Notes from my New Year so far

It's nearing the end of February; already this year, so much has happened.  I've experienced heavy snow, wind, rain, gales, a spot or two of sunshine - and that's just the weather.  I've got into Cambridge (and those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that it's been something I've been working towards for a very long time).  I miss school.  Not something that I thought I'd be missing - but I miss the constant challenge of writing essays, answering questions, and participating in debates; I feel lost on this gap year, but now feel like I've got a road map in the form of a reading list, a packing list and a two day stop-over at my college in March.

January was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster: I've been having the time of my life with Chris, I visited him in the Lake District and watched all 4 showings of the Braithwaite Panto where he played Robin Hood.  We walked most of the way up Grisedale Pike in snow that went up to my waist at some points.  Then he came down to visit me in Torquay twice, once at the end of January when we celebrated our birthdays, and again for Valentines day in February.

At the end of January, I was tasked with designing and making a wedding cake for my friends Paul and Mariella (I used to work with Paul, and Mariella went to my secondary school - though she was a few years ahead of me).  This cake wasn't any old wedding cake - it was a 3 tier monster: 14 inch, 12 inch and 10 inch tiers, with Pokemon themed cake toppers (Evee and Gengar, for those who play pokemon), 6 satellite cakes that looked like pokeballs.  Meanwhile, the cake was to have 2/3 of it as a comic book homage to the couple, and the other 1/3 was to be in a more traditional style.

So, it's been a rather productive 2015 so far, and I can't wait to see where the rest of the year takes me.  In March, I will be heading off to London to visit one of my best friends, Aggie, and then will head off to Cambridge from there for two days.  Following that, it's back to London and onto a coach that will take me straight to the Lake District and into another month walking the fells - I hope to get another 60 or 70 done, though I don't know how realistic I'm being!

New Years Resolutions for 2015

The New Year is about 3 hours away and I'm feeling rather festive (although I don't know if that's the appropriate term for New Years as opposed to Christmas.) Well, it's been a fantastic 2014, and I feel like I've achieved a lot and gained a lot in experience, independence and in happiness over the year.  From walking the first 67 of the 214 Wainwrights that I wish to complete by September 2015, to getting to know somebody who I think is going to contribute greatly to my happiness in the future, and to getting through my A Levels with the respectable grades of A*A*A.  It's been a journey, but a very rewarding one.

I've learned a lot: from quitting my first job (that was incredibly emotional), to a month out on my own in the Lake District - learning a lot about looking after myself and about communicating with people I've only just met.  I've had the intense, stressful, brilliant and enjoyable experience of university interviews and I have my fingers crossed that the results will be favorable:  I've had to think about my weaknesses, my strengths, what I enjoy and what I want to do with the rest of my life.  It's been an incredible experience.

So, looking forward to 2015, I want to set myself a couple of goals.  Mentally, I want to take some risks (not the dangerous kind, but just to go out of my comfort zone and learn that not everything has to be meticulously planned for it to be any fun).  Emotionally, I want to really make an effort to commit to things, and to approach a new relationship with an open mind and an open heart (sorry if that sounds a bit soppy).  Physically, I want to get in shape: I've just signed up for Ten Tors 55 miles and I've realised that I've got some work to do before I'm ready.

Let this be the best year yet!  I'm looking forward to every minute and can't wait to see what happens.

"Rape is Rape" - Judge Mary Mowat

When reading an article in the Spectator this week, I came across this case.  With my current reading material including 'Everyday Sexism' by Laura Bates, and 'Eve Was Framed' by Helena Kennedy, it all seemed incredibly relevant and completely built on what I have been seeing more and more: there needs to be more clarity in the law regarding rape and sexual assault.

The main vein of the article revolved around the fact that implying that all rape is the same cheapens the incredibly violent or degrading experiences of some women, when comparing with other situations where perhaps the woman consented - but only after consuming a large amount of alcohol. This seems to make sense: not only might it help for courts to take some rape cases more seriously, but it would allow even women who are in the situation of having been plied with alcohol know where their case stands in the eyes of the law.

Basically, the issue of alcohol and consent is always going to plague us.  Alcohol is a drug that lowers inhibitions, and we have to decide whether or not that should act as a mark against the victim (for making themselves vulnerable) or whether it should be a mark against the perpetrator (for taking advantage).  Personally, I'm in the camp that 'no' means 'no', and that it's frankly a little insulting to men in general to argue that men can't help themselves if a woman is looking particularly attractive.  If a woman is drinking (of her own volition) and then says 'yes' - then any later regrets are her fault, not the man's.  If a woman says that she's not interested, but then the man hangs around until she is drunk and then propositions her again, then maybe it's a bit more murky. For me, it hinges on whether the man knows that if she was in her right mind, she would have said no.

