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Hi - I'm john, and I live in Sherwood Forest, home of Robin Hood.
Tue 7 Jan 03. Have you come across the gold underlining linkages on certain key words on websites? At first I had only read about them, and then they started appearing on my site. As I had not put these links on the underlined words, that was something of a surprise. The advertisers apparently pay for the words to be linked to their own site, thereby taking the viewer away from my site. That sounds like sharp practice to me, so I investigated further. I was pleased to find this bit of html code: ‹meta name="MSSmartTagsPreventParsing" content="TRUE"› , which, if put between the ‹head› tags at the top of the page, is supposed to stop these links appearing. If you see them appearing here please let me know, as the above tags are in place!. The links appeared on the domain name below. Have a look at the view source code to see how I have got round that!
Sun 5 Jan 03 I did not expect to be returning to this blog quite so soon after the previous visit. I have received this email from Paul: "I must say that I missed the link to the 2003 walks, many apologies". I suggested that the Irregulars buys its own domain name, www.irregulars.org.uk . I shall be making the link on its site to the 2003 programme a little clearer!
I received a request before Christmas from Julie of Strider editor fame to write a report on the addictions of hill climbing for the April edition. This is the one that contains the updated 'Hillwalkers Register' from which I update my website copy, despite the usual critics in the ldwa. It can be accessed at www.hillwalkersregister.com, and my strider report can be found HERE
Sun 5 Jan 03 Looking at the date of my previous entry makes me realise how fast time goes the older one gets. Since the last report I have been working very hard marking exam papers for Cambridge overseas, and coursework for AQA. Now that has been completed and the claim forms sent in, I can sit back and await the cash transfers to my bank account.
As for walking, there has been Rotherham Round, but I got seriously lost immediately after the first check point, and took too long, even with my gps, to get back on track. Accordingly I took 5 hours to reach CP 2, and would have stood no chance of getting to the finish within the alloted time, nevermind in daylight! I heard the interview on Radio Nottingham with the two shortsighted joggers, who officially were out of the event before I was. They ended up in Nottinghamshire, and eventually returned to the start point at 2.30 am!...reportedly without having food or drink during the whole time they were out. Such extremes are not for me.
I received an interesting email yesterday, from Paul, concerning the Irregulars website, which I instigated and maintain freely. It states: "Just visited the Irregulars website. Unfortunately it seems to be a little dated." Now that is a very interesting thing to say. As soon as I had received all the details of walks for the next three months to Apr 03, the website had all the details uploaded: there is a complete list of dates, which are direct links to a downloadable scan of the A4 sheet containing all the details. One cannot be more up to date than that! Is it that the photos are not too recent? It took a lot of asking to get a couple of regular irregulars to send me a selection of their pictures. When I go on one of the walks, then those pix are uploaded. Also, I have to comment, that I do not receive any advance information on any of the info sites that I have set up, which list the social walks held by Sherwood, Lincs and the Irregulars. In the case of Sherwood, at the secret AGM last year it was decided that there was no need of a website. In what century are some people living: everyone knows that the internet is the FIRST place that the majority of the population turn to obtain information, and if one does not have that inforamtion available in that way, one may as well not exist. Further, I hasten to add, I have a number of sites for which I receive payment. I receive detailed information to upload, and the groups and societies are very pleased with the results, both in the way the info is presented, and the impact it has on publicising their group. Strange, isn't it, that things that are given freely are very rarely appreciated. Paying for something really concentrates the mind!
Sun 8 Dec 02 A good day yesterday. I did the Challenge Walk 'Rudolph's Romp' in a near personal best time of 5 hr 55 mins for the 23 miles from Brantingham, near Hull. I was also the first 100% walker home, just pipping Richard Gough at the final checkpoint. Since the last mile is road walking downhill, I was able to maintain my 100 yd lead! Interestingly, after going flat out for 15 mins from the start, I caught up with some slower walkers. Yet again, Dave Keward and Percy Wellor had started early, despite the entry form saying there was to be a mass start at 8.30 am. See my pix of them as I caught them up, and pix taken at the start, by clicking HERE
During the walk, I was caught up by another participant, and on enquiring if he had walked the event so far, I was assured he had. However, on a descent later, he jogged. Commenting on this, he said it was easier to jog downhill. Of course that is true, and it is much more tiring to keep up the walking pace than to vary the motion by jogging from time to time. He also jogged quite extensively on the descent through the wood, thereby leaving me to claim the first walker position!
Another interesting development following the publication of my article in Strider on walking poles: I received an email kindly forwarded by editor Julie from Heather, concerning 'pacerpoles', which she is convinced could speed me up when ascending and descending hills. So I think there will be some training in the future, to enable me to meet a personal challenge in the next Chevy Chase. Possibly I could write another report on how this exciting prospect develops!
