(Not) the new bike

A combination of factors mean there's no new bike for the moment.  The main factors were, (a) there were two bikes I fancied.  Both had exclusive distribution deals with a major chain.  So in I popped.  There were none in stock, the advice was "Decide what one you want.  Order the biggest frame size, and we'll get it in."

Erm.....no.  Would you buy a car without a test drive?

So I went looking again, and found another that I liked, although it wasn't a cyclocross, but a road bike.....decisions......

Back in the major chain for something unrelated, and I got talking to one of the guys, who explained that there was a stock issue with one of the bikes, and the other was so new he hadn't seen it yet, but he could get both bikes in, in my size, so I could compare them and decide if either was for me. (see the difference a decent sales person can make?) So now I have a real dilemma.  Do I still want a cyclocross - and if so, which one - or do I go for the road bike?

If there's one thing worse than no choice, it's too much choice, so I've put the decision on hold until I'm 100% sure what I want.

To put it in perspective, I was initially intending to get a mtb for off-road fun and games, so you'll see why I'm not prepared to rush into things.

As for my current bike?  It just got a free service courtesy of Dr Bike, and is running like a dream.

Cycling

Looks like I may be about to buy another bike.  I blame the invention of the Cycle to Work schemes.
Since I already have a hybrid (a Giant Escape M1), I'm looking at cyclocross bikes.  Speedier commute, and still able to do rough tracks and mud.  It's a win/win.  

Update type thing

With the weather forecasts all saying that this week was going to range from mince, to utter shite, I wimped out and got a weekly pass for the train.  Turns out the only hellish day so far has been Tuesday, because of the wind, so I could have cycled/ran to work.

So today after looking and seeing "intermittent light showers", I opted for the bike.  Made sense, as after work, I'm going straight out to meet up with Karen for a curry, before we both cycle home.  Thing is, it looks as though the "intermittent" showers have chosen now to be intermittent.

Hopefully they'll clear before I have to leave.  If not, hell, that's the reason I bought waterproofs.

Postcard from the revolution

On Sunday there was a rally in George Square.  Labelled "Hope Over Fear", the aim was to have a family friendly day (fairground rides and face painting for the kids) with speakers talking about how to carry on the momentum from the YES campaign, and fight for a better deal for Scotland (ok, ideally everyone attending, still wants independence, and my own opinion is that now the "promises" are being seen to be lies, and the lies told by the Better Together campaign are being shown up for what they are, then it's not a case of IF, but WHEN).

The speeches were interspersed with bands, and the atmosphere was very upbeat.  Figures put the attendance at 6ooo in the square at any one time, with a total of about 10000 people in total, having attended.

Some quarters have made cynical comments about the fact that the whole thing was organised by Tommy Sheridan and his Solidarity party, as Tommy is pretty much persona non grata in certain political circles, but personally I don't think it's an issue.  I'm not one likely to vote for Tommy, although I do think he's a great speaker.  He know's his stuff, and doesn't rely on an autocue or script, like most of the more mainstream politicians.

The square was a sea of saltires, and YES flags.  There were the usual mix of stands, with pretty much every flavour of socialism being represented (apart from Labour, but hey, they haven't been socialist for a long time now), and CND.

The atmosphere was fantastic, and probably the highest profile speaker was Naomi Wolf

The bands were a great mix, with my personal favourite being the Trongate Rum Riots who were superb.  I need to check them out when they're playing again.

So, the genie is out the bottle and it's not going back any time soon.  As I say, it's not IF we get independence, it's a matter of WHEN.

Thoughts on the revolution

So it's been two weeks since Scotland voted to remain the in UK (55-45%), and a week since I got back from holiday.
When I woke up on the 19th and realised what the result was, my initial reaction was a mix of despair and anger.  I wanted out of the country, and fortunately I had a flight that afternoon to Crete.

While on holiday I managed to mull things over, and since I got back I've realised that what probably swung it for the NO side was the success of their campaign of fear, which actually included figures like Danny Alexander coming out with outright lies on live tv debates.  For example, he said that in the event of a YES, Lloyds bank would move their HQ from Scotland to England.  He had no response when it was pointed out to him that their HQ actually WAS based in England.  This was just one example of the many lies told.  Others included "You won't get your pension as you'll be in a foreign country".  Well, just how do ex-pats living in (for example) Spain get their pension then?

Now I'm back, I've calmed down, and I've realised, we lost the battle, not the war.  The various pro-indy groups are still fired up, and the pro-indy political parties have found their memberships swelling.

Watch this space, it's not over yet.

Travels

In case anyone has been living in a cave and totally cut off from civilisation, there's a referendum on independence taking place in Scotland next week.
To be honest I'll be glad when it's all over, and to that end, once I've voted (YES in case you're wondering), I'll be heading off to explore Crete for a week.

Taking the walking boots with me, and a timetable for the local buses, and just getting out and exploring.
Of course, there will be plenty of sampling of the local vino.  It would be rude not to.

First 10k in five years.

On Sunday, I took part in the Paisley 10k.  The first 10k race I've done in 5 years (and only the 2nd race since I started running again).  To say I was nervous was an understatement.

Previously, before a race, I was a bag of nerves, and probably a real pain in the arse to be round.  This time was no different.  Prior to lining up, I was in the square with Karen, stomach a knot of nerves, asking her to remind me why I was doing this.  Her reply - "Because you love it once you get started."
She's right.  Once the race actually starts and I'm under way, the nerves give way, and I really enjoy myself.

For part of the race, I had caught up with a friend Rhona, who runs for Westies, and it was good to run along with someone I knew, until I dropped back a bit, going along the cycle path, back towards the town.  She warned me about a 1/2 mile incline prior to getting back onto the main street, and the finish in the square, so I wanted to make sure I didn't burn out and end up walking part of the route.  I had to prove to myself that I could race 10k again after my long lay-off.
I was happy to find that I did manage to run the whole way, and had enough left in the tank for a pretty decent sprint finish, that brought me in with a time of 52:52.  almost 13 minutes slower than my pb, but there has been a 5 year gap, so I've totally cuffed with my time, and it gives me a benchmark to work from and improve on.

If everything goes right, I'm planning to re-join my old club Bellahouston Road Runners, once I get some more regular longer runs under my belt.