There's a reason that such a small proportion of rapes are taken to court, and it's not just because the subject - to many - is taboo.  The system needs clarifying for women to be fully protected by the law - any ambiguity leaves wiggle room for guilty people to be released on a loophole.  For me, I think this could be done to some extent through case law - if a few standout cases are looked at, where the case is a clear example of a scenario, then this could be used as something to gauge the guilt of people in similar situations.  Difficulty arises when different judges have such polarised views - and ideally, I would argue that perhaps a panel of judges might be appropriate - but I don't really know whether that would be feasible.

How should judges be appointed?

If how = on what grounds

If we take this to mean - 'on what grounds should somebody be appointed a judge,' as with any position, it is usually judged best to appoint somebody on merit.  There may be, however, some debate as to what constitutes merit - pointedly, whether it is success in cases, academic repute, or years in service, but regardless; the best candidates should get the job.  However, in recent years, there has been increased debate as to whether the gender or ethnic minority of the judge in question should allow them to gain some weight over other candidates - i.e. judges should be appointed due to experience gained by natural or cultural differences.  Some studies have shown that female judges, for example, are likely to judge in a differing way to their male counterparts in issues of family and children - and this might be seen as favourable, or otherwise.  It should be argued that while having as many varieties of cultures and opinions in the profession might be seen as an expression of society, there needs to be some solidarity within the beliefs of the top judges - magistrates are supposed to follow precedent and not be seen as acting "out of the norm," and this must be seen to carry throughout the profession - with the principle that a case could be brought before any number of judges and reach the same judgement. 

If how = in what way

There is also some argument hinging on who appoints judges and how the system of appointments should be made.  For example, should judges be appointed by a system of government, should this be by election by peers, or should there be some independent commission to complete this task?  In this case, we might immediately reject the idea of the government selecting these judges, after all, the whole idea of a 'separation of powers' entirely relies on an independence of the judiciary from the legislature.  It would be difficult to argue that the system is entirely independent if the top jobs were allocated by the government, and as such, the top lawyers trying to curry favour with the top politicians.  A legal system, indeed, is to hold the legislature - to some extent - to account, and it requires such independence to achieve this.  A free and fair election, to some, might also be seen as preferable; with some degree of transparency.  However, if we look at how society sees politicians, often as corrupt and not to be trusted - it might be seen that this type of system does not guarantee high quality people in the highest positions.  We might even argue that the "common man" is neither interested enough nor educated enough in law to make such a decision - if we take the low turn out at mayoral elections and the AV referendum in 2011 as an example, and even low turnouts at general elections, then we might argue that it would be irresponsible to put such an important decision in the hands of the uninterested commons. 

Conclusion

Therefore, such an important decision should be left in the hands of those who are most directly affected by it: every day, lawyers refer to judgments as precedents in everyday cases, and would therefore have a vested interest in electing competent and effective judges.  Judges elected by their peers would most likely be the most knowledgeable, personable and have the best track record - those who work beside them or have read articles written by them would be the most qualified to judge their merit, and to decide whether they would be best suited to the role.

Climbing the Mine at Honister

Today my sister Rebekah and I scaled the inside of Honister slate mine with their new experience, the 'Subterranean Climb the Mine.'


At £29.95 per adult (over 16s), this two hour experience was absolutely value for money.  In part, I think that this was because there were only three of us when we completed the course, and with spaces available for 12 people per excursion, I can imagine that there could be long periods of waiting for the person ahead or behind to move on or catch up.  For me, however, this was a fantastic experience - I'm not afraid of heights, and some level of agility was needed, especially in the first section of the climb which was the most physically challenging.

Our instructor, Adam, was an absolute delight - he talked us through the climb stage by stage, and was really helpful when my sister had a little trouble with the height and the frosty cold bars that we had to hold on to (grippy gloves would definitely be recommended!), and he helped hoist her down, and she then joined us on the next section.

After the first difficult climb, we climbed a metal ladder (while attaching ourselves with caribina clips onto wire loops) and onto a tightrope with two handrails either side.  We traversed this (see picture below) and then worked our way around a corner.

From here, we went up a fairly extensive ladder, and up to another tightrope - this one was a bit more difficult, with only a loose rope to hold onto.  I found, personally, focusing on the tightrope itself allowed me to move fairly smoothly along.

