in dufton

im laid in my sleeping bag in dufton after walking 13 miles today got
another 16 to walk tomorrow. i walked 15 yesterday as well.

i have a couple of blisters on my feet, 1 massive one on a toe on my
left foot but walked all day today with it, so another day shouldn't
be a problem.

certainly giving me time to think :-)

busy

I spent most of today working in the garden, removing the weeds takes for ever. I am only half the way down the garden but feel like I am getting somewhere. Certainly better than sat in an office. It was very hot today though. I seam to of caught the sun quite a bit.

I had a BBQ with my parents tonight, some how I ended up doing the cooking, strange how my dad conveniently disappeared for a while, hmmm...

Me and my dad have had this Sunday and Monday planned to walk part of the Pennine Way, the same bits we did last year, except in reverse. The reason we are doing the same part is because we can stop in a caravan for free. But we have decided to add in another section on Saturday as well, although close enough to we can get picked up on Saturday night and sleep in our own beds. I would happily of camped but think my dad is getting too old for it. He has got a dodgy back as well, so has a got a good excuse.

Done some thinking today and decided there is a lot more to life than work, as long as you have your friends and family nothing else matters. Everything else are just possessions which cold be replaced. Family and True Friends can't be ...

Prey

Michael Crichton - Prey: I have just finished reading this and I enjoyed it. It wasn't quite as good as State of Fear but still an excellent page turner.

Its about nano-technology and it evolving itself. I guess it could be a bit too complex for some people who like easy going thrillers.

The 2 Crichton books I've read both make you think about the subject, which is what I like in books or films.

Alone, upset but still determined

I have just looked back to a post I made in February 2005, this is what I wrote:

"The last few weeks ive been feeling really down, not been totally sure why. Most of it has been due to work.
It had got to the point where i really didnt want to go. I mean where it crossed my mind not to turn the wheel at the next corner. Would never do that but worried me that it crossed my mind. Couldnt go on feeling like that."

I now feel lower than I did at the time I wrote that. I wrote the other day that sometimes you could curl up and cry, that's certainly how I have felt tonight. Although as I said then, I don't cry, so wouldn't let myself. Why bother it doesn't acheive anything.

After feeling like that in Feb 2005, I decided to open up and make more friends, which I did. At the moment that has been taken away from me. I feel like packing my bags and just going away but I don't runaway from things either. So I have to stay, pull myself together and try to carry on. I have never felt more alone than I do now (even though I have said it before).

What have I done to deserve this, if only I knew?

I sat and watched the news tonight and one of the men accused from Nat West over the Enron scandel appears to of commited suicide. I used to wonder why I anyone would do something like that. I can now understand as I did in February 2005, why he has. You are Guilty until proven innocent and even when you are found innocent. Things will never return back to how they where before the allegations.

Very Short Walks

I keep going for very short walks, mainly because I am waiting for a phone call. So don't want to be out of contact. So I've been stuck around the house most of the time. I walked to the shop which is a huge trek all of 1.25 miles.
Then I decided I would go up to Tunstall and walk around the reservoir and have my dinner on one of the seats on the dam wall. It sounded like a good idea yet the moment I set foot out of the car I got followed by swarms of flys, oh well flys round shit. Anyway by the time I walked around the reservoir which again isn't very far the full circle is 2 miles, I had had enough of flys buzzing around me. So decided I wasn't gonna sit up there, so quickly headed back to the car. I regularly go to Tunstall to think and have done since I first passed my driving test about 9 years ago.

So I decided I wasn't going to go back home to eat my sandwiches and headed up to Bollihope, another place where I regularly drive to think and get away from everything. Although today I didn't intend to get out of the car. For a change there was hardly anyone there. There was only an odd car parked. So I sat there and ate my beef sandwiches (with tomato sauce of course) listening to the stream. Certainly better than sitting in the house staring at the TV or computer.

Same Run Again

Distance: 2.54 miles

I went for the same run again today that I did on Sunday and completed the run with no problems again. The next run which will most likely be Thursday, I will add an extra half a mile onto the route to make 3 miles.

Walking with weights

I haven't done all that much today, felt quite tired because I didn't to sleep until about 5 this morning. Last night I saw the sunset then sunrise and seen the sunset again tonight, guess thats why I'm tired (lack of sleep).

As I said earlier I walked down to Crook to the Library (getting sadder by the day). Then I got back and walked up to Billy Row to the shop for some milk. Then this afternoon I decieded to move my weight bench and all my weights from my parents garage up to my house and they are now setup in my dining room (until I get a table).

