Up dale and down dale

It's up to the top of Swaledale today, past rabbit warrens along a path between two ridges and up to the shooting butts at the top. Strict signs warn against disturbing ground nesting birds - presumably so they can be blown to smithereens with lead shot in a couple of months time. There were piles of discarded cartridges lying around the butts showing that some heavy duty fire power has been unleashed at some point.

The main purpose of the trip was to try out Jamie's new kite - just a cheap jobbie from Marks and Spencer of all places - but it flew like a dream. The wind was just right, and the butts provided an excellent vantage point.

Back to Hunt House for a cold beer, and a look at Jan's sketches of the house - she's an excellent artist, even if small scale detail sketches are not her usual thing. We sat on the bench at the front of the house watching Barney running round like a loon and leaping off the wall until the aphids crawling up and down my arms became unbearable.

In the evening we played Cluedo (Alicia had been pestering for this for the last two days) and the Simpsons board game which is excellent fun even if I did come last. The Moe's Tavern Kareoke challenges were the most fun but I ended up trapped in the nuclear power plant for half the game.