Paisley sunsets

Took another walk up Glennifer Braes last night.  Really love it up there, easy to get to and miles of walking/running/biking potential.

Anyway, on the way back to the car, the sun was going down, and the sun setting over the trees was, well, stunning.

More running

Ran to work again yesterday.
I didn't do the lap of the campus, as (a) the gym was open when I arrived and (b) it only adds a couple of minutes and not a lot of distance to the route.
Regardless, I was really happy with the time (45:45).  I felt like I had been struggling a bit on the way in, and had put that down to the bottle of wine I drank on Sunday night - which to be honest, probably didn't help - but it seems that it felt harder because I was running faster and pushing myself.  So, *happy dance* it is then.

Only going to do a wee run in the park between now and the 10k in Paisley on Sunday.

Back to running

So the foot stopped giving me gip, and I decided that instead of cycling to work I was going to run in.  According to Map My Run, door to door was just over 9.5k.  So, the plan was that when I got to work, I'd do a lap of the campus to take me up to (and just over) the 10k I was looking to do.

Well, I set off early, given that I didn't know how long it would take (it's been 5 years since I ran that far), and I wasn't sure if the foot would decide to play up, so I wanted to give myself time in case I had to walk/hobble in.  Turns out I gave myself way too much time, and got in before the gym opened, and had to stand around for 10 minutes before I could go in and get a shower and change into the clothes I'd left in my locker the day before.

I was happy with my time considering (a) the length of time it's been since I last ran 10k, and (b) I'm crap at pacing myself if I'm running alone.  I managed 52 mins, and since I had told myself that for a first, anything under an hour would be acceptable, that was a pleasant surprise.
What also surprised me (and also slightly disappointed me) was that according to MMR, adding in a lap of the campus only upped the distance from 9.5k to 9.85k.  Now I know for a fact that a lap of the campus is not only 350m, so I'm not sure what the hell happened there, so I'm claiming the full 10k.

Regardless of that, it's looking positive for my first 10k race since at the end of the month.  At least I'm confident I'll get round, and pretty sure it'll be an acceptable time that I can then work on improving.

Running update

I only managed out for one run in the last week, as I'd done something to the muscles in my foot, and it was a wee bit achey, so I decided to listen to my body and rest it till it was ok.

In the meantime, I plotted the route I cycle to work, on Map My Run, and it's 9.5k.  Since my longest run so far has been 8.5k, and I've a 10k in two weeks, and need to up the mileage, tomorrow, instead of cycling to work, I'll be running.
In preparation, I've dropped off a bag with a change of clothes, in my locker in the gym, so all I have to do is run in, get showered and changed, and that's me set for the day.  At night, depending on the weather, I can either get the tube to Ibrox and walk through Bella park, or if the weather isn't too good, I'll just jump a train.

Either way, I'll have upped the milage, and that's all to the good.

Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games have (and at the time of writing, still are) taking place in Glasgow.  The atmosphere in the city has been amazing.  There has been a massive influx of visitors, and there's a really happy vibe about the place.

Prior to the opening ceremony, I had posted online regarding the uniforms the Scottish athletes would wear for the opening ceremony, and how (to me) they resembled a dodgy flashback to some acid casualties take on Brigadoon (or words to that effect).
Later when I won tickets to the boxing, I got called a hypocrite and two faced.  What, because I didn't like what they were wearing for the opening ceremony?  If fact, it would be fair to say I got pelters.
I stand by what I said.  The tartan is bad (or at least a bit garish), but I have seen worse.  But the shirts and the dresses........ seriously, they were, and still are, horrible.  That material/pattern is seriously bad.

Anyway, people seemed to think I was anti-games, which I was certainly not.  In fact, the boxing was amazing live, and I went down to Pollok Park to watch the marathon, and yesterday I went to the Trongate to see the time trials.  Add watching the swimming, gymnastics, and loving the athletics, and it's fair to say that I have really enjoyed the games, possibly more so than the Olympics, but that's probably down to them taking place where I live, and the fact that I've been able to enjoy not just the events on tv, but the whole atmosphere and the brilliant vibe that is engulfing Glasgow at the moment.

Finally, a quote from a lassie working in the merchandise tent on George Square - "The town is going to seem really weird and quite once this is all over".  And you know, she's right.

Funny how your opinions change

Back when I first took up running, and was in Bellahouston Road Runners, I didn't like running on my own, in fact I hated it.  It bored me to to the point that I couldn't push myself, and if there was a little twinge - a stitch, legs feeling tired, whatever - I used it as an excuse to stop and walk for a bit.  Something I never did when running in a group, so it's not like I couldn't continue, it just seems (looking back) that I didn't want to.
I never found that zen state that a lot of people went on about.

Now though, things seem to have changed.  The girl I go for lunchtime runs with, hasn't been able to run lately due to injury, and I've been heading out on my own.  This time round, I "get" it.  I'm enjoying running for it's own sake.  It's not a case of slogging away and having a hellish time, all for the endorphin rush when I finish (although that's nice to get), I'm not enjoying my own headspace while I run, and it's good to be aware of how I'm feeling while I'm running, something that running with a partner distracts me from.

I'm not saying I prefer running on my own, I enjoy sharing the experience, and having a chat on the way, but for some reason, now, I can enjoy my own company while I run, something I never could before, and that is a huge milestone for me mentally.

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but.....

....I always thought that sports men/women were.....well, sporting.  Sure there's competitiveness, let's face it, without it, sporting events would be as exciting as a tea party, but there's also violence, vindictiveness, and well, it's just not.....sporting.

All over the news is the story of Luis Suarez and his less than sporting tactics of biting his opponents.  This isn't his first time trying to take a chunk out his opponents, and while football isn't classed as a contact sport, there is a certain amount of contact and barging expected.  But BITING!!  Come on, that's just not on.

Fortunately there are other athletes who are not overpaid and have still got that sportsmanship in them.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Ivan Fernandez Anaya who could have won a race when his opponent slowed down thinking he'd crossed the finish line.  Instead of charging past and winning, Ivan pointed out the finish line and ran behind coming in second.  Now THAT is sportsmanship.

Maybe runners ARE a different breed from those that are attracted to football.  I'd like to think so.

Life is good

Currently I'm feeling pretty contented.