I must of looked a bit strange (more than usual) carrying the barbell with over 100Ibs on it up the street. The barbell was on my shoulders but still had to press it over my head to get it there and back down again. Wondered if I could still bench press it properly as I don't seam to have much in the way of muscles these days but I still can resonably easy. Haven't done a proper workout yet because I want to get up and go for a run tomorrow and dont want to be aching like hell.

Other than the above I haven't done much else other than clearing all the silicone around my bath as the cheap shit that was put on has cracked. So need to finish that off and depending on weather might do some work in the garden tomorrow.

Final Destination 3

Final Destination 3: The 3rd film in the series and again it was good. You know exactly what you are getting and what will happen but still makes good viewing.

This one seams more gory than the others unless I'm just forgetting the others and the sequences building up to their deaths didn't seam as elaborate as the the previous films.

Having said that I still gave it a 7 out of 10 and did enjoy it.

High Street and Mardale Ill Bell 3D Route

This is the 3D rendering of the walk I did last Friday in the Lake District. It starts off at Haweswater then up to Kirdsty Pike, up to High Street then across to Mardale Ill Bell. More details on the walk were posted the other day, so look further down.

Library

I have just walked down to Crook and back to join the library, which I have been on about doing for a few weeks. I got down there and I was on the computer already, last time I was in was over 10 years ago and it wasn't comptuerised then. They issued me with a card and I got 3 books out.

Dean Koontz - Life Expectancy











Dean Koontz - Velocity













Michael Crichton - Prey

alone

i have just set my ipod to random and its playing 'celine dion - all
by myself'. an appropriate song at the moment. its just been followed
up by one of my favourite songs of all time 'the beatles - a day in
the life'.

i have been feeling a lot more positive recently and been getting on
with life and trying to enjoy myself more. why is it that when things
start to go right, someone throws a curve ball and fucks up your life
without warning?

at the moment i am being prevented from telling anyone what is going
on, which is killing me.

life is full of challenges and i guess this is just one more but i
wont be defeated by this bollocks.

on a positive note i am on a total fitness mission and with the
determination i now have wont let me beaten or give in.

all by myself is an appropriate song because its how i feel at the
moment. i can remember writing on here last year "trust no one" how
right i was. the only person i can rely on is myself and my family and
a few very close friends that i would trust with anything.

often those you think are friends are anything but and are just a
judas. fuck now i am getting into religous shit. when i was walking
off the top of Ben Nevis the other week a man started preaching at me.
he said my name was religous although spelt differently. he said
stephen was a martyr and i better watch i dont get stoned on the way
down. it didnt happen on the way down but appears to be now, lol.
still got my weird sense of humour.

Made the Run

Distance: 2.54 miles

I completed the run I wanted to do. I think its the first run I have actually ended up enjoying. Although the run isn't very far it feels like an achievement to me because this has been my aim for ages.

Maybe recent events have made me push harder, who knows?

The worst part about the run is a lot of it is on tarmac roads which I guess I need to do because all of the GNR is gonna be on tarmac but I have had a dodgy knee recently. It held out but it certainly was a lot easier once I got onto a dirt track for the last 2/3 of a mile.

When running the long straight section on the route above (locally known as "mile longen") I started to count. What a difference it made, it gave me something to focus on and it sorted my pace and breathing out. When I got back I wasn't out of breath and felt fine. I could of kept going but had achieved what I set out to do.

Another difference is its the 1st time I have taken nothing with me like a watch or GPS or something else that would let you know time or pace. My aim was to get around not to run fast for once.

Anyway it wasn't even a fifth of the Great North Run, so a lot of work ahead of me. I suppose if I can add a mile a week I will almost be there, 12 weeks to the race. So in that time I would reach 13 miles but don't think I need to run 13 miles straight before. That is probably a bad idea!

Keep busy

I have had an easy day after walking the last couple days. Quite a few mates have been in touch over the last 24 hours, but not allowed to talk to them about what I would like to.

I just seam to of browsed the internet and listened to lots of music today.

Not sure it was a good idea not being busy, so tomorrow I am going to go out for a run. I will be very angry if I dont manage to run the route I have in my mind. Think it is about 3 miles or just over depending on exact way I go, when I am this determined I would be suprised if I don't make it. Would have to be dropping dead to give up, if I do make it, I might add extra on until I have to give up.

I'm going to try to keep busy over the next few days...

