On Sunday it was Wolf's Pit fell race. I didn't have a hope in hell of winning anything. So I was very pleased when two of my talented team-mates told me on the starting line that we could be up for winning a team prize.
Their advice to me was "try to stay ahead of Dark Peak runners". The trouble was there are dozens of Dark Peak fell runners in races in the Hope Valley. Whenever I got ahead of one, another one (or sometimes two) would get ahead of me.
I finished 25th, which I was quite pleased with, having only done about 3 weeks of training after my winter break. Luckily my teammates finished in 3rd and 6th, so I got my moment of triumph and a very nice hat.
Mrs Noel, as always also did well - third lady and part of the winning ladies team.
I just need to put in some proper training now, so I can aim at top ten myself.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Lower league football
As a lad, I used to watch a lot of football, so a mate and I decided to take in a lower league football match. We picked Burton Albion vs Morcambe. It ended 3-2 to Burton. Here are my scores for various aspects of the night.
The ground: 8 out of 10. Small but reasonable toilets and catering. Friendly stewards. Cheap parking outside the ground.
The standard of football: 6 out of 10. Morcambe seemed to think the ball was safer 50 feet in the air. They only started passing to a teammate's feet after they went 3-0 down. The Burton Mail talks of the Brewers struggling against the "Shrimps fluid 4-3-3 system". From what I saw, they could have played 5-0-5 for all they were using their midfielders in the first half. Burton in contrast looked fresh, lively and inventive.
The beer: 3 out of 10. It was in plastic glasses and I still can't get used to chilled bitter. I guess if we had wanted a proper pint, we shouldn't have got a beer at the stadium.
Value for money: 8 out of 10. £14 for an adult in the main stand or the end of the ground. Seating would have been more - that's one of the advantages of lower-league football: you get to stand.
The atmosphere: 7 out of 10. It's hardly the Kop at Anfield, but there were a few good chants and lots to cheer.
The pies: 7 out of 10. Standard Pukka variety, but not too soggy.
Overall, it was a good night out. I'll be watching out for the name of Billy Kee (Burton's two-goal hero for the night).
The ground: 8 out of 10. Small but reasonable toilets and catering. Friendly stewards. Cheap parking outside the ground.
The standard of football: 6 out of 10. Morcambe seemed to think the ball was safer 50 feet in the air. They only started passing to a teammate's feet after they went 3-0 down. The Burton Mail talks of the Brewers struggling against the "Shrimps fluid 4-3-3 system". From what I saw, they could have played 5-0-5 for all they were using their midfielders in the first half. Burton in contrast looked fresh, lively and inventive.
The beer: 3 out of 10. It was in plastic glasses and I still can't get used to chilled bitter. I guess if we had wanted a proper pint, we shouldn't have got a beer at the stadium.
Value for money: 8 out of 10. £14 for an adult in the main stand or the end of the ground. Seating would have been more - that's one of the advantages of lower-league football: you get to stand.
The atmosphere: 7 out of 10. It's hardly the Kop at Anfield, but there were a few good chants and lots to cheer.
The pies: 7 out of 10. Standard Pukka variety, but not too soggy.
Overall, it was a good night out. I'll be watching out for the name of Billy Kee (Burton's two-goal hero for the night).
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Lad's Leap fell race - Video
It's important to stand in the right place to capture the essense of a race. I didn't quite manage it on this one. You'll see why. Enjoy!
Sunday, 6 January 2013
The unearthing of Keith
I once heard that some Inuit people give a name to the seal they are about to catch. This shows respect for the essential part that seals play in their way of life. Similarly lots of people give names to their cars, as then they feel a greater bond between man and machine.
Well, the other day, Mrs Noel and I were digging out stones from the garden to build a dry-stone wall and came across a large stone that we couldn't shift. Perhaps foolishly, I gave it a name. And although we couldn't move him on that day, I knew I would return to "Keith", as he is now known, and unearth him from his muddy slumber.
Today, after about 20 minutes of digging up and moving smaller stones, I felt the need to once again take the battle to Keith. After about 45 minutes with a pick-axe and a long piece of metal tubing, I had succeeded.
In the fading light I sat next to Keith, panting with the exertion and dripping with sweat, but very pleased.
My only concern now is that the waller won't use him and I'll have to think of another use for him. Maybe he could be a centrepiece for a rockery.
