us and frank cat Fi | 28 Feb 2010
NUTHATCH
How exciting. I’ve seen my first ever nuthatch and in our garden too. The little soul wouldn’t keep still long enough for me to get a photograph. Obviously camera shy.
us and frank cat Fi | 27 Feb 2010
One man and his team
The start of big things for the new Westmorland Barbarians Team…. thanks to Chris and his colleagues.
He is a brilliant teacher, mentor and a great friend.
Fiona did a brilliant job in the club house and as we left she was feeding what looked like the 5,000 and still smiling. What a woman!
us and frank cat Fi | 27 Feb 2010
Rydal under crumbly sorbet-like ice

Rydal under crumbly sorbet-like ice, originally uploaded by Fi – my eyes feel old (sleepycat-gallery.com).
another from the car as we drove home. A crumbly covering of ice on Rydal.
us and frank cat Fi | 27 Feb 2010
St Johns in the Vale road
Isn’t it lovely in the hills when they are snow-capped.
Taken from the moving car while I froze Hector by having the window open!
us and frank cat Fi | 27 Feb 2010
Rugby acrobatics
We’ve had SUCH a lovely day. The Lakes were stunning. We saw Mum, then spent a couple of hours watching rugby – Chris’s ‘Westmorland Barbarians under 16’s’ team playing Sedbergh school and seeing him and Fiona and seeing again their super family. What a joy to see their daughter Clare again. An afternoon to warm the cockles of anyones heart. And the rugby was excellent too.
us and frank cat Fi | 26 Feb 2010
We’ve been sprucing up the kitchen

We’ve been sprucing up the kitchen, originally uploaded by Fi – my eyes feel old (sleepycat-gallery.com).
us and frank cat Fi | 21 Feb 2010
A new portrait of Hector

If the wind changes you’ll stay like that…., originally uploaded by Fi – my eyes feel old (sleepycat-gallery.com).
I like this….. It captures EXACTLY the Hector I know.
us and frank cat Fi | 18 Feb 2010
Hector’s niece Nic….
An exciting weekend ahead for Nic – video profile.
us and frank cat Fi | 06 Feb 2010
EGG-citing and EGG-ceedingly embarrassing day
So, the press agency liked my 6 double-yolker egg pic and put it out to the press and on Tuesday 2nd Feb everything went bonkers and it was all over the press, radio and blogs and Twitter etc. I am not at all sure its something to be proud of, but it made for an interesting day or two. I even got photographed at home for the papers by a proper photographer (thankfully not used in the end).
The interest was around the whole concept of probability and chance and maths and statistics.
Trillion to one indeed!

Here are the clips of the radio coverage – even Radio 4s Today programme.
A mention on Chris Evans Breakfast show
Almost an entire debate on probability on the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4
And interviewed on BBC Radio Cumbria
swindlehurst
us and frank cat Fi | 05 Feb 2010
Dusky fingers
The view from our front door step at 5.30 this evening…… and to make it even better I noticed at the same time that at last the snowdrops were poking there spiky shoots out of the ground.
us and frank cat Fi | 04 Feb 2010
I LOVE this guys music – Martin Simpson
I’ve known Martin since I was a kid, I first saw him play guitar in the teenage bedroom of a friend in around 1972/3. His guitar playing is more than stunning. Many happy memories of live gigs and his music as a soundtrack to many lovely times…. and sad times too. I don’t believe that there is another guitarist who can come close to his clarity of playing and dexterity and skill. His interpretation of tunes is distinctive yet also true to the tradition.
Buy one of his albums – there isn’t a dud one. But the best – I think – are:
Golden Vanity (1976), Sad or High Kicking (1985), Bramble Briar (2001), True Stories (2009), Martin and Jessica Ruby Simpson: Red Roses




