tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post2079534916305471033..comments2024-03-13T07:34:24.149+00:00Comments on The Age of Uncertainty: To the NorthSteerforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-16083967377396809162016-08-09T06:27:17.225+00:002016-08-09T06:27:17.225+00:00Taxmom - Ah, the days when we used to worry about ...Taxmom - Ah, the days when we used to worry about missing something on the telly. These days it's the quality of the wifi signal that seems to be the main concern. <br /><br />Unknown - I wish he'd said that. I'd rather have that than being asked if I've enjoyed my meal four times. <br /><br />Woodley - Many thanks for posting that moving and inspiring video. My immediate response was to imagine doing something like that myself, before remembering that the local rents would get me something slightly larger than a broom cupboard. Re: the blog, I'm afraid that its days are numbered, literally (see the top right hand corner).<br /><br />Smitonius - That's the impression I got. I saw a beautiful Victorian building with a flyover only metres away from it, ruining the view from within and without. The city has an excellent public transport network, so I don't understand why the roadbuilders have been allowed to ruin it. Also, most of the modern buildings were pretty awful. What a pity. Kelvingrove at least gave me a sense of the older city.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-23060390728443923242016-08-08T13:32:46.057+00:002016-08-08T13:32:46.057+00:00I don't think regenerated's quite the word...I don't think regenerated's quite the word ...eviscerated would be better .<br />For me as a child , it was just where everyone's granny had been to school with my granny ,my uncle's father-in-law was the park-keeper , where everyone would come cycling back into the city from Sunday picnics with huge bunches of bluebells in Spring , where all the conductresses on the trams had their hair in pincurls under their caps on Fridays ready to go to the dancing and there were only conductors on Saturdays because of the drunks in the football season . <br /> SmitoniusAndSonatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11210817141287881808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-48597451968299549672016-08-06T11:39:23.624+00:002016-08-06T11:39:23.624+00:00Thanks for the inspiring tour.
Please don't ...Thanks for the inspiring tour. <br /><br />Please don't call time on the blog because your son is starting to read it, that would deprive us of your extremely interesting view of the world, maybe just edit him out if you are concerned how he might react. <br /><br />Just came across this short documentary that might interest you and some of your readers:<br /><br />https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2016/08/01/welcome-last-bookstore/<br /><br />Love his view - "It's sort of a hobby that turned into a business and became a little bit of an obsession".Woodleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-15410287190086771082016-08-03T23:20:02.977+00:002016-08-03T23:20:02.977+00:00The waiter was being polite. It is usually '...The waiter was being polite. It is usually 'Have you done'.<br /><br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05151809358239030532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-30090705472679789002016-08-03T05:39:43.976+00:002016-08-03T05:39:43.976+00:00This was just lovely. Years ago when I was 14 my ...This was just lovely. Years ago when I was 14 my family did a loop through the lake district up to Skye and across the Highlands to Inverness and then down to Edinburgh. (I'm American but my family was living in London.) I loved it although I do recall that one of my main concerns was being close to a tv on Thursday nights because they were showing one of the Beatles movies each week for the four weeks were on vacation. I love the pictures of your boys occupying themselves in/near the water. Sometimes a certain spot, not a glamorous one, just reaches out and grabs you on a holiday and makes you want to stay there and not leave.Taxmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11660046865765219756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-56561235105383839212016-08-02T20:29:45.246+00:002016-08-02T20:29:45.246+00:00SmitoniusandSonata - Yes, I liked the Glaswegians ...SmitoniusandSonata - Yes, I liked the Glaswegians and found the city endlessly fascinating, but if it's been regenerated, what did it look like before? I think it's a pity that there are so many major roads and flyovers going through the heart of the city, along with some dodgy modern buildings. But the old Glasgow is lovely. <br /><br />Brett - I'm afraid my knowledge of synods isn't what it should be.<br /><br />Colin - We do get hot water, sometimes, but it's a hit and miss affair. I'll certainly make sure I visit Robin Hood's Bay next time. Reading your comment makes me wish I'd had the good sense to move north a long time ago. <br /><br />Annabel - I don't know Wigan - does it have anything worth seeing?<br /><br />Laura - The price of eating out has been a real eye-opener. We hadn't eaten out as a family for so long, it was shocking to find that even a run-of-the-mill meal at Pizza Express resulted in a bill for £70 to £80. As you say, if only the cafes didn't shut at 5.00.