A Cold Wind in a Warm Glen.

I'm just back from a weekend in The East. My best friend has just completed a two year project http://www.portrait-of-our-time.co.uk/home.asp with a community play in her village hall. It was the culmination of a project which had her photograph the people of four neighbouring areas (those folks who wished to be involved), in front of their homes, publish the photos in a book, display photos in an exhibition and finally write and direct a play based on the stories that came out of her interaction with all those people. It was an amazing display of community unity (I may consider writing a play myself with such a gift for prose). It was lovely to drive home through moonlit rural Aberdeenshire after the play and know that all those lights scattered about the hillside were occupied by people who were in the book and probably in the play. I woke this morning to the sound 0f the Gamekeepker singing 'Consider Yourself', from Oliver Twist at the top of his voice. (my friend is married to the Gamekeeper). I think that song will be echoing through the glen all week.

I had to leave before the final performance as the main route home had closed to snow and I don't know the Aberdeenshire hinterland very well. The Gamekeeper told me ominously that my best hope of survival was to leave imediately!! Survival was easy enough, but the journey was long and the drifts from the cold East wind were hazardous in places. I did enjoy the drive through Whisky country, which I haven't done since the last time the main route was closed to Spook and I, before Meg was born.

We all had our fingers on the button last week for the opening of the Ben Race entries. There are only 600 places and they go very fast. There was much talk of early post and which box would be best to put it in to get ones own entry to the top of the pile. They then publish the names of the succesful applicants at the end of February. I know I got an entry as I forgot to sign it and was asked into the office to do so. Mine has got through and now I have to go and practice. I have let it go so long, that it will be very hard work to get back to a reasonably level of fitness.

Finn's parents night went well with positive reports from all teachers. He is settling well. His PE teacher was particularly impressed with his LeCross skills. They only do an introduction to it, but Finn slipped in some very sneaky moves that had the teacher doing a double take and his jaw gaping. He wasn't to know that Finn had spent some time in Kiwi land with Americans, learning the moves in their back garden.

In fact everyone is being sporty apart from me. Meg is loving her new trainers and is planning to run with her dad this week. Finn has a rugby tournament the weekend we are on Skye and is wondering how to get to it. Spook had a cycle race in the forest today and did well.

We have our friends two dogs to stay for a week and I took them a walk down to the canal. I'm thinking I will need to try harder than that.

I'm wondering when I might get time to paint. I always come home from the East with a desire to paint. But I do get a stronger desire to paint when I know I have to run..........

webcam - 7.45am 25th January

For aw that and aw that.

The social muddle became more muddled as the children's plans began to break down. With the break down of theirs, came the breakdown of ours. We had been invited to join friends at the annual Husky dog sled races in Aviemore, but had already had to say no to that as I was working. That was a real shame as it was the first time in 15 years that they had snow and could do it on sledges rather than wheels. Apparently it was like a scene from Narnia.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WU1e4sElF8 (that may be a little romanticised, but I like that.)

So I had been particularly keen to join the friends who had invited us to join them at the fiddle/clarsach evening. However, we compromised with the children and ended up missing the fiddle and going to the 50th, which I had intended to get to half of. We had a lovely night there, and thanks to Auntie Al and Jamie for sheltering the children, as they had a great visit there too.

Meg got to her party, Finn got a bit of the cousins party, and all of the Burns Supper. Unfortunately, I got more of the Burns Supper than I had planned as when I went up there at midnight to take Spook and Finn home, they had no intention of leaving until it was all done. That did mean I got a few dances in and made a working weekend feel less onerous. Spook said he had a wee moment when a young girl played a beautiful fiddle tune, and he recognized that this night in the village hall was a West Highland thing (which Burns is not, of course) and quite precious to him.

I finally got to bed around 2am and was back at work by 8am, so I'm a bit wearied.

I heard an interesting fact this week - stamps are 25 calories a lick.

And a handy hint from Meg is to put herbal t-bags in your shoes to freshen them up. Hers smell of blackberries. The t-bags are re-usable in your shoes, but not in a cup.

Finn found his race harder work than he had remembered from before, so will need to get a wee bit practice in. Meg came in 2nd girl (she, like her mother, loves a podium place regardless) and last out of the hardy 5 of her age who turned up. Spook enjoyed a cycle race in Glen Loy, despite a slightley woozy head.

Mid week Blog.

