The Long Walk by Stephen King

"In the near future, where America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple - maintain a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings, and you're out - permanently."

I think this gets the Purple Book Award 2010 , helped a bit as its fresh in my memory having only just finished it yesterday. Equally good were Down to a Sunless Sea by David Graham, Skeletons by Al Sarrantonio and World War Z by Max Brooks. I'm reading Rage by Stephen King at the moment - another one in his Bachman books omnibus. Still just enough time for it to make it onto 2010's list if I spend the day reading.


Books I've read 2010
57. The Long Walk by Stephen King
56. An Ambush of Shadows by Paul O. Williams
55. The Enemy by Charlie Higson
54. The Pool of Fire by John Christopher
53. The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher
52. The White Mountains by John Christopher
51. When the Tripods Came by John Christopher
50. Gone South by Robert R. McCammon
49. The Black Horde by Richard Lewis
48. The Lonely Warrior by Jean Offenberg
47. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
46. Leaving Tangier by Tahar Ben Jelloun
45. Skeletons by Al Sarrantonio
44. The Hunters by James Salter
43. Wild Jack by John Christopher
42. Things we Didn't see Coming by Steven Amsterdam
41. The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World by Harry Harrison
40. The Blue World by Jack Vance
39. Of Beasts and Beings by Ian Holding
38. Feeding Ground by Sarah Pinborough
37. The Fall of the Shell by Paul O. Williams
36. Gender Genocide by Edmund Cooper
35. The Afterblight Chronicles: Death Got No Mercy by Al Ewing
34. The Afterblight Chronicles: School's Out by Scott Andrews
33. World War Z by Max Brooks
32. Plague Year by Jeff Carlson
31. The Pack by Tom Pow
30. The Scarlet Plague by Jack London
29. The Walking Dead by Craig Roberts & Charles W. Sasser
28. The Grain Kings by Keith Roberts
27. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth
26. Blue World by Robert R. McCammon
25. The Dome in the Forest by Paul O. Williams
24. The Deluge by Mark Morris
23. What Niall Saw by Brian Cullen
22. Fugue for a Darkening Island by Christopher Priest
21. The Ends of the Circle by Paul O. Williams
20. The Breaking of Northwall by Paul O. Williams
19. Night by Elie Wiesel
18. Camp Concentration by Thomas M. Disch
17. Blakely's Ark by Ian MacMillan
16. Down to a Sunless Sea by David Graham
15. Five Chimneys by Olga Lengyel
14. The Silent Multitude by D G Compton
13. Far North by Marcel Theroux
12. A Secret History of Time to Come by Robie Macauley
11. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
10. Fire Without Smoke by Florian Mayevski
9. The Blessing Papers by William Barnwell
8. Hater by David Moody
7. The Twelve by Stuart Neville
6. Cross Country by James Patterson
5. Quartered Safe Out Here by George MacDonald Fraser
4. Bar None by Tim Lebbon
3. The Suicide Collectors by David Oppegaard
2. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
1. Breeding Ground by Sarah Pinborough

Photo's added

They just need me photoshopped into them pointing out the Blubber Room, bathing in the Basin, shivering under Boise rock and checking out Miss Neanderthal as I was too shy to pose before strangers for them.

Goodbye NY

I've a couple more hours before my cab to the airport - a reliable driver that Nick knows who drove me to the airport last year. I've been in NY since returning the car on Friday morning. Had a Japanese meal on Friday evening with Nick and Dayna and a friend of theirs. On Saturday I went into Manhattan and went to the Tenement museum. It's an old tenement building that was sealed up and forgotten about in the 1930's with just the ground floor shops kept in use. It wasn't rediscovered until the 1980's when the purchaser saw it and preserved it as a museum. There are 7 different guided tours of the building that detail the lives of some of the thousands of people that passed through the area and lived there in squalid conditions. I did one of the hour long tours, very interesting.

Yesterday we drove out to Long Island and did a walk around the Caumsett State Preserve. Today I had a walk through Central Park to the Natural History Museum then had a quick shop in Macy's.

Back in New York

I am back at Nick's flat having returned the car this morning in Manhattan. I have been away from the internet the last few days as the motel's either didn't have internet or I was too fuffed out to update the blog. After the outlet centre in Maine I went to Lake Winnipasaukee and the White Mountains area but a lot of the attractions that I wanted to see had closed for the season, so I spent some time going to places on the off chance they'd still be open - usually to find that they weren't.

