The first change was via Uswitch, where I switched our energy supplier from EDF to Ovo, a relatively new dual fuel supplier, and that saved us £250 a year.

The next change was to cancel Sky TV, a somewhat challenging decision, as we do enjoy TV. After looking at our regular viewing habits, we decided that we didn’t need all 600+ channels. Cancelling Sky and going over to FreeSat saved us another £400.

Our final change in this round of cuts has been to our bank, we’ve switched from Barclays Bank to the Halifax. We’ve all ways felt poorly treated by Barclays, and we’re fed up with continually be bombarded with sales talk every time we visit the bank. The Halifax is more customer friendly, and welcoming. In fact they gave us £100 for switching to them, £5 a month on our current account, as well as a minimum of 2.80% interest on our regular savings!

That makes us a wonderful £810 a year better off!

I decided on a 16k walk starting in Chapel le Dale, climbing the northern flank of Whernside, coming down via Blea Moor following the Settle to Carslile railway, passing under the Ribbledale viaduct, and finally crossing the feilds down to Chapple le Dale.

The wind started to pick up as I started to climb the lower fells, so I donned the ubiquitous waterproofs. And just as well, as soon as I began the serious climb, the heavens opened. Short lived as the rain was, i wasn’t going to take my waterproofs off just in case, and it was a prudent decision.

Upon reaching the main ridge leading to the top, the view opened up and I was able to see over into Kings Dale and Lancashire in the distance. turning eastwards I made my final assent over extremely rocky, and icy ground, ,and reached the summit. The views were incredible, I could see both snow covered Pen-y-Ghent and Ingleborough, with broiling storm clouds in the background.

I get a great feeling when I top out, I get a huge sense of satisfaction, and feel really proud of myself. So it’s always a good time for a nice cup of coffee and sandwich, I guys just got treat himself sometimes. So after a brief rest I headed back down through the howling wind and hail. Coming down the mountain was a lot harder than the climb up. The ground was extremely icy, and the falling hail made it treacherous. So I didn’t wast to much time, and got down the lower fells where the walking was better.

After passing between Little Dale and Moor, I eventually came upon the famed the Ribblehead viaduct. This impressive viaduct carries the trains from Settle to Carlisle 350 feet above the valley floor. From here I followed the Winterscales Beck back, along green lanes and muddy fields, to Chaple-le-Dale church, and the end of my walk.

The Fountain Inn bar area was about half the size of a tennis court, and with the Irish band, party goers, and a floor completely covered in balloons, it had a real cosy feel. The band (one man) was brilliant, playing loads of feel good songs, such as the ubiquitous 500 miles, you just couldn’t help but sing along. It was great atmosphere.

It did feel a little strange being a ‘tourist’ in a truly local inn, but we were made to feel very welcome. As the night wore on, more and more people crammed into the bar. It became so packed, that we had no choice but to dance as everybody was dancing around us.

We did get to do some people watching in, one of our favourite pastimes. And there was some strange sights! You could defiantly tell who we’re the farmers wives and daughters. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many scary big women in one place! Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t fat, just big, The kind of big that plow field, milk a cow, and make cheese at the same time.

It was one of the best new year celebrations we’ve had in a long time. Just brilliant.

The day started off pretty well, the sun was out and although it was a little chilly, it was dry and good walking weather. We commenced our walk in the village of Grassington and headed off to Linton, passing over Linton bridge which straddles a stunning waterfall. The view was impressive, and the sound awe inspiring, you could feel the power of the water cascading over the rocks.

Walking up the peaceful country lanes we soon arrived at Linton village, With its menagerie of bridges and fords. The village has an imposing manor house, and some of the most beautiful cottages in the Yorkshire Dales overlooking the green.

Leaving Linton we passed through a farmyard, with paths covered in the most impressive amount of cow poo! It never ceases to amaze just how much poo you can find in a farm yard, and why does nobody clear it up? I mean, just how hard can it be, dog owners have to pick their poo up. Anyway, we pushed on, with boots like giant poop-a-scoops, and headed off op the hillside.

After a mile or so we reached Thorpe, nestled at the foot of Elbolton, and Kali hills. Thorpe’s a tiny hamlet that surrounds a triangular green, with little redeeming factor, other than the road out of it. By the time we arrived the, drizzle had changed into rain, so we changed into the waterproofs again!

The next leg of our walk took us to Burnsall, a quaint village with an imposing bridge over the river Wharf. However, the village’s most impressive feature was the cafe which served bacon butties. Stuffed full of thick Yorkshire bacon, and wrapped in the biggest, and tastiest baps, they were fantastic. Even the endless rain couldn’t spoil them.

Burnsall was the furthest point from our start, and where we headed back towards Grassington, only this time it was along the riverbanks of the Wharf. This part of the walk is along the Dales way, a popular long distance footpath that snakes through the Dales. In fact, this path is so popular, that the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have been forced to concrete or metal some of the most worn sections to stop the erosion.

Eventually we came upon Hebden suspension bridge. It sounds grand, but believe me when I say, it’s made of string, rust, and old railway sleepers! It was so wobbly, it was like trying to walk across a bouncy castle, and with me jumping up and down, it didn’t help. That said it was kinda of funny to see Helen holding on for dear life, and the Jack Russell following me, nearly falling in the river.

