More Birthday Celebrations

October is a busy month for birthdays, so much so that we forgot Auntie Olive's on October 2nd - we were in the bad books. Mum was wined and dined on the 6th and received lots of thoughtful cards and generous presents. We had a lovely meal at the Buffers in Scholes. Next was Alex on 18th, though the celebrations took place on the 17th as he was in university on the day itself. We took Grandad and Grandma Longfellow over to Sheffield and, with Alex, met Becky and James at The Fox House in the Peak District (see picture on left), about 8 miles outside Sheffield, where we had a lovely lunch. Then on the 24th we celebrated a very special birthday, a true milestone of achievement, Grandma Longfellow's 90th birthday at Uncle Stephen's house. The gathering was restricted to close family, with the exception of Dorothy Brown, a family friend. All were present except those with a very reasonable excuse - that of not being in the country. Jonny, Ruth and family came to see her on Friday before setting off for Wales the next day. There was one other notable exception who was somewhere around the globe - California to be precise - and greetings via Skype were made, along with a card from New Zealand. (The picture on the right shows Grandma blowing out the candles on her cake but it appears that she is blowing so hard that she is blowing Uncle Stephen's head back as well!)

The Macc Monster

This is the name of a bike ride I did with James on Sunday 10th October. Macc is short for Macclesfield where the ride started and Monster is an apt description of the ride. The distance was 100k and in that were 8 classified climbs totalling 7000ft of vertical ascent - some long and gradual, others short and steep. We went through the Goyt Valley and into the Peak District National Park - high and broad with exceptional views and the weather was glorious, so there were some compensations. James and his mates set a pace I found difficult and then impossible to stay with, so after four of the climbs I found myself on my own, glad to be able to ride my own pace. The only probem with this was finding the way to go. Markers were few and far between and in unfamiliar territory they were easy to miss. At one point I was taking the road to Leek when I noticed in the corner of my eye an orange marker which had blown over in the wind, pointing in a direction at right angles to the one I was taking. That happened twice - having to go back on myself having passed a turn. Eventually I found my way to the feed station for lunch in a lovely village called Rudyard. It was in the car park of the Rudyard Hotel, where I tried to stock up as much as I could for the second half of the ride. This is where I met up with James again and from here he cycled back with me, restraining himself to my pace. It was at 38 miles we came to the hardest climb, Thorncliffe, cliff being an appropriate term. It was a mile long and steep, and it came with a warning in the info pack - "a brute, featureless and open, broken many a poor soul" - so I knew it was going to be tough. If that wasn't bad enough as we started to climb we got the wind in our faces. If I have done a harder climb, I cannot remember when. What motivated me to keep going was the fact that I knew I wouldn't come back. I had to do it this time, it was my only chance, and I didn't want to have to admit it had broken me. Somehow I managed to crawl to the top. As the road levelled out I could feel my legs beginning to lock in cramp. I hoped it would wear off as the way became easier as it usually does. But it intensified, so I knew I had to do something as we approached the next incline. I told James I would need to stop to massage the muscles. As I stepped off the bike both thighs locked solid and I was stood in agony like a statue holding the bike, unable to move. Considering James is a doctor I was a little surprised at the lack of advice being offered to ameliorate my condition. At some point I managed to lay down on the grass verge, high in the peaks overlooking stunning scenery, which I obviously was not able to fully appreciate. James thought it would be advisable to phone Mum and Beck to let them know we would not be back by the estimated time, and I thought it might be advisable for them to stand by the phone in case they needed to come for me. I was somewhat disconcerted when Mum asked us where we were and James replied, "I don't know". Anyway, the cramp passed and I managed to get back on the bike and was able to pedal. The worst was over and I managed to limp back. Up past the (in)famous Cat and Fiddle Pub and down the long descent into Macclesfield - it was a nice finish. Mum and Beck were at the finish and I gladly fell into their arms, before having the after-ride meal. To save having to put the bikes in the boot of the car, having to take off wheels etc, we decided to ride the 8 miles back to Alderley Edge.

