Breathe

After many hours flight and as we neared NZ, Spook sneezed. Then I heard him sniffling a bit. He was wearing his headphones and couldn’t hear me so I pointed to his nose and made sympathetic signs indicating that I was sorry to see he was getting a cold. He yelled indignantly “have you smelt your OWN breath”

There followed a look of black affronted horror on my face and a 20 minute boose that no amount of apology could erase until I’d recovered from the humiliation.

When we stepped through customs and into the Christchurch airport foyer I became overwhelmed by tearful emotion. This had nothing to do with accusations of bad breath and everything to do with an unexpected sense of loss and connection.
We were picked up promptly by our Lucky Campervan company which turned out to be the luckiest thing about them. We’d gone budget to give us more spending money on the trip but it turned out that we were lucky they gave us one at all and we’ll be lucky if we can get it to drive all the way around the island and back to their yard again. We were lucky they gave us one pillow (misnomer) and one fork and knife even though it was to be fitted out for 2 people. We were lucky it made it up Burke’s Pass to the High McKenzie Country and the tail back behind me was lucky I was willing to pull in every 5 mins to let them pass.
We delved into our inner Granny and Papa Munro and understood that nothing stands in the way of a good adventure. As long as we could brew up a coffee by the side of the road and Spook knew how to access the engine, then the one fork and knife and perhaps a Kirby grip, would be all that was required to get us to where we needed to go.
To get to our daughter.

Shackt’d Up

Spook and I have been together for 29 years and married for almost 24. So why would I decide to get shackt’d up this Christmas?
Because we are chronically bad sleepers, is why. Horizontal suggested it. He was fed up hearing us moaning about how little sleep we get each night.

“Do something about it,” he declared

So I ordered a couple of shakti mats for our Christmas. Something, I assured Spook, that we could do in bed together, for about 20 mins, that would help us sleep. This piqued his interest - until……
matching mats arrived in time for Christmas, covered in about 6000 little sharp spikes on plastic discs attached to a slightly padded mat. This is an acupressure mat and is based on the ‘bed of nails’ concept. I lay it out on my side of the bed and with bare back and gritted teeth slowly lowered myself onto it. What a shocker! Once on, I couldn’t move as any slight side ways or up and down movement resulted in an injury - like an attack by a Wildcat, leaving angry raised red lines on my skin. At first it was breathtakingly sharp pain, but quite quickly a raging heat developed all over my back. I’d set the alarm for the recommended 20mins and tried to deep breath into the mat. I was aware that my heart rate seemed to have increased. I ignored the fact that Spook had declined to join me the first 2 nights though he looked on in horror. Apparently he hadn’t noticed there were 2 mats and was politely allowing me extra time before it was his shot.
Very kind of him but by the 3rd night I was on to him and insisted he joined me. His face was a picture as he hit the mat. It is credit to his willingness to try new things that he managed about 5 nights of this. The first night he even fell asleep towards the last 5 mins of the session. Our backs were a mass of tiny pricks on bright sunburned looking skin.
Now to sleep well.
Nope. Not remotely well. We continue to be chronically bad sleepers with a sense of foreboding when we approach our bed for the night. I am on night 9 and Spook is wavering about whether to continue or not. Bizarrely, my body is getting used to the pain and it is much less intense than at the start. I’m not sure how long to keep going without the desired results but it does come with a 60 day money back guarantee.
Spook said “you’re not taking that to NZ with you!!” But I have a guarantee to work through. We leave tomorrow night on the Glasgow bound bus and there’s plenty room in his bag. Unfortunately for him there isn’t going to be plenty of room in our campervan and if I lay the mat across the way we can share!
We are going to visit our daughter, Princess Meg, who left for a 6 week holiday in November 2018 and still hasn’t quite found the time to come back. When I said to her, after 6 months of sharing the house with her apres university, that I didnt think we could live together, she said “yes I know - I’m so sorry” then went off for 6 weeks and has thus far stayed away for about 60 weeks.
I now have less than a month to convince her that perhaps we could at least be neighbours as NZ is a bit further awaythan I’d envisaged.

Back of Steall with Moanin' Mo

Instead of some kind of punishing excercise, Spook suggested a wee Sunday stroll. He suggested going to the head of Glen Nevis and taking the alternative route to Old Steall. I checked first that this didn’t entail clinging to the lower slopes around the back of Ben Nevis and his closed eyes and slow expiration of breath suggested I was being unnecessarily jittery and really really annoying.

T’was a good day for a walk, and Lochaberites were out and about in celebration.

I take the signage very seriously. But we were only coming back by this track, and were skimming up the hill a bit and through a bealach/coll that led us to skirt around the hill and into the upper reaches of the glen at Old Steall.

That is to the left of the photo and through the low point up there. Seemed straight forward enough but it was a sharp start, I’m not fit and once we got to the start of the snow level it was slidey and crossing a slope is often harder than climbing straight up. I was a bit moany and was using my Andrew Stick to keep me upright. Spook had his hands in his pockets most of the time.

But I did take time to stop and exclaim at the view which changes so quickly with a little height.

I’ve never seen Steall from this angle before.

It was hard to reconcile the image I’d had of a wee walk up to the pass, with the foreshortening that goes on in a view and the amount of hillside that is hidden from the road. You’d think I’d know………

There’s nothing particularly romantic about walking with Spook. He’s naturally very fit and this allows him to keep a safe distance from the complainant.

I did recover my equilibrium by the time we got to the bealach as the sun had come out, I’d warmed up my imagination and was thinking of White Walkers or Native Americans doing that old trick when your stuck in the gorge with no way out. However, the bealach was tiny and we were through to the other side quickly with only deep snow to booby trap us.

Andrew’s stick was the measure of it.

And my guide seemed to know where he was going.

This was the point where a bit of an effort for what I’d thought was a stroll, became a magnificent walk.

The summit of Ben Nevis (so I was right - I was hanging about on the nether regions of the The Ben)

For the most part, we were walking across a bog, but the snow protected us from much of that. This was a plateau above Old Steall so we had a steep track to get down into the Glen.

Parallel worlds 30 minutes apart. (15 minutes apart if you’re Spook!)

Steall Bothy

Familiar territory, coming back out of Steall by the traditional route.

Last of The Mohicans tree.

This is a fantastic way to walk around Steall - it’s not a stroll, but is worth every effort. Ideally, you don’t want to go with me. There’s a reason why I do a lot of things by myself.

Unexpected Support on Unsupported Walk

Back in October 2017 I’d planned to walk to Inverie, Knoydart, via a night in Sourlies Bothy at the end of Glendessary. But a work date got in the way, which is just as well, as the day I would have woken up in Sourlies, was the day I woke up with flu and didn’t get out of bed for 10 days.

Running Girl has mentioned on a few occasions how she did this as a birthday treat years ago. She took the boat in to Inverie from Mallaig and ran the 14 or so miles through to Glendessary in one go. We all have different ideas of what constitutes a treat. It seemed reasonable that my 54 year old self could manage it over 2 days. I’d just spent a weekend being part of Running Girls support group as she ran 35+ miles a day. A couple of 7 mile days (roughly dividing the distance in half) over albeit rough ground and with a heavy rucksack, taking into account that just because I completed my challenge of walking/running (mostly walking) 100 miles in January did not make me fit - well, it would be a challenge, but unlikely to be one I couldn’t manage. Which would be just as well, as there is no phone or internet signal from start to finish.

No 1 support in the unsupported walk came from Spook who helped me to pack and made sure I had everything I needed for inclement weather and disaster. The weather on 27th/28th February was to be dry and sunny. And not cold. What better time to do this? No midges, no snow, no rain - no people. He wished he could come with me

There was nearly people, as a man appeared at his car just as I was departing. He’d walking in yesterday, nipping up a Corbett on the way, and taking 5 hours to get to Sourlies. He had the place to himself, though he could see that folk had been there the night before and he’d had to tidy up their mess. He said there was a snib on the door, so after 10pm he’d locked it. I asked him why he’d felt the need to do that??? “oh, just peace of mind” he said mildly. He’d walked back out in 4 hours. He was at least 10 years younger than me, strong and didn’t look remotely fatigued.

No 2 support was in Running Girl doing a 50 mile round trip to deliver me to Glen Dessary. She was more excited than I was, no doubt reminiscing about that birthday treat. She wished she was coming with me.

There was a warning sign……….

There was also 2.3 stones (15kg) of equipment strapped to my back . It was just a little disconcerting that after only 45 minutes of walking, when The Stalkers vehicle appeared and they slowed down to say hello, I’d jumped in the back before quite knew what was happening.

No 3 support. I know Fraser, though not his companion who was driving. I could see concern on their faces that ‘assistance’ was being sought before I’d even left the road. To my mind I was simply conserving energy. It may only have been 10 minutes in the truck, but it saved 20 minutes on foot and I was still struggling to adjust to the weight on my back. Fraser’s colleague asked my plans and reminded me that it was a steep climb up from Carnach on my 2nd day. I’d seen that on the map. “Just one step at a time” he said, with the air of a man who was used to supporting ill-prepared people on a Shoot . “and look for the stone wall on the other side of the river. The bridge has gone and that is the shallowest point to ford.”

“Have you been to Gleann Meadil before?”

“I’ve never even been to Knoydart before!” I exclaimed.

“Ah” said he.

It was hard to tell if this meant that I was in for a lovely surprise, or a terrible shock.

With a worried look, Fraser checked when Spook would be expecting to hear from me again (in over 24hrs time) and said goodbye.

Little by little, I adjusted to the rucksack and concentrated on careful steps and only looking at the view when I stopped. A turned ankle, especially with an extra 15kg on my back, would be catastrophic. After a couple of hours I stopped for lunch, believing this to be roughly my halfway point. After all, the man I’d just met had diverted up a hill on the way in.