I've managed to stop spending money on crap I like but don't need.
The ongoing clearout is still ongoing, but it's getting there.
I've really loving running again, have done my first race in 7 years (MHFS 5k) and am going to enter the paisley 10k.  I've also noticed entries are open for a 5k I used to love - The Great Winter Run. 5k up and round Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh.

So yeah, things are pretty good right now.

NT properties, GPS problems, and a heavy head cold. Weekend fun

At the weekend, we had decided to go and check out Falkland Palace.  Saturday morning, and into the car we got, and attempted to put the post code into the gps, which decided it wasn't going to turn on!  Fair do's we've had it for about 7 or 8 years, and it's an obsolete RAC branded device that we can't update any longer, so off a quick detour to Halfords to replace it was in order.  Once there, they didn't have the one we wanted, but the Bishopbriggs branch did.  Now I'd have needed a GPS to FIND Bishopbriggs, so it was Google maps on the phone to the rescue.

New GPS in place, and off we headed.  about 40 minutes later, "BATTERY LOW!" on the GPS followed by it dying on us, and then the realisation that it wasn't either GPS that was gubbed, it was the lighter socket that they were being plugged into. So basically that was a GPS we didn't have to buy.  Except we probably did (see the previous comment about not being able to update the old one).

So, back to Google maps, and eventually we got to the rather stunning Falkland Palace, where there was a Mary Queen of Scots day taking place, with people playing Mary and Lord Darnley, walking the grounds, and the chance to try falconry and archery taking place as well.

After Falkland Palace, we headed to Hill of Tervit, a stunning property in the middle of nowhere.  The guy who owned the house had been a collector, and the house had been designed and built to house his collection (furniture, tapestries etc). Rather than buying a house and filling it with a collection, he had his collection and built the house to suit.  A nice touch was that he insisted all the bedrooms looked different, as "This is a house, not a hotel".

As we headed to the car to go home, the heavens opened.  It had been a really nice day and was dry and sunny up to that point.  The whole way home was torrential rain.

Great day out though.

On Sunday we'd headed to the pub in the afternoon, but had to come home early, as I got floored with a really bad cold.  Had to take a couple of days off work, and it's not completely cleared yet.

So, a good weekend (except for having to cut short the pub!)

Lunchtime solo run

So today, my lunchtime running buddy had a day off and wasn't at work, so, off I went on my own.
The route I took was one we've run before, and according to Map My Run, is 4.3k.
I set off at a fair-ish pace, but soon found my calf muscles were feeling a bit tight. (Possibly due to a combination of karate and badminton at the weekend)

Not so good.

I tried reigning in the pace a bit, and they soon loosened off.  The rest of the run was just the lazy side of pushing it, and was pretty uneventful.  No stitch, no trouble with the breathing, and no more muscle aches.

Back at the uni, and I made sure to do a decent stretch and not just a token one.

I've never been a fan of running on my own, as I always found it hard to push myself, but I kind of enjoyed today's solo outing.

Just when it was all going so well.....

My new lunchtime running is in a bit of a crisis.  The girl that I've been running with has been having half problems, which only flare up when she runs on concrete.  Off road is no problem, so she's having to stick to trails, which leaves me on my lonesome.

Now the problems are that I find running on my own a bit hard as I'm crap at pacing myself, BUT, she has said that she'll lend me her Garmin, so I should be able to stick to a pace.  The good thing about this is that it'll give me a chance to "try before I buy", as I'm seriously thinking about getting a Garmin this year.

The is another work colleague that wants to come running, but I know for a fact that the pace will have to drop as he's been out of it longer that I have, and as I've entered a race for next month, and I'm looking to UP my pace, this isn't ideal.  I think for the moment, that running solo is probably my best bet.

So, swings and roundabouts.

Who'd have thought

So now I seem to be into an established routine as far as running goes (Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes and Saturday mornings).  I also have karate on a Thursday night.  Last night was the best sleep I've have in a couple of years.  I slept right through to the alarm, which is something I haven't done in a long time.

So, really enjoying the running, getting fitter, keeping the weight off, AND sleeping better.  What's not to like.

Another mini clear out

The ongoing (and glacially slow) downsizing of "stuff" continues.  Today I traded in 5 dvds for a Van Halen cd (For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge) and a £5 credit note.  There were more than 5 dvd's, but that's all the 2nd hand record shop was interested in, so the rest ended up in a charity shop.

So, slightly less clutter and some stuff donated to charity.  That's an ok result for a lunchtime wander.

First step taken

So, following on from the previous post, I went for a run at lunchtime today with a colleague.
2.64km in about 15 mins.  Not a long run in terms of either distance or time, and it was a nice easy pace, BUT the point it, it was a start.  It's the first run in about 5 years, and I've rediscovered that I did love running.

Next run is Thursday lunchtime.  Bring it on.

Decision made. Let's see if I can stick to it.

So I've decided it's time to get back into running.  For about seven years, I was a member of Bellahouston Road Runners, and loved it.  I went from not being able to run the length of myself, so running the Edinburgh marathon, and regularly running half-marathons and 10k's, with my favourite race being the Brampton to Carlisle 10 miler, which is the oldest 10 mile road race in the country.
Then, I got gout, and couldn't walk much less run.  By the time I was mobile again, it came as a hell of a shock how much my fitness and stamina had dropped.  This in turn led to serious motivational issues, and I stopped running.

Well, it's been about 4 years since I last pulled on a pair of running shoes, but I've been thinking about it lately.  So yesterday, I picked up some running socks to try and motivate me to pull on the trainers and go for a run.  Admittedly, this will happen once I get back from holiday.  So, in about 3 weeks, I'll be coughing up a lung on the side of the paths in Pollok park.  Hopefully this won't take too long to overcome, and I'll be getting the miles under my belt again.

Scottish CND rally

Yesterday Scottish CND held a rally in George Square in Glasgow, as part of their Springwalk.  There was a really good atmosphere, and the speakers were all well recieved by the crowd.

Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, confirmed that if Scotland got independence, Trident would not be used as a bargaining chip with Westminster, and that they were committed to removing all nuclear weapons from Scotland.

So without further ado, here's some photos.

What was that crunch?

