@mootParadox

This is a simplified render of my Mastodon profile. Click the date to open the original toot, and hashtags will link to related posts on the host server.

Final climb from Bowden Doors yesterday - around 7pm and still hot in a t-shirt! This is "Black and Tan", a 2-star Severe on Main Wall... nice. πŸ‘Œ

A sandstone crag beneath blue skies. A rope with a few runners is trailing upwards following a crack. (Why is there a sling dangling from the first nut? My friend was worried she might not be able to reach the first hold, but actually she was fine! πŸ‘)
ClimbingTradClimbingNorthumberland

East of Corbridge, on the path to Riding Mill. I had to turn back soon after this photo, as the trail was all broken up and it had become a pain to navigate between brambles. The signage I eventually found (behind a wall and facing the wrong direction!) says the path is closed due to river bank erosion - so there!! 🀣

View of the Tyne downstream from Corbridge.
CorbridgeNorthumberlandhikingTyne

Finally got around to finishing up the ends of this anti-fly door screen for my home office. With hindsight, I left the gaps slightly too wide, although the movement seems to help. πŸ€” The end braid is a "crown and thistle" knot, and I left the coloured whipping twine in place for the visual aesthetic. Satisfyingly fiddly! 🀣

Anti-fly interior door hanging, made from natural 6mm jute rope.
ropeknots

Obviously not today!! 🀣 This was Wednesday at Simonside and before the heatwave.

Rock climber sitting on the top of a moorland crag.
NorthumberlandClimbingTradClimbingrockclimbing

Came across this parked car, near Corbridge. Might need a little air in it's tyres, but otherwise looking ok! πŸ˜‚ Possibly an Austin 10... but I'm certainly no expert on cars.

Old (slightly derelict) black vintage car beside an overgrown wall.
PhotographyNorthumberlandvintageCars

Blimey!! 🀣 Hopefully I haven't bitten off more than I can chew here! Chopin's "Waltz in A Minor", reputed to be very accessible, and I can read it ok if I skip the ornamentations... but can't be doing that, obviously! Looks like an amazing beginner-intermediate piece, but this may take some time. πŸ€”

Sheet music on a piano.

Obviously I'm not a concert pianist, but this is such a fun tune to play! 😎 It's the first of the Gnossiennes by Erik Satie, composed around 1890.

His sheet music notations range from whimsical to surreal! 🀣 I'm still figuring out how to play "inquisitively" vs "introspectively", and "from the tip of the thought" vs "on the tongue"...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnossien

Low resolution video (for size limit) with audio of Gnossienne No. 1.
PianoeriksatieGnossiennes

A dandelion on the way back from a swim at Crammel Linn Waterfall in Gilsland, last Sunday. Fabulous spot, and nice trails from the old spa hotel. Does it count as a 'bloom'... πŸ˜‚

Dandelion seed head against a softly out of focus forest backdrop.
NorthumberlandPhotographybloomscrolling

Close up of The Sill roof from earlier in the week. It's with my 40mm f2.5 wide open... tried a few angles, but I think this is probably my favourite.

Close up of a roof walkway 'grid' pattern, with gravel and grass.
NorthumberlandPhotography

"Boundary Corner" is a 3*** classic at Great Wanney. I think you can safely say it's a high-value V-Diff, so I just hope the photo captures some of the burly awkwardness of the thing!! 🀣 I backed off it a couple of years ago, but with a decent sized cam (a no. 5 DMM Dragon) to protect the crux, it's actually not too bad. Amazing line and a nice belay tucked in behind that wedged boulder.

Rock climber nearing the top of a sandstone crag.
ClimbingTradClimbingNorthumberland

First climb of 2025... perfect conditions at Great Wanney. And it's not often you get to say that!! πŸ˜‚ My previous nemesis, "Boundary Corner", has finally been conquered! πŸ’ͺ😎

Shadow of a rock climbing on the top of a moorland crag. Blue skies.
ClimbingTradClimbingNorthumberland

Take one Frescobol set, one picnic table, a spare tree stake, and you have... Ta-bol Tennis! Not affected by the UK wind either, so it's actually much better for the garden. (Patent Pending!) 🀣

A wooden picnic table in a suburban garden. Using a Frescobol set, the table is set up as an improvised table tennis table.