Spook and I had to go to town 1st thing this morning and I was looking forward to coffee with him. It has become a very busy week again and we haven't seen much of each other. I took him to a coffee shop he had never been to, which he always made a bit of a fuss about. He declared that he never wanted to go there again, it had ruined his day and he was now depressed. The High Street alone was depressing, without the dour waitress and poor coffee.
There was a race around the croft last night, which neither of us had much to do with as I was on a sleepover at work and Spook had to go to a crofting meeting. Between 20 and 30 people turned up to ride around in the mud on a cold night and seemed to have a good time!
I declared myself to be gluten free once more and managed 36 hours before a chocolate croissant got me this morning. It is quite hard to find things to eat, so I will lose weight by default, unless I can get a bit more organised. These urges to cure tiredness and bloating (you wanted to know that, right?) are a little compulsive......
The Kiwi's have woken up from their summer holidays and are back in touch after quite a quiet period. I have been too busy to write, and my main informant of life down South has been sitting next to me. It has been so good to feel connected again, though if young John doesn't get to grips with the time difference, I will need to disconnect the phone.
Photo's of big sky's and big moutains do bring a bit of nostalgia, along with a determination to get back to see them, and the people who nestle within.
There is a social muddle to be got through here, meantime. Both children want to go to their cousins birthday party, but Finn also wants to go the Burns Supper and Meg has a very close friends party the same night. I have a 50th party to go to and an invite to join friends at a fiddle and clarsach night, which I really fancy as it combines Scotland and New York and a bit of jazz. I'm wondering if I can do both. I also have to work for the bulk of the weekend which means I will miss the next race. It includes a junior race too, which will be interesting as our children are likely to have melted into an over socialized blob by then.

Glen Nevis.

Hm, the weekly blog's hard as I can't remember what happened beyond yesterday. Well, I do remember that Meg left home 1yr and 7 months ahead of schedule. It was Wednesday, it was dark and she headed off into the night with a bag and torch. She relented and came home in time for bed and I agreed with my nieghbour that I would offer shelter to her teenage daughter, should she ever require it, as she had sheltered mine.

I was really glad she came home, as I've booked a house on the Isle of Skye for mi-February for a few days, so that we can have some lovely family time, and it really wouldn't be the same without her. She had suggested though, that Skye was not of great interest to her. There are no shops where we are going and very likely no internet or mobile phone connection. It will be beaches, mountains and wilderness......sweet as!

Meanwhile, I had an easier time as regards work and Spook did not over strain himself at his work. It seemed to involve a lot of chatting, laughing, coffee drinking, 'meetings', footering about on computers, not to mention his new iphone on which he has downloaded lot's of silly things like how to see through other peoples clothes - apparently this phone will be a vital part of No Fuss's future development.
Nana came up on the train to stay for a few days. Spook left his bike on the turbo-trainer in case she might want to get some training in and she was on it within 10 minutes of arriving. She and I had a very social weekend. We went to a lecture in the village hall by a local mountain guide who is a good friend of mums. He has dangled her off lot's of cliffs over the years and she met a lot of old friends there. The next night she joined him for dinner with climbing friends who write poetry or stories and after dinner everyone read something aloud, including mum. As I was there, I had to tell a story so I told the one about how I ran over a spaniel on my way to meet the local mountain guide, and thought it was his spaniel. It involved a lot of twists and turns and quite a bit of hysteria but the spaniel didn't die in the end, it wasn't his, nor was it the man's, whom I wrote a long letter of apology to, and I got no brownie points amongst the gathered poets and dog owners. However, I did pass muster with the local mountain guide who had insisted I sing for my supper.

Mum and I had a very pleasant walk in Glen Nevis today and spent ages in the old grave yard.

Meg and her dad had a great day tidying up the shed and putting a wee stove into the hut. He was only allowed a brief lunch and a very short coffee break.

Finn and Grieg have got sore thumbs from the x-box.

I might write a mid-week blog because I'm sure we did more than this.

Arctic Conditions Rule.

It's been an extremely busy week. Spook has shopped and cooked his way through it, driven kids up and down to the ski slopes, helped Meg to organise a party for her friends and then accomodated them all on a sleepover while I was on a sleepover at work. He has worked his way through big piles of washing, chopped wood and kept us all warm. I worked 45+ hours, which seemed to be a large part of the week. I was in Glasgow to visit a friend in hospital and came back up through Glencoe quite late. It was a very frosty night with no moon. When I got to the summit of Rannoch Moor I pulled into a layby and doused the lights. I stood in the middle of the road and just stared at the sky. I had no idea we had so many stars. I think the Southern Sky is far less crowded, just like the South Island we used to gaze from. It felt like I was in the Arctic Circle as I could see white moorland and mountains, and this huge starry sky. There were no cars on the road and the nearest danger was likely to be getting run down by a Stag. There were loads of them close to the road, but I couldn't hear heavy breathing or pounding hooves. I was happy to stop there, but wouldn't have stopped further into the glen as I always remember the story an old friend told me of a late night trip home to Fort William. She was the only passenger awake and saw an old lady with a tartan plaid wrapped round her head, sitting by the side of the road. As they drew level with her, she saw only a skeleton face. http://www.aboutaberdeen.com/glencoeghosts.php

True to my pledge last week, I ran todays winter league race, despite not having learnt my lesson by going out to practice. Spook ran an excellent cross country 5 mile route, and I ran a comfortable 3 mile race, followed by an horrendously uncomfortable 2 miles which felt like the equivalent of running the entire Ben Race. I really must practice before the next one.