That crunch dear reader, was the sound of a filling coming loose.  A white filling at the front none the less.
So, on the plus side, I phoned in the morning, and got an appointment for the afternoon, AND it's not painful.
On the negative side, that's money that would have been put to better use, in the pub or going for a curry.

But there you go.

Yesterday I took a day off.  We had a wander round the Necropolis, then went for lunch in the Catherdral House Hotel - which I can recommend - then visited the Ramshorn graveyard in the Merchant City, and the Glasgow Police Museum, just a couple of streets away again.  Really interesting wee museum.

So, back to today and the dentist, so it's leave work in just over an hour, get the tooth fixed, then back into town to kill time till 5:10pm when it's guitar lesson time.

It would be a good day if it wasn't for the inconvenience of the dentists.  Ah well, merde happens.

Big jaggy thistle in Central Station

On the way to work this morning, I saw the unveiling of the Commonwealth Games mech stand in Central Station.  Bit surreal seeing a scrum of photographers taking pics of a guy dressed as a thistle, cutting a ribbon, but hey, it's all fun.

Bike porn.

Spent some time yesterday in Decathalon looking at bikes.  Went to look at the mtb's but ended up really liking the look of the road bikes.  Go figure.

Anyway, back on the bike today for the commute to work.  Really nice ride.  The weather was really nice and crisp.  Chilly but not too cold.

Wee book of bike routes

Picked up this wee book at the weekend.  It's got 40 routes in Central Scotland, all starting and finishing at railway stations, so they're all doable from Glasgow and/or Edinburgh.  Roll on the bike to work (for the mountain bike) and the better weather.

Back on the bike

Finally, the winds that have been gusting for what seems like months, have finally abated.  The forecast for the week is good.  Mild, and if the crocuses in the parks are an indication, then spring has arrived early.
So, with the weather in my favour, this morning I got back on the bike for the first time since the end of October.

I was pleasantly surprised that I only took a couple of minutes longer to get to work, than I took last year, so that's good.

This year I'd like to take the odd day off here and there, and go for a proper run on the bike, and not just use it to commute. I'll be playing that by ear, and just see how it goes.

Update, shmupdate

Just a wee bit of nonsense as I've not posted anything lately.  So, here we go.

Due to work, I never made the meditation group last week, but did make it today.  It was a different meditation (not the mindfulness meditation of the previous week), I can't remember the name at the moment, but it was really good.  Yes I found my mind wandering while we were sitting, but as the guy from the Buddhist centre, who takes the group, says, noticing you've wandered, and coming back to the meditation, is good, and you should give yourself a pat on the back, as noticing you've wandered is part of the point, and not something to beat yourself up over.

On the guitar lesson front, I've been getting some Black Sabbath to learn, which is really cool.  I've done Electric Funeral, and now I'm onto Paranoid.  What's great is that I've got all the early Sabs stuff, so I can practice till I'm confident enough, then try playing along to the cd.  Result.

New Beanie

Those who know me will know where I stand on the subject of independence for Scotland.  If you don't know, the pic below should provide you with a clue. :-)

Getting meditative

A couple of years ago (and again last year) the work had a "Health and Wellbeing" day for staff, to try and encourage the wine sozzled, refectory food guzzling slobs who work here, to get off they're arses and well, not drop dead basically.
As part of this event, there was an introduction to meditation.  I went along, really liked it, and wanted to keep going, but as is typical where I'm concerned, no group started up, and the chance to keep going in a group never materialised.

Until yesterday.

The woman who had arranged for someone to come in and run the meditation taster, managed to find someone from the Glasgow Buddhist Centre, to come in and take a group.

So yesterday afternoon, was my first group session of mindfullness meditation.  I have to say, that afterwards, I felt really calm and happier than I had been when I went in.
Unfortunately, due to timetable issues, I'll only be able to make it along once a fortnight, but hey, it's better than nothing.  And, once I know what I'm doing, I'll be able to do it on my own, when I want/need to.

Electric Glen

On Saturday we went to the Electric Glen in Rouken Glen park.  It's a light installation with a couple of wee stages, and it's really cool.  The theme was the pattern and dye works that used to be in Thronliebank, and there were patterns projected onto the ground and onto trees.  Really cool.
Unfortunately, it's now sold out, so if you haven't got a ticket, you'll have to wait till next year.

To strike or not to strike....

I'm a card carrying union member.  I have been since I left school and started working in Barr and Stroud, a historic engineering company in Glasgow, that has since been swallowed up by a multinational.  It also moved site to from the west of Glasgow to the south side, so not only has a historic company vanished, but a stunning old building has been demolished to make way for a supermarket.

But I digress.

As I say, I've been a union member for a few months shy of 30 years, and in that time have taken part in industrial actions.  I did this because I believed they were right, they were (unfortunately necessary), and in all cases a result (or at least a happy compromise) was obtained.

Not this time.  There has been two one day strike previous to today's, which I did take part in, and took my turn on the picket line for.  Not this time.

What's so different this time?  I'll tell you.

The vote in favour of today's action, was 20 for, 0 against.  There were approximately 30 people at the meeting, out of a membership of about 130.  There were no "against" votes, as there was no point.  The first question was "those in favour".  20.  There was no way the remaining 10 could make a difference, so officially it was 10 abstentions.

Now, out of a membership of over 100, I don't think 20 voting to strike is a mandate.  Yes, I know that's the majority of the people who attended the meeting.  A meeting that was held at short notice so we could take action on the same day as other unions, but to my mind not a mandate.
Then there's the fact that some of the more militant people, always seem to have conveniently taken a day off  that just happens to coincide with the day of action.  Call me cynical, but if you are party to information that allows you to take a day off PRIOR to the rest of us being told when the day of action is, I call foul.
The same people, when there was a work to rule in previous years, they were happy to do all the overtime that was going.
So, do I feel guilty?  No.

Like I said earlier, I do agree with the principles of the action, but not based on the numbers voting for it.  There should be a quorum when it comes to votes on industrial action.

Life of late

Not been up to much that's blog-worthy of late.  The clearout is ongoing, but is glacially slow.  I need to be more brutal and just get rid of stuff.