Looking back, it was encouraging to see that, despite the slow pace, I’d come quite a distance. I had read that the path became indistinct in places. As I eventually meandered about the bog of what was presumably the watershed, I had to agree. There’s not a lot of straight lines in Scotland’s walkways, and I was making long work, trying to keep my feet reasonably dry.

No 4 support. Andrew Dignan’s stick. I took it with me as a bit of a joke, enjoying the image of myself as an old Shepherdess, fancying that it lent me an air of experience in the hills. Andrew passed away last year, and his son, Gorgeous Kev, gifted it to me as he knew I was wanting to make my own stick. As a tester of bog depth, and support on rough stony paths going downhill, and helping to haul me and my load uphill as well as that wonderful opportunity it affords to just lean and look, it was way better than fancy walking poles. Andrew’s stick was as important a piece of equipment as my bivvy bag and my coffee pot.

As time and effort ground on, I was beginning to treat the map as if it were my mother, consulting it every 5 minutes to see if “we were nearly there yet.” Really, it was quite clear which way to go so I finally tucked it away in the rucksack.

This was bad timing……..

Whilst it was obvious that I would be going between the low points of the view, it wasn’t obvious which side of the river I should be on - well, it WAS obvious to me, but there was a sign telling me to go the other way.

Implication, despite the clear path, that this was not the correct path. Go and cross the river.

But when I walked over to the river, the path petered out at the gorge, and when I looked back at the cross, the path on this side of the river was clear, as it headed to the gorge. Ocht - a prangster. Did I get out the map to check? The one I’d been clutching to me for the last 3 hours? Of course not. When I checked the map later, it crossed the river here!

An equally exciting, and disconcerting moment. I could see Loch Nevis where Sourlies bothy sits snugly beside. But it was still too far away and I was clearly on the wrong side of the gorge as the path became more and more precarious. I needed to get to the other side, but couldn’t face the walk back to the cross. Andrew’s stick came to my assistance. I unhitched my rucksack and hooked the stick over the top loop and carefully lowered it down some small crags where the length of the rucksack and the stick combined were enough to bring it to rest on a grassy bit. Then I could more safely scramble down without the extra weight. I did this over two sections of crags and got myself to the river where a short but steep grassy scramble would take me up to what was now clearly the true path. My heart was louping and my legs were shaking, but it was fantastic to be alive!!! Andrews stick then took me down that long long walk to sea level, where I was shocked to find that I’d taken 5.5 hours to get there.

Home sweet home. The part of the trip that had caused me the most concern, prior to starting. was spending a night in a bothy alone. I’ve only stayed in two before - once with Spook and once with Running Girl. A night of terror filled me in James of The Glens bothy near Duror as I dreamt of the Redcoats who took him away from his house and hung him by the Ballachulish Bridge for a murder he didn’t commit. It turned out to be very well fed, noisy mice, running about our rucksacks. Then, a night of terror ensued in a secret wee magical bothy out on the coast, where a storm blew up and we thought the roof was going to blow off. And there was the added fury of my daughter who said her noodles tasted funny and I gave her a row, told her not to be so spoilt. Eventually I realised we’d used her container to transport methylated spirits for the stove. YUCH! And she was pretty scary.

Little had I expected the journey into Sourlies to be so tough and exhausting, and until I got there, my fears of a bothy night had melted away in the relief of actually getting there in one piece - until I got there. Whilst it was a fine wee refuge - and clearly had not been the dwelling of some poor crofter torn from his bed and burnt out of his home, therefore unlikely to be harbouring any ghosts - I took exception to it and decided to bivvy out.

Two long burning logs had been carried in for the purpose. It would be lovely to lie here and listen to the sounds of the sea and the night. I had a little extra support (no 5?) by my side.

By 6.30pm dark was falling and there was a long night ahead. With nothing else to think about, I pondered my predicament. I was completely exhausted. I’d got myself in here and there was only one way out, unless I lay here and waited for 2 days for Spook to get the message and send a boat or a chopper. The message was in the delay. There was absolutely no other way of sending a message. I was completely alone. If anything or anyone was to trouble me, only I could get myself out of it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone and lonely. Where the hell was Running Girl and Spook when I needed them? I took to thinking about the inordinate amount of bones lying around the place. It was like an animal graveyard. What the hell had been eating them?

Did they come here to die? Or did they die because they came here? That was the question.

As I tried to distract myself by flicking back over the photo’s I’d taken, my heart nearly broke through my breast bone when I saw a crazed, burnt kind of face in a balaclava peering over my shoulder.

That was it! I was out of my bivvy bag and had it dragged into the bothy running back with the shovel to get my burning log. If that man who’d stayed here last night wanted ‘peace of mind’, I bloody well wanted it too. Door bolted, heart pounding. Shovel inside as possible weapon of self defence.

Suddenly I really needed that whisky, and I thought I’d left it outside.

No - it was here……

One hip flask was not going to be enough.

With the gentle phut phut of the flame, I tried to focus on calming down. I looked at my support system.

Andrews stick, and Martin Ledgeroute’s boots, - ex mountain rescue and the most amazing bog and gorge river crossing boot - No 6 support. La Sportiva. Sorry Martin. I know you’re coming back up for a visit soon, but you can’t have them back.

No sooner had my nerves resolved themselves to settling down or I risked dying of a heart attack, there was a heavy rubbing sound at the gable end of the bothy.

Remembering a night in a Nissan Hut in Glen Doll with my equally feart pal Richard, circa 1985, I was sure this must be a large stag (of which I’d seen plenty when I came down to the loch). In Glen Doll, it was likely a wee sheep masquerading as a large monster and we were absolutely petrified. I’m older now. It would be fine, as Glen Doll had turned out to be fine. I’d read my book. The Colour of Bee Larkhams Murder. Nope. Not reading THAT. It was now 9pm. I needed a safe distraction. I picked up my phone and idly scrolled to my text messages. I picked out a dear friend and read our messages back and forth to each other between March 2016 and September 2016. I smiled, re read them, sighed, and as the log burnt down, settled down to snooze. I decided I wouldn’t look at my phone to see the time until there was a light dawning.

At 5pm, there was the tiniest of dawns. The wind was making the roof creak disconcertingly and it seemed that my clear day of yesterday had passed and it was going to be a duller, perhaps wet day. I could sense movement outside beyond the wind which was making me uncomfortable, but the deer had been right at the hut when I’d come down the glen, so I rationalised and waited for the light to grown.

I peeked out the window for reassurance that there was nothing untoward outside, and opened the door.

THIS was an indescribable moment of happiness. Fear melted away and I felt safe, strong and capable. I made a cup of green tea, porridge and sat outside the bothy.

As I was brewing coffee before departure, it dawned on my who my no 7 support was. My dear friend isn’t with us anymore and yet last night it had been her who had soothed my fears. I burst into tears. We like to say that the people we love are in our hearts when they’ve gone, but it’s even better if they’re in your phone, because then they can access your heart on dial up. How she would have hooted with laughter if she’d known how scared I was and that she could comfort me.

Re packed without the logs - a psychological boost as well as a physical one - and my trusty stick in hand, it was time to walk around the coast line to the next glen, the river crossing and the climb up to the Col into Gleann Meadil.

8am.

On the map, this is a short, easy walk along a beach and across flat land. It took me an hour! The usual zigzag to cross bogs and a diversion to take a photo of something that in the past, I’d have had to drag over the mountain……..

Without the wise guidance of The Stalker of Glendessary, I’d have missed the ford. No 8 support was the words of my mother as she moaned about terrible river crossings in bare feet with her boots strapped round her neck. She knew it was worth it to have dry feet and if Mental Monday’s swims have prepared me for anything, it’s cold, wet feet. I wasn’t risking wet boots and sure enough it came to not far under my knees.

The loss of the bridge makes this a very difficult crossing when the river is in spate.

Carnach - the point of starting the 550m climb.

If I’m trained for anything, I’m trained for going up a hill. 14 Ben races plus the attendant training must count for something. Everytime I ate something, I told myself my rucksack was lighter, and my energy levels lifted. Andrew’s stick took the strain.

After 1hr 40mins of climbing (and resting) it was time to say goodbye to the Glen of Carnach (I don’t actually know what the glen is called but the river is Carnach so it’s a good guess) and hello to Gleann Meadil……..

Oh happy days. I could see straight to Inverie! That gentle curve at the foot of the hills is the gentle curve of the bay. Of course, I’m not a crow, the path wiggled about, the view was seriously foreshortened and it took me 3 hours to get to the Knoydart Foundation Bunkhouse in the village.

That tiny wee cross on the hill was only tiny because it was still quite far away.

And on the map, where my wee road met this road up the next glen (which leads to Inverie in the other direction) looked like the main road into Inverie. I had felt sure I could hitch a lift……………not trained in the art of map reading, obviously.

When I got to the bunkhouse it was 1.45pm. Glancing at the ferry timetable I realised I was in loads of time for the 3pm ferry to Mallaig which takes 30 mins and I could catch the 4pm train to Fort William. The bunkhouse was superb. I took a wee peek in the kitchen and the lounge and with no one there, it was down to an honesty box and pick your own room. I left Fiona a note as although I hadn’t heard back from her before I left home, I’d attempted to pre book and I didn’t want anyone worrying. I also left my room fee in the box as this wasn’t an economy move. It was a get home to my husband move (lightweight!) The village of Inverie was the most wonderful calm, reassuring presence at the edge of a wilderness. I still had no signal, so thought I’d reassure Spook I was still alive by using the Telephone Box - I was fairly sure I still knew how to use one. No phone inside the box! Post Office - closed for lunch. Shop - closed for lunch. I went to the pier and a man waiting for the ferry reassured me that contact with the outside world returned halfway across the loch.

The boat from Mallaig would appear between the two headlands and would cost £10.

