Today is my Birthday, another year gone and I'm still single. The best thing about that though is not having anyone nagging me all the time. I'm sure there are plenty of benefits to being attached but I'm looking at positives today :-)
I had planned to do the North Yorkshire 3 Peaks today but decided last night that it wasn't going to happen today. I didn't fancy getting out of bed before 5, especially when I didn't go to bed until after 2. I'd changed the plan to walking my adopted paths in Wolsingham.
The plan changed again when I eventually crawled out of bed at 11. The plan was to do nothing that involved exercise. What was I to do, stay in bed?
No, I decided I'd go for a drive up the dale. Going back 10 years I'd do this almost daily and at least every weekend. Recently I've not been going there, these days now I getting old, I think about the price of petrol and stay in the house, walk or run. I'm not that bad, I've just not driven about the dale so much.
I went up to Cow Green Reservoir, stopping at the shop just up the bank for a sausage roll (3 of them) and a Red Bull. Oh the memories, I used to always do this, well not Cow Green normally :-)
When I got to Cow Green I thought I'd have a walk from the car park to Cauldron Snout but remembered I wasn't supposed to be doing exercise, lol. Actually I just couldn't be arsed!
I set the GPS on my phone away on the way back and using it decided to explore some of the back roads around the tops, that I'd never been along before. Exploring, how exciting :-)
I didn't do too much exploring because I know most of the roads and I'd need a 4X4 for some. I was going to put the map of my route on here but its very big and would mean lots of stitching maps together (not today).
I found some nice view points of the dale, would be good to take a lady for a romantic drive. Erm yeah right...
I saw just how lazy people have become while driving up to Hill End. I watched 2 farmers or shepherds what ever they're called nowadays (agriculture workers?). They spent absolutely ages trying to move some sheep up the road to a different field. They were both sat on a quad, oh and the dog, even the dogs have become lazy. They struggled trying to move the sheep up the road while riding the quad, beeping their horn as they went. The sheep weren't taking much notice either and they had to about drive into them to make them move. Eventually they got the dog to try and heard them by pointing at a sheep (can they not whistle and shout?) The dog looked and didn't seem to know what to do, the bloke was still pointing at the sheep.
Finally the man on the back decided that because they had been on 5 minutes and moved about 20 yards that he needed to get off the back and actually do something. So he got off and walked 5 yards scattering the sheep in several directions up the road. He waved the cars past the sheep which they had totally lost control of and on I went. Was this some new towny who thought he would move to the country and be a farmer, god I hope so because otherwise it looks like there is no hope for keeping traditional ways. What next GPS trackers on every sheep where you can give electric shocks to different sides of the sheep so you can steer them to where you want them to go, while the farmer/shepherd stares at his computer. Maybe there's an idea to make some money, I better patent it, lol ;-)
I suppose farmers are just mirroring the rest of us, who are all becoming lazier and lazier. Driving to places that we could easily walk to, buying things for convenience and paying people to do jobs that in the past people would do themselves. We have become very LAZY. Most of us sit there watching TV with the excuse that we just don't have time. We find plenty of time to watch TV and surf the internet though!
Wasn't this post entitled Birthday, I have digressed just for a change. ooh Mental As Anything and Live It Up has just come on. Some songs just make you smile, I was anyway though.
Hey yeah you with the sad face
Come up to my place and live it up
you beside the dance floor
What do ya cry for let's live it up
The point of this post was supposed to be to say how things had changed since this time last year. The short answer to that is, I'm a lot happier. I'm trying to see the positives of stuff more and feel better. At the moment I'm still feeling a bit worn down but not as bad as a week or so ago, overall though I'm happy. There is only one thing missing in my life and as I've said countless times it's someone to share things with. The good and the bad, my life would feel more complete if only I could find that woman. The search goes on...they will have to be someone special to put up with me :-)
I should look back at the women I've been out with and I guess there is only 1 that I still love but sometimes things are not to be. I was writing on here a couple of weeks ago about what I thought was important in a relationship. I think the first things I said were TRUST and HONESTY. This is probably because most people I've gone out with, there hasn't been much of either. I did try being more of a twat at one point in the last year but I felt really bad, although it did work and the woman did want to meet me again. I haven't though!
Tonight I think I will sit down with some Magners and watch a film. The joy of celebrating your Birthday alone, still smiling though :-)
(Above) From the top of Blencathra looking West along the ridge
(Above) looking along the ridge again with Derwent Water behind
(Above) Looking down Middle Tongue, with Hall's Fell Ridge to the left.
(Above) Me at the top of Blencathra looking as un-photogenic as always.
I have finally succumbed and bought another iPod, I have always intended to buy another but was going to buy one in Canada to save money. Yet I never actually got around to seeing how much I'd save until tonight. I would save £20, bollocks to that. I'd rather take an iPod filled with music with me. If anything goes wrong as it has twice before it's easier to send back if bought in UK.
I've spent most of the night listening to new releases on Napster. I decided I'd have a night chilling out and hopefully finding some decent new music. I was suprised how much I liked The White Stripes new album "Icky Thump".