Well, the other day, Mrs Noel and I were digging out stones from the garden to build a dry-stone wall and came across a large stone that we couldn't shift. Perhaps foolishly, I gave it a name. And although we couldn't move him on that day, I knew I would return to "Keith", as he is now known, and unearth him from his muddy slumber.
Today, after about 20 minutes of digging up and moving smaller stones, I felt the need to once again take the battle to Keith. After about 45 minutes with a pick-axe and a long piece of metal tubing, I had succeeded.
In the fading light I sat next to Keith, panting with the exertion and dripping with sweat, but very pleased.
My only concern now is that the waller won't use him and I'll have to think of another use for him. Maybe he could be a centrepiece for a rockery.
 |
| Keith |
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
Christmas chocolate jelly fungus
We found this while walking yesterday (on Christmas day). The kids decided it should be called chocolate jelly fungus. After a quick look through my Mushrooom and toadstools of Britain and Europe book, I think it might be Exidia Recisa.
A quick search of tinterweb tells me it's already got a name - amber jelly roll. I think ours might have been a little overdone, hence "chocolate" and not "amber".
A quick search of tinterweb tells me it's already got a name - amber jelly roll. I think ours might have been a little overdone, hence "chocolate" and not "amber".
Sunday, 23 December 2012
My guide to predicting the end of the world
Recently, the proportion of people who were prepared to believe in Mayan predictions decreased. Previously, it was 14.7%, with people citing reasons such as "they know an awful lot about astronomy". After Friday, it plummeted to 4.3%, with most people attributing their change of opinion to "well, they made up the bit about the end of the world, so they probably made the rest up too."
I can see many good reasons for predicting the end of the world. If you don't, people ask about events further and further into the future, to the point where you get confused with what you've already predicted. At this point, people will start finding inconsistencies, like "but I though his line had already died during the peanut butter wars" and "that means the high priestess was younger than her grandson when they first reunite the trigrinion."
Also, it's great PR. We've become a lot more aware of the predictions of the Mayans in the last few weeks.
So for all you yet-to-be-famous soothsayers, here are the options:
1. Be vague. "The world will end at some point in the next 284,000 years and will take quite a long time". This might work on one level, but is unlikely to have the PR effect of absolute predictions.
2. Make it really far in the future. "The world will end in the year 2,453,741". This leads to the problem of needing to predict over 2 million years of events, and you'll probably get confused.
3. Get it right. "The world will end in 2356 on September the 11th at 4:53pm Eastern Standard Time." The problem with this is, even if you get it right, there's no advantage. The number of people who believe in your predictions will be zero once the human race has been wiped out. So your in a lose-lose situation.
So here's my favourite option.
4. Incorporate periodicity. "Every 723 years, starting from a week next Tuesday, the great destroyer will visit our world to decide whether all human life should be destroyed."
Any cults that get super rich from this approach might like to send me the odd tenner. Thanks in advance, and apologies for making up the statistics at the top of the page.
I can see many good reasons for predicting the end of the world. If you don't, people ask about events further and further into the future, to the point where you get confused with what you've already predicted. At this point, people will start finding inconsistencies, like "but I though his line had already died during the peanut butter wars" and "that means the high priestess was younger than her grandson when they first reunite the trigrinion."
Also, it's great PR. We've become a lot more aware of the predictions of the Mayans in the last few weeks.
So for all you yet-to-be-famous soothsayers, here are the options:
1. Be vague. "The world will end at some point in the next 284,000 years and will take quite a long time". This might work on one level, but is unlikely to have the PR effect of absolute predictions.
2. Make it really far in the future. "The world will end in the year 2,453,741". This leads to the problem of needing to predict over 2 million years of events, and you'll probably get confused.
3. Get it right. "The world will end in 2356 on September the 11th at 4:53pm Eastern Standard Time." The problem with this is, even if you get it right, there's no advantage. The number of people who believe in your predictions will be zero once the human race has been wiped out. So your in a lose-lose situation.
So here's my favourite option.
4. Incorporate periodicity. "Every 723 years, starting from a week next Tuesday, the great destroyer will visit our world to decide whether all human life should be destroyed."
Any cults that get super rich from this approach might like to send me the odd tenner. Thanks in advance, and apologies for making up the statistics at the top of the page.
Sunday, 16 December 2012
Pretty tree
I used to drive past this tree twice a day and admire its shapeliness.
On some days it's brilliantly photogenic. On some days, it looks quite ordinary.
Today was one of its better days, and I had my camera.
On some days it's brilliantly photogenic. On some days, it looks quite ordinary.
Today was one of its better days, and I had my camera.
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