macro

    Weeknote 01/24

    I love it when the month starts on a Monday. It’s even better when it’s also a new year! We met friends for a walk at the coast then spent the rest of the day sorting ourselves out for the week ahead and clinging on to the last hours of the holiday.

    I went back to work on Tuesday. It took a while to warm up to it but was I back in the swing of things by lunchtime. This week I’ve been preparing a couple of discovery workshops for a new website merger project and reviewed the content and UI of a multi-stage form for an energy company. For my three days in the office I did one bus, one bike and one running commute.

    My first freelance day of the year was cut short with a nasty headache.

    I’m taking part in a distance challenge through work and it’s brining out my competitive nature. The goal is to see who can reach the highest combined distance for walking and running over the course of January. There are 14 of us taking part and collectively we’ve covered 384.6km in the first week. My contribution is 30.7km. My activities have included a hike in the North York Moors and a running commute.

    Having a friend visiting meant I went for my first trip to my local during dry January. The guys had me covered though with a tasty alcohol free pale ale on tap.

    I enjoyed my first book of the year, Emily St John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility which I read during every quiet minute I could snatch this week.

    Sea of Tranquility book on a bedcover next to a tub of Treeslets.

    We finally finished the fourth and final season of Sex Education. I enjoyed the closure of storylines involving the characters we know and love, but felt the new school and scenes in the US were forced. We also got up to date with University Challenge.

    I wrote this while multitasking, watching the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Liverpool, and preparing our meal plan for the week ahead.

    Captain Cook Round

    It’s rare we have a completely free weekend together but due to plans to visit friends falling through, that’s how we found ourselves this weekend. To get us out and about we decided to take ourselves on a long walk a little further afield than we’d usually go. We chose the Captain Cook Round from Pocket Mountains' North York Moors guidebook.

    Strava map of walking route.

    The day was overcast but still, fine while you were on the move but a damp cold set in if you stood still too long.

    The walk started with a steep climb from our starting point at Kildale station up a lane to meet the Cleveland Way. Our route then took us across the moor where we saw a lot of grouse in the heather. We diverted off the main path to climb to the summit of Roseberry Topping which needed to be taken slow due to mud on the stone path.

    Panoramic view of moor and farmland from part-way up Roseberry Topping on an overcast day.

    Rejoining the Cleveland Way we dropped down to Gribdale, where we stopped briefly for our picnic. Then it was back on the ascent to Captain Cook’s monument which was shrouded in cloud when we got there.

    As we decended through woods and farmland back to the station we caught sight of a barn owl in flight. It initially came alongside us from the farm buildings and into the woodland, then passed up the lane where we’d just come.

    Distance: 13.3km Elevation: 518m Time: 2h 57m

    Barbie, 2023 - ★★★★

    Glad I waited for the hype to die down.

    The Truman Show, 1998 - ★★★★

    Still holds up after more than 25 years. Watching now (and with Izzy for the first time) it seems remarkably prescient.

    Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, 1991 - ★★★

    Highly flawed and yet still entertaining.

    Home Alone, 1990 - ★★½

    Introducing my wife to a classic. Not the best filmmaking but good fun nonetheless.

    It’s amazing what you can forget about a film you haven’t seen for ~30 years though. I’d erased practically every scene that took place outside the house.

    Love at First Sight, 2023 - ★★★

    Described by a friend as an unexpected delight and I wholeheartedly agree.

    NYAD, 2023 - ★★

    Watched on Monday November 13, 2023.

    Enola Holmes, 2020 - ★★

    I’d heard good things about this. It was entertaining enough for a rainy Saturday afternoon but I have two lingering questions:
    - Why did the there need to be a boy?
    - Why did Susan Wokoma not get more screen time?

    Fanfic, 2023 - ★★½

    The story has so much potential. Sadly the execution didn’t match up. Feels like there would have been much more scope to develop the characters and give their stories more depth if it were a series.

    Green Sea, 2020 - ★★ (contains spoilers)

    This review may contain spoilers.

    Not entirely sure what to make of this film. It felt like it could be a wholesome story about friendship but there was an edge of something sinister throughout that I couldn’t let go of.

    And at the end I’m left with one overriding thought: Why did she take the dog?

    Derivé in Durham

    This morning I took a short train ride to Durham to take a walk and explore some (new to me) corners of the city. This activity and the prompts I used to guide me were inspired by Andrew Eberlin.

    Here’s what I found…

    1. Pick any direction and walk in a straight line. After 100 paces take a photo of what is in front of you. The path of a footbridge over a road.

    2. At the next opportunity turn right. Photograph the oldest and newest building on the street. An old church tower.An ugly modern block of flats.