I wanted to see the Flume canyon in the Franconia state park but that was shut so I had to content myself with "the Basin" - a plunge pool at the bottom of some rapids and the Boise Rock - a big rock which Mr Boise crawled under when he got caught in a blizzard - he skinned his horse and snuggled up under the rock. His rescuers found him the next day and had to cut him out of the frozen horse skin but he survived.

The last 2 days I have been in New York State in the Adirondacks (same situation, most things shut November until May) so didn't see Fort Ticonderoga. It poured with rain all yesterday so I stopped at Glen Falls to see the Hyde Collection - a private collection of old masters amassed by a wealthy paper manufacturer at the turn of the last century I stopped at Saratoga Springs for a wander and coffee then drove onto Woodbury Common Outlet Centre for some more shopping as there wasn't much else to do in the lousy weather. I stayed at a motel there and drove into Manhattan in the rush hour this morning.

Off out with Nick and Dayna tonight for a japanese meal in Manhattan.

Lake Winnipesaukee

I spent the morning at the outlet centre shopping and drove up to the Lake in the afternoon. I was intending to stay by the lakes for a couple of days but most things are shut for the season and it's pretty dead. I will head further north today to look at the Whie Mountain area then start heading back towards New York tomorrow.

Boston & Salem

I spent the morning in Boston walking along the Freedom Trail which links all the historic parts of the City. I had a look around the Paul Revere house - only 4 rooms so didn't take long and had lunch at Quincy Market - reminds me of Covent Garden but mainly a food hall. I chose Thai and had a tasty red curry.

In the afternoon I drove north to Salem for the Halloween parade and have stayed at a motel (Best Western this time) just across the state border in New Hampshire.

Newport Mansions & Cape Cod

I spent the morning doing the 3.5 mile cliff walk past all the mansions I turned around and retraced my route, stopping to do a tour of The Breakers, one of the fancier mansions, built by a Vanderbilt in 1895 - a railway millionaire. In the afternoon I did a drive around the Cape Cod area and am staying at a motel south of Boston.

I will have a look around Boston today and then head up to a big outlet centre "the Kittery" near Mrs Seippel tomorrow, for a shopping day. I won't call in on Mrs seippel as its such short notice given I was intending to be in Pennsylvania, and I don't have her details.

Mystic - 29/10/10

I took the train into Manhattan with Nick on his commute then had breakfast and picked up the car at 10am - A Chevrolet, HHR? - not sure of the model name - it looks like a PT Cruiser...does the job.

I arrived at Mystic, Connecticut about midday and spent the afternoon at the Mystic Seaport - a museum of historic ships and then had a look around Mystic - I've not seen the film and didn't feel like pizza so didn't go in Mystic Pizza. I have spent the night at a Comfort Inn on I95 between Providence and Boston.

Today I am going to Newport, Rhode Island where I will take a tour of one of the many mansions.

Brooklyn Heights

I trip over was fine until I got into the cab at JFK airport after about 10 minutes the driver switched off his meter and said sorry he'd taken a wrong turning, his mistake. It then took him 2 hours to do a 30 minute journey...... Oh well, I got there eventually and he didn't charge me. I can't believe he'd queue up at the airport with absolutely no idea of the city and without a map or sat nav.

Yesterday was a beautiful summery day - 21 degrees and bright sunshine. I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and explored Brooklyn Heights a nice residential area where a number of authors lived (Truman Capote, W H Auden, Thomas Wolfe) I stopped at Juniors restaurant for lunch to try their famous cheesecake - the first few bites were delicious but it was very filling and a bit sickly by the end of the slice.

I pick up the car this morning in Manhattan and have had a change of plan, I am going to drive around New England rather than Pennsylvania. My first stop will be the historic shipyard at Mystic, Connecticut. I will plan the trip as I go along, not sure whether I will find internet access on the way but will update this if I can.

More Things

Salt Glaze Exhibition

I had a look at this exhibition at the castle museum on my way home from work this afternoon. The 18th century bear jugs were the star attraction. Afterwards, I stopped in town to buy a "precious thing" for my own museum. Only 5 more days until my trip WOOHOO!