High Street and Mardale Ill Bell

Distance: 9.24 miles
Time: 5 hours 20 minutes

I needed to get away from everything today, so decided to walk High Street which I was planning on doing this weekend anyway. I went with my dad and he found the first steep bank up to Kirdsty Pike quite hard but with several stops we got there. After that it was much easier, it was a long gradual incline up to High Street itself. Once we reached the top my dad realised it was right next to somewhere he was walking with my uncle a few weeks earlier at Stony Cove Pike and they had intended to walk up to the Beacon at Thornthwaite Crag. So we added this onto our route. All that was there was a large stone beacon.

Then we walked over to Mardale Ill Bell and back down to Haweswater again. When walking down from High Street we sort of got side tracked with walking over to the beacon and we were going to head towards Ill Bell, which is an impressive mountain further South. I think that would of been a bit too much as it would of added several miles onto our walk.

There were some impressive views of the mountains to the West and we could see Windermere to the South.

Below are some pictures from the walk, I will be adding a 3D rendered route of the walk once Google Video has verified it (could be a couple of days). Click a picture for full size version.

(Above) High Street top left of picture with Kirdsty Pike just to the right of centre (pointy bit)

(Above) High Street from the top of Kirdsty Pike

(Above) Mardale Ill Bell Centre of photo in the distance with Harter Fell to the left

(Above) Kirdsty Pike, was up there 10 minutes ealier

(Above) the route up High Street, we didn't go up the well worn path but followed another route just to the left of the stone wall

(Above) Rare picture of me, at the top of High Street. Many people miss the top because the main path misses it

(Above) The Beacon near Thornthwaite Crag, we made a detour to add this in. You can see Windermere in the distance at the top right.

(Above) Ill Bell, one for another day but looks impressive.

(Above) Cairn on top of Mardale Ill Bell, another that most people probably just walk by. you get a nice view from the top of there.

(Above) Haweswater in distance with a small tarn in the foreground. Couldn't see a name on the map of the tarn.

Roddymoor Back Roads

Distance: 4.68 miles

I went for a walk yesterday to help clear my head was going nuts sat in the house. I just went around the back roads where I live. Its always peaceful and once past Crook you only see an odd car. I did once see someone on a unicycle juggling when driving round them (I hadn't been drinking).

The pictures below are from the walk but they aren't really very exciting. Click a picture for a larger version.

Come out fighting

There are times in your life where you could just curl up and cry or you can stand up and fight.

Well I don't cry!

Walk for the weekend

I'm intending to go to the lakes at the weekend and walk up High Street near Haweswater. its one of the higher peaks. I would like to gradually work my way through them. If I go on Saturday will go with my parents, otherwise I will do it on my own on Sunday.

There are plenty of useful pages on the internet, there is a list of the top 25 peaks in the lakes here. The definitive list is the Wainwright books but not really gonna buy them but can see the list of all the peaks here.

As well as the Lake District there are a few others I want to do, like Snowdon so I have done the 3 highest peaks. I also need to go back to Ben Nevis and walk the Carn Mor Dearg route and over the Arete to Ben Nevis.

After walking Ben Nevis I started reading up on the Mamores which are opposite. Its a group of mountains. I fancy walking some of them in 1 or 2 days. See these sites: Site 1, Site 2.

As well as all of the above, I have in my calendar to do the North Yorkshire 3 peaks later this month (29th or 30th). If I get my mind set right I will make OK :-)

Next year I would love to do the West Highland Way, but need some long distance walking in over a few days before tackling that.

Catch up

I went out for tea tonight with Kelly Johnson, it was good to catch up. We hadn't really caught up for months. Think its about time I did the same with a few other people. Especially some of my mates I have known for years and used to see several times a week every week and haven't seen for months :-(

Can't do it this weekend but might give them a ring next week and see if they fancy a look out.

16 Blocks

16 Blocks: Decided to put this on last night while I was doing the ironing. Wasn't really sure what to expect. Yes I knew what the story was about but was half expecting it to be boring. It wasn't.

I wouldn't say it was the fastest paced film in the world but it was still good and Bruce gave a fairly good performance as did Mos Def, which was a suprise.

If you want good thriller where you don't have to tax your brain too much, this is worth watching. Oh it has a nice fluffy ending as well, ahhh!

I gave it 7 out of 10.

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo

Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo: I watched this last week and I don't think it was as good as the first film. There were a couple of really funny bits but most of it as just painfully boring.

I will be a bit more generous than some and give it a reluctant 6 out of 10 but maybe it should be a 5.

After thinking about it, I have just changed my vote on IMDB to 5.