<br /><br />Carol - You've touched a nerve, as this is one of my major bugbears. A century ago, being quiet, diligent and conscientious was seen as a virtue. These days, too many workplaces see introversion as a negative quality - you have to be 'bubbly', dynamic, enthusiastic, passionate and a good team player. It's quite sickening. It's no longer acceptable to have job adverts that specify gender, but apparently it's fine to discriminate against the shy and introverted. On the one hand, we live in a more inclusive society - there are policies about equal opportunities all over the place, but our definition of what is normal has become much narrower.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-60586564971270551462016-08-02T18:34:54.388+00:002016-08-02T18:34:54.388+00:00Probably not a tactful thought, but have you consi...Probably not a tactful thought, but have you considered that perhaps it isn't your son who is out of step, but the world? There are many introverts (myself included) who find the constant yak-yak-yak of human interaction very exhausting. I sometimes think that's why I like to read so much and why I spend so much time plinking away on the computer keys. We aren't all cut out to deal with the madding crowd and its vast numbers of jovial garrulous people, all day every day, and perhaps like me, your son is one of them. Carol LakeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-34909238158590470702016-08-01T12:36:06.387+00:002016-08-01T12:36:06.387+00:00Wow, sounds like an amazing whistle-stop tour! I a...Wow, sounds like an amazing whistle-stop tour! I also love Whitby and Edinburgh, but haven't explored the rest. Yet. <br /><br />Perhaps your elder son will plump for a career as a park ranger or conservationist if he loves nature but not people. It sounds like it was a real voyage of discovery for him too.<br /><br />Great news that you managed to have a successful family holiday at last, despite the inevitable minor irritations like UHT and bad motel rooms. I have no idea why evening meals are so pricey either. Or why just about every cafe shuts at 5pm giving you no choice but pubs or restuarants.The Poet Laura-eatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07779308486569849157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-41138505831228802952016-08-01T12:32:17.413+00:002016-08-01T12:32:17.413+00:00Lovely. I'm glad you had a wonderful time. I&#...Lovely. I'm glad you had a wonderful time. I've always really enjoyed holidays up north, as opposed to spending hours on the M6 visiting my ex's folks nr Wigan in years gone by. I'd love to revisit Alnwick/Bamburgh environs and do more of Yorkshire including managing to get a seat at the famous Magpie in Whitby, which we were too late for last time!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650062604319300960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-68132886930028695732016-07-30T15:02:01.922+00:002016-07-30T15:02:01.922+00:00What a lovely post. I grew up in Norfolk, somewher...What a lovely post. I grew up in Norfolk, somewhere that wasn't the north, but not quite the south either (at least it wasn't in the sixties and seventies - it was becoming distinctly southern by the time I left). I fell in love with a Yorkshirewoman and have lived here now for nearly thirty years, and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I love the accents, the plain speaking, the scenery, and the diversity of landscape, people and life. I'm glad you liked Whitby, one of my favourite places (although Robin Hood's Bay, just down the coast is even lovelier), and Haworth (as grim and forboding as Whitby is sunny and breezy). We can be in the Lakes in a couple of hours - and often are.<br />I'm sorry you seem to have suffered the bane of the modern tea-drinker's life, the wretched cartons of UHT milk. There are plenty of wonderful tea rooms in Yorkshire and the north which serve proper milk in proper jugs. Next time you head north, let me know and I'll let you have a list of the best!<br />A last point: the difference between the north and the south is summed up for me by the fact that in every tea room I've ever been in in the north a pot of tea has come to the table accompanied by a pot of hot water for topping up, but this doesn't seem to be the case in the south - in fact, when visiting a popular garden tea room with some friends in Oxfordshire last year, the tea came in a measly pot, barely large enough for a single cup, and when I asked for some hot water I was told that it would cost me £1.30! Talk about confirming regional prejudices!Colinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-4709992535852502442016-07-30T03:58:55.919+00:002016-07-30T03:58:55.919+00:00So great to read another travelogue, with your bea...So great to read another travelogue, with your beautiful pictures. I've been an armchair traveler there for a long time. Maybe some day...<br /><br />Wasn't there a famous Synod in Whitby, 7th c.?Bretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09389916070547430075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-48040096112668853232016-07-29T22:09:58.685+00:002016-07-29T22:09:58.685+00:00You went to all my favourite places .