    3. Turn down the next street that starts with a vowel. Photograph something that moves. A merry-go-round in a childrens play park.

    4. Head in the noisiest direction and find somewhere to take a self portrait. A mirrored traffic sign nestled in an overgrown wall.

    5. Wave and smile at the next surveillance camera. Photograph it. An old building with ivy growing up its side. A surveillance camera is attached to the wall overlooking the entrance.

    6. Turn left. Find a place to sit for a while and watch the world go by. Walk to the subject that most captivates you. A statue of Neptune on a plinth in front of a decorative white building with lots of windows.

    7. Go north until you see something red or yellow. Or both. Take its photo. A courtyard with multiple small trees growing in wooden planters that are painted with the colours of the rainbow.

    8. Take two lefts and photograph the middle of the road. If it’s safe to do so. A major road pictured from a footbridge over the carriageway.

    9. Take the next right and photograph something wonderful. Red geranium flowers.

    10. Find something that no longer works. Looking up from underneath an old lamp attached to the side of a building.

    11. Meander to a nearby tree. Photograph it close up and far away. A small tree with overhanging branches growing in the middle of a grass lawn.

    12. Take a typical photo of Durham. A view from a bridge crossing the River Wear. Trees line both banks. A double scull boat is in the water. Durham Cathedral peaks out from behind the treetops on the right riverbank.

    13. And then photograph something discarded or lost. A fridge sitting on the pavement outside the walls of a churchyard.

    14. Stand somewhere and photograph a passer-by. Two people walking in the road in front of an old church building now a museum.

    15. Walk until you notice something unreasonable. Document your experience. Sign in a window reading 'You Should Have Gone to Hatfield'.

    16. Continue until you want to photograph something. You choose the subject. It’s a free world. Side of a concrete building with multiple narrow vertical windows and a small bust of the architect Ove Arup sitting on a plinth attached to the wall.

    The End.

    The walk took about 90 minutes in total with 60 minutes time on the move. This final image is the route the prompts took me in.

    I enjoyed seeing some new parts of this small city. I know it a little but definitely found some areas new to me, and appreciated some places I used to frequent during my lunch breaks when I worked here briefly. I’ll definitely do this again and maybe see what new perspectives it can bring to my home town.

    My Neighbor Totoro, 1988 - ★★★★

    Almost ashamed to say this is the first time I’ve watched this. I was tired and feeling a bit sorry for myself and some time with Totoro et al was exactly what I needed.

    I’m kind of amazed that a film almost as old as me could feel so timeless, but I guess that’s the magic of Miyazaki.

    Now (July 2023)

    The latest look at where my energy and attention is focused now…

    Read More →

    Always Be My Maybe, 2019 - ★★

    Needed something light for the end of my first week at work and this fit the bill perfectly. I enjoyed the broad story and central relationships. Not sold on the big name cameo though and at least one joke left a bit of a bitter taste.

    Full Time, 2021 - ★★★★

    Before we went to see this I was flippantly referring to it as Run Lola Run for the middle aged. It’s not quite, but it did get my heart racing in a similar way and a lot of that is down to the use of sound.

    There were moments that had me on the edge of my seat, as well as a lot of subtlety in script, direction and performance.

    Kielder Water — cycling

    My goal for day two of my trip (read about day one here) was to cycle a full loop around the reservoir. At 40 km this would be by far my longest ever ride. On the whole I was looking forward to it, but in the back of my mind I had a few anxious thoughts about what could go wrong.

    Thankfully those fears remained in my imagination and my day was characterised by some good decisions. The first two made before I even left the B&B…

    1. Opting for a sausage sandwich and small pot of coffee instead of a full English at breakfast.
    2. Choosing to wear the padded liners in my cycling shorts, despite the heat.
    3. Seeking advice about which direction to cycle around the reservoir… and then listening to it.

    This last one, I believe, was the difference between me finishing the ride and being beaten by it. Starting at Tower Knowe and cycling anti-clockwise meant that I was descending most of the steepest sections. There were still a few uphill stretches that proved a challenge for me but in general they were more gradual rather than short and sharp.

    I also managed to avoid any nasty tumbles. Only on one of the latter steep descents that included some sharp turns did I feel the bike slipping from under me. I was able to respond quickly and managed to regain control.

    I set off a little before 10AM with the intention of taking my time. However, there’s little reason to stop on the north side and little shade, so bar a couple of short stops to take photos and grab a drink, I continued along my way for 19 km.

    Bike leaning against bridge overlooking dense forest behind and water below.

    I arrived at Kielder well before noon. This was originally where I had planned to stop for lunch as it’s roughly half-way. I was feeling relatively fresh, and not in need of anything more than a snack, so decided to keep going.