From the rock known as "Main Panel" at Lordenshaws, a close-up to catch the shadow around some of the art. Estimated between 3500 to 6000 years old! 😲

Ancient cup and ring markings on a sandstone outcrop.
NorthumberlandPhotographycupandringrockart

I've encountered this style of painted rock "calling card" before. Do they have a purpose, or does the style of decor identify the hiker who placed it? πŸ€”

A river or sea pebble, painted with green dots and a stitching effect.
hikingcairnpaintedrock

Above Lordenshaw, near Rothbury, enjoying the views, and the rock-art. I'd say "not a cloud in the sky" but there is one, if you look carefully! πŸ˜‚

northumberlandnationalpark.org

Remote moorland hillsides under a blue sky.
Northumberlandhiking

A final shot (for now!) from yesterday's walk, near Gallow Hill, between Aydon and Corbridge. I've photographed these trees before, but the last time was on a frosty, misty day; in black and white! πŸ˜€

Countryside scene with fields, trees white clouds in a blue sky.
PhotographyNorthumberland

Aydon Castle usually opens from April onwards, and is only viewable from outside the walls at present. Half-manor, half-castle, it's in a great location... although if you dislike the smell of wild garlic, you might want to avoid the dene behind the castle! πŸ˜‚

english-heritage.org.uk/visit/

Part of a castle wall on a grassy embankment.
NorthumberlandCastlePhotography

It's been a long time living in the North East to have never visited Corbridge! Just a brief wander today - I walked down from Aydon Castle to the river.

A sunny River Tyne, at Corbridge, with the bridge in the distance.
NorthumberlandrivertynePhotography

Almost vegan... pasta with a mushroom, garlic and red onion sauce, topped off with some half-price vegan popcorn chicken that I found in Sainsbury's! πŸ˜‹ Almost... but how can you not add some Parmigiano Reggiano?! 🀣

Pasta dish with Greek flatbread.

Same location as yesterday, Cawfields Quarry, but this one taken with a real camera! πŸ˜‚

Pointy shaped rocky escarpment at the back of an old, and long-disused, flooded quarry.
NorthumberlandPhotographyLakesonya7c2

Cawfields Quarry along Hadrian's Wall. First time visiting, and there's some nice sections of wall along here. πŸ˜ŽπŸ‘Œ

Flooded quarry lake, with crags behind, and blue skies.
NorthumberlandhikingHadriansWall

And that's the third time... although occasionally getting down to the final couple of guesses too! πŸ˜‚

betweenle.com/
741 - 5/5:
πŸ†πŸ†πŸ†πŸ†πŸ†
β¬†οΈβ¬†οΈβ¬‡οΈβ¬†οΈπŸŸ© - ⬜⬜⬜ - ⬜⬜⬜ - ⬜⬜ - ⬜

betweenle

The saga of my long distance duvet covers is finally over... only took 6 weeks! 🀣 With that disclaimer (partly shipping times, partly they missed two items from the original delivery) the quality looks great, and it was cheap. To be fair, they were very quick to update me and sort it all out. Their "sale" seems to be permanent, so don't worry about that!! πŸ˜‰ Link -> dusk.com/

Dark blue waffle weave cotton duvet set, and (for info) the pillows are an artificial down. Feel pretty realistic.

A local walk that I haven't explored for a while. This is one of several small copses that seemingly mark the sites of disused colliery shafts.

Silhouetted trees in front of an orange blue sunset sky.
PhotographyNorthumberlandSunset

Nope πŸ™„ it's deceased! You can see the liquid trapped inside the plastic pcb style membrane. Can't see that ever drying out properly.

So much for the "right to repair"... this Logitech keyboard had 6 microscopic, but admittedly just visible screws, 2 more that were cunningly hidden under adhesive rubber feet, and (and this is the one that caught me out!) 1 more inside the battery compartment hidden underneath a QR code sticker. Seriously?!! πŸ™„ All this assumes you have a decent toolkit, and something to safely pry it apart... I hope it actually dries out ok after all this!! πŸ˜‚

Parts of a keyboard, slightly dismantled, after having milk poured into it. It's no use crying over spilled milk... especially since teardrops would just make the problem worse!

My first visit to The Nick along Forest Drive. Perfect day to dust off the MTB and see how my legs hold up! 🀣 At 457m (that's 1500 feet to weirdos) it's the highest point along the Forest Drive. Its open-ended design is oriented from Kielder to Byrness.

Large wooden twisted tunnel type of sculpture in a wild moorland and forest backdrop. It's like a pentagonal corridor, with seating inside, and each block of pentagons is rotated to create the twist effect.
kielderNorthumberlandMTBGravel

Interesting usage of the word "popular"... πŸ˜‰

Headline reads,

I wouldn't use Chrome at all if I could avoid it, but are they for real?! I knew about uBlock of course, but Selenium... or does nobody bother testing their apps any more? Maybe I'm just being very old fashioned!! 🀣

Message from Chrome saying that Selenium and uBlock have been turned off.
ChromeEnshitification

My destination today was St Giles "Hearse House" in Chollerton, one of ’s few surviving examples. Restored by local fundraising, it now houses a small exhibition on its history and the local area. Typically found beside a church, these buildings were once home to the hearse carriage and horses. A fascinating visit, even more so when an old lady invited me to look around her garden… which contained a disused railway platform! 😲

Small stone building beside a church.
NorthumberlandPhotographyChurch

Displaying 30 most recent posts... see everything here.