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A few of weeks ago my friend Ronan suggested over a post-swim pint that we should go walking somewhere in the Lake District, so last Saturday morning we set off up the M6 motorway for a weekend trip to Coniston. Ever since I'd read Griff Rhys-Jones' book "Mountain" (and saw the great scenery in the companion TV series) I've been thinking about going walking in the Lakes so I was thrilled to be given an opportunity to actually do it.
It's pretty amazing that in just over 2 hours you can travel from the hustle and bustle of Warrington to the relative peace (and spectacular views) of Cumbria. Ronan had the maps and the basic plan - to walk up a small mountain called "The Old Man of Coniston" on Saturday, and to wander around nearby Grizedale Forest on Sunday - and I had all my brand-new gear from Millets (which only added to my feeling of being a complete newbie as far as this whole walking marlarkey was concerned).
This time of year Coniston seemed fairly quiet, which is the way I like it, and the weather was a little cold but otherwise very pleasant. We checked into the Bluebird Lodge guesthouse (a nice little bed-and-breakfast a short walk from the village), paused briefly for a baked potato lunch, and then set off for the summit of The Old Man.
It took us a few hours to ascend from Coniston to the top, which is 803m (2635ft) high. I guess that it is technically a mountain (even more technically, it's actually a "fell", which according to Wikipedia is a particular type of mountain) but the fact that I was able to get to the top (with Ronan's encouragement) makes me feel somehow that it can't really be one. All the same I found it challenging enough, especially towards the top where we were inside the cloud scrambling through left-over snow, and I did felt a sense of pride on reaching the cairn at the summit. Once we'd made it we placed our own stones on the pile (which Ronan told me was the traditional thing to do), and since there wasn't really a view to admire, we went back down again.
It wasn't just about climbing the mountain though, there was a variety of different landscapes along the way - great views back into the valley below, eerily derelict buildings and equipment left over from mining operations, mind-bogglingly enormous piles of slate, and even a small lake (the amusingly mis-named Low Water tarn) above the cloud line. And our pints of beer and dinner of Cumberland sausages followed by cheesecake back in Coniston later that evening tasted all the better.
The next day we enjoyed a more leisurely walk around trails in Grizedale Forest. We stopped for a while at a vantage point, to soak up the views (and to daydream about a more carefree life where you could see this sort of landscape every day), and then back at the car Ronan cooked up some tasty noodles on his portable burner so we could enjoy a warm and hearty meal. Afterwards we took the ferry across Windermere and checked out the town of the same name, which seemed pretty busy for a Sunday afternoon in winter - it made me feel glad that we had decided to stay in Coniston instead.
There wasn't a lot of the day left after that since we needed to get back to Warrington that evening. On the journey home we made a small detour into North Yorkshire to visit the town of Ingleton, most of which - unsurprisingly - seemed to be closed (we were at least able to see the outdoor pool there, though that is closed until May too).
Back at home on Sunday evening I was left feeling pleasantly exhausted, with some great memories and a bunch of nice pictures. Hopefully Ronan will suggest another weekend away doing something similar in the not-too-distant future!
We'd been inspired after reading some online reviews of some of the bakeries in Princeton, in particular The House of Cupcakes and The Bent Spoon. We liked the ones from the House of Cupcakes but a number of the reviewers had compared them unfavourably with the Bent Spoon, so we decided that we would get cupcakes from each location and then have a "taste-off" to compare them ourselves (while also enjoying a sweet treat). The Little Chef bakery doesn't appear to do cupcakes but we also got some pastries from there.
Here's what we got:
The cupcakes from each place are quite different - for me, the House of Cupcakes seems to focus on the cupcake icing, which is deliciously (almost indecently) sugary sweet and which I loved to just let melt in my mouth. The actual sponge is a little bit bland and seems to act mainly as a vehicle to carry the icing, but it's not bad and is quite light.
