Well Christmas isn’t that bad - on the plus side: the chance to catch up on some reading, get some exercise and sleep. Managed to go out for a short walk in the North Pennines yesterday (ah, all covered with a little icing sugar coating of snow, very festive it was too). Today managed a much longer and more serious hike across the moors, along Devil’s Water in the shire and through field and dale.
The last hour was spent dreaming of a hot bath and large mugs of tea, but what a satisfying way to spend a cold windy afternoon.

As the pressure and thought of work recedes, the chance to think and read take over. Made me realise I hadn’t finished Dan Gilmour’s book ‘We The Media’ so have cracked in to that. Now looking forward to reading ‘Dare to Be a Daniel’ by Tony Benn, and a collection of his essays one of my boys bought me.

I am fascinated by the way they interact with technologies in a way that I simply don’t. Our youngest son got a mobile phone as a Christmas present from his grandparents. I’m not sure how state of the art this is or isn’t, but it’s not the phoning he is interested in - its the taking digital pictures. Not only of people, but of things like the coal fire to see what sort of effect it gives (a sharp contrast between the heat of the flames and the black of the chimney).

We’re all obviously easily impressed in our household but the new PS2 is the size of a slim volume - lets say George Orwell’s Animal Farm, compared to the other one which is the size of a telephone directory.

It feels like we no sooner feel the weight and power of new devices than new ones come along which are smaller and yet more powerful. The speed with which some of these objects become integrated into our lives is quite phenomenal. PDAs with email and GPRS which can be put in the car and give directions for a complex journeys, digital camera technology in a phone which enables anyone to take photographs.

Now me, I’ve got a camera in my phone, but I think ‘I’ll find something on the internet to link to’ - which I’ve done. This shows the final stage of my walk. Hole House is at the foot of the last steep hillside to be climbed before the descent towards home.