Finally! A break in the weather. It is beginning to feel vaguely Spring-like at last. Primroses! Things in bloom on my doorstep again! Bruce and I have been making the most of the weather on our daily walks. You can see the water levels of Loch Lomond are rather high – a result of the…
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Highland Fling!
Today I just want to say a massive CONGRATULATIONS to Tom and his pal Ivor, who yesterday completed The Highland Fling: a 53-mile “ultra” race along the first half of the West Highland Way. The race starts in Milngavie, and passes through Drymen and Balmaha, before traversing the East shore of Loch Lomond, moving up…
Read MoreMeall nan Tarmachan
Yesterday was a grand day to be out and about. The hills were in their best Autumn colours . . . and Loch Tay was looking stunning. We had popped over to Loch Tay so that Tom could run the Meall nan Tarmachan hill race – part of a fantastic weekend’s running that’s organised by…
Read MoreJim’s running (and knitting) for Refuge
Who is this man? Well, some of you may know him as Veuf Tricot, author of the scabrous and witty column in UK magazine Simply Knitting. But I know him as Jim, husband of my good friend and colleague Jen. As well as being a teacher, writer, and all-round good egg, Jim is currently in…
Read MoreLauder morning
We got up early, and drove down to the Borders. It was a beautiful crisp morning. When we arrived in Lauder, the sun was already turning the frost into a magical, dewy haze. Today, the Autumn colours seemed even more deeply saturated. I want to knit everything in these tapestry blues and golds. While Bruce…
Read MoreIslay half marathon
We have been away, enjoying a long weekend on Islay. The Islay half marathon is one of Tom’s favourite races (mine too, for that matter) — not only does it take place in a wonderful location, but the local support is tremendous — every year the folk of Bowmore put on a marvelous post-race spread…
Read MoreA Jura triathlon
We spent last Friday and Saturday on the wonderful island of Jura — one of our very favourite places. The island was as beautiful and warmly-welcoming as ever (though we were very sad to note the closure of the beautiful gardens at Ardfin after their recent purchase by an absentee hedge fund manager). Our pricipal…
Read MoreStuc a’Chroin
We’ve spent the weekend in the Highlands, where Tom has been running a race – the Stuc a’Chroin 5000 While he was away up the hill, Bruce and I went for a walk. . . We were lucky with the weather (later we saw hail and snow!) Bruce was very suspicious of this wee suspension…
Read MoreInveraray Jail Break
After our Schiehallion walk, we travelled on to Inveraray yesterday, so that Tom could take part in the Jail Break (which is a hill race, in case you were concerned). Have you ever been to Inveraray? It is a sort of eighteenth-century equivalent of Milton Keynes or Livingston – a Georgian new town whose “improvements”…
Read Moremarathon
Though I wanted to be there to support Tom, I was really rather dreading the London Marathon. Given that Buchanan Street has been my only post-stroke experience of a busy city crowd, and that being in places in which one is constantly assailed by visual / auditory stimuli is now both difficult and scary for…
Read Moresee them shufflin along. . .
There is not much I can say, except that this lopsided shuffle SEEMS LIKE SOME SORTA BLOODY MIRACLE. It feels especially good for me to pootle past the lamp-post that you can see in the final moments of this clip, as I saw it from a very different perspective just under a year ago –…
Read Morewinners
(Paps of Jura from Bowmore harbour) The Paps of Jura dominate the horizon all over the inner Hebrides and look spectacular from any direction. They are fabulous but quite challenging hills – steep, rocky and boulder-covered, rising out of Jura’s rough, boggy landscape. I climbed them on a misty day in 2005, but there’s absolutely…
Read Morevancation
It was probably inevitable that I would return wanting a campervan. . . (yes, I am the blurry gnome in the tartan blanket) . . . unfortunately, my only prospect of owning one right now is winning the one currently on offer over at Dorset Cereals. But who can argue with the luxury and convenience…
Read Morefat rascals! competition! adventure!
I am foolishly excited. This is because we are going away for a few days this weekend. Guess where we are going? that’s right! Islay and Jura! As wild camping is a bit beyond me at the moment, Tom has hired a camper van in which we shall zoom about the islands in comparative luxury.…
Read Moregolden
Chesley asked after Jesus the other day . . . let me assure you that the wee man is doing just fine and is full of the joys of Spring. I think he missed me when I was away . . or perhaps just felt the loss of his Primary Snack Provider. I am enjoying…
Read Moremead mountain x2
A White Christmas! And time, once again, to ascend mead mountain. Does doing this more than once make it a ritual or tradition? Whatever it is, the excitement of uncovering a bottle of home-brewed mead, buried at the top of a mountain, really never goes away. This bottle had a full twelve months to mature…
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KDD & Co 