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. π
#Climbing #TradClimbing #Northumberland

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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. π
#Climbing #TradClimbing #Northumberland
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!! π€£
#Corbridge #Northumberland #Hiking #Tyne
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. π€ The end braid is a "crown and thistle" knot, and I left the coloured whipping twine in place for the visual aesthetic. Satisfyingly fiddly! π€£
#Rope #Knots
Obviously not today!! π€£ This was Wednesday at Simonside #Northumberland and before the heatwave. #Climbing #TradClimbing #RockClimbing
Came across this parked car, near Corbridge. Might need a little air in it's tyres, but otherwise looking ok! π Possibly an Austin 10... but I'm certainly no expert on cars.
Blimey!! π€£ 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. π€
Obviously I'm not a concert pianist, but this is such a fun tune to play! π It's the first of the Gnossiennes by Erik Satie, composed around 1890.
His sheet music notations range from whimsical to surreal! π€£ I'm still figuring out how to play "inquisitively" vs "introspectively", and "from the tip of the thought" vs "on the tongue"...
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'... π
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.
"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!! π€£ 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. #Climbing #TradClimbing #Northumberland
First climb of 2025... perfect conditions at Great Wanney. And it's not often you get to say that!! π My previous nemesis, "Boundary Corner", has finally been conquered! πͺπ #Climbing #TradClimbing #Northumberland
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!) π€£
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! π² #Northumberland #Photography #CupAndRing #RockArt
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? π€ #Hiking #Cairn #PaintedRock
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! π #Northumberland #Hiking
https://www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk/places-to-visit/coquetdale/lordenshaws/
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! π #Photography #Northumberland
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! π #Northumberland #Castle #Photography
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/aydon-castle/
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. #Northumberland #RiverTyne #Photography
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! π Almost... but how can you not add some Parmigiano Reggiano?! π€£
Same #Northumberland location as yesterday, Cawfields Quarry, but this one taken with a real camera! π #Photography #Lake #SonyA7C2
Cawfields Quarry #Northumberland along Hadrian's Wall. First time visiting, and there's some nice sections of wall along here. ππ #Hiking #HadriansWall
And that's the third time... although occasionally getting down to the final couple of guesses too! π
https://betweenle.com/
741 - 5/5:
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β¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈβ¬οΈπ© - β¬β¬β¬ - β¬β¬β¬ - β¬β¬ - β¬
The saga of my long distance duvet covers is finally over... only took 6 weeks! π€£ 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!! π Link -> https://dusk.com/
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. #Photography #Northumberland #Sunset
Nope π 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?!! π 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!! π
My first visit to The Nick along #Kielder Forest Drive. Perfect day to dust off the MTB and see how my legs hold up! π€£ 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. #Northumberland #MTB #Gravel
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!! π€£
My destination today was St Giles "Hearse House" in Chollerton, one of #Northumberland βs 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 gardenβ¦ which contained a disused railway platform! π² #Photography #Church
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