Self indulgence. Now and Then: Memoirs of a Sort.

SUCK-CESS-FUL DESPITE BEING A CRAP JOB in the BARBERS CHAIR.  HAPPY CHRISTMAS and HAVE a FUN 2023 In about 1978 I stayed at Dubbs hut, above the Honister slate works.  I was there with about eight 14 - 15 year old school children.  We walked in from Honister, stayed 2 nights and then walked out to Langdale.  On the middle day we walked off up to, I can't quite remember, either Pillar or Great Gable.  Where ever we went makes no difference to the story.  In a little slate, cold and dark out building was the bog, toilet, dunny, tandas; call it what you want.  It housed a squattable sized tin can with a handle and an inch of blue Elsan at the bottom.  Not wanting the pristine surroundings to look like either our deck after the ducks have walked across it, or the infamously named 'Andrex trail' from Annapurna base camp, we asked that anyone who needed to squat should go in there.  At an alarming speed it got fuller and fuller.  No one was pr...

  Positivity is such an overrated concept.  Memories Inspired by Covid by the farmer who hasn’t a clue. I’m longing to be negative. (there are some quite nice photos if nothing else tickles your fancy)   On a few occasions I’ve been criticised for being negative.   “oh Rich, can’t you be a bit more positive” and “some positivity would be nice”, you’re a *anker”, "get a taxi, Rich" (after asking for a possible seat in a 70 seat coach) and “oh just *uck off” are a few of the kinder ones.   It gave me food for thought and encouraged me to set my sights on trying to avoid any more such ‘helpful and positive comments’.   As you may know I organised a small tennis tournie in Martinborough which I think was deemed a success.   The kind words of appreciation caught me a bit by surprise. It all started when I woke up on Tuesday with a sore throat and cough after I had had a little smoochywoochysnoggyjogg...

The similarities between The Picos de Europa and 354 Blue Rock Road Twenty-four years ago we had an amazing 10 day walk in the Picos de Europa, and experienced Mirador de Ordiales, The Carres Gorge, Naranjo de Bulnes and a lightning show to shame the fireworks put on by London City Council on New Year’s Eve.   It was through stunning big hills, massive orange coloured rock faces, views that you had to be buried at to be able to savour for ever (as did Senor Ordiales), a million-metre-deep gorge with a path hewn out of the rock for us tourists to walk along and high level farmers who make cheese.   The Carres Gorge in Spain made in millions of years           Our own Carres Gorge, made in 9 hours. We stopped at the tiny drystone buildings, be taken into the totally unsterile cheese dairy and larder (with no sign of any lard) and select our goat or sheeps cheese. The night of the lightening display, put on solely for our benefit, as we camped ...