It was raining so hard by now, that our walk had moved on from a nice stroll in the country to a arduous trek through some of the slipperiest mud you’ll ever come across. So it was a welcome relief to finally get back to Grassington and enjoy a coffee and slice of cake.

We started our 12k trek in Horton in Ribblesdale, a village huddled around the railway station, at the foot of the mountain. It was a drizzling, but not enough to put us off, but just to be sure, we had full waterproof gear on to keep the weather out.

Heading out of the village the route took us along the lower fells, and past some stunning waterfalls in full flow following the recent heavy rain the Dales has endured. Feeling energetic, we took a detour off the main path to see Hull Pot, which I can only describe as a massive fissure in land. It’s about 200ft deep, with a waterfall cascading over one side, and many springs emerging from the rocky walls. It’s a breathtaking place to see and feel.

We retraced our steps and returned to out route up the mountain. However, the drizzle had turned to steady rain, heavy at times, and the wind was getting stronger. As we climbed, we entered the cloud base, so visibility became difficult at times. That said, the paths we were walking on were well marked and easy to follow.

The higher we climbed, the stronger the wind became, and the hard it rained. We finally reached, and passed the point where we were forced to turn back years before. It was a good feeling, but a fleeting one, as the weather turned nasty, very nasty. The wind became so strong it was hard to walk, even the streams running off the mountain were being turned back, and the rain was just incredible. Passing the last few cairns, we finally made it to the top, and huddled behind a drystone wall to try and get some relief from the stormy conditions.

The horrendous weather continued to deteriorate, so we didn’t stay on top long, just enough to catch a breath before we headed back down. Fortunately our route down, was sheltered in the lee of the mountain, so the rock scramble was not as dangerous as it could have been. That said, as soon as we came out of Pen-y-Ghent’s shadow, we faced the full force of the storm, gale force winds, and hail, and then rain as we descended.

By the time we had broken out of the cloud, we were soaked! Rain had found its way through our clothing, and even our boots were struggling with the conditions. The ground was sodden, muddy, and a challenge to walk on, so it was with some relief that we reached the road, and headed back to our car.

So it seams that climbing Pen-y-Ghent is going to be “third time lucky” trek, as it’ll be nice to get up there in good weather for once!

The screen is beautiful and bright. Video is clear and crisp, and surfing the web has never been better. Reading blogs, news, etc is perfect, and the games are stunning! I am so glad I brought it, and I am now an Apple fanboy, which is just as well with two iPhone 4′s in the house.

There are now three types of apps in the iTunes app store, those designed for the iPhone specifically, some for the iPad only, and what they now call “universal” apps that work on both platforms. For me, the iPhone only apps are inferior on the iPad. Yes they run, and if you have no alternative, then use them, but they just don’t look good, and only use a small portion of the screen. The other two, universal and iPad only are so much better.mPerhaps its the resolution, but the vast majority are excellent. I’ll review all the apps I am currently using in another post.. but I would certainly recommend buying or upgrading to the iPad specific apps.

I am now trying to understand how best I will use the iPad, andmwhere it fits in my daily life. I have taken it almost everywhere over the past few days, Most of the time unnecessarily, as I have my iPhone 4S, but I wanted to see where and when I can use it. I’m currently in a transitional phase between my laptop and the iPad., and I’m hoping to move all my business accounts and paperwork over to it. My iPad is wedging itself in between my iPhone and my Laptop and who knows where that will lead.

If you were to ask me if I would recommend an iPad, I wouldn’t hesitate.

In November I achieved my 85k (52 mile) target for the month, so this month I’ve upped the target to 100k (64 mile), and I’m planning a Christmas day run. I’ve had a few aches and pains after the long runs, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Running makes me feel so good, it’s a great stress reliever, and gives Helen and I some quality time out in the fresh air, chatting about our day.

After Christmas I’m going to invest in a better pair of trainers to go with the new running gear I’m hoping Santa is going to bring me. I’m not quite up to a marathon, but In the new year I’m going to be entering some of the local races, and work up to a half marathon by May/June.

The Electric Chair saw a lot of willing volunteers, the Operation game was buzzing, and the challenge electric shocker was testing its victims. Helen did a huge assortment of old-time party games, musical cushions did its annual outing, bringing back old school memories. Eat the donut challenging, was chomped down by all. Blow eyeball relay tested everybody’s dexterity (and underwear) , Musical statues was fun to watch with energetic dancing and some pretty strange poses, and last but not least we had the bursting the balloon game.

Here’s some pictures from the evening.

This years party is going to be a shocking, very interactive, a little electrifying, but most of all, damn scary, so are you up for the challenge? We’re going to have a house, full of spooky, ghoulish, and bloody odd things. There’s also going to be a . . . . . . . Well to find out, you’re going to have to wait till the party.

The Asylum awaits you! and your appointment time is 7:30pm Sat 29th October, Fancy dress compulsory . . . .

Hmmm, I wonder whats going on in here?

. . . you’ll just have to wait and see!

The graveyard and coffin

The graveyard with Elanore in her crypt

The inside of the Asylum!

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