You'll ...You went to all my favourite places . <br />You'll have to go back to Glasgow sometime , though . Then you'll see that it's not about the buildings , the odd bit of Rennie Mackintosh apart , but the people . And the potato scones ...SmitoniusAndSonatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11210817141287881808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-83765762507901740112016-07-29T07:01:05.334+00:002016-07-29T07:01:05.334+00:00A really wonderful post. I'm so glad it all w...A really wonderful post. I'm so glad it all went well. And your photos are lovely, especially the two boys damming the creek or sitting on the rocky outcropping in the loch. Carol Lakenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-17128534977685048342016-07-28T21:40:05.060+00:002016-07-28T21:40:05.060+00:00Angela - I bought Dubin's Lives and Put Out Mo...Angela - I bought Dubin's Lives and Put Out More Flags. I didn't feel able to browse for long as I'd already subjected my sons to Barter Books in Alnwick.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-22305371083720853562016-07-28T21:15:28.532+00:002016-07-28T21:15:28.532+00:00Dale - I would have loved the Edinburgh Festival o...Dale - I would have loved the Edinburgh Festival once, but that ship sailed a long time ago and these days, any form of street theatre or performance poetry makes me want to run for the hills. <br /><br />MDC - Thank you. If you ever visit Knaresborough, it's worth visiting the cafe by the river.<br /><br />Natalie - Thanks.<br /><br />Martin - Your comments, as always, are much appreciated.<br /><br />Joan - Thank you for indulging my ramblings.<br /><br />Tororo - Thank you for reading it.<br /><br />Little Nell - Yes, I loved Hamish Macbeth and it inspired my first visit to Plockton. I wasn't really aware of the Chinese tourist phenomenon, although I had read that people in Tokyo were complaining about them. <br /><br />Lucy - I think Father Ted was spot-on about UHT milk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBwwcU2c3u4<br /><br />Lucille - My older son has started to dip in occasionally, so I will have to call time on this blog in the near future. Thanks for your kind words.<br /><br />Sustainablemum - I can see why you avoid Windemere in the summer - it was quite awful and I would have happily diven past and gone somewhere quieter. However, my sons were determined to hire a boat and I didn't want to let them down. <br /><br />Kaggsy - Yes, my sons really loved it, which made me feel better about the absurd amount of money we spent. <br /><br />Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-29250141579280312412016-07-28T20:48:16.612+00:002016-07-28T20:48:16.612+00:00What did you buy in Leakey's ?What did you buy in Leakey's ? landscapehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06680413416745254180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-55737300374720372672016-07-28T19:54:34.619+00:002016-07-28T19:54:34.619+00:00Sounds like a wonderful, wonderful trip, especiall...Sounds like a wonderful, wonderful trip, especially for your sons - fabulous!<br /><br />kaggsysbookishramblingsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-70845412801457597732016-07-28T19:16:55.770+00:002016-07-28T19:16:55.770+00:00I emigrated to the North some time ago (having gro...I emigrated to the North some time ago (having grown up down south), apart from a brief stint in Somerset I have been here for nearly twenty years. I would never move back now. As a Cumbrian resident Windermere is the last place I would visit at this time of year, it's full of all the people I actively try and avoid.......just saying ;)sustainablemumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04099701194160334671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-485414987165907152016-07-28T18:26:31.767+00:002016-07-28T18:26:31.767+00:00Was so heartened to read any sentence with 'my...Was so heartened to read any sentence with 'my sons' in it. Even more delighted by the pictures of them and everything else. Hope they don't read this!Lucillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14414527658216916537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-78574211298573335362016-07-28T16:19:14.334+00:002016-07-28T16:19:14.334+00:00"My UHT milk pod hell!" Love it! (Just a..."My UHT milk pod hell!" Love it! (Just about to go to milk pod land..."Lucy R. Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08632983296994349550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-8220506553770177482016-07-28T15:50:19.091+00:002016-07-28T15:50:19.091+00:00You were visiting some of my old haunts, and altho...You were visiting some of my old haunts, and although I haven’t been up there for years, it was good to be reminded of that beautiful scenery and those wonderful towns. We were in Plockton when it ‘Hamish Macbeth’ country - remember him? <br /><br />I’m afraid the Chinese tourists make themselves known in this way all over the world now. We were in Venice three years ago and it was a similar experience.Little Nellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11862657943846727987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-32110512308586231872016-07-28T13:25:53.989+00:002016-07-28T13:25:53.989+00:00I greatly enjoyed the trip. Thanks!I greatly enjoyed the trip. Thanks!Tororohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16635264152016312595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-79682502724115542422016-07-28T12:45:40.447+00:002016-07-28T12:45:40.447+00:00As always, your photographs are exquisite. I'...As always, your photographs are exquisite. I'm glad your older son is enjoying his new freedom from his issues and that you now have more freedom, too. You weren't too detailed in your descriptions. They were just right. I enjoyed a virtual mini break with you.joan.kylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17015342608992682333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-25401532634532394562016-07-28T07:55:14.781+00:002016-07-28T07:55:14.781+00:00As ever, you have taken me on a trip on that magic...As ever, you have taken me on a trip on that magic swirling ship that carries you through life. You'd make a great travelogue writer. The photos are fab, too.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494219959077922220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-6277121584118097242016-07-28T06:17:52.652+00:002016-07-28T06:17:52.652+00:00Glad you had a good holiday Steerforth, I enjoyed ...Glad you had a good holiday Steerforth, I enjoyed reading about it, NatalieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com