Joe's First Drum Solo

Joe started drum lessons a couple of weeks ago and is coming on well. Luckily, Emma was selling her drum kit so it's now Joe's! I'm so proud of him and here's the video of his first drum solo. Rock-on son!!

Rush - Video Clips

Rush - Twice in One Week!

Rush were that good last Saturday in Sheffield, I had to see them again before they left the UK after the Manchester gig on Sunday. I spoke to Simon who, after very little persuasion, resigned himself to the inevitable that we needed to go and we looked at available tickets. The seats left at Manchester were right at the back but I found seats for Birmingham last night available the day before yesterday in the first block in front of the stage, Wicked!, game-on.

It was yet again superb to see them and to do it twice in one week is something I won't forget. They were just fabulous and thanks to Simon for "coming out to play" again!

Rush - Snakes & Arrows

Well, I can't believe it's nearly 30 years since I started listening to these guys and last night, I saw them again and they were fantastic. The boys sounded superb and as ever, the stage and effects were brilliant. A great night and such a delight to listen to new stuff and old, live again.

Whisby Nature Reserve

Joe and I went to Whisby this Sunday. The weather was superb and it was a great Autumn morning for walking.

Walking in Derbyshire

We went walking in Derbyshire last weekend near Chatsworth House. We followed a walk from a guidebook we bought some years ago and really enjoyed it. It took us around a route we wouldn't have discovered otherwise and was very quiet and picturesque.The weather was good and we had a picnic with a local farm cat mobbing us for some lunch!

John, Tash, Beth and Philip came over for tea and a few drinks after. The boys fixed up the Play Station and enjoyed an evening's racing in between running riot in the garden.

Joe's Bike

Joe had a new bike for his birthday in July. As a measure of how much he's growing up, he's on 24" wheels now and looks a "proper lad". He's getting used to riding on and off road and his Dad has a great time going out with him exploring everywhere and, like today, getting totally wet through and muddy. On yer bike!

Catching Up!

I don't know where the year is going but we've been a bit slack in posting updates to our blog. We've just gor back from a weeks trip in Norfolk which was great. The weather was fab and we stopped right next to the beach. Joe had Lauren, his Cousin, with him and both enjoyed the week. Lauren has a broken ankle in plaster at the moment but we managed to overcome problems with swimming and beach etc with a great vacuum waterproof sock that Nic found. We went on the North Norfolk Railway from Holt to Sheringham and Joe liked the old railway carriages with our own old fashioned compartment.

A couple of weeks before, the three of us went up to East Yorkshire and went to The Deep, which is a great indoor aquarium. We then went over to Spurn Head which is a spit of sand out into the Humber Estuary with a lifeboat station and old lighthouse. We walked all the way around and watched the ships coming in and out of the estuary. Spurn Head is constantly changing and is in danger of being washed away altogether so this may be our first and last visit.

Back in Norfolk, we went out to Blakeney Point, a similar sand bar, to see the seal colony. You can walk right down it from Cley which is a great walk, around 10 miles round trip. With Lauren's ankle in plaster, we took the boat!

We've posted both sets of pic's together below.

Lake District - April 07

Dad and I went up to the Lakes with an old college mate this weekend and were treated by some great weather, unusual for the Lakes in April, and we did a couple of really enjoyable walks up to Castle Crag on Friday and on Saturday up Haystacks where the views were superb, right over to Whitehaven and the sea. A few beers in Keswick and some good food and company rounded the weekend off well. Simon reminded us that it has been 15 years since we last did this as a group. Where did that go?