Inverie. A special place - even with an empty telephone box, closed for lunch shops and an empty bunkhouse. You just knew that you were welcome there.

http://www.knoydart-foundation.com/

As my train approached my station for home, I couldn’t face lifting my rucksack anymore and couldn’t get Spook on the phone. This could have been the moment that broke me. But there was No 2 support, waiting in her van, ready to lift my bag in for me. She burst out laughing when she saw the state of me.

“As I was walking, I realised I’d never asked you if you’d actually enjoyed your birthday treat all those years ago!” I wailed.

“Oh, I absolutely loved it. But I’d got Climbing Kev to leave my bike at the Glendessary road end so that I could cycle the 30 miles home. I HATED that bit.”

She delivered me to Spook where she left me - giggling in a slightly manic manner (me - not her.)

WHW - Worth the Hellish Weather

There was months of planning. For some, there was years of thinking about it (and less planning), and for one, there was a no show due to injury (sorry Curly - they missed you. ) The day finally came. Having chosen the peaceful, but potentially cold, and likely dark month of February, they just had to take what they got.

Mr B’dass was the first supporter, who picked them up and headed out of town at 6 am in Fort William to start the 3 day run over the West Highland Way at around 9am in Milngavie, outside Glasgow.

They were pretty gallus from the look of it. There was a planned 7/8 hr day of light jogging ahead. These are strong women and used to the wildest Lochaber weather and as hardened hill runners with many many Ben Nevis Races under their belts - one of them a past Scottish Hill Running champ with 21 Bens in the bag.

Hang on a minute - are they having a quick smoke????????

Not for a moment did they think that 3 days to cover the often rough terrain of 96 miles to Fort William was going to be easy. But hey - they had this.

Unfortunately the one who had the map got a wee bit confused by the John Muir Trust Way which crossed the WHW about 6 miles down the track and, before they knew it, they were heading east instead of north for 2 miles before they realised their mistake. This added 4 miles to their route. An upset tummy, a fight with Conic Hill (honestly? It’s a wee bit smaller than Ben Nevis!!) and the oft complained about tough ground past Rowardennan took it’s toll as darkness crept in. I phoned them at 7pm thinking they’d have had their tea and be all tucked up in bed with some kind of tonic but knew by the forced cheerful, breathless voice that the running was still going on. It was pitch dark and there was 3 miles still to go. The landlady at the B&B had called at 6.10pm to tell them they’d missed their 6pm check in time. She wasn’t pleased. Hard to imagine that every walker on the Way makes their scheduled arrival time.

So after a much longer, tougher day than expected, they all fell into the welcoming arms of Climbing Kev, who had charmed the grumpy landlady (he’s well known for his charm), made them a delicious meal, and doled out copious amounts of praise and support. He also had all their supplies of food and dry clothes. And wine.

She who stretches the furthest, gets the biggest bed.

The next stage was from Inversnaid on Loch Lomondside, to Glencoe ski centre. Climbing Kev was to rendezvous with me at the cafe in Tyndrum to pass over their gear, where I would then wait for them, over the trials of coffee, cake and the Sunday Papers. I am selfless.

First, there was a fond farewell to the hero of the previous night ( she IS fiendishly strong - it’s her super power. Not everyone realises it. But I think Kev does…..)

Beware of she who doles out the fond hug!!!!!!

It was a cheery trio that arrived later than expected in the rain outside the cafe in Tyndrum. They ate loads and then had to head out into the rain in clothing that was still damp. Having realised that the Glencoe cafe would have stopped serving before their now later time of an estimated 8pm, I was dispatched to find something easy but tasty to cook on the stove in my van. I scoured the wee Spar shop and came up with suitable fare. But first I was to meet them where the Way crossed the A82 at Bridge of Orchy. It takes about 10 minutes in the van, and 1 hour 40 minutes of running time. I had the kettle on the boil at the ready.

Big Mamma Mo.

Despite the brave faces, one member of the group was feeling a bit vulnerable. It was after 5pm, and there was a tough 11 miles to go to Glencoe and most of it uphill and in the dark.

Luckily there was help on the way in the unique Faroese form of Nordic Amazonian - Nicky. she just asked if there was anything she could bring to Glencoe and I said yes - running shoes and head torch. Could she nip down the track to welcome them in and a wee bit extra support if needed. Obviously I had the nutritious meal to concoct or I’d go myself.

Nicky had never been down that track before and didn’t even know where it started. I was happy to show her and made lot’s of encouraging noises as she headed off onto the dark moor, alone. I mean, there was a moon and everything and I could point out the moonlit cloud closest to where she needed to aim for. Nothing to worry here - apart from Stags and the ghosts of Glencoe tragedies. Unfortunately, there were also Ptarmigan on the track which waited until she was almost upon them, flying up in panic right in her face, and challenging her heart rate and resolve.

Back at the camp, extra support came all the way from Achnacarry, a tiny settlement tucked away beyond Fort William - just to give them a hug and say well done. Emma and Jonathon did what was probably a 3 hour round trip to show their admiration.

Nicky found the girls not too far away and jogged in with them, just as the rain came on. The vulnerability had faded with the moonlight and a comfortable pace.

Hot showers, macaroni and tinned chicken in white sauce (best meal they’ve ever had, to be sure) and chocolate easter eggs supplied by Nicky, some wine and Pepsi Max - sorted. The Hobbit pods at Glencoe Ski resort were excellent as were the rest of the facilities. I slept in my van, with the leftover chicken pasta pots under the van due to unpleasant smells unwelcome in my boudoir. A storm blew up and I heard the pans sliding down the car park. With the newly opened Kingshouse Hotel down the road and directly in the line of the wind, I could just imagine pots breaking windows and guests showered by stinky tinned chicken. I had to get my boots on and chase the pots down the carpark and re-install them in the van. I really should have spent more time clearing up after dinner.

The runners were stoical in the morning. The wind was still blowing and the rain was incessant. But this was home. This is what they are used to.

“Come with us Big Mamma Mo!! Come with us” You’ll love it.”

“No, no - I need to wash the pots!” I cried, bravely

It simply did not matter what the weather was throwing at them, nor the promise of The Devil’s Staircase ahead - they were on home ground.

Not sure where this is, but it’s a nice photo.

I saw them head up the Staircase and then drove to Kinlochleven where I had to put myself through another coffee stop and finish yesterdays Sunday papers. The rain was of the double speed windscreen wiper variety.

Didnae bother them one bit. The closer they got to home, the better their spirits.

After being embroiled in my newspaper and reading opinions on the issue of returning ISIS brides - I couldn’t help wondering……………

This ones husband and daughter called in to share a cuppa and support. Richard has run the WHW over 2 days and understood much of what his wife was going through.

From Kinochleven, there was about 8 miles of stony track to Blarmachfoldach where the girls had to leave the Way as it was closed for maintenance, shortening their run and leaving them only about 5 miles to run a seriously undulating road back to town. They romped along this stage in cold, unrelenting rain, on schedule - and flew down the road, to burst into town on a high, looking as if they had just begun. In fact, possibly better than they felt at the beginning.

My heroes. xxx

Steamy Days and Nights.

Refusing to be intimidated by the 100 mile January challenge, I’ve been walking 4 miles in an hour, after tea, at yon sleepy time when you want to fall asleep in front of the the TV. Spook has been coming with me and we talk more and feel much more lively when we get back home. A little running has been fitted in here and there, but a walk suffices any time. At this point I’ve covered 41.77 miles (according to Endomondo) and I might have to push myself to cover 5 miles in a jog today, once I have used up all available reasons to procrastinate. The main thing is - I will most likely manage that without collapse or tears and I now remember how much more energised it makes me. I’m much less sluggish and much more positive in general.

On Friday night Spook accompanied me again and I thought we might call into the B’Dass’s on the way home. For this sociable purpose I had fitted a bottle of gin in one pocket and a bottle of tonic and a lemon in the other. (you can have much bigger pockets when walking, which is much handier than running lycra, which hides nothing.) Endomondo only recorded 0.53 miles (which is why I have to run 5 today in penance), indicating that we didn’t make it past their door on the outward journey. There ensued a very entertaining evening, where talk descended into Parliamo Lochaber. For those unfamiliar with Parliamo Glasgow, this was created by Stanley Baxter in the 1960’s and was presented as a language class for those wishing to understand Glaswegian. Such classics as “scummindooninbuckets” meaning ‘it’s raining heavily’, were explained and he would put words into context to help understand the meaning, e.g. izziafiz - Izziafiz meat? meaning ‘has he lost his appetite’. Or ‘sanoffy’. eg ‘Sanoffy caul day’ meaning “It’s awfully cold today.”

As we reminisced somewhat, Mr B’Dass could tell us that he had been able to take advantage of an opportunity early in life because he reckoned he had been “shroodereranim” . He had to repeat a couple of times before we could interpret this as ‘you need to be sharper than the next one.’ The feminine of this expression would be ‘shroodereraner’. It may be grammatically incorrect to add ‘er’ to the end of shrewder, but we felt that it worked in the context. In fact, even one er after shrewd might be too much.

When Spook woke up the next morning, he was still slightly sozzled, but totally inspired by Mr B’Dass and his trash-talk. He announced from his bed that he could have a hot-tub up and running by the end of the day. Apparently the look on my face was a little sceptical , but followed by “Oh aye, that’ll be right!” just made him all the more determined. First, we had to get him sober. I was heading for my 2nd Park Run up at Nevis Range, so he decided a 3 mile sprint around the forest would set him up nicely for the challenge ahead. The Park Run is fantastic. I've resisted for 38 weeks (as that’s how many they’ve done so far), but my January challenge helped me to overcome my nervous resistance. This is the most unthreatening of set ups, is not a race other than your own personal challenge, and each week you can look at trying to improve your own time, or perhaps trounce your inebriated husband (not a chance - he was way ahead from the start) and take your children - or dogs on a lead. If you’ve never taken part in a running event, this is the perfect start. And coffee and cake, or rejuvenating bacon and egg rolls for Spook who had much to do afterwards, just tops off a great start to a Saturday. It was really sociable and we both felt very upbeat when we got home. I had pledged my support to Spook despite the now rainy weather, and had therefore ruled out the option of feet up on the sofa by the fire awaiting my invite to join him in the hot-tub.

