Twice to the Lakes
17 September

Sometime over the summer, I realised that I had hardly used up any of my annual leave from work.

I think that it's been a combination of the fact that we were snowed under with work at the beginning of the year and the fact that, because of the work on the ceilings, the car crash and then the continuing decorating in three bedrooms, Ross and I haven't really given much time, energy, thought or money to the idea of holidays.

So, I thought I'd better book some time off work before I ran out of time. I can't do as I've done in previous years and disappear for weeks before Christmas because, this year, the timetable places my training unit just before the Festive Season. So this was the first of the three weeks I'm having off. One in September, one in October and one in November.

As it turned out, whilst doing some more things around the house, this week saw a little bit of travelling around. We took a trip up the M6 to Keswick and the Theatre by the Lake to see an adapted performance of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. I really can't say that it was very good though I wouldn't detract from the general professionalism of the presentation. I just wasn't particularly grabbed.

However, we are beginning to build up a few places to go and see in the Lakes. There's the Abbot Hall Art Gallery in Kendal. English Touring Opera go to both Ulverston and Kendal. There's plenty of other sites. We didn't go for a boat trip on Derwentwater. All these things seem to betoken a trip up there at some time.

A couple of days later if was across the Pennines on the M62 for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. We'd loved the place last summer when we went to see the James Turrell exhibition and his new permanent installation Skyspace - Deer Shelter. This time were there specifically for the Andy Goldsworthy exhibition and it was excellent. I loved his use of natural materials and his deep feeling for form and shape and texture. It really was one of the highlights of the year so far.

The week came to an end with another thrash up the M6. I went with my Quaker friend Elizabeth. We were attending a course at Swarthmoor Hall which we hoped would enable us to put together a training course for our fellow Friends in Southport around the theme of the Quaker Testimonies. Well the course turned out not to be what it said on the can.

Elizabeth and I both wanted some guidance on using the materials offered and some practical tips for running the course. What we got was a series of workshop activities aimed more for people who themselves wanted to explore the Testimonies. I was very disappointed. And then to cap it all, when I looked at all the free time we were given, I worked out that we could have had a full day on Saturday, started travelling early, set off home late and had two more nights in our own beds. I wasn't best pleased and have had some very un-Quakerly thoughts about the whole business since.

Colin and I have been in contact after the recent death of Luciano Pavarotti. The upshot was not tasteful...

Pavarotti proved too heavy for the usual hearse so the undertakers had to use a camper van that was nearby - it was a sort of Nissan Dorma.

Meanwhile, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras were not sure what to do about future crossover engagements so they decided to enlist some help from Elton John and called the act "Two Tenors and a Nine-Bob Note".