Yesterday, I took a day off work and went to the Jack Vettriano exhibition at Kelvingrove.  Really good exhibition. I didn't buy a catalogue, as they were all sealed, and there wasn't one to flick through to see if it was worth buying.  Back home, I found an online preview of it, and it's nice.  Very nice.  If I wasn't having a clearout, I'd seriously consider nipping back along and picking up a copy.  If I can be a bit productive at ditching stuff, I may well treat myself with this.

This weekend coming, we're off to the Electric Glen, at Rouken Glen park.  Someone in work went last year and says it's well worth doing.  We're going to book an Indian and head there before the walk.

Guitar lessons are coming along quite well, so I'm happy with that.

Ah well, onwards and upwards.

New wheels?

There's the possibility of the Cycle to Work scheme being started again in my work.  I'm seriously thinking about a second bike.  The one I currently have (Giant Escape M1) is a great bike, and I'm not looking to replace it.  What I want to get is a mountain bike that will cope with off-road/trails.

The Pollok park mountain bike trails are 10 minutes from my door.  I want to go play on them.  There's also Mugdock park, and any number of other places where I could potentially remove myself from the gene pool.
Then there's the pleasure of simply cycling along forest trails that my current bike would be very uncomfortable to use on.

I'm not kidding myself that I'll be dropping off tree trunks and jumping over things, I'm 48 this year. BUT, that doesn't mean I have to get a "sit-up and beg" bike and cycle sedately along at a snails pace either.

Then there's the fact that Glasgow's roads are so riddled with potholes that a bike with (at a minimum) front suspension is probably a seriously good idea.

(I've also looked into whether it's possible to cycle the West Highland Way.  Apparently it is, although there's some parts that would require a dismount.)

2014 -so far so good

Yeah, ok, it's only 7 days old, but so far 2014 is ok.

The return to work has been pretty easy so far, as there's no students about yet.  They should be about from tomorrow as the exams are starting, but since I'm not involved with them in any way, that's not an issue.

Had two karate classes so far.  One was an hour and a half of kata, which was utterly exhausting, but very very rewarding.  I really like doing kata, especially when I've got a mental block about a part of a new one I'm learning, and then get over it, as happened tonight.  Tomorrow is the first Wednesday lunchtime class of the year, so it'll be good to get back into that, as it's a great way to get through the middle of the week, especially when it's a hard/trying/tiring week.

Anyway, resolutions that I've made are all do-able ones.  There's a couple of exercise targets I've set myself - climb at least one munro, cycle to work as often as possible - and the others are just to do with clearing out stuff I no longer use/need/want, and not replacing it with other junk that I don't really need.

Also, this is the Chinese year of the horse, and that's my birth year, so it's supposed to be a lucky/make or break year for me, so fingers crossed it's a good one.  I'm planning to make the most of it and try to have a positive outlook on things.  I allowed the negativity of others to turn me into a moaning git last year.

So, it's finally here

Yup it's Hogmanay.
Since the last post, one of the people I was talking about cutting out of our lives, has shown themselves up to be a really nasty piece of work, which means the guilt that I was talking about in the earlier post isn't even an issue now.  She's gone.  History.  We'll never be in touch with her again.

The only downside is that her husband is a really genuinely nice guy, so I have no issues with seeing him again, it's just that it's probably not going to happen now.  Then again, she does drive him to drink, and damn if he doesn't like his real ales, so he's obviously well aware of just what she's like.  The fact that he has lots of friends, but she doesn't, can't be lost on him.

Anyway, whatever happens, happens.

So here's some resolutions for the New Year.

1.  I've cut out the deadwood.  Don't let it grow back, and be wary of introducing more.
2. Try to cut the coffee intake down just a little.  I was drinking a shitload at work, and was usually on my fourth by about 10.00am.  Not good.
3. Keep the company of people who make me happy and who (hopefully) I in  turn make happy.
4. Get outdoors more, and actually get the tent I bought two years ago christened.  Even if it's just the wee campsite at Sallochy, just get it used.
5. Eat less crap.  Don't need to lose weight particularly, just need to not snack. Can't lose weight or my kilt won't fit!
6. Excercise.  Bit more running, and try and go climbing/bouldering at least once a month.  Even if it's just the wee traverse wall at the work.
7. (The easiest one) Cycle to work as much as possible.  Only bin it if there's snow/ice or the wind makes it dangerous.  Rain isn't an issue when I've waterproofs.

And that's that.  If anyone reads this, Happy New Year to you when it comes.

Thank <.. insert diety of choice .> that's over for another year

Don't get me wrong, I like Christmas.  What I hate is how commercial it's all become.  It's all about separating you from your hard earned money.  It's not like we're not bombarded with adverts trying to do that the rest of the year, but at this time it's full on relentless.

Now that Christmas is over, the pre-Christmas "buy this or your don't love your family/friends" type ad is gone.  Now it's "you're house is obviously a pig sty, so buy a sofa, but you've only got till New Year" type of ad.

The pre-Christmas scrum in the shops in town are over, and it's three days after the big day, so most of the gift voucher spending should be over too.  That makes it reasonable safe to venture out again as you should be able to get about without the use of a chainsaw to cut a path through hordes of zombie like shoppers.

Roll on Hogmanay, when all I have to do is raise a glass to the (pretty shite) year that's leaving us, and welcome in the new beginnings and opportunities that the New Year will hopefully bring.

Favourite part of the holiday season

Today, Christmas Eve, is my favourite part of the holiday season.  It's the day I go to see It's a Wonderful Life at the cinema.  For me it's the best part of Christmas.  It's a million miles away from the commercial scrum that this time of year has become, and that's refreshing.

Before that though, I still have to ice my cake.  The marzipan was put on yesterday, so once it's iced, it's good to go.  The coeliac friendly cake for Karen was made yesterday, and it's all ready for her.  Dinner is pretty much sorted as well, just need to make a sauce, which will take me about half an hour, so that can wait till tomorrow.

I'm just waiting for the switch to flick on the tv ads, where they go from "last minute Christmas gifts" to "Sale starts Boxing Day".  When I was a kid, I remember the sales started in January, and if you had got any gift vouchers for Christmas, it was a case of being torn between buying that book that you really wanted, or waiting till the sales and maybe getting it cheaper.  Now everything is last minute discounts BEFORE Christmas, and big sales the day after.  It's all about parting you from your money now, and there's very little of the magic of Christmas left.