SO inviting……….

I don’t know - maybe it would be better for me not to watch the progress. It’s just not how I imagined it.

A wee loan of the No Fuss podium, 2nd place position.

The hole was too big for the flue, so he needed to fabricate a plate……….

Rain and darkness were not going to get in his way….

Finally - it was time to light the stove, fill the tub, and wait……..

Once the water poured down that wee hole into the back boiler of the stove, it should turn to steam and eventually hot water which will pour back into the tub….

A bit cold to be hanging around out here but there was plenty of ambience inside the hut.

Lot’s of steam, but no water yet. Back inside for a wee dram.

By this time, Spook really thought we should be getting some hot water. And then we did……

Oh dearie me. After all Spooks hard work, the water was certainly hot, but not emptying into the required receptacle. Stove to be removed and back boiler welded. It’s not over, but it was for last night. Well done Spook. Not least for a fantastic Park Run in less than comfortable circumstances. I look forward to our next Park Run together and I look forward to the next step in the hot-tub story.

Pj's and Dragons

After 4.5hours of cleaning today, for which I am paid ( cause that’s my job,) and as someone who rarely spends more than 10 mins cleaning her own house, I do think I deserve to lie down after that kind of effort. This was largely my problem all last year. I needed to lie down after the shock of all that cleaning, and so no running got done. Today I came home and knew I had to rise to the challenge and walk or run 3 miles. I chose to walk, as it was far less intimidating. There was nothing for it but to instruct Spook in matters of the evening repast and at least enjoy not having a vacuum cleaner attached to my hand as I walked off into the murk of 4pm. On target!

Back at the start of the holidays, just before Christmas, the Fort William ‘boys’ were hosting a ‘cycling’ weekend for the Kingussie ‘boys’. Cycling was done, beer and whisky was drunk, and old Shinty rivalries were buried. Lindylou of well known Kingussie shinty stock, invited me up to her neck of the woods instead of coming to Lochaber, as the sun was shining up there and it was raining in The Fort. She promised a little cycling and a little whisky drinking, and a night out in Aviemore.

So off I headed

The cycling was all uphill

But the rewards were sweet.

After biscuits, cheese and whisky liquer, we jumped on the bikes for the long cycle home - which took about 10 minutes. We had really convinced ourselves we’d climbed a lot higher! But it’s chilly free-wheeling all the way, so Lindy suggested we warm up with a sauna in her Ma and Pa’s shed just down the road from her house. This seemed a pleasant option, so we got cozzies on with pyjamas on top, a towel, and I stuck my feet in her husbands slippers for ease. We were walking through the streets of Kingussie thus, when we bumped into a Kingussie Shinty hero, who had by- passed the Fort William event in favour of walking his dog and delivering his christmas cards. He was politely trying not to notice my outfit and outsized slippers. Lindylou was rocking her pj’s as if they were Haute Couture.

I was so mortified I had to take comfort from a Tomatin from Pa Malcolm’s christmas dram collection.

It’s a healing kind of drink.

And works well in a sauna environment

Lindy’s husband was confused by his lack of slippers. They are always where he leaves them as he is a disciplined kind of fella as are his dogs, who wouldn’t dream of running off with them, so it was puzzling. But he forgave me for his cold feet and cooked us an amazing dinner of extremely fresh breast of pheasant, potato dauphinoise, blue cheese sauce and kale.

This was to give us sustenance for a wee night out in Aviemore to see Robert Robertson and Manran at an all seated auditorium. No one told the Badenach Shinty Girls it was seated (and no one was brave enough to ask them to sit down) so Lindy lou, who trains with them, insisted that we lend them our support. Stripping the Willow in a seated auditorium is not an easy thing to pull off and as I let Lindy go, she pelted into a generously proportioned seated woman and pinged off in the direction of the Sound System guys. Just a classic Stripping of the Willow, really.

Next day, I wanted to make myself useful while a fully slippered Dave prepared our brunch (between Fire Brigade call outs.) Lindy asked me to plump up the cushions but to watch out for Diagio - it took me a while to find him.

I did try to get to know him, but he’s not easy to bond with……

Not cuddly.

Next year I’m taking my own slippers and buying fancy pyjamas.

Progress So Far

Aonach Mhor Uphill Race. So titled because it goes uphill. I know this, but I forgot……

Spook nipped up there in just over half an hour. He was chasing his brother which does lend wings to his feet.

Meanwhile, way down the hill, there was an older woman who seemed confused and had mistakenly put a number on her jumper. She was using a dog as some sort of tool.

Thankfully, she appeared to have her Carer with her.

Earlier on, in the woods, she was photo’d clinging to a tree - it did not bode well….

She made it up in just under the hour and the emergency services were able to come off Stand-by.

Thanks to John O’Neill for his photos and the great effort he always puts into recording each event.

The good news is that I have completed 14.71 miles since the 1st of January - some of which I have even run!! What a difference to mood and energy levels, just having to step out the door because of my challenge. Not everyone needs to be pushed in this way, but I clearly do. Tonight, when I came home from work, Spook informed me that my run would take me up to Steall, where he’d been yesterday and seen that a party had bought, and left, sleeping bags/mats/tent etc and that we would go in and clear it up. So despite really wanting to have a cup of tea and read my book, I knew I had my miles to do and I do like a sense of purpose. 10 minutes into my jog, my spirits lifted and I could hear the strains of The Gael inside my head and I had become the Last Mohican……

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pCv7k_Hzvg (if you really want to hear inside my head you have to stick this in your browser)

We met a young English couple coming into the Gorge from Steall, carrying all the rubbish, having gathered it all up in disgust. Good on them - this allowed us to continue on a bit further, up to Old Steall, where Angus Grant, The Left Handed Fiddler lived as a wee boy.

The season has seen our daughter in bright sunshine on the other side of the world,

but we have soldiered on, making the best of it. We partook of a High Tea of mince pies and brandy butter out at Rhu, near Arisaig, on Christmas Eve with Running Girl and Climbing Kev, who were camping. We were home by 7.30 after an amazing show of stars and The Milky Way, and a moonlit journey home. I’m not sure how long Spook thought we were staying and I was puzzled by what he had taken with him…….

Honest to goodness Spook - when did you think you were going to get time to read all those???? That’s the mince pies heating up on the stove. He’d just unpacked, when it was time to pack up again - he’s a funny one, that Spook!!

We went back out to Arisaig to party the night away with Shooglenifty in the village hall on the 29th and had morning coffee at Traigh shore.

The flow of whisky seems to be easing off a little now as The Season comes to an end, and the year begins. It’s been a promising start……..

A Wee Roundup

On the last day of the year, I’ve given myself a good talking to. Over the last 12 months there has been a dearth of running , adventures, and energy. No reason other than allowing myself to wallow. The biggest revelation as far as my husband is concerned, is that I still take a dip in the sea, early on a Monday morning. For this, I blame Running Girl. I go only for her protection - I worry that she may get picked up by the police, lurking in the bushes at an early hour…….

I mean, it all started quite normal.

Last January went well by running 100 miles over that month. I next ran in April - once. Then once in May. I intend to do 100 miles in January this year but might have to walk the first 50 to build up a bit of stamina. I went out on the bike a couple of times and Curly invited me to a musical afternoon across the loch. I took the bike and she took the Dodgem….

Social isolation seemed to suit my mood this year, but I did step out now and then to be reminded that girl company is the best….

And after a long and cold winter…..

sunshine can bring beloved friends from the deep south…….

Eastie Bestie persuaded me that a trip to Carol Doolittle in Glen Tilt, would do me good - which it did.

Inspired by Carol’s Dollittle approach to the countryside, I wanted to prove myself worthy by rounding up the goats and showing them who’s boss.

A powerful stance will totally intimidate them…….

Although it wouldn’t matter what stance you took, Dennis the Goat is not intimidated by anyone.

Carol Dolittle is great mates with Mr Brown the donkey and is confident she can persuade him to carry the gin out to a bothy night in the spring. I’ll be back for that, if Dennis doesn’t run me out the glen.

Friends and family are always important and worth making the effort for.

We couldn’t have been more impressed and proud of the dedication that got her here.

And getting the neighbours over to watch a film was always worth the effort though melting their wedding ‘his and her’ blankets on the stove was careless of me and I’ve said I’m sorry - more than once.

Where would we be if European friends couldn’t come and work here? Well, the least of it would be not getting orange soup, that’s for sure, and we’ll soon find out how much worse it will become.

We live in an amazing country, where Granny’s rock. There is no excuse for not getting out and making so much more of it. No more excuses. 100 mile January starts tomorrow.

Happy, more active New Year. It’s worth the effort.

The Good, The Bad and The Hairy.

The definition of adventure is really exclusive to the individual - from an early age I always believed I could have an adventure inside my head even on the shortest of journeys. But I seemed to have forgotten that this summer, insisting that I was too busy and too tired.