Jonny and Ruth in Triathlon

On Sunday 12th September, Jonny and Ruth went to Etwall, which is about forty-five minutes from where they live, to take part in the Derby Triathlon 2010. For Jonny it was the second time he had done the event, and considerably less demanding than his recent Iron Man, but for Ruth it was her first time and, I think, a little bit daunting. The venue was Etwall Community School/College where the swimming took place in the pool and all the transitions between the stages took place as well. The swimming, sixteen lengths of the pool, was followed by the bike ride (c.18k) around the local area, finishing with a run (5k), around the local area also. Competitors set off individually at timed intervals throughout the day. Ruth set off at around 11 a.m. and Jonny at around 11.15 a.m. Jonny's overall time was about 1 hour 7 minutes, Ruth a little bit longer - not sure of the precise times. Mum and I went with Holly and Henry to watch and encourage. The weather was kind to us and a great time was had by all. Well done to Ruth and Jonny. What's next?

Birthday Celebrations

On Sunday, 26th September, we had a family gathering at Ye Old Sun Inn at Colton, a small village just outside Tadcaster, off the A64 to York. The reason for the gathering was to celebrate the birthdays of three people whose anniversary of their birth occurred at that time. The first was Grandad Longellow, whose 89th birthday was the day before; the second was Christopher, whose 26th birthday was also the day before and the third was Kirsty's grandma, Violet Oliver, who was celebrating also her 89th birthday. It was a memorable occasion with beautiful food and a convivial group. In addition to the principal guests mentioned above - there was Alex, Becky, Clare, Mike, Kirsty, Isla, Grandma Longfellow, Mum and I. There was, as always, a toast to absent friends who were also present in our thoughts.