We have ways of making you enjoy yourself

So, with just over two weeks to go to THE BIG DAY(tm), the shops are in full SPEND SPEND SPEND mode, and the pubs are emphasising FUN and PARTY, and I'm thoroughly sick of it already.
Seriously, I'm looking forward to Boxing Day and some semblance of normality (sales excepted).

I've got two do's to go to, the main departmental one (which as per usual, I'll go to for the meal, then sneak off and meet a few colleagues who will also escape (or just not attend) in a pub of choice for a drink, where we don't have to be witness to people we work with pretending they actually like each other, and "dancing" like loons as they slowly (or rapidly in some cases) get wasted.

The other do is the one I prefer.  There's a few of us in a lottery syndicate, and we always go for a Christmas lunch and drink, just the five of us.  This year, it's been hi-jacked, as someone who can't make the main do has been invited - which is fine - and has then asked others along - which is NOT fine.  I've even been asked "Are you going to Bobby's do?"  WTF!!  It's not his, it's ours, and it's been hi-jacked.  I'm seriously considering not going, as it's going to be a pain having to smile, joke and laugh with people I don't want to be in the company of.

Like I said, roll on Boxing day.

Planning the resolutions

I don't normally do New Year resolutions, as lets face it, most people (myself included) find it hard if not impossible to stick to, and so with that in mind, my resolutions for the 2014 are going to be practical and do-able,

I'm in the planning stages at the moment, but watch this space.

Bit windy

The weather in Glasgow is a bit.....blustery today.  Winds of up to 95 miles per hour expected, no trains running at all, and part of the glass roof of Central Station has come crashing down, resulting in the station being evacuated.  Not that it makes much difference since there's no trains anyway.

It was torrential - and horizontal - rain when I left the house this morning.  Standing at the bus stop, a car was crawling along the flooded road, when a flatbed truck undertook it and soaked everyone standing at the stop.  On the upside, I now know that the waterproof trousers I bought for hillwalking, do what they're supposed to.

It's just over a week to go till the work Christmas night out.  Hope the weather isn't as bad as this.

In lue of a proper post....

.....here's a pic of one of my cats with a wee woolly bunnet on.

Wonderful weekend

Just back from having a fantastic three days in Inverness.
Visited Culloden, Fort George, Spynie Palace, Elgin Cathedral and Urquhart Castle on the banks of the absolutely stunning Loch Ness.
Inverness town was really nice. The hotel gave us a suite instead of a standard room, which was great.
There's so much to see round the area, we'll have to go back sometime.

Simpler times

Posted on Twitter the other day that in some ways I miss the simpler pre-internet days.  What surprised me was that someone favourited and shared it, which was nice.
Unfortunately with only 140 characters, you can't expand on your thoughts too much, so here's a longer take on that post.

I miss the simplicity of pre-internet life.  Don't get me wrong, I love being online, and I love all the advantages that it has - information at the push of a button.  Going for a walk and need a map?  Walkhighlands and print the route map/description and off you go.  Email and messaging, so much better than waiting days of not weeks for a letter that may or may not get lost in the post.

But, here's what I miss.

The anticipation of having ordered something and waiting for the mail.  That movie/album you FINALLY managed to track down and order is winging it's way to you.  When you get it, there's the excitement of unwrapping it, removing it from the sleeve and playing it.  Now, that same movie/album is just a download away, and that's if you don't stream it.  Why bother with the physical tangible item when you can just download or stream?  Because it's JUST NOT THE SAME.  It's reduced movies and music to an almost disposable medium.  People just won't have record collections any more.  I don't have the physical space for my vinyl and hi-fi in the house at the moment.  It's all boxed away.  OK, so I've got rips of most of the albums, BUT, I miss playing my albums.  I miss the ritual of taking a record out it's sleeve, placing it on the turntable, put the needle on the record, and that initial silence with maybe a pop or click, before the music starts.

It's all symbolic of peoples need to have things NOW.  And while life is a whole lot more convenient now, is it better?  People are living life through a computer screen, instead of going out and actually living it.

So step away from the keyboard, close the laptop, and instead of looking at a photo of a mountain online, go outside and see one for yourself.  Yes it might rain, yes you might get cold and wet, but that's life, and you'll get to experience the simple pleasure of coming home, cold and wet, and huddling in a blanket to thaw out, maybe with a wee dram in your hand.

Now that's living.

One step forward three steps back

Real life has a habit of getting in the way.  By now, I had fully expected to have dragged my sorry carcass round (at least a small section of) Pollok estate, in my (triumphant?) return to running, but so far it's not happened.  Real life and the weather - ok, mainly the weather - have put paid to it, but not in a bad way, as it's all been stuff I've been out doing, like visiting the RSPB nature reserve at Lochwinnonch.
Anyway, that's the backward steps, and while it's not really a step back as I didn't start anyway, I was psyched up for getting out again, so I'm claiming it as a fail.

The good stuff is that the guitar lessons are still progressing and - just as, if not more, improtantly - are still fun.  There's also a new karate night started up on a Tuesday, so that's a plus.

The other things going on are a crown that's fallen out, but I've a check-up on Thursday, and have called to make sure it gets popped back in again, and oh yeah on the subject of Thursday, I'm taking part in a one-day strike.  I think though that by the time I'm out the dentist and at the picket line, it'll have dispersed.  Anyway, the weather is probably going to be mince, so maybe that's a good thing.

Karate and getting to a calm place

The last couple of months I've been struggling to get to karate practice.  Thursdays are out as I've had no option but to change my guitar lesson to a Thursday night, as the teacher had a change in circumstances, Saturday mornings are out, as there's an issue that I would rather avoid, as there's a junior who is..... disruptive, won't listen and thinks they know it all, despite having only been going a few months.
There's a Tuesday club starting up next week, so that's all to the good.  In the meantime, there's the Wednesday club, that due to work I've been only attending sporadically.  The overall result is that I've been near to throwing in the towel, but I thought that I'd give it another go today in preparation for the new Tuesday club, and do you know, it's been a real tonic.

Before lunch I was a bit strung out.  I'd been really busy, and one of the systems we use to place orders was playing up, so stress levels were high by lunchtime.  Cue the karate class.  Great session today.  I'm now in a very calm serene place mentally, and nothing is going to be allowed to change that for the rest of the day.