It was while giving a lift to my pal Climbing Kev on the way to work, that I was reminded that this in itself was something one could write home about. I suppose that’s just what happens when you get into conversation (or a vehicle) with Kev - who had originally hoped I wouldn’t bother conversing at all, and that he and his electric bike would make it all the way to Kinlochourn on The Rough Bounds of Knoydart in companionable silence. This was his 2nd attempt hitching a lift with the original idea being to cycle all the way back to Fort William - a distance of 50 miles. Unfortunately, heavy rain, inadequate clothing, and a bike designed to require less effort, therefore generating less body heat, meant a rescue package from Running Girl at Invergarry to avoid hypothermia. (It was also the same day that saw me being towed through 2 flooded lochside sections of the road by the Stalker in his 4 Wheel Drive in order to get home.) This time, he parked his own van at Invergarry and added extra layers of clothing and a better attitude. At least this time he was also more realistic about the companionable silence. In fact I was just giving him a lecture on not wearing all his layers of clothing in the van, quoting my mother on the wisdom of ‘getting the benefit of his jacket’ if he put it on once he was out the van, when we came upon a jaw dropping sight.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the landscape that took our breath away. It was a middle aged woman standing with her back to us in a passing place, who suddenly turned and started running towards us. She was wearing a bra and a shower cap (and running trousers.) Having just been discussing Climbing Kev’s likely hypothermia if he didn’t take his jacket off right now and put it on at the end of the journey, I couldn’t quite reconcile this image of light attire on a cold drizzly day in the middle of nowhere. Climbing Kev couldn’t reconcile the shower cap. We sat in stunned silence until I blurted out - “A bra????” And Kev blurted out “A shower cap???” Then we wondered if we’d really seen her. Kev was worried that he’d come cycling back to find the shower cap hanging on a tree. I figured that was ok as long as the bra wasn’t hanging on the tree too.

Kev worried about this for a while, until he realised there was much worse to face……..

As we drove along the 22 miles of single track, we encountered 3 separate herds which would threaten his capacity for peaceful communing with nature all along the route, blocking his way to Invergarry.

There is absolutely nothing one can say to reassure Climbing Kev that these are docile creatures (any more than one can persuade him to remove an outdoor jacket inside a warm vehicle). He has read all the literature on the matter and can quote how many deaths there are a year at the hooves of cows and mostly to farmers who would tell you that these are docile creatures. As we continued along the road, the biggest herd was to be found at the top of his first climb up from the shores of Loch Hourn - at least 20 of the hairy, ferocious mammoths. After surviving with his life intact, and no stabbings from sharp horns, he could tell me later that one of the beasts was standing at the far end of the bridge, ginger locks blowing in the wind, a menacing glare in his/her eye……

No cow in this image, but it was there, he assures me.

I could hear the haunting strains of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as he pondered his options - one of which was to avoid the bridge all together and take the very long, old route which this bridge shortcuts. But the cows were at the top of the old road too.

By the time he got to any trees that might have shower caps hanging on them, his electric bike was on full turbo power and everything passed in a blur. He considers himself lucky to be alive and it’s unlikely there will be a 3rd attempt.

He missed some nice views……..

I would like to thank Kev for his company and apologise for my uproarious laughter at what is a very genuine fear of the bovine kind. It was really him who had the adventure and me who enjoyed it vicariously and it was very rude and unkind of me to laugh quite so much. If we learnt anything from this, it might be that adding just a shower cap under his helmet when he gets out of a warm vehicle, could make all the difference and be enough to scare off the cows.

Sgurr a Mhaim and Scurry ower The Devil's Ridge

As I went to pick up Mrs B’Dass at 4.15pm I was wishing I’d said I was too busy. After all, they’re used to me saying that - whether anyone believes me or not is neither here nor there.

As we met Curly and Lady N, it was recording 27 degrees in Fort William - at 4.30pm. N had misinterpreted Curly’s message suggesting "an evening walk - no running." The no running part was because Sgurr a Mhaim is so steep that even Mrs B’dass is fine with not running up it. N had envisaged a stroll by the river and an early night - a slightly different kind of evening.  By the gate through the deer fence higher up the lower slopes I was feeling dizzy and extremely uncomfortable after about 30 minutes of ascent. Curly had meandered and chatted as if it WAS a stroll by the river but I’d put so much effort into appearing fit that I was feeling sick. We waited for N and Mrs B’dass. N was experiencing some discomfort too, so we encouraged the other two to continue their exchange of pleasantries without us. Funnily enough,despite the steep gradient, ravaged breathing and heat, we couldn't quite resist conversation but the reduced pace was a relief and as we got our feet and breath into the same rhythm I no longer felt that the task was too great. I haven't done any exercise that doesn't involve being attached to the end of a vacuum cleaner for at least 2 months - probably 3 - and each year I do get a little older. There was no pressure from the 2 companions above but it just felt better to let them make their own easy pace which was an entirely different pace from ours, which was merely about ensuring that the motion was upwards. But they were happy to wait and in this warmth, there’s none of the accustomed shivering as the sweat cools. It was a walk of about 4 parts. The first was to the summit....

The mountain is famously topped by quartzite that looks like snow from the distance.  It was a long time before we even saw this.

As my companions assumed power positions, discussed gin and ice that lurked in houses far below and firmly out of reach, I couldn't quite keep my eyes off stage 2 of the walk....

The Devils Ridge - described as "airy" in the guide books.  There was just no point in my hanging about and putting off the inevitable so I headed off myself.  I knew we were destined for stage 3 - the wee lochan nestled between this mountain and Stob Bhan, on our way down the hill.  

If only I could survive that far.....

At one particularly unnerving point, I heard guffaws of laughter and a shout encouraging me to stand up to make a better photo.  I didn't even look back.....

 From the Sgurr a Mhaim side it’s not such a frightening start (though bad enough) and I met 2 mildly unnerved young German men slithering down a rocky section on their bottoms as they glistened with sweat - heat or fear, I couldn't say, but probably both. I laughed and said I wasn’t loving it either. They said it was a little discomforting and the biggest issue was not knowing what was coming next or how long it was going to go on for.  With a sympathetic grin, I pushed on without considering the optional reassurance of female companionship - fear is a lonely place!!!!  I couldn't believe how long it took them to catch me up but my fevered breathing suggested that panic had leant wings to my feet (or rather my knees.) There didn't appear to be any panic in the rear guard.

 Lady N said she was pretty nervous, but she hid it well - so much more dignified than myself.

 Finally we got to the 3rd stage. The lochan. It was freezing, stony and alive with tadpoles so there was a fair amount of screaching echoing around the hillside. But there was no way these women were not getting submerged.

It's a gradual process...

Are they or aren't they?  You'd have to be hanging around, high in the hills, late on a summer evening to find out.

 I had to get in there too, despite my allergy to anything that makes me feel uncomfortable. But then there is always that magical photo opportunity. Otherwise, why get out of my narrow comfort zone?

It was time for Stage 4 - the long and winding descent as the sun set.

There's no need to hurry on a lovely mid-summer night.

 We came off the hill around 10.30pm all of us feeling a sense of something special, I think. Such a feeling came from a little adversity (or a lot depending on whether you were at the front or the back) and good companionship, along with truly majestic landscape. I’m so glad I resisted my very very strong temptation to say no to the invite. As time has gone on, it has become easier and easier to say no. But I’d forgotten how deeply a little effort nourishes the soul. (Various levels of effort are available. No terms and conditions apply).

Tallulah Spoons

There's something out there for everyone, you just have to find your own thing.

 Aileen told me a hilarious story about her skydive a few years ago.  She was sick several times during the dive, and her captive instructor was unable to avoid the 'fallout'.  He was not pleased.  It was funnily comforting to hear that not everyone takes such scary stuff in their jumping stride.  Not that she was the first person I'd heard of who hadn't  conducted herself with total dignity - like Sheila, when at the last moment, back in 2007, and not long after the bombing attacks in London,  she became convinced her buddy diver was a terrorist who was going to kill her.  As they tried to exit the aeroplane she made herself as large as possible, trying to wedge herself into the doorway.  When her innocent instructor tried to open the parachute,having managed to get her out the plane, she clung onto his legs as she was sure he was trying to unhook her.  Now, I can relate to that level of irrationality when faced with fear.  Running Girl then proved that Aileen's experience was not a one off, as she jumped last weekend, and was sick 4 times in what is presumably a very short time.  The Instructor was very understanding at first, and somehow found the time to ask her to stand on his feet and shut her eyes so that she would get the sensation that she was standing on the ground.  "Feeling better now?"  Nope - barf.  "Oh god, any better now?"  Nope.  "Turn you head away, then."  Barf. Barf.  "Ok, that's enough.  You have to stop being sick now as we are about to land."  Almost a week later, she's still feeling nauseous. 

This is not for me.

A couple of months ago I was having breakfast with my current neighbour and The Girl Next Door (who doesn't live next door anymore,) and TGND showed us a tiny wooden spoon that a young man had whittled for her baby daughter - Tallulah.  

Now - it wasn't long before the oohing and ahhing over the exquisite wee spoon became oohing and aahing over the young man who'd made it.  It's so gorgeous/he's so tall/isn't his beard lovely?????  There was something about a man whittling a tiny baby spoon that was melting them.  When I bumped into his girlfriend, I asked her how long he'd been whittling, as he was clearly an expert.  But it was a spontaneous creation out of a kindler for the fire, had taken 3 evenings and had been polished up using her beeswax moisturisor.  And I thought - maybe this could be my thing?

I bought a stanley knife, selected a kindler and dived into the wonderful, safe world of whittling.

Actually, the first wee spoon was made out of driftwood and was too soft, but the process was incredibly absorbing.  I bought a proper whittling knife.....

And a very expensive 'gouger'.......... and I whittled for hours, and hours, and hours

It was messy.......

But I could do it anywhere.  Once I'd started a spoon, I couldn't stop until it started to look like a spoon, and then I needed to sand it to see it's true potential, going to bed too late and trying to resist all attempts to make me put the spoons down.  After 30 minutes of Spook glowering at me one night, because he'd invited me to walk up the hill behind the house so that we could watch the Aurora Borealis which the forecast assured him we would definitely see, I had to put the spoon down, walk away from it and climb up the hill in the huff.  True, there was a sky full of stars, and yeah, yeah, it was a lovely night.  But Spook and I are destined never to see The Northern Lights and sure enough, there was not a glow to be seen.  Thankfully Spook salved the situation with a Highland Park whisky which he'd packed into his rucksack......the man is wise.

