Effin cold again this morning. Fleece weather but still ok for shorts. Town was already busy at 8am when I dropped THG off at the train station. Kids on their way to school/college and folks walking to work having got off their bus or train. Lots of traffic. On the way home I noticed a builder already hard at it putting up a new stone wall near the Lindum Sports Ground. Must go and watch a cricket match sometime. Got the NZ test at Trent Bridge at the end of June.
Talking of shorts, four new pairs arrived yesterday. Refreshing my summer wardrobe innit. Amazon essentials or similar. Ranged between £7.50 and £16 a pair. What’s not to like?.
So today will mostly be devoted prepping for the forthcoming trip to Sorrento. I’ve organised a conference at the Hilton Sorrento Palace, as you do. It’s a bit more than that though. Afterwards we are headed to the Hay on Wye Literary Festival with @Rhys and @Eirian and their clan and then to Caadiff to see me blood and blister, Sue. Theeen we are headed west to do some more family tree research. I’m meeting cousin Gareth Morgan to compare notes and if we have time on to Pencader and Gwernogle to rummage around some more gravestones. After that I’m off to Aberdyfi with Sue for a couple of nights so that I can spend time in the National Library. I like doing that kind of thing.
Another long day on the hoof on the Coast to Coast ten years ago today. Across the North Yorks Moors from Clay Bank Top to Glaisdale with the final destination being the Arncliffe Arms. The highlight was lunch at the Lion Inn, a remote walkers’ pub. Lots of relatively tame grouse to be seen. Plenty of feeding stations. Didn’t really feel right to me. The other notable point was the fact that we were in a Middlesbrough postcode. The contrast between the wild beauty of the moors and industrial Middlesborough sprang to mind although we couldn’t see the town or any industry other than agriculture. The Arncliffe Arms was pretty basic but I guess it did the job. It was the penultimate day of the walk. The end was in sight.
A busy time for the fox. He came through at 6pm, ten past seven, twenty five to two in the morning, six thirty and seven o’clock. I never see him with any food in his mouth. I assume he just eats it there and then and can’t be taking anything back to a den to feed cubs. Maybe that’s solely the vixen’s prerogative.
Returned at 09:27, 09:49 and then 10:27 during which visit he came around the back of the shed.