The kids had a fun day up the hill despite shockingly cold wind. We went up to meet them, after our race, but I couldn't stay out in those temperatures for long. Meg met up with the snowboarding fraternity and got lot's of great advice and support from Dougie (with beard). Part of what is really good about being home, is that community that is there for them. It is the social aspect on the hillside that keeps them warm. I chose a shot of whisky as an easier alternative. Finn and his friends seemed to own a whole section of the beginners area (suspect the true beginners had been run off.) I'm not sure if jumps are meant to be built in that bit.

It will be a quieter week coming up, I think and I will need to do my share of housekeeping. Spook goes into his wee office tomorrow. I'm hoping I might get invited down for a coffee.

Spooky adjusting to his new, frozen world with the help of two Hobbits - Grieg and Finn

No more whisky for me!!!

Spook and I had a great night at the dance. Lot's of people we knew, lot's of dancing and lot's of whisky. It was a very sad looking me who got out of bed to go to work on Saturday morning having caused myself more damage from over dancing and drinking, than competing in the hill race. At least I made it home, which is more than can be said for Spook. Thanks to my dear friends and neighbours who got me safely to my doorstep. I had to cycle to work just in case and it was a couple of coffee's before I was in a position to offer support, rather than be supported.

Spook went to a party and found an empty bed at his sisters house at 7am. I could have danced for another couple of hours, but if I had sat down for 5 minutes I would have fallen asleep.

Mum and I went down through the glen today, which was looking magnificent. The papers say we are to have another 2 weeks of freezing weather, which I think is wonderful, but I am sorry for all the elderly people who have been housebound for the last week. The snow has never melted, but has compounded and frozen on the pavements, making walking very treacherous. I saw an old woman walking her dog when I was cycling to work......well, the dog was walking, but the lady was hanging on to a fence.

The sunset is from my parents house.

My New Years resolution is to run the next 4 Winter League races and then the last, 14 mile one in March. There, I said it.

Happy New Year

1st day of 2010. I was very late at work last night, dancing the night away, and didn't get home until 3am. Fort William does an excellent Hogmany Bash in town, with a very good Cover Band and a Ceilidh band. It's a big family night, but the gorgeously clad teenagers of Lochaber were out in force in unbelievably high heeled shoes, and short dresses, with hands constantly hitching up strapless dresses. Dancing required minimum movement or boobs would fall out, or girls would fall off their shoes. My biggest hazard was wide-legged trousers which were too long for me, and I would find myself being wheeched along in a Canadian Barn Dance, with my trouser leg pinned to the floor by the dancers behind me. I need to get a short skirt. I even tripped over my own trousers at one point. I wonder if someone is blogging about the silly lady in the unbelievably baggy trousers who nearly fell over herself.

Meanwhile, back at home, having chatted with mum and Meg about what they might watch that night, I specifically said that I didn't think they would be watching Still Game. Whilst we think it is very funny, (2 old men living in a run down part of Glasgow, and adventures they have with their cronies), the language is very coarse and I thought it might not be to Mum's liking. It was a surprise to learn, therefore, that they had watched all 5 episodes on a DVD + the actual episode that was on for Hogmany. Nana now talks like she drinks down the pub in the East End of Glasgow, and I have had to check her for her language on 2 occasions!

WE got up for the New Years day hill race and I think I probably amassed 3.5hrs of sleep, max. It was my first race in a very long time, but is one of my favourites. It starts at the bottom gondola of the ski resort and follows the Downhill bike track to the restaurant at the top. It was snow and ice all the way, with 98 runners competing. Spook was probably in the top 15 and I was definately in the bottom 15. But it was very enjoyable apart from the cold stone that was sitting heavily just inside my chest, hampering my breathing, the aching limbs and the painful, bent over back from the continual climbing position. The girls just in front of me talked all the way and Ellen sang "somewhere over the rainbow" as we crested the last rise before the end. They coached and encouraged each other all the way and it was a pleasure to hang on to their shirt tails. Spook has always puzzled over girls ability to talk whilst running.

Now it is time to get ready for the Roybridge Village dance. Lot's of weel kent faces, strip lighting in the hall, accordianist sitting up on the stage and my favourite dance of the year. Wish I could keep my eyes open. Can't believe it is a year since we had our own village dance with the Sinclairs in Helwick St in Wanaka. That was fun.

I will start the Sunday Blog this week - which gives me one day off.