He went away for a night soon after, so I was free to whittle at will.  I could whittle in front of the TV, in between meals, get into my jammies early and get in some last minute whittling before bed, and no one to look at me as if some kind of madness had consumed me.

I was in bed, sound asleep, snuggled up in my pyjammas, when he came home late the next night. He hopped into bed, yelped and hopped right back out again.

"what the hell's been going on in this bed????"

  "Have you been whittling in here????"

This was a very rude awakening and I assured him I wasn't so stupid as to whittle in bed.  But when I felt around the sheet, it was gritty, sawdusty and a little jaggy in places. Ah!  Whittling in my pj's was the problem.  As I snuggled up next to him, he told me to move over as it was like sleeping with a porcupine.  Now I have to whittle in overalls and remember not to sleep in them.  So I wear overalls all the time, a bit like Frances McDormund in '3 Billboards in Epping, Missouri' (great film - nothing to do with whittling.)

It seems that it's not only Spook who finds my new habits challenging.  Climbing Kev wasn't sure how to respond to my raiding his log pile and then insisting that I'd added value to it by whittling a log into a spurtle which I then gifted to him.  He really wants to put it in the fire as originally intended but knows that I will do spot checks when I come round for a cup of tea.

Not content with annoying Kev, I gave Running Girl a spoon and insist she has to eat her porridge with it.   She's a good friend and tries to eat everything with it.......

A new friend, who doesn't know me very well, asked me to make a special present for an anniversary present.  She has no idea the commitment she is making in taking possession of my spoons.

First, you take a cut down tree, and then you convert it into something equally knobbly.

But such frantic whittling comes at a price.  Now my hands hurt!. I mean, really hurt.  The whittling has had to be kept to a minimum, and I have to go out on my bike or go for a run every now and then, and I'm not allowed to refuse romantic dates with my husband on account of spoon completion issues.  Kev does not need to lock up his wood pile and I need a safer past time.  

There IS someone who can enjoy her spoon without harassment.  That's because I didn't make it.  Ah - who's oohing and aahing now?

Slip Sliding Away at Nevis Range

As my first encounter with ski slopes happened back in 1977 on the 1st year school trip to Austria, one might think I'd have got to grips with them by now.  The whole trip including full board, gear and all week lessons cost £99.  This was not wasted as I did learn to ski to a perfectly competent level but unfortunately I haven't improved and with little practice in 20 years, I've lost the 12 year old's competence I'd developed that week.  There weren't lot's of opportunities to top up my skills - the next chance being on a trip to Aviemore with 3 school friends when we were 17 and I'd passed my driving test.  We stuffed ourselves into my pals mothers Datsun Cherry, squeezing in around the 4 sets of hired ski's and drove up the long mountain road with the windows open and the skis sticking out.  We'd never been there before and when I encountered a junction quite high up I turned left instead of continuing up to the main ski resort which I only learnt in hindsight would have been the only sensible thing to do.  The left turn took us to a chairlift and run that was like a half pipe - icy and narrow.  One of my friends had skied before and the other two had never had a pair of skis strapped to their feet - ever.  Getting on the chair lift was no problem, but getting off at the top proved to be impossible and they had to be allowed to stay on to get a lift back down, much to theirs and the operators disgust.  I still remember the look of judgement on their faces as they glowered at me, having ignored all my impatient yells of "just jump, for goodness sake!"

Karma came quickly in the terror I experienced in trying to get down this run alive and we were all so discouraged that we went back to the village and had a nap instead.  I still feel the shame.

When our friend Irish Kate came to live in Lochaber and was terribly homesick, I encouraged her to get out and have some fun to keep her mind off Galway.  Why not get up the ski slopes and try something not available in the ol' country?  Now aged 30 and having recently taken up snowboarding myself (due to becoming so scared of falling whilst skiing and therefore never improving) I thought Irish Kate should give that a go too.  It would be a good equaliser as I had only just learnt to stand up on the board - there is no fear of falling down when you can't stand up, so I was enjoying the new experience.  What stopped it from being an equaliser was that I at least was familiar with a ski slope whereas Kate had never been on a ski slope in her life.  She was so relieved when she was allowed to get off the chairlift carrying her snowboard that she sat it down to take in the view and appreciate still being in one piece.  Her board immediately shot straight down the hill, gathering speed at an alarming rate and thankfully not cutting anyone in half.  She had to walk all the way back down, and never really developed much of a love for the sport.  Clearly I had not learnt how to look after my friendships any better over the last 13 years.

On a much later trip to Italy, Spook and I were doing a recce of the facilities and were to report back to The Boss who was coaching our children down on the nursery slopes.  We met a rather handsome ski patroller who said he would show us around.  He didn't speak English but he and I managed to converse in stilted French.  I may have been flirting a little, it's hard to say - it was a long time ago - but it all went wrong when I skied through the stile to access the chair lift and encountered my first ski conveyor belt.  I ground to an instant halt on the rubber, non slip surface, and fell over with my legs all tangled up, ski's pointing in very uncomfortable directions.  Worse than this was that the belt kept moving and the empty chair kept approaching and I thought that bits of me were going to be cut off as I desperately tried to flatten myself to the ground.  The handosme ski patroller, the lift operator and Spook were all laughing heartily as the operator lazily leant forward and stopped the machinery. I think I may have been whimpering.

I went on to learn how to stand up easily on a board and slip slide down a slope, but never to do that 'falling leaf' motion that makes snowboarding look so comfortable and fun.  That there was only one plank and not two attached to different legs had it's attraction, but I then became afraid of falling over again and that was that.  Back to square one.

In an online conversation with our friend Canadian Ken, he suggested I give snow touring a try and perhaps discover the pleasure of walking in snow shoes.  It all sounded a little expensive until I discovered that Nevis Range hire out snowshoes for £14 a half day or £18.50 for a whole day.  These shoes cost well upwards of £150 so that sounded like a bargain.  I had in mind something from a Grizzly Adams movie - like a couple of tennis rackets strapped to my feet.

Seems things have moved on since then.......

I'm not sure if these are the exact ones - ascent summit shoes - but they look like them......

And they had tails attached to help with deeper snow.

The snow was plentiful and the sun was shining.  I hadn't been to the summit for years, and was determined that view up there would be mine for the seeing.  I picked up my shoes at the bottom and took a lift on the gondola to get a head start up the hill.  At £16 that's a whole lot of effort saved. 

T'was a wee bit blowly for sure, but this isn't Italy.  And I forgot goggles.......

And I forgot ski poles.  And I forgot that going up a hill under your own steam no matter how fancy yer shoes, is bloomin' hard work and nothing short of a jet pak was going to help seeing as how I wasn't on the slidy equipment that functions on the tows.

Lot's of people called out encouraging words, held out hands that were of no help, or reassured me that I was nearly there.

This is WAY steeper than it looks and I wanted to crawl, but snowshoes are not conducive to crawling.  Really - I have got to take a snowboard lesson!

My spirits lifted on the final walk up the summit run as Spook and The Boss glided by on their skis.  

I was pleased to see them, and even more pleased to see the view......

All I had to do now was get all the way back down.  I'd climbed 1815ft, but only travelled 1.4 miles.  The staff at the summit tow had assured me that the shoes would perform well on the way down.  They had certainly saved me a lot of effort compared to the set of boots that I could see had forged their way ahead of me on the T-bar tow route, their prints deep in the snow, compared to mine on the surface.  But they were probably fitter and less naive than me.  The Boss and Spook said they'd wait at the bottom of Summit Run to see how I was faring.

A last look at the effects of the snow and I was off at reasonable speed.  The shoes demonstrated their real potential immediately, as I chose the off-piste lovely thick but light snow.  They cut through the surface to slide comfortably on a layer below and softly came up for the next step. Old creaky knees didn't creak and it was like walking on how you imagine clouds might be if you didn't just fall straight through them.  I wasn't far behind the two skiers, though they had waited for me.  I chased them on and having tested the shoes on the pisted slope, went back to choosing powder snow of which there was an amazing abundance.  Instead of dragging my feet in thick snow, it was like having springs on.  No fear of falling, despite a couple of gentle tumbles when I stood on my own shoes, this was the most fun I'd had on a slidey surface for years. 

I know that the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team are trialing them for their long walks into and up the hills and no wonder.  

As I soon descended and met up with my companions, we did all wonder at my determination to go to the summit.  I hadn't considered that I could walk out either side from the top restaurant to take in great views on pleasant routes that would not have torn my guts out.  I didn't even have to come up the hill at all, as there is lot's of snow in Leanachan Forest and I could have hired the shoes and gone for a long walk along the trails.

Thanks to Canadian Ken for his suggestion and so much to Chris, Nicky and Nevis Range for letting me give it a go.  I may not have inspired the skiers and boarders as they slid past me up that tow, but I was grinning widely on the run down.

The uninspirational Mo hanging on to The Boss, not realising at this point that the fun was about to start.

P p p picking up treasure.

One moment day dreaming about the romantic life of the Hermit and the next in flight from an imagined unhinged one - the irony wasn't lost on me - once I'd had time to reflect.  Whenever I wander along a shoreline, I do usually end up quoting my favourite fictional Hermit "there's plenty of work left in this beach, yet."  (loose quote from memory.)

Less than 10 miles from my house lies Loch Arkaig which stretches towards the west and legend has it that it was part of the route taken by the Jacobites as they fled Culloden with Prince Charlie.  The Jacobite Gold was abandoned somewhere along here as presumably it was weighing them down.  No doubt someone came back and got it, but there might be a wee bit treasure lurking in the undergrowth still.