No more TV

As my TV licence is up for renewal today and I had a phone call from them wanting me to renew/set up a direct debit, I decided to ditch the TV altogether and see whether I miss it. I've been meaning to do this for sometime as I tend to watch more stuff online anyway. So I've spent this rainy day trying to get through to Sky to cancel my subscription.

I'm still on the diet and will try to stay on it a week or 2 longer. I have lost 15 lbs so now weigh 14 stone 7lbs.

Black Rocks, Cromford

I drove out to Cromford this morning and went to the top of the Black Rocks which has a good view over the village. I then walked along some of the woodland trails around the rocks before heading down to Cromford via the canal. A link HERE to a short video explaining why they are called the Black Rocks

I've been on the diet for a week now and have lost an amazing 11 lbs, so I tip the scales at 14 st 11 lbs now. I intend to stay on the diet for a couple more weeks, if I have the willpower to stay on it that long.

Mini diet

I have been back on the diet this week as my weight had gone back up to 15 st 8 lb. Today is day 5 and I'm back down to 15 st. I will try and stay on the diet now for a few weeks to get back to somewhere near my 13 st ideal which I reached at the beginning of the year. One of the biggest things I miss is tea which isn't the same without a drop of milk - unfortunately milk will effect the fat burning process so is a no-no.

Carsington Water

I thought I'd make the most of the nice weather today - before Autumn descends on us - and headed out to the Peak District to do a walk around the lake. I was in a no map reading, no lifting-labradors-over-stiles mood so did this 8.5 mile walk which I have done a few times before.

The New Office

Billing Aquadrome

I went on a day trip to visit the caravanners in Northampton. I've driven past the signs for this place on the M1 for years and wondered what it was. It's a huge campsite with a lot of lakes and an indoor pool with a waterslide. I was expecting a spaghetti junction like network of pipes in order to qualify as an "aquadrome" but there was just the one slide. The dogs were well behaved despite having to spend most of the time leashed as they weren't allowed in the caravan. I won the gogo fingerboard stacking contest and had the hairiest back in the Aquadrome - Woohoo.

All Hallows - Blue flag beach

I visited the caravanners at All Hallows near Rochester on a day trip. As you can see, its a lovely spot nestled between a power station and an oil refinery with miles of mud flats to explore. I left the dogs with Mum for the day as Bruno had been unwell the day before, not wanting to walk anywhere and I also noticed a lump on his shoulder similar to the one Milo had last year. I came back home yesterday so that the vet could do a biopsy on it. I should know the results early next week. A picture of Bruno in Mums kitchen, newly decorated thanks to Alan.

Wall flowers

The front bed is looking good now and was buzzing with hover flies at 8 am today.

I'm just finishing reading "Portnoy's Complaint" by Philip Roth which was one of my New years resolution books. I haven't been able to get any of my resolution list at the local library but just found this site which has them all available as free ebooks. This is the first book I have read online as I have always shied away from reading large amounts of text on the computer, however, I have found this quite easy to read and might go ahead and read the other books on my list in this format. The book is a confessional monologue by a Woody Allen type character describing his kinky peccadilloes. Good job I'm wearing contact lenses these days - my glasses would have been fogged with steam.

Labrador Power

I was back at Cromer/Sheringham this weekend with the dogs and my friend Chris in his caravan - which is tiny - no bigger than his Ford focus, but it fits in a double and a single bed and everything you need except for a toilet and shower. The weather was good and the dogs had a great time splashing in the sea. We did about 10 miles each day on Friday and Saturday and came back on Sunday. The dogs have been sleeping ever since.

Diet Anniversary

It's been a year since I started my diet and I am tipping the scales at 14 and a half stone. I am pleased with that although I got down to 13 stone and I could do with shedding another 10 lbs or so.

I think I need to build in daily exercise now in order to reach and maintain my ideal weight. I move office next month so might try jogging to work (although its only a 10 minute jog) if there are sufficient changing facilities.

Linda's stripey wardrobe curtain

Tenants appreciate good interior design, which I guess explains why the curtain has survived 9 years of tenants and 3 sets of owners since I sold the house.

My Old House

Is now being marketed as "your dream home" in China - sweet dreams!