A Weekend to Remember, But I Am Struggling

It is that time of year again. When people migrate from lands further than the eye can see, to two specific locations in England, where huge amounts of cash will be spent in the hope that that person can find a part of themselves that they are happy with; where thousands of people will come to see a handful of groups of people on stages in the hope their collective wisdom will improve our lives for the better. It is of course the Leeds and Reading Festival.
This is one festival I did not think I would be attending due to the fact that I thought they had sold all of their tickets for this year. However, a young man called Christopher Fletcher made it known to me that a record shop called 'Crash Records' had a few more tickets within their possession. With one quick phone call I was able to phone up the record shop and book myself a weekend ticket. I was particularly happy about going to this Leeds Festival for numerous reasons. One reason would be it is awesome. Second reason for my delight would be the fact this is the first time I have actually paid for my own ticket, so I felt a sense of pride. Lastly, a band that goes by the name of Libertines would be playing on the first night. So it can be understood by many people why I was excited.
First things first, in order to stay the whole weekend we would need a tent. Unfortunately, father David had lost my brother Christopher's, tent. To solve this problem sister-in-law Clare was able to obtain a tent from a work colleague who particularly enjoyed camping. So one problem was solved.
At the Leeds Festival it is wise that Chris and I get the tent pitched as close to the Festival Arena as possible, to reduce journey times from the camp site to the Arena. Chris came up with a clever plan of travelling to the campsites at 2am on Wednesday evening in order to avoid a large crowd of people at the entrance. I agreed to come along in order to help Chris. This plan should have worked very effectively enabling us to get the tent pitched quickly. Unfortunately, a couple hundred more people had exactly the same idea. I had to wait a couple of hours in a line whilst holding most of our possessions for that weekend at the same time. So people can understand with the line taking hours to move along that I was beginning to hurt. It was light by the time we had pitched the tent and returned home. Gladly, I had nothing of great importance to do on Thursday, so I took the opportunity and slept all of that day.
Finally, Friday had arrived and the reckless drinking could begin. The first few hours were given to drinking, talking and the eating of junk food. Early in the day there were no performances I particularly wanted to see due to the fact the bigger performances were on in the evening. However, Chris, Clare and Anyka and I went to see a comedian by the name of Kevin Bridges. It was an enjoyable experience and the only thing during the day that I actually wanted to see.
The day went by and I saw many performances like 'The Cribs', which I did enjoy. Unfortunately, the sound quality was not the best and some of the songs I was hoping to hear were not performed, so there was some disappointment but it was generally a good performance.
The time came when the Libertines would be performing. I was very much looking forward to this due to the fact the Libertines are one of my favourite bands and because they have been split up for so long, it is a great occasion to see them playing together again. The performance lived up to expectations. They played all the songs that people have loved these many years and they gave their fans what they wanted, which is why they were so impressive on that night. The only concern was Peter Doherty walked off the stage after three songs, which made me concerned with Peter Doherty being the drug addict we all know, would he be able to continue. Fortunately, he came back on stage after a few minutes and gave a great performance. It was a good night. I felt pity for the band after the Libertines , Arcade Fire, due to the fact that the majority of the crowd left after the Libertines finished so it seemed a bit embarrassing for them. I feel this was an error of the organisers in that they did not make the Libertines the headliners on Friday night.
The weekend continued with excessive drinking and the consumption of junk food. I saw many good acts such as Weezer or Mumford and Son, but I was disappointed that all the performances I wanted to see occurred on Friday night. The rest of the weekend I went to see performances that Clare and Anyka wanted to see, with me having no specific band I wanted to see it was an opportunity to listen to some new bands and comedians. I must admit there were some good performances and I might listen to them later on.
The weekend came to an end and I must admit I was glad. It was not that the festival wasn't good, it was the fact that I had been sleeping rough for three days(although I must admit I did enjoy sleeping in a tent) and the toilets provided were appalling and not fit for purpose. So it was only the little things that I missed at this Festival. I left with Chris, Clare and Anyka early on Sunday evening to avoid traffic and we came home and enjoyed a good stew that was made by mum/dad, I forgot to ask.
To summarise this weekend in one word I would say it was wicked. lol. I hope u lot enjoyed this blog and Ste if you're reading this, you're adopted(joke). No in all seriousness I hope you had a good time in Borneo and I hope you will enjoy Australia. It's a jungle out there! Crikey! Cya l8r.

The long journey home.

We now had further to travel back but we were going to do it slower. As well as driving more slowly, we were going to take several days. We booked into a hotel in Bourges which is just about in the middle of France and arrived there on Tuesday afternoon. We travelled over the Massif Central so had the thrill of travelling over the bridge in the sky, otherwise known as the Millau Viaduct, what an impressive structure. Bourges had distinctive cathedral but other than that was somewhat disappointing, but we were only staying overnight. Our next stop, Wednesday night, which we had booked before leaving England, was in Paris, near the Montparnasse Tower, from where you can get the best view of Paris - needless to say, we did not go up. But we did go on the Metro, into the city, to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower and walked along the Seine. In the evening we had a typically French meal at a restaurant near the hotel, Le 14 Juillet, the name of the restaurant, not the hotel. The next day we had a leisurely drive to Calais, where we took an earlier ferry than the evening one we had booked. The worst part of the journey back was the Dartford Tunnel and the worst part of the journey out was the Dartford Crossing.

We managed to get to the Med!

We headed south-east for about 150 miles, passing the towns of Albi and Castres, to L'Herault region of southern France, again taking its name from a river flowing through it. We stopped for lunch at a nice little town called St Pons de Thomiere in the market place where the staff had to criss-cross a busy road to serve the tables from a bar across the street. When we arrived at Neffies where Sheila and David live, the temperature was 38 in the shade. They have a truly beautiful house and garden and swimming pool, which it didn't take long for us to get into, where we were promptly served with bubbly. We were wined and dined throughout our three day stay, and taken to some beautiful spots - a French market at St Chinian and the Noilly Prat centre at Marseillan on the Med. On the left you can see the view overlooking Neffies and on the right you can see me looking out to the Med.