First munro bagged

So, on Friday, we headed up Ben Lomond.  We were good to go, the weather wasn't.  Once out of the treeline, there was low lying cloud creeping up the hill, and we couldn't see the summit.

Regardless, we trudged onwards, only to reach the top and be rewarded with what would have been a stunning view if it wasn't for the cloud.  What we got instead was this.....

The weather may have been crap, but the upside of this was that the hill wasn't mobbed with people.  There were a fair few on the hill and at the top, but nowhere near as busy as it would have been had the weather been better.

Things of late

Not been up to anything post-worthy of late.  I've actually managed to get back to the Wednesday lunchtime karate a couple of times, which is great.  I've really missed it, and although I've been de-motivated, and on a couple of occasions, I didn't go, because I felt like I couldn't face it, I seem to have got some kind of martial arts mojo back, which is great.

While this was all (not) going on, the only thing that I was really enjoying (hobby-wise) was the guitar lessons, which I'm still totally into.  As well as going over what I need to for the lessons, I'm also looking out for things that I think I might be able to have a go at.  The latest being Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden.  I was chuffed to bits this morning, when I managed to pick out the little section just after the initial intro, but just before (and during) the first verse.  It's do-able at the level I'm at, just.  I need to knuckle down and practice it.  A lot.

Productive weekend despite the weather.

With weather predictions for Sunday being stormy, when I got up on Saturday morning, and saw it was nice, there was only one thing for it.  Paint the garden seat with the weatherproofing stain that I'd bought but not been able to use because of the weather, and then put the new felt on the shed roof.
A word of warning for those attempting to put felt on a shed roof.  Felt paste, isn't like any other paste I've encountered.  Think treacle, and you're getting close.  I did manage to get some on a pair of shorts, and my legs (sitting on the shed roof on drips that I never noticed).  After two days, the stuff I got on my hands has finally washed off - it stains like you wouldn't believe - but I've still got a patch behind my knee that seems to be putting up a valiant effort not to come off.

After all that hard work, it was off to Pollok park to see the Highland Cattle Show, before walking to Shawlands for a beer, and then returning back past the Highland cattle, and home again.

Sunday, was as predicted, stormy.  We headed out in the car to the David Livingstone Memorial in Blantyre, where we discovered that the statue of him fending off an attacking lion was designed and paid for by Ray Harryhousen the man famous for his stop motion animation of monsters in numerous movies.  Turns out his wife was Harryhousen's great-granddaughter.

The Memorial is a really nice place.  The grounds are beautiful, and the museum is really interesting.  Well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Friday the 13th

Ok, I don't usually go for Friday 13th being unlucky, but so far today, I've cycled into work - I did manage to avoid the rain - and forgot my work keys, so I had to wait for someone else to show up and unlock the room, and after getting showered and changed, I noticed that my jeans have managed to get dust on them from the pastel chalks I was trying out last night, so I have a lime/yellow left thigh today.

Hope no-one thinks it's a fashion statement!

That's 2 -1 in favour of F13.

Then I find out that the friend I was supposed to be meeting for lunch can't make it as he has a meeting to go to, 3 - 1 to fate.

EXCEPT - it's chucking it down, so missing lunch with him means not getting soaked, so I'm claiming that as a win.

3 - 2 to fate then.

Largs Viking Festival

On Saturday, the annual Largs Viking Festival kicked off.  As we'd never been before, we decided to go along and check out the opening parade.

Vikings in the main street of Largs

Giant Viking at the Viking Village on the seafront

Some beer I picked up from the food tent 

(It would have been rude not to)

Me, ready to defend Largs from the Viking hordes

All that defending Largs is tiring.  Time for a wee sit down

The fair maiden, rescued from the Vikings.

There were lots of things happening on the sidelines.  There was a rubber duck race in the local burn, a drumming group playing, pipe bands, lots of bikers on Harley's, trikes and Goldwings.  Then there was the Viking village and the Scots village, the food, drink and crafts stalls, the birds of prey, the list goes on.

It culminates after a week with the burning of a longship.  I'd love to be there for that, but we have a ceilidh to go to.  Ah well, there's always next year.

Back outdoors

Last week I took Friday as a day off work, and we headed off to climb Dumgoyne.  It's a wee hill not far from Milngavie (just outside Glasgow), and while it's not very high, it's a steep wee bugger.
We'd started this hill before, but when we got the plateau that leads from Dumgoyne to Earls Seat, it was blowing a gale.  You could literally lean into the wind and not fall over, so on that occasion we decided that heading back down was the safest thing.
This time round, the weather was fine, and there was practically no wind.  We headed up, and when we came to a split in the path, opted to go right, along the path that wound gently and slowly up round the hill to the top, rather than taking the steeper direct route.

Karen had been suffering lately from a bad back, so we took it fairly slowly, and had a stop about half way up, so that she didn't come a cropper again.  On the plus side, this gave us plenty of time to enjoy the views.

Once we got to the top, we had a wee stop for a coffee and a sandwich before heading back, this time taking the steeper direct route, which turned out to be substantially shorter than the route we had taken.  Ah well, you live and learn.

Once back down at the bottom, I did the tour of the Glengoyne Distillery, and accidently bought a bottle of the 10yr old.  Nice wee reward to myself.

Ready for the off.

Top of the world

At the summit

Prize for getting to the top

Clip of that old fashioned organ from the Pollok Family Fun Day.

Is the Fringe dying out?

Took an afternoon off work on Tuesday, and headed through to Edinburgh, where the festival and Fringe had kicked off.

First thing that struck me was that despite all the bodies on the Royal Mile, it seemed unusually quiet for that time of year.  The wee square next to the church, that usually has lots of stalls, seemed to have less stalls than usual.

Someone joked that there was more people handing out flyers for shows, than there was people to give the flyers to.  It wasn't that bad, but it definitely looked like there was less bodies than in previous years.

Back at work I was talking to someone else who had been through on the Monday, and they said they had been thinking the same thing when they were through.

Anyway, numbers of bodies aside, it was a fun afternoon/evening.  Pics to follow.

So much for that idea

In a couple of weeks, my wife has a sign language course to do.  It's over a Saturday/Sunday, so, to amuse myself, I was planning on walking the first part of the West Highland Way, to Drymen, camp overnight, and get the bus back on the Sunday.