An extra bedroom and bigger kitchen has been added on a single storey extension to the rear of the property. The first photo shows the back garden which shows the roof of the extension but also what looks like another building in the back garden - I guess it must be a reflection of the rear of the house.

Wall watch

Another fascinating wall update now that the flower bed has been planted. The busy lizzies are now at the mercy of the cities nightlife. It took 2 boot loads of top soil and 6 sacks of compost to fill the bed.

Last of the Summer Wine

I had a good weekend camping with my friends Chris and Pete at East Runton on the North Norfolk coast between Sheringham and Cromer. The dogs had the time of their lives, romping in the sea and playing with swarms of dogs - I managed to tire them out for once, they slept like angels at my feet when I watched the England match at the local pub, drinking Abbot ale (very nice). I couldn't believe the number of dogs that were about and everywhere was dog friendly.

We did about 10 miles each day walking along the beaches and clifftops between the two towns. The weather was great and I timed it just right as there was a heavy thunderstorm on the journey back through Lincolnshire.

Not mine this time!

Thats the wall directly opposite my newly rebuilt wall, flattened by a young woman in a corsa, she was hysterical but don't think she was hurt.

I wonder how long my new wall will last!

New Wall

At last it's completed, only took them 8.5 days! They seem to have done a decent job, although I'm not sure why they had to slice up the coping stones so much.

Post Apocalypse Library

Nearly a whole book case now.

Back on food today

In the last 8 days I have lost a stone! A pretty incredible weight loss which puts me back where I want to be, so I have gone back onto food, refocused on not letting the portion sizes creep up and the bad things creep in to my diet.

Breakfast was porridge with Pomegranate and raisins and a Canteloupe Melon.

The Hemlock Stone

I did a walk starting at the Hemlock Stone this morning. It is near my old house in Beeston. After the woods around the stone I followed a footpath along a stretch of disused canal - unfortunately the dogs decided to make use of the canal as a mud wallow.

I've found being back on the diet a bit harder this time and intended to go back on food today. However, this morning I didn't feel hungry so am staying on the diet for a bit longer as I am in Ketosis now and burning fat.

Back to Youlgreave

I intended to do an 11 mile circular walk taking in some of the many strange rock formations in this area, but cut it short as there was a cold wind blowing and (as happened last time I came to do this walk) I quickly became exhausted as its a hilly area and hills easily tire me out when I'm on the Cambridge diet.

I did at least find the right path this time and followed the Limestone Way as far as Robin Hood's Stride, the Nine Ladies Stone Circle and the rock formation containing the Hermits cave (a hermit is said to have lived there in the 14th century and has carved a figure of Jesus on the cross in one of the caves). The photo shows the approach to Robin Hood's stride, a rock formation shaped like a castle.

I didn't do the scramble up to the Hermits cave but, instead, I had a look around the stride, met some curious sheep that weren't at all worried about the dogs and then turned around and retraced my route back to Youlgreave.

Back on the Diet

I had a weigh in yesterday as I was aware that my weight has been creeping back up - 14 st 12 lbs (94 kg) which is where I was at the beginning of October last year. So I am back on the bars/shakes for a couple of weeks.

Hopton on Sea

My plans to do the Yorkshire Wolds way this week had been threatened by a rail strike and by the weather but just when the unions had been injuncted and the weather had improved, Milo split a toe nail and was unable to walk any distance for a few days, scuppering my plans.

Instead I joined Linda, Alan, Callum, Gillian and Martin for a few days on their caravan trip in Norfolk. I got there on Wednesday and slouched around their caravan that afternoon. No dogs were permitted in their caravan so I pitched my tent at another site a few miles away. It was the first tiime I have camped with the dogs and the first time I have used this tent since the '08 Vegas road trip.

It was cold and rained the first night and Milo was a bit restless having been cooped up in the house for several days, so I didn't get a great nights sleep.

On Thursday I woke up frozen at 6am and headed over to the caravan to warm up. Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed at the planned attraction "Bewilderwood" and so I drove to Caister and walked back along the coast. The weather was perfect, It took me 4 hours, arriving back at the caravan at 1pm I guess that I walked about 10 miles.

I had a much better nights sleep and didn't hear a peep from the dogs. I could have fitted another 10 labradors in the tent as they were scrunched up against me in a dog/human heap all night.