    A few kilometres further on, near Matthew’s Linn, I found a quiet and shady spot next to a jetty to eat my sandwiches. I would have loved to sit here longer to read and enjoy the views but the lack of a breeze meant the midges were out in full force.

    Six small sailing boats moored in water off the end of a concrete jetty.

    At 27 km, stopping for a tub of ice cream (the flavour was cherry crush, in case you were wondering) at the Waterside visitor centre felt like a brilliant idea but when I got up to get going again my legs felt like jelly. Thankfully the next few kilometres were pretty steady, retracing the route around the peninsula that I’d walked the day before) and I got back in my rhythm.

    View across Kielder Water from the top of a hill on the north side of the reservoir. Edges of the water lined with trees. The sun is shining and sky is blue.

    With 5km left of the loop I hit a wall. The loudest sound I could hear was my heart thumping in my chest. A brief stop half-way up a hill to throw cold water over myself and refuel was necessary. That pick-me-up just about got me to the finish line, where I arrived around 2:30PM.

    Before setting off for home I bundled my bike back into the car, thanked the visitor centre staff for their advice, refuelled with my remaining sandwiches and a coffee and chocolate brownie from the café. I’d intended to take myself for a celebratory pint on my return home, but instead crashed on the sofa with a cup of sugary tea.

    Cycling stats

    Distance covered: 40.11 km

    Elapsed time: 4 hours 36 minutes

    Moving time: 3 hours 1 minute

    Average speed: 12.5 km/hr

    Max speed: 30.3 km/hr

    Max elevation: 231 m

    Tags: #holiday #northumberland #cycling

    Kielder Water — walking

    In anticipation of starting a new part-time role at the end of the month, and losing the flexibility that my freelance life offers, I booked myself a midweek overnight stay near Kielder Water in Northumberland.

    My plan for day one of the trip was to walk a 10 km loop around Bull Crag peninsula, starting and ending at the Waterside visitor centre. Day two would involve cycling the full 40 km loop of the lake on the Lakeside Way.

    On day one I set off for my walk around 11:30AM and, given the number of parked cars, I was surprised how few people I met on the path. For long stretches all I could hear was the crunching of my footsteps, the birds and the gentle lapping of water.

    I walked for around an hour and stopped in the shade of the pine forest to eat lunch. I made sure that distance wise I was at least half way along the route. My picnic spot was idyllic with a strong, and welcome, breeze coming off the water.

    Shingle shoreline at the edge of a reservoir. Water showing a tint of red from iron content.

    Before setting off again I swapped my camera for my binoculars to see what I could spot in what proved to be a dense section of forest. There was plenty of activity, based on the birdsong. I heard wrens, robins, and a willow warbler but only caught sight of the underside of a siskin and a very friendly chaffinch.

    View along sandy path cutting through pine trees.

    The last section of my walk along the ‘alternative route’ which helps to form the loop around the peninsula was by far the least scenic few kilometres. It was hilly too with a far more uneven surface and very little shade.

    I finished the loop around 2:45PM and treated myself to an ice cream (a mint Magnum was the day’s choice) and an espresso. After this refuelling stop and with a couple of hours to go before I could check in to my B&B, I hopped in the car, parked up near the dam and set out to check out another stretch of the shoreline.

    Top of a wall covered in moss in foreground with water from reservoir a deep blue behind it.

    Walking along the dam gave a great angle across the reservoir and I enjoyed the return of the breeze. With the exception of a few cyclists on the dam who were coming to the end of their rides at Hawkhope, I only saw one pair of walkers who were following the same route as me onto The Belling and up to the Wave Chamber.

    Stone kairn seen through trunks of a few towering pine trees.

    On the dot of 5PM I made my way to the nearby village of Falstone to check in to my accommodation for the night. After cleaning up, I secured a quiet spot in the (relatively) cool bar to enjoy a meal and refreshing pint (or two) before turning in for an early night ahead of continuing my Kielder adventure on day two.

    Walking stats

    Distance covered: 16.46 km

    Elapsed time: 4 hours 46 minutes

    Moving time: 2 hours 7 minutes

    Average speed: 5 km/hr

    Max elevation: 249 m

    Tags: #holiday #walking #activity #northumberland

    Zombieland: Double Tap, 2019 - ★★

    Ridiculous. Fun. As advertised.

    Joyland, 2022 - ★★★★

    Oof, this was everything I expected, and more. A devastating story of identity, repression, love, pride… The fact that it is a debut makes it all the more remarkable.

    There’s so many layers that I would have liked a little more time with the characters, especially Mumtaz and Biba. You know they had more of their lives to share.

← Newer Posts Older Posts →