Couple of photos

Been carrying the camera about in the mornings.  Here's a couple of early morning shots in Glasgow.

Gordon Street

Rogano Oyster bar

I took these with my bridge camera, which is compact enough to throw in the rucksack if I don't have much space, and want to carry a camera "just in case".  I'm going to go back with the DSLR and see what I can get when I'm not rushing to get somewhere.

Some more bike stuff

Since I last posted I've done the Pedal for Scotland bike ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
It was a different route from last year, finishing at Ingleston Showground instead of Murrayfield, and coming in at 46 miles instead of 55, which made my total for the day 56, once I added on the ride to the start, and then home again once we'd been bused back there from Ingleston.

The weather was pretty much spot on for cycling.  Not too hot - last year the weather was stunning, which made it a bit hot for the ride.  Towards the end there was some gusty wind, which was a bit annoying.  On the other hand, there were some excellent downhills which were loads of fun.

So, will I make it three in a row next year?  You know what, I think I will.

Where has the time gone?

Didn't realise how long it's been since I posted here.

In the time since the last post I've cycled from the house to Loch Lomond, stopping at Balloch, where there was a spectactular breakfast in a local pub attached to one of the hotels.

Now that's what I call breakfast

The weather couldn't have been better, and the views of the loch were stunning.

Loch Lomond in all it's glory

If the weather is halfway decent this Saturday, I'll head up that way again, but this time I'm planning to go further and finish the ride at the village of Luss.  This is all preparation for the 11th of September, when I'm cycling to Edinburgh to raise funds for the Scottish Wildlife Trust.  If anyone would like to sponsor me, it would be greatly appreciated, and donations can be made at my JustGiving page here.

Training re-boot

So I got a new pair of running shoes, in an attempt to get my sorry arse running again.
This morning I took them out for their first run, and my first of the year.  Yeah, I've been slacking.

This morning's run - run 3/walk 2.  Repeat for 20 mins.

It's nowhere near where I was at last year, but, I've been seriously negligent in the running stakes, and have been relying on cycling and karate for fitness, so, I'm basically back to square one running wise.  But that's good, it means there's plenty of room to improve.

This aftermoon, I'll be off for a swim.  Target, is 30 lengths.

So I got the camera

Last weekend we hit the borders, staying in Melrose in the George and Abbotsford Hotel, which was really nice. It's a 2* hotel, with great food, decent rooms, and a superb selection of whisky in the bar.

Using the hotel as a base, we hit Melrose Abbey, before heading to Jedburgh Abbey via Main Street Trading in St Boswell's, which had been recommended to us by the woman working at Melrose Abbey.  She wasn't wrong, great coffee, superb cakes, and a fantastic bookshop, with a deli out the back.  What's not to like.

The next day we headed to Kelso and the Abbey (see pic below), before heading right down to the border for that shrine to consumerism, Gretna Gateway.

All in all a really nice weekend, and I got to play with the new camera.

Kelso Abbey

Camera news

A new camera is imminent courtesy of my better half.  Only, the bundle I want isn't in stock at the moment, so I'll pick it up next week.  The camera IS in stock, but there's a deal with a 2nd lens, and uv filters, and it's the filters that are out of stock.