I got Gillian to drop me at Kessingland on her way home yesterday and I walked back along the coast from there stopping at Lowestoft for a fish and chip lunch. It was another beautiful day and I arrived back at the car at 2pm - so another 4 hour walk.

Wolfscote Dale

Did this walk this morning. Wolfscote Dale is the next dale along from Dove Dale. Dove Dale is a lot more spectacular but gets plagued with hordes of ice cream eaters. I had a good upper body workout as well as the walking as I had to hoik the dogs over a fair number of labrador unfriendly stiles.

The walk gave me an appetite so stopped at IKEA and wolfed down a plate of meatballs and got a new uplighter.

Cromford

I drove out to Cromford this morning and did a few miles along the canal.I took a short video of the dogs getting muddy.

02/03/10 - Milo's 8th Birthday

I gave the dogs a birthday breakfast of some battered fish that was lurking at the back of my freezer and then drove out to Carsington Water and did a circuit - 8.5 miles. It was a beautiful spring day with clear blue skies and not many people around to spoil it.

To finish an enjoyable day, I saw my GP and the blood tests investigating the pain I had in my finger/knee joints have come back fine.The pain has gone now - although it was only slight, the concern was that it might be early signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Weigh in, jog, brick shifting

15th Weigh in - Day 197 - 13st 8lbs - 86 kgs

I had a weigh in as I was meeting my Cambridge Diet Counsellor to fill in some blanks on my application form. it's two months since my last weigh in and I've lost a couple more pounds so I am happy with that.

I jogged (albeit at a very geriatric pace) all the way there which I am pleased with, as it is the first decent sized run I have done since starting to lose the weight - approximately 4 miles each way. I intended to get the bus back but got impatient waiting for one so jogged most of the way back as well - as far as the city centre which was a bit too busy with the lunch crowds for me to jog through.

I spent the afternoon shifting bricks into my back garden as some twerps threw one through someones car window the other night. I had already stacked up most of the loose bricks in my car port. The police called out a Council work team and having got the insurance companies ok I let them take some of the smaller lumps of bricks and a couple of wheelie bins that I had filled with the useless broken bricks and rubble. I then moved the ones I'd stacked up into my back garden.

Hit & run

I came back from my afternoon dog walk to find my front wall in this state. The prime suspect is a Tesco lorry seen by one of my neighbours at the right time. Have had the wall knocked down by the Council's Highways team as it would have been too much of a temptation for the weekends drunks to knock over.

A day's food

Inspired by the tv show "you are what you eat" where they put the persons weekly food intake on a groaning table, I thought I'd put together my food intake for today, ignoring the dozen or so cups of tea/coffee.

The real ales are a leftover from the book I've just finished - Bar None by Tim Lebbon after a plague five survivors are holed up in a mansion with a cellar full of beer. Their small patch of Wales is peaceful while the rest of the surviving population are eating each other. As their supplies dwindle, a passing stranger tells them about Bar None in Cornwall where there's plenty of beer so off they go on a road trip through the nightmarish countryside. The author titled each chapter after a real ale. As I normally stick to lager I thought I'd try a few as I read the book. I might have been converted.

The Book of Eli

Two post apocalypse movies in one week!! This one is ridiculous though - the viewer is expected to believe that a bunch of murdering, raping, mad max type bad guys would be prepared to sacrifice their lives to try to get the last existing.....bible!

The Road

It's a couple of years since I read the Road and I have been eagerly awaiting the film, which was completed ages ago but has only just reached the screens.

I saw the film last night and it is very good and as bleak as the book.

I am reading The Suicide Collectors by David Oppegard at the moment. For 5 years "The Despair" has been causing people to commit suicide. There are only the last 10% of the population left in the crumbling civilization and they are disappearing fast. The mysterious collectors appear after each suicide to take the dead bodies.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I've dropped a size since my New York shopathon and now fit into 30" waist jeans, so I couldn't resist getting a pair in the sales. My weight has been hovering at just above 13 stone for the last couple of months.

Eat more Beans

Thats my resolution for 2010 - sorry to anyone downwind of me this year.

Reading Resolution - I intend to read some books by authors I have meant to read or by authors that I should have read more of. So my resolution is to read these 5 books at some point this year:-

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Marukami
Portnoys Complaint by Philip Roth
White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Walking Resolution - to do The Ridgeway with the dogs in the spring/summer.