Found a campsite in Dymen that's only £5 per person per night.  Gets dodgy reviews on Trip adviser, but it's only for one night, so I thought what the hell.  Then it would just be a case of walking there, pitching the tent, and strolling into Drymen for food and beer.

The plans all went belly up, as I discovered that there's only one bus to Glasgow on a Sunday, and it leaves Drymen at 1915.  Seriously, I'd have to hang about Drymen for about 12 hours after packing up the tent, just to wait for a bus.  Not happening.

Looking for a Plan B now.  It may involve cycling somewhere.

Damn that was good

Bought some dvd's recently from a woman in work who was emigrating, and last night got round to watching Snatch, the Guy Ritchie movie.  That was tons of fun :-D

Time for new tires I think.

So, on the way to work this morning I got another flat.  Same wheel as the last two.  No sign of anything sticking out the tyre, but there's a wee cut from the last time, which to be honest is pretty visible.  Not sure if the tyre just flexed, and pinched the tube, causing the flat, but whatever the reason, it's time to change the tyres.

I've been recommended these beasties by Schwalbe, so I think that's the way to go.  The guy I know who's using them has done over 4000 miles on his and not one puncture, so that sounds like the way to go.

Just for the sake of posting something

This was taken just before heading out to the Bungo in the Backlanes.  There was no reason for wearing a kilt to the event other than "what the hell I've got a kilt and I'm going to wear it.".

Yeah real funny, funny man

I'm being taken to task on Twitter by a comedian who's taken umbridge that I said his friend (also a comedian) was endorsing animal cruelty by running with the bulls in Pamplona.  The guy who ran, wrote an article for the Scotsman, (here) which as far as I'm concerned is also endorsing animal cruelty by publishing it.

The tweet that I received says that "The idea that doing the run supports animal cruelty is like saying every Christian is homophobic" !  Erm.....just how exactly is that a comparison.  You are taking part in an event that the majority of people consider to the cruel.  You are endorsing it.  If there are homophobic Christians, then it doesn't mean that all Christians are homophobic.  That's like "Shep is a dog. Therefore all dogs are called Shep".  Utter nonsense.

So, comedian I'll never go to see - Kai Humphries.

Paper I'll never read - The Scotsman.

This might seem like an over-reaction, BUT I do consider the running of the bulls to be animal cruelty.  To say otherwise is (at the very least) naive, and is (in my opinion) heartless.  The fact is that these animals are only running because they ARE scared.  

What I did on my holiday (aka The long weekend)

So I had a day off on Friday, and there was a bank holiday on Monday, so a four day weekend, yay!
So what did I do then?  Well, on Friday, the gas man came to service the boiler.  AND there was a second gas man doing a Green Deal assessment on the house - the only improvement would be to add solar panels apparently.

Once Scottish/British* gas' finest had left, I headed into town to catch up with Pete and the Wetherspoons cider festival.
Cider was drunk.  So was I.  But not so drunk that there were typos when I was texting, so that's not bad.

On Saturday we were out for a meal for our wedding anniversary - 15 years!!!  Really nice curry in the Alishan in Battlefield.

Sunday we met up with Pete and Kerr and more 'spoons cider was drunk.  Though not quite as much as on Friday!

Yesterday was lazy for me as Karen didn't have the day off, so I vegged out with the cats, then in the evening we headed to Troon in the car, just to grab an ice cream and walk along the front. 

So much for an early start

So, this morning, due to the general mugginess and heat, I was awake at 5.00am and up about 20 minutes later.  No point lying in bed if you can't sleep, is there?

The plan was then hatched, to grab some juice and some coffee, and get them down me, before deciding on a long leasurely cycle into town by some obscure scenic route that would make no sense whatsoever, from a commuting point of view.  So, about 6.30 I was all ready to go, and that's when I discovered the flat tyre.
Off with the wheel, and a quick scan of the tyre, and a small sliver of glass was revealed as the culprit.
To save time, I opted not to fix the puncture, but instead to change the inner tube.  This proved not to be the time saving measure I planned it to be, as about 10 minutes after leaving the house, in the middle of Mosspark, there was an almighty bang, and I was instantly reduced to a flat rear tyre again.

Back at the house, it transpired that I had been in such a hurry to change the tube, that the inner tube had been slightly folded over on itself, and under the combination of the air pressure and my lardy arse, couldn't handle it.  The hole was about the size of an old 1/2p.  It was really quite impressive.

Tube out, burst tube patched and carefully popped in, and I was finally on my way.  By this point I was actually 15 minutes later leaving the house than I usually am, so the scenic route was out of the question, and it was a case of hammering it along my usual commute route.

After grabbing a quick shower in the work and nipping out to buy something for my lunch, I was only about 10 minutes late getting in, which wasn't bad considering.

On the plus side, at least I know that I can (a) still fix a puncture, and (b) change a tyre in a reasonably quick time*


(*thank you whoever designed quick release wheels)

The never ending clearout

So, I've a rather large pile of books ready to take to a car boot sometime soon (hopefully), and I've made a drastci decision.  I've also got a pile of rpg rule books that haven't been used in Cthulhu knows how many years, so...........

This morning, someone in work bought the D&D Players Handbook and DM Guide from me.  I've still got Elric - which I really don't need, as it's basically a re-hash of Stormbringer (which I'm keeping), and there's also Rolemaster - which I used to play, but haven't since I bought the books.  Ironic or what?
I'm also keeping CoC, since I love all things Lovecraftian, although, I've got 4th ed and the latest edition, so in theory I could sell the 4th edition rules, hmmmmm.
I've got 2nd edition Runequest, and Cults of Prax, plus a load of RQ articles from when White Dwarf was a gaming mag and not just an in-house mag for Games Workshop.  For the moment I'm keeping those.
The weirdest one, is a set of rules for LARP-ing Call of Cthulhu.  Now there's no way this will be getting used, as I haven't the time or inclination to run it, but as a read, it's fun.  If you could be arsed putting in the preperation for this, it could be awesome.

Anyway, hopefully someone will be interested and make me an offer to take them off my hands.

Update schmupdate

Oops, been a bit lax on the update front.  My bad.

There's some stuff to post, so I'll get on it asap.

Promise.