Once we'd climbed across this second tightrope, we walked through the mine for a little while, walking across a plank over a drop (once again clipped onto a wire) and through some fairly low tunnels.  The tunnels, incidentally, were a bit breezy - so I'd definitely recommend wearing a jumper and a windproof coat/mac.

We then climbed down a fairly steep tunnel/shaft.  There were hand-holes, bars and climbing holds everywhere, and plenty of places to put your feet.  This was the last bit of climbing of the experience, but it was fairly extensive - really made me realise how high in the mine we'd climbed earlier!

When we finished and left the mine, it was tipping it down with rain - if it's a rainy day in the Lake District, and you want a challenge, this is definitely something I'd recommend - those completing the Via Ferrata (which I did about 2 years ago) would (and did, today) get soaked through, and a similar experience can be achieved with the mine climb, staying significantly drier.  We caught the Honister bus back to the mine, returned all of our kit, and had a cup of tea.  All of the photos were taken by our instructor, Adam, and could be bought for £15 at the reception desk when we finished.  You can have a look on the screen by reception to double check that they're worth buying, but it's always good to memorialise an experience like this, that you might only ever do once!

 A big thank you to everybody at Honister who had a part in arranging this experience, and especially to our instructor, Adam, who was fantastically helpful and a fountain of climbing knowledge.  Would definitely do this again!

Community Assets and Blencathra

What are Community Assets, and what does this mean for Blencathra?

Credit for this photo goes to borrowdalehouse.co.uk "Blencathra from Catbells"

Simply put, a community asset is an area of land or a building owned by a community organisation.  This was implemented under the Localism Act in 2011 - community groups or parish councils can recommend "assets" to the community list held by the council.  In this case, because it is already owned by a private individual, this Act gives the community group up to 6 months to raise the money to make a higher bid than the one currently accepted - but by no means does this mean that they will raise the necessary amount of money, nor does it guarantee them the sale.

However, bear in mind that the successful bid this week was said to be "significantly" higher than the alternative bids, and the asking price - the tax that is being paid off by the sale was £9million, and any bid would need to be as close to this as possible in order to be successful - Friends of Blencathra would have to raise a significant amount of money in order to buy the mountain.

To find out more about the Localism Act, click here!

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumble Pie

I grow strawberries and rhubarb in my garden, and wanted to find a way to combine them in a dessert: I wanted to make a pie, but my dad wanted a crumble, et voila!  Combined the two, and it worked out really well.  

Use a 9inch round, fluted tin, ungreased for this recipe.

Ingredients - Pastry

 - 175g plain flour

 - pinch of salt

 - 2 tbsp icing sugar

 - 110g unsalted (cold) butter, diced

 - 1 egg yolk mixed with 1tbsp of ice cold water

Ingredients - Filling

 - 6 medium stalks of rhubarb, sliced

 - 300g strawberries, sliced

 - 3tbsp cornflour

 - 85g caster sugar

Ingredients - Crumble Topping

 - 130g plain flour

 - 110g demerara sugar

 - 110g unsalted (cold) butter, diced

Method (in a food processor as I did)

1. To make the pastry, put the flour, salt, and icing sugar into the food processor and mix until combined.  Then add the cold diced butter and process until combined.  Then, with the machine running, slowly add the egg mixture until the mixture comes together.

2. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour (I only had time to do this for 15 minutes, and this ended up, pleasantly, with a really flaky pastry, but was really difficult to roll out in one piece, so I'd recommend chilling for longer).

3. Roll out the pastry and put into the tin, don't trim yet! - put back in the fridge until you're ready to fill with your fruit.

4. Turn your oven to 205 degrees centigrade, or 190 in a fan-assisted oven.

5. Put the sliced strawberries and rhubarb in a bowl with the caster sugar and cornflour.  Mix these together vigorously - the strawberries will release their juices and create a syrupy sauce.

6. Drain the majority of the liquid off of the fruit mixture (we don't want any soggy bottoms!).  I kept this to one side and mixed it with custard, which made a really lovely strawberry custard.

7.  Remove your pie tin from the fridge and fill with your fruit mixture.

8. Put all of the crumble topping ingredients in the food processor and process until they reach the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.

9. Sprinkle your crumble topping on top of the fruit - as much or as little as you like.

10. Bake for 25 minutes, at which point, remove from the oven and trim off the excess pastry 

11. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, cover it with tinfoil if you are worried about over-browning.

12. Cool for 20 minutes, and then remove from the tin - serve with cream, ice-cream, custard, or strawberry custard like I did!