Fri 6 Dec 02 I feel very virtuous today, after being able to help a friend who is having a difficult time at the moment. Also, this week two ex-pupils from Arnold Hill School have made email contact. See the results at Arnold Hill School
Sun 24 Nov 02 A very busy weekend. Saturday was the walk with the LDWA up Cushat Law: an exciting day with some memorable views. Thanks particularly to the walk leader. Then on Sunday there was the AGM of the Thompson B1 Trust, where I raised the idea of the trust having its own official website. This was agreed, and I was given the task of setting it up. To view progress to date, please visit HERE . In the evening, Radio Nottingham was presenting its Christmas pantomime at the Palace Theatre, Mansfield. For 8 pictures of this, CLICK HERE. Karl Cooper has just referred to the taking of photos there as a bit naughty...as usual I was not the first. Another photographer took some earlier using a flash. At least mine were unobtrusive and did not disturb the performers.
Fri 15 Nov 02 I want to experiment with php, but the coding and set up is much too complicated. However, I did find HANGMAN, which would appear to be easy to install on my website. At the moment, though, the download source does not appear to be available. In the meantime you can link directly to the hangman site. CLICK HERE. Have fun!
Thur 14 Nov 02.The results for the Steppingley Step, in which I participated on Sunday, arrived today...very efficient to have received them so soon after the evnt. I am in the process of putting them on to my ldwa results website. I note that the first person not described as a runner completed the 26 muddy miles in a time of 5:19. I cannot accept that no running or jogging occurred to obtain a time as short as that. No one passed me walking at 5 mph. At least when I say I have walked, you know that is a fact, as it is with some others who this year took somewhat over 6½ hours. But I am afraid that times less than that indicate that jogging took place, so these entrants shpould not have said that they were walkers when asked at the beginning. Also on the results page I have placed a photo showing the short cut that some walkers are making towards the end. If people want to cheat on these events, then I suppose that is their affair, but I reserve the right to comment, criticise, photograph and name them...in the same way that easy cars is naming hirers who are not returning thier cars.
The results can be seen at stepstep.html
Now for some fun. I have traced many wav sound effects and comments...I hope they entertain you as you return to this site from time to time! Now I need to sort out my exam paper work for the meeting in Chesterfield on Saturday. I have eventually got round to putting my pix of the final concert from Lonnie Donegan on to my concerts website:
CLICK HERE.
It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever seen at the Royal Centre, and all those present surely must agree that the memory of that evening is something to treasure for a long time. Do you remember Battle of New Orleans..what an arrangement. We had been told that Lonnie had been in pain all day, allegedly with a bad back, but I suspected more. He was slightly delayed in coming on to the stage, but he put everything into that night. What a memory I will have of that evening. Unfortunately because I did not know the concert was on soon enough, I was not in a position to take very good photographs. However, by clicking the above link you can view those that I did get, from some distance away. Radio Nottingham was kind enough to read out my email that I sent to them after I had heard the sad news.
Wed 13 Nov 02 After helping Moira maintain her blog site on several occasions over the past few months, and, apparently, having become one of the chief members of her technical support team, I thought it was timely to set up my own on-line diary, commonly known as a BLOG, using, with permission, the style she had developed. So, welcome to this new blog, where you will find me writing about my activities and interests. My main method of relaxation, is taking part in long distance walks. However, at the moment I am extremely busy with GCSE examination work, so will not have too much time between now and Christmas to write down my thoughts. In March of this year I completed the Wainwrights, 214 hills in the lake district area of England. These are featured on my website www.wainwrights.me.uk. Since then I have had three visits to Scotland, climbling several more Munro's Munros, (thanx for the correction and comment, Moira!...thats that's what teaching maths for over 35 years does!) including The Inaccessible Pinnacle. See the pictures of this at www.cuillin.me.uk. In total I have now done 35 out of 284 of these 3000' Scottish mountains. I will be returning to attempt a few more in April 2003. Meanwhile there will be the Isle of Man coastal path in Feb 03, with the Irregulars group of the Long Distance Walkers Association. Also, this year I have completed several long distance challenge walks, although this year I stopped at 72 miles in the Lakelnd 100...running out of time.I have completed walks of 57, 56, 40, 26, 26 and 25 miles. During the weekend just past I walked the 6 dales challenge walk, from Biggin on Sat, 25 miles, in 7:19, about 35 mins slower then last year, and then followed that up by walking the Steppingly Step from Barton-le-Clay on Sun...26 miles in 7:32, about 15 mins faster than last year.
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