In contrast the Bent Spoon cakes seemed a bit heavier, and the sponge was moist and tasty while the icing was a bit stiffer and not as sweet. The flavours in The Bent Spoon cupcakes also seemed to be a bit more complex. However overall I personally preferred the cakes from the House of Cupcakes slightly more.
The pastries from The Little Chef were also really really delicious. Well, I'm a sucker for puff pastry and cream (and as an aside, it was a source of amusement to me as a Brit that in the UK Little Chef is a chain of motorway restaurants). Also - as a postscript - a few days later on our way to meet the lawyer Kyle got some more cupcakes, this time from La Bonbonniere, which I think were better than either of the others. But that doesn't mean that I thought the others were bad, and of course it's always good to make up your own mind where food is concerned. Go forth and taste for yourself!
It's normal that Kyle and I don't get to spend Valentines Day together, but we do still share gifts. This year Kyle sent me a fantastic handmade book that she put together from photos, cuttings along with her inimitable sense of humour. It was a wonderful surprise and full of reminders of places we've been and things we've done over the last 4+ years, plus lots of in-jokes and other funnies that most likely wouldn't make sense to anyone else but which made me laugh so much that my ribs hurt. Like her it's totally fabulous and completely unique.
There are a few more pictures on Flickr (but not the whole thing!). I think it's amazing and the best Valentines gift ever. Thanks Kyle, I love you - happy Valentines Day!
I heard this evening on the radio that Manchester city council have decided to dismantle and store the B of the Bang, the eye-catching public artwork that currently stands outside the Manchester City stadium.
The sculpture is a prominent feature on the city skyline and is visible from trains leaving Manchester Piccadilly station for Stockport, and was inspired by a quote from the sprinter Lindford Christie, who said he started races "not merely at the 'bang' of the starting pistol, but at 'The B of the Bang'". To me it looks like the glorious cartoon explosion that its name suggests.
Last October I finally made a trip out to see it up close and take some pictures. Disappointingly the sculpture was fenced off, which I found out later was due to safety concerns - some of its enormous steel spikes had come loose shortly after completion in 2005. But it was still an impressive sight and it's sad to hear that it will be taken down, in spite of all the controversy over the cost and other issues that seem to plague public artworks in Britain.
It's not clear when the B of the Bang will be taken down so it's probably worth a trip out there now if you want to see it before it goes. The council have said that the sculpture could be reinstated if the technical problems with the spikes are overcome (for example, replacing them with new ones made from lighter weight materials) however they are unwilling to spend more public funds on it now.
I guess that's fair enough, but I for one will miss its spectacular presence on the Manchester skyline when it's gone and the view is a little less interesting.
Kyle has already written an excellent blog posting about our engagement and the gory details of the visa application process - so if you'd like to know the ins and outs then I'll direct you there rather than trying to rehash them now. Suffice to say that it looks like it will take a while - a long while (as in, 10 to 14 months long) - as well as involving the collection of a whole bunch of documents.
However this girl is worth it, and then some - she's like no-one else I know and I'm so happy that after 5 years of transatlantic to-ing and fro-ing, that she finally said yes to getting married and being together for the rest of our lives. Having her in my life makes it feel richer and more meaningful, and I think that as well as sharing a common outlook on life, wordplay and miming to muzak in the supermarket aisles on a Saturday night, we are also able to bring out the best in each other.
We both know that it won't always be smooth sailing, and right now the process seems very long, but I'm excited about our future beyond that, and I know that after all this time that we can make it work. I love you Kyle!
At least now the process is started - Kyle recieved the USCIS filing receipt for the petition today - and we have a little time still to plan our wedding on the Jersey Shore!
My starting point was the 1995 online article "Strolling Among Sculpture on Campus" by Jennifer Sheppard, which gives a good overview of many of the pieces as well as hints on where they can be found. I also bought a copy of the "Sculpture of Princeton University" guidebook from the Art Museum shop, which cost around $5 and has drawings and more detailed descriptions for 24 of the works on campus. It also has a map which proved invaluable in locating many of the pieces.
