2009-08-31 - 9:24 a.m.
Sat. 22-08-09: to the Lake District for a holiday. A walk up Lowfell (A.W. Vol. 7) overlooking Loweswater. A sylvan Lakeland scene. Sun. 23-08-09: the rains came, so a walk up Penrith Beacon in the trees. To the museum afterwards. My eyes fell on a particular exhibit which had a bearing on a new piece. Mon. 24-08-09: my father's birthday. A walk up Great Borne (A.W. Vol. 7). This was third time lucky for this particular fell. Two years ago we were stopped by rain and then bad light. Thought about the significance of the number three. Tues. 25-08-09: to Lank Rigg. Wainwright had written this was a two and a half mile walk to the summit. It was more like four. Very strenuous. Desolate moorland. Swollen rivers/streams/boggy grassland. Weds. 26-08-09: rain. An outing to Carlisle. Bought two new jackets. Thurs. 27-08-09: Haystacks (A.W. Vol. 7). This was the fourth visit here. Dark skies, showers and sunshine. Many visitors. Fri. 28-08-09: to Crag Fell from Kinniside stone circle. This is one along from Grike on the ridge. The problem since visiting Grike on 12-08-99 is that a plantation has made the terrain quite unfamiliar. We missed the path to Crag Fell, now obscured by trees. On the way up, after finding the path, big, dark thunder-clouds came over. I looked back to where we had made the ascent along a fence to see lightning come straight out of the sky to the place we had been walking two hundred yards previously. We threw down our walking poles and hid in the trees. Eventually reached the summit at around 16-15. Sat. 29-08-09: to Lords Seat and Barf (A.W. Vol. 6). A pleasant walk around familiar territory. Then home. Sun. 30-08-09: Elizabeth and Liam have arrived for a week. Ideas for a new piece have emerged over the course of the week for a future commission. I've also been researching the next R.F. arrangement for the same ensemble. A possibility has emerged.