There are still signs of the old road, in particular, near the 'new' road which is so close to the loch it floods in heavy rain, but that leaves the old road undisturbed in places and maybe that means there's a better chance the treasure lies undisturbed.  However, it was a different kind of treasure I was looking for.  The perfect piece of driftwood that would finally inspire me to know exactly what I want to do with the growing pile I've got at home.

But most of the wood I found was still attached to the trees, so that was that.  

As beautiful as the day was, it's still too early in the year for hanging out the washing.

No suitable driftwood, but the loch is a treasure in itself.

Plenty of wildlife close by.

Loch Lochy from Achnacarry.

To celebrate the last 2 miles of January's 100 mile Challenge, I did a fast march down to Caol shore.  I must have walked at least 20 of my miles, but anything that gets you out of the door in January no matter what the weather is doing, has been a really good thing.  I'm fitter and happier than I would have been without the challenge and by not running all the miles, my creaky knees are slightly less creaky.   So thanks for the challenge yet again, Curly.

After a stormy high tide, there was a lot of work to be done.  Fulton Mackay would have been very happy.

So much treasure!

When you live in Lochaber, you're rarely far from a loch.  The Monday morning dip in Loch Linnhe (the loch above) has continued unabated.  -7 temperatures out of the water make the loch seem almost warm.  But mild temperatures that melt the snow make the water so damned cold it attracts penguins.

It's a very long drive from Antartica.

Railroading and Drifting on the West Coast

Beautiful blue skies above cloud inversions don't last long in Lochaber.  Bleary and grey with damp sleet was the Sunday morning greeting and little hope of it improving.  However I was up and packed for an adventure as my neighbour had texted the night before to say he was heading to Mallaig for a few hours and did I want dropped off near a secluded bay for a few hours so I could go searching drift wood and he'd pick me and my finds up on the way back.  He was fairly sure that the bay in question would have some good stuff as apart from the archipelago of Muck, Eigg, Rhum and Canna, there was nothing to catch anything drifting from Nova Scotia.  We called in to pick up his colleague at Glenfinnan and his wife, who is also a colleague, decided she and her 2 and a half year old daughter would come for part of the walk to have a wee adventure themselves.  So we altered the plans for a drop off further on at a more accessible point and I would walk around the coast and meet at the layby nearest the original bay at 2pm.  This allowed for 4 hours of raking around the coast and my companion would turn back and drive her and her daughter home at a suitable point.  That point came sooner than expected as the coast line was rugged and the sleet was biting.

With Bear Grylls survival programmes in mind, I slogged on alone in a mindful state, ignoring slushy bogs and examining fallen rocks and sheltered coves.  There was precious little drift wood, but I'd imagined a roaring fire when I got to the bay so gathered fallen tree branches broken into twigs to add to my pre-packed fire raising equipment of newspaper and fire lighters - and a lighter as I'm not too good with rubbing sticks together.

Layers of clothes plus effort were keeping me cosy as I was wearing a rucksack full of spare clothing and carrying an empty one for beautiful and rare specimens from foreign parts.

Not so long ago, someone had made a shelter here and I imagined the simplicity of the Hermits life, gathering wood all day to keep warm and finding food.  

These thoughts were happily consuming my attention, but to get to the next cove involved negotiating that rocky promontory on the left of the above picture so I decided to cut over the hill thinking my bay would be the next one.  But it was a much wider piece of land than I'd expected and my next find was a more recent shelter than the last......

Oh!

Right!  That looks a wee bit more recent - and resourceful.

Yikes!  This is particularly out of focus due to speed and fright but below that sign is a much more recent looking structure that looked occupied.  That was it!  I was off like a bullet.

Whilst intent on a quick exit, I couldn't resist taking a photo of what was a slabbed path and I was curious about the hanging rope.......

It was attached to a sign which said 'Old Inverlochy Castle' and pointed to the ground.  As I continued my flight, I noticed large footsteps in the snow.  I couldn't be sure whether they were going towards the shelter or away.  I passed a large metal shovel which could have been for clearing the snow, a potential murder weapon and handy tool for burial.  A large viaduct appeared ahead, but the footsteps and path continued under the bridge.  So dragging my rucksacks and still clutching a large bush of dried heather which had seemed a sure bet to get a fire started, I puffed my way up on to what I assumed was the safety of the road.  But it wasn't.  It was the West Highland Line.  And no sign of the road.  Now I do know about the law, Scotrail, health and safety and all that, but when faced with certain death at the hands of a deranged Hermit, and the irregular train service on the Highland line, it didn't take long to decide that a sprint across the bridge was preferable to the unknown below.  Me and my cargo staggered over the long bridge, listening intently for the singing noise that an oncoming train might make on the metal rails, but hearing nothing above my pounding heart.  Once off the bridge, I was effectively on a causeway with flooded plains on either side so I pushed onwards to a humped back bridge ahead.  At last.  This must be the path to the bay which was my original destination.  Equilibrium quickly returned.  A left turn would take me to the arranged meeting place and a right turn, to the bay.  About 20 minutes took me over bog and jagged rocks to an old settlement of about 7 houses nestled in a sheltered bay.  Not a bit of driftwood in sight.  Nor wood for a fire.  Thankfully I hadn't shed my load in panic so I picked a house and set up camp, thinking I  could soon dry out my socks and make Mr Grylls proud.  

No smoke without fire, they say.  Hmmmmmmm.  Not exactly the case here.  And the only food I had any chance of catching was the shell fish clinging to the rocks in the first cove I'd been in.  And they would have to have been smoked.

I did find a nice wee pot that would have done for cooking anything, had I had the gumption to forage it.  Thankfully I'd brought a flask of home made soup and a supermarket sandwich.  And with only an hour to go until my rendezvous, my feet were unlikely to fester.  Note the heather bush to the right of the picture which turned out not to be as flammable as I'd hoped.

In times gone by, the main access to this bay would have been by boat, and the Hermit in the neighbouring cove wouldn't have been a Hermit at all, but a fellow fisherman.  With that thought in mind I made my way back up the hill to a dry lift home.

My neighbour looked askance as I regaled him with tales of terror.  Did I not consider that the Hermit might have been a woman?  Ok, but she definitely  had bigger feet than me.  And was it a woman thing to assume one was likely to be murdered?  I don't know, but I had just finished Fiona McBain's book - Glasdrum - which is set on this very coastline and there was plenty murder in that.  He sighed and apologised for the lack of driftwood.

Back home, the chopper was hovering around Ben Nevis and there was a full team call-out for 3 missing walkers.  And this morning, there was a report of a stranded train on the West Highland Line between Arisaig and Glenfinnan.  Thankfully the report said it was a landslide and all 5 passengers were safe, and there were no reports of a crazed woman running along the line, clutching a big bunch of heather.  You don't need to look for drama in Lochaber.  It's here anyway.

Fiona McBain is at the Highland Bookshop in Fort William tomorrow night at 6pm Jan 23rd.

https://www.facebook.com/events/455423738193863/

Happy Place

T'was a dull and cloudy day at home despite the thick snow.  Looking across the Great Glen it was obvious there was a thin cloud inversion and a little effort on a personal level would reveal the sun.  With skiers on a mission to get to the slopes no matter what, it seemed a good time to get in a quiet Half Ben.  My dodgy old knees have taken exception to the Ben in recent years and the place of happiness has become a place of torture as I constantly glance at my watch in an effort to get halfway in 1hr to meet Ben Race requirements.  I like going up the hill, but when I get to the top, someone sticks metal rods through my heels and all the way up my thighs, and another one across my shoulders.  They stay there for the entire journey down the hill.  The only way I can meet the 3hr 15min cut off for the race is to get up a lot faster.  I'm thinking this doth not equal fun.  But a thin cloud inversion, a trail that had been cut by early walkers, and glorious sunshine within easy reach - it was turning into a place of promise.  Spook, Running Girl and Ted the Collie were happy to accompany me.

We didn't meet many people but anyone stepping off the path to let us by ended up more than thigh deep in a big hole, so it was better to get up close and personal to pass each other.  But that was only a very few people.  Folks were mostly turning back at half way which was borne out by no sign of footsteps on the higher reaches.  For those not in the know, there was little guidance on a route.  There were a couple of skiers further up and one group cutting up the hill on the wrong side of the Red Burn for the summit.  We saw them heading down, before we turned ourselves.

We were on the plateau at half way near the lochan, but we were not on the path.  The trail had been cut straight up from the 'Baskets' and had avoided a whole zig.  Nice peace of rule breaking.  

Spot the skiers in the distance.  We met them further down the hill, bathed in sweat.  The first part of their ski-ing had been fun.  The lower path was hard work and not so much fun.  

It was difficult to say who was happier - me or Ted.

My survival of 14 Ben Races and all the training in between, is a bit of an enigma.  I just can't do that downhill stuff with any kind of grace. But with snow even-ing out the rocks, it was the most fun descent I've ever done. Happy, happy, happy.

Slim pickings.  Back below the clouds - reluctantly.

Mid Winter Blues Buster

Lochaber's a pretty good place to pass the darkest days of the year.  Though not if you have influenza A or pneumonia.  Nowhere is a good place to be with that.  On the other hand, the support from NHS 24, the Belford Hospital A&E, Out of Hours Service and GP's has been phenomenal for my Horizontal Boy who is now horizontal out of necessity rather than laid back nature. (Not to mention the out of hours service provided by friends on their day off.)  Maybe Lochaber really is the place to be in your darkest days.

But the fun stuff that one gets dragged into whether one wanted to or not, has made mid winter a blast.

Manic Mondays have continued unabated and Christmas day fell on a Monday, so it was a wee party on the water.  I never go for my dip with enthusiasm, but I always leave the apres breakfast with a positive outlook for the week.  It's about the buzz and not the exercise as the most energy is expended in putting on and taking off our wetsuits (and all the other stuff that I put on to cover every piece of skin possible.)  The only sign of the true swimmers is usually a couple of pairs of crocs by the sea side (the footwear - not the man-eating type) and sometimes a head torch in the distance as Mairi, Ed and sometimes Emma, get their mile in (I've even seen paddles attached to hands and this is a daily routine for them - not once a week.)