As I've gone along, I've been adding the pictures to a set on Flickr called (unsurprisingly) "Princeton Artworks", as well as building an interactive Google map which shows where each of the artworks are, to the best of my abilities. On my wanderings I also came across what I considered to be artworks but which weren't in the book, for example the many tiger statues that are dotted around campus.
You can click on a marker below (or in a larger size map) to go on your own virtual tour:
View Larger Map
I think that the project made me look at the artworks in a different way than I might have just walking past them every day. Looking for interesting angles for my photographs also gave me a reason to spend more time looking at them, and I think that in some cases this made me appreciate them more - particularly the ones that I initially didn't find that interesting. Also, searching them out gave me an excuse to explore the campus and in doing that I stumbled across other things that I wouldn't otherwise have found.
It's hard to pick favourites, however if I really had to choose then Upstart 2 and Mastadon VI are probably the ones that I liked the most from the official collection. I also liked the metallic tiger statues outside the stadium - it was seeing pictures of these elsewhere that got me started. Of the "serendiptiously found" works, I think maybe Clouds Nine is the one that I would pick as my favourite. But really I think that all the artworks have something in them that I like - I didn't take pictures of the ones that didn't.
You could argue that the project isn't really complete: there were a few pieces that I wasn't able to find, such as Eduardo Paolozzi's "Marok-Marok Miosa" (I think it has been relocated or stored for now), and other sculptures or murals that could also be considered artworks. However for now I think it's enough. So I hope that you enjoy looking at the map and the pictures.
You don't usually get advance warning that history is going to be shown live on TV, but yesterday I stayed at home and watched Barack Obama's inauguration proceedings for much of the day. (It was cheaper than going to Washington DC, and warmer).
I don't remember paying much attention to previous US presidential inaugurations so I think that the 10 week gap between the election of a president and the time when they actually take power initially came as a surprise (back in the UK the winners assume power the day after the election). Although I suppose it's intended to smooth the transition from one administration to the next, it seemed to mean that George Bush more or less disappeared from view after November (the odd shoe-flinging incident aside) while Obama has been warming up on the sidelines, not yet in the game.
I really enjoyed watching yesterday's inauguration events and the carnival atmosphere that surrounded it - on TV the crowds were so large that the colours were strobing on the small screen in Kyle's bedroom - and I'll admit that I also clapped and whistled along at home. As with all these formal state occasions there are certain traditions to observe and rituals to be performed, and I had some interest in seeing the mechanics of the transfer of power (for example, I learned that the transfer occurs at 12 noon regardless of when the incomg president is actually sworn in). But what I found more than a little thrilling was to actually see those rituals come to life, and to feel the oath of office become something more than just words spoken by the latest successful job applicant. I can't compare it with previous years but yesterday with Obama it felt like a powerful connection was made with the past, all the way back to the origins of the United States, that the presidency is not just a job, it's a calling.
Something else that struck me again was just how historically significant the election of a black man to the office of president really is here; I don't know if I would have really appreciated how strongly people feel about it if I hadn't spent time here. But aside from that I think that Obama is someone special. I find his speeches really inspiring - he appeals to great ideals - but I also sense that he is a pragmatist: he seems to recognise that there is a real opportunity now to move forward by laying aside blame for past mistakes (whoever made them) and instead looking together for how things can be made better.
I like that he is pushing the responsibility to make a difference back onto the American people, treating them as adults and reminding them of the role that they have to play to fix the mess that everyone is in now: the greater world is made through individual actions and decisions. If the previous administration made people feel powerless over the course of their nation then I think Obama sees his first job as reversing that, to make people feel that what they do matters again.
Today is Obama's first real day in office and so we finally get to see him in action, and see how he lives up to the expections that people have placed on him. To me Barack Obama feels like a very different kind of politician, someone who sees politics and the office of president as the medium through which he can achieve greater good, rather than being ends in themselves. I hope that as a result we'll ultimately see a model of a very different kind of politics, although it won't happen overnight (if ever). It's an exciting prospect.
