inversion after coming out of the fog

(Above) Summit of Dodd

(Above) Carl Side with Little Man behind

(Above) Looking back at Dodd

(Above) Summit of Carl Side with Skiddaw path behind

(Above) Longside Edge

(Above) Longside Edge

(Above) Skiddaw Summit

(Above) Little Man summit

(Above) Longscale Fell Summit

(Above) Looking back at Little Man and Skiddaw

(Above) Cloud coming over Carl Side

All of the hills in view I walked as well as another 4.
From left, Dodd, Carl Side, Skiddaw & Little Man