On the last day of the year we got an invite to cross the border into Speyside from Linda Lu and Dashing Dave.  A bike ride was suggested to balance the excesses of the festive period.  I've known Linda Lu a long time but I was still surprised at the contents of her cycling rucksack - apart from the whisky liqueur - that wasn't a surprise at all.

The roads and tracks were so icy that we only made it to the top of Kingussie golf course.  Dashing Dave didn't even get that far as he was called out by the fire service.  We weren't sure if this created the correct balance but we thought we should toast Spook, the sober driver anyway.

Spook has a reputation to upkeep in Kingussie where he as recently been re-named as H20 Munro.

If only he could bring that reputation back to Lochaber.  He did well on Hogmany but that was only because he had the promise of a night at the B'Dass's on the 1st.  Meanwhile, the first day of the year was a Monday, but we decided to go up a wee hill instead of a swim.  We'd missed the deadline to enter the Aonach Mhor Uphill race so decided to go up Melantee which is the nobbly bit in front of Ben Nevis.

Running Girl took her 21st wee dram to bring in the new year, which is the last one as she doesn't intend to do any more Ben Nevis Races. (you always get a miniature Ben Nevis Whisky with your entry to the race.) She doesn't like whisky, but gave it a fair go.  Then we raised the bottle to the runners over at Nevis Range.

Curly issued her yearly challenge of 100 miles for January and only this counted for a paltry 2.5.  I had to run round the car park and get out of the van at the bottom of the road to run up the canal.  It's going to be a long month.  It's a challenge just to run at all, so I'm keeping it to little and often so as not to build an impossible deficit as the month goes on.  we ran up the red route at Nevis Range to see what was going on up the there and to offer a bit of variety.  Spook and Running Girl got up there way ahead of me and I puffed my heart out trying to catch them.

https://www.facebook.com/Kimages-342343742639787/

Kimages takes a great photo.

Kim, herself.

It took me 1hr and 17mins to get to the targeted hot chocolate.

it was a guy wee cup for sic an effort but apparently it was so busy they'd run out of mugs.

The next day, we'd heard that there were cute babies up there and Meg and her pals were going up sledging, so we decided to walk up and rest our legs from the effort of running. (this is a 3 mile uphill effort.)  RG started a long time ahead of me and arranged to see me there.  I enjoyed a pleasant walk and had every intention of claiming the 3 miles for the challenge even tho I didn't even attempt a run.

Endomondo which is recording my miles and lap times, confirmed that it had taken 1hr and 17mins to walk up the hill.  Exactly the same time as my run the day before.  Who am I kidding with this hill running lark?

Fun in every direction.  Thanks for these 3 photo's Amy Cameron.

Campaign K, who lives next door, invited me out on her wee routine cycle round the forest on our side of the glen.  I'm up for a jaunt but hate having to change outfits for work, shopping, running or cycling.  So I just went as I was - straight from some stick cutting on the croft.

I had hoped the oily boiler suit would be water resistant but it wasn't, so I had to get changed afterwards, anyway.

My daily run took me past Torcastle at sunset.  There are many benefits from the challenge like running past old castles at sunset and despite the tender knees and now almost half way through the challenge, I'm already feeling more energetic.  No one needs to run every day, but something that makes you go out that door, even after a long working day to get some fresh air in any weather, has to be a good thing.  Thanks Curly.

Fun comes at a price and I have done quite a bit of work over the festive period.  I insisted on new dungarees to inspire my clients that I was a true professional.  Meg said that they needed to know I was a professional cleaner and not a professional plumber.  She has taken to calling me Luigi.  I like a lot of pockets but even these didn't have enough for my dusters.  I stuck a couple inside my bib.  When I called into Running Girl's for a cuppa after work, she thought my knickers were falling out my trouser leg when she saw the pink material nestling on my foot.  I'd hunted all over for that bloomin' duster.

The weather has continued to be better and brighter than it was in summer.  Perhaps a little colder.  I'll end with James Crightons photos from his snowboarding day up Nevis Range yesterday.  Thanks James - don't know which this is the best advert for - Nevis Range, your new Google phone with camera, or your photography.  But it certainly helps make the point about Lochaber.

Bent Spoons

On a rip-roaring Saturday night, Spook and I were stymied when our internet provider would not provide Netflix.  At 9pm it seemed a bit early to turn in, even though we were already slumped by the fire in a state of sleepiness.  How has this happened???? (not the lack of internet - the lack of energy for a high jinx Saturday night.) I suggested we take a wander up the croft to check out Finn and his mate Aiden's igloo, which they had toiled over all afternoon with Meg 'cementing' in the gaps. We grabbed head torches, some candles and a small rug - it is a sad sign of the times that we didn't grab a wine bottle and some glasses, but there you have it.

We were a wee bit lack-lustre as we trudged up the hill in the freezing temperatures, and planned a quick photo opportunity and then maybe a game of Snap back home.

This was all very well and impressive, but a wee glass of something would have added to the ambience.  At this sad realisation (about 5 minutes after we'd got the candles lit) Meg phoned to say that a couple of scary guys with a big stick had appeared at the door.  Thankfully it turned out to be The Big G and Mr B'Dass - neighbours, and the big stick was to inspire me in my much talked about stick-making efforts as Mr B'Dass won Best Stick at the Agricultural Show.  Meg provided them with croft-suitable footwear and pointed them up the hill where they were welcomed into the hold, especially as they brought copious amounts of whisky......and the big stick.  

That' s a prize-winner, right there!!

The Big G was clutching a bottle of Dutch whisky presented to him by a very kind Dutch man and worth a penny or two.  He was celebrating the on-set of his birthday - that's probably why we risked hypothermia in order to make it past midnight to reach his birthday at the other side.

Spook and The Big G discussed the possible merits of Dutch whisky while Mr B'Dass wielded a bottle of 12 year old Highland Park and the remains of a Glenlivet as he nostalgically remembered games of shinty played out in the village of the latter.

I helped out with the Highland Park which was my mother's favourite but got a row for taking such a 'girlie' sip.  I'm already wondering if there might be too many photo's of me slugging out of bottle's of whisky - girlie fashion or not.

We did get a bit excited about the Netherlands role in the igloo party and couldn't wait for a wee taste.  Smooth and caramelly, I thought - while I was still able to.  Mr B'Dass was full of nostalgia for the big win at the Agricultural Show and keen to see if he could retain the title.  After a few drams I was pretty sure I could give him a run for his money as the croft is full of hazel trees just waiting to be transformed.

But time nor tide waits for no man, and the hour approached when butts and feet were undeniably chilled, so a stagger down the croft and back to the warmth of the kitchen for a few tunes was the wisest move.  I'm not saying the transition happened very smoothly or without a couple of tumbles (that was just me,) but once the feeling had come back into our guests hands, we had The Big G on the mandolin and B'Dass on the spoons.  He did make a bit of a fuss about the quality of the spoons, but was able to ease them into the shapes required.  Unfortunately, the soup wont stay on them any longer but it was worth it for the performance.

Good sense finally prevailed and our visitors supported each other off home.  The Big G snuggled into bed with his sleepy wife who yelped "Where have you been?  The bloody North Pole?  "No" he replied "I've been in Mo and Spooks igloo."  Oh my god, she thought, how much of that Dutch whisky has he drunk??

Meanwhile I went back up the next day to make sure there was no evidence of shenanigans in our son's igloo.

Oh thank goodness.  He'll hardly even know we've been there........

OH NOOOOOO!!!!!!

I had to call in help and got Mrs B'Dass to call in on her way over the hill today to check that everything was back in order.

Sorted.

Scottish Trad Awards - Gaelic Singer of the Year

When my friend Roberto came over from Dundee for a few days in October (he originally comes from near Algeciras in Southern Spain), we took a road trip out to Mallaig, calling in at Glenfinnan to watch the steam train pass by and to watch the waves when we hit the west coast at the smaller viaduct that you drive under.  A trip out west isn't complete without a wander through the sand dunes to Camusdarroch beach and on the way home we put some music on and sang at the top of our voices.

As Roberto and I can't sing in Gaelic, we chose the Robert Robertson song in the link below. It seemed a good idea to introduce Roberto to Scottish music via his Scottish name sake and as he is a bit of a romantic,  the rather cheesy video is right up his adopted Scottish street, as dancing with a Highland girl where the skies reach out for miles was all he wanted to do after our trip........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzbzMRyinyE

Scottish Trad Awards - Instrumentalist of the Year

Saturday nights used to see my sister and I taking the floor in a small space in the house, listening to the radio and trying to squeeze in Canadian Barn Dances and Gay Gordon's.  A generation later the cheery voice of Robbie Shepherd has been replaced with the cheery voice of Gary Innes and without doubt, a gentle, gradual modernisation of Take The Floor.  A Lochaber man down to his ex-shinty playing toes, he won the above title of 2017.  Below is a video taken from the drivecam on his homeward bound journey on the A82 at it's most iconic point, to his own tune of The Road to Lochaber.  I get a little travel sick, so if you do too, you might need to stand back from the screen, or just listen. (to the sister who used to whirl about to Robbie Shepherd - you'll need a sick bag.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q50g8NJlI3s

The 2nd video is his song-writing - not his winning instrumental skills - and the voice of a further winner of this years awards.  But I love the song and the video as although one might not call it a romantic part of highland life, it's an undeniable part of the culture, which links people up and down the highlands, the lowlands and even across the world and to my mind, that IS part of the romance of a strong connection between people.  Even enemies on the field, are linked by their playing of the game. That's the essence of the song and the video also features Gary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyt74s-9J6o

Someone will need to write The Caman Woman as these women are a whole other level altogether.............