Page 2 – Dave Haygarth, family and friends…

17 Apr ’2020 Apr ’20

A Lockdown story – Getting the band together for a party.

Strange times. We all agree. And like everybody, Coronavirus-compromises have been made, and good times put on hold.

Amongst the irritations for me this spring was the 50th birthday party I had planned for 100 or so friends on Easter Saturday.

Part of the evening’s fun was to get some music friends together to play some of my favourite songs. People who had never played in the same band or together, but all of whom had played music with me at some time in my 50 years.

10 Mar ’2011 Mar ’20

An Outstanding Friday

The North West Cyclocross awards evening is always a good evening out. Seeing people who you almost always see in dirty lycra / helmets / bobble hats / waterproofs etc. Eeeh they do scrub up well.

9 Mar ’209 Mar ’20

Ski holiday in Champagny en Vanoise Feb 2020

I always saw ‘winter sun’ holidays as being something involving the Canary Islands or such like. But with the winter we’ve had, I came to realise that even plonking your weary winter body 6000 feet up in the snowy mountains provided more than enough vitamin D to cheer up the winter blues. Our holiday certainly did the trick of topping up the cheer.

16 Sep ’1917 Sep ’19

2019 3 Peaks cyclocross – coming of age

21 today.

I turned a corner last year in the 3 Peaks cyclocross. Getting my hand smashed in by a car door less than a couple of weeks prior to the 2018 race forced me to make peace with the race, and get round it at a much more manageable pace. It was the first time that I allowed people to ride past me and just allowed myself to absorb the race and the atmosphere that bit more that I had done in the previous 19 editions I’d finished.

13 Aug ’1916 Aug ’19

Croatia holiday 2019 – Istria

Another new country ticked off for Katie and me, and for the first time, us four Haygarths all did a new country at the same time. I’m not sure what my expectations of Croatia were beforehand, to be honest, but they were surpassed. A lovely country.

Continue reading “Croatia holiday 2019 – Istria”

19 Jul ’1919 Jul ’19

Elsie’s last day in primary school – the end of three long roads

Just one to record for the “family blog”. (It gets lost on Facebook otherwise forever, and people will have stopped using Facebook in 5 years anyway!) … a momentus time in growing up, just like Lily’s prom and 5 years ago Lily’s own leaving Broadway Primary School.

Continue reading “Elsie’s last day in primary school – the end of three long roads”

25 Jun ’1926 Jun ’19

Parenthood and the coming of age for Lily

Just a short blog… mainly photos, but an evening of reflection for us Haygarths. It’s that time of year when 16-year-olds have done with exams and are in that hinterland after a load of heads-down stuff.

As a parent of Lily, our first daughter to be going through this, it’s a time of intense reflection on what happened to us, as parents, at a similar time.

Continue reading “Parenthood and the coming of age for Lily”

13 May ’1926 Jun ’19

Riding the West Highland Way in a day

You’ll take the high road and I’ll take the slow road

The seed

As with all these personal goals you set yourself, it’s generally easy to recall the seed that gradually germinates into some yearning, then, over time, into a plan. This one was fairly fast-growing. It started in February.

We went on what’s probably best described as an attempted Ski mini break to Glencoe in February half term. I say attempted because this February was pretty much the warmest on record. By coincidence, the little cottage we’d booked was in Tyndrum, and right on the path of the West Highland Way.

6 Dec ’186 Dec ’18

Whatever happens, we were once THE DOOFERS

Weird little anniversary that snuck up in my mind (a mind that’s good at remembering things it doesn’t need, but forgets the important stuff). 31 years ago today (6th December 1987) I, along with my friends Marcus Gaskell and Henry (now John) Kirkup, to an ace little recording studio, to make some music. Continue reading “Whatever happens, we were once THE DOOFERS”

1 Oct ’185 Dec ’18

Three Peaks Cyclocross 2018 – The “twenty” edition

As you may know, I’m a glass half full type. But we all have our limits. Yesterday was a tough day. The Three Peaks Cyclocross is always tough. If it wasn’t, we’d just ride / run / walk faster until it becomes tough. It’s a flipping race. But then, yesterday had its own special place in my memory for extra toughness, but, significantly, extra satisfaction. Continue reading “Three Peaks Cyclocross 2018 – The “twenty” edition”

28 Sep ’1828 Sep ’18

Will I? Won’t I? Who cares?

I love my cyclocross and above all I still love the 3 Peaks cyclocross – it has a very special status with me for whatever reason. But this year? It’s been a bit of a weird journey. So gone are the days of a special 30 day cleansing and weight loss diet, today I’m eating a Cissy Green’s meat pie.

Continue reading “Will I? Won’t I? Who cares?”

20 Aug ’1820 Aug ’18

Mini adventures and the spice of life

Parenting can be quite a drag sometimes. Asking young people to put phones away. Tidying up after young people. It could get quite a drag. But then, of course, you can sometimes subvert things – make use of these little people’s sense of adventure and fun – and go and create some memories. You just need to remind yourself that it’s there to be harnessed. Continue reading “Mini adventures and the spice of life”