Out & about on holiday

May 08

I had a week off work to use up some of my 44 days annual leave (those of you across the pond will read that and weep!) and spent it at home and on various days out. Michael was officially on holiday for the week I had booked off but then his uni organised a meeting/ seminar during that week! Either it's a holiday or it isn't! They did exactly the same thing over their Easter break - they are very badly organised.

Anyway, while Michael was at his meeting I sat and whiled away a pleasant hour in a nearby cafe reading the paper and drinking coffee. As usual Dundee was quite cold compared to Stirling so we didn't linger long going round the shops and sight-seeing.

Above: part of Dundee Uni art school

I did take a few photos including these of the not so lovely art school at dundee uni where Michael studies. The older buidling below is at least more attractive than the concrete cube above!

While we were there Michael picked up his offical letter telling him he had been awarded his postgraduate diploma - yay! Just a few more months of work to go and he'll have his masters.

Above: another part of Dundee art school

We had some lovely hot days too and mum and dad came over and then we all went to visit Culross which is a well preserved Scottish village on the Forth estuary. Some of the buildings date back to the 15th & 16th centuries although we did spot a few concrete monstrosities around the back of the village. The main industries in Culross were coal mining and salt-panning.

The locals pronounce Culross as 'Coo -ross' - who knows why, there is never any logic to the pronunciations of place names up here. Take Milngavie near Glasgow- it is pronounced 'Mull - guy'!

Above: cute cottages in Culross, Fife

The only unfortunate thing about Culross is it's location opposite Grangemouth petr0-chemical works which sit over the water spewing out suspicious looking clouds of smoke. It's also very close to the humoungus Longannet power station but at least you can't see that from the village.

We had a very nice lunch in the National Trust cafe, lost mum for a good 30 minutes in a craft and pottery shop, visited the ruined abbey, old church and just wandered about admiring the architecture and enjoying the hot weather.

ABove: Dad & David barbequing

We popped over to Glasgow to visit the family and had a barbeque despite it being a bit chilly and needing to wear our coats in order to eat outside! All the nephews were fascinated with the burning coals and found a variety of things to burn on them! It reminded me of when me, Sarah and Kate used to go to 'the burn'- a piece of woodland - to our den and build small camp fires with pilfered matches along with our neighbourhood friends the Forsyth's.

Above: 3 hungry boys - Dan, Ruben & David, BBQ at Mum & Dad's house

Above: Michael in Mum and Dad's conservatory

The rest of the week was spent cycling, sleeping, catching up on jobs, weeding the garden of all the sticky willy (it's a plant ok!) and dandelions.

Above: Charlie in our garden

I also had another yoga workshop, this time for 1 day in Edinburgh - that was the day it chucked it down with rain all day so I didn't mind spending the day inside. The teachers were Judi and Tig- a couple who run their own yoga school in the Cotswolds - they were a somewhat eccentric couple. Judi was definitely in charge and bossed Tig around quite a lot even going so far as to say that when he'd worn out she'd find a new younger model despite the fact that Judi must be around 15-20 years older than Tig as it is!

We did twists in the morning which I enjoy and don't find as hard as some of the other poses but the afternoon was forward bends and I overdid it a bit by over-stretching my lower back. Still, I learnt a lot and enjoyed it. Still can't do a handstand, but can now do unsupported shoulder stand- woo-hoo!

Above: the very photogenic Dunblane cathedral -you can see the oldest part is the bottom half of the clock tower.

Party!

Free university 40th anniversary staff party - 10 May 08
There’s nothing I love more than a party- except for a free party! The uni put on a free staff party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the uni being established. We had a couple of free drinks (a bit sharp but I managed!), a meal (lasagne – sadly no cake:-( ) a ceilidh (some of the dances I didn’t recognise which was odd), disco (weyhey!).

Above- Staff party. Whose idea was a congo...? Sonia leading the way!

I danced all night- there was quite an eclectic mix of music, they even played such classics as the Nolans ‘I’m in the mood’, and something by AC/DC (see air guitar photo)! I ended up getting a lift home with someone I had only just met at the party when her chauffeur services were ‘offered’ by someone I was at the party with who knew her- I think she was a bit surprised. (However, she has since added me as a ‘friend’ on Facebook so I can’t have offended her that much)!

Above- and whose idea was the limbo...? Me about to go too far!

Saturday was spent gardening (digging up dandelions to be more precise) and then it rained! Did quite a lot of work on Sat & Sunday- got an idea for a paper I am writing and had to do it! The Formula 1 was on so Michael was well occupied- he almost deafened me with his over-enthusiastic shouting at the TV!

Above- air guitar to AC/DC - Sergi and random

Monday, I got rained on in Edinburgh (not impressed). As I came out of Waverley a family of tourists passed wearing anoraks and balaclavas- it wasn’t that cold! I had to go there to give a presentation with my boss to people at the university there. There was an old guy in the audience- who fell asleep during my section of the presentation- wearing a tweed waistcoat and jacket with a purpley-pink tartan kilt! Apparently he’s a retired academic who likes to attend seminars and then doesn’t really listen to the answers to his questions!

Above: cherry blossom in Riverside, Stirling

Tues night I was invited to postgrad BBQ – was a lovely evening but got a bit nippy after 2.5 hours of standing around. I had the bike to cycle home but the door to my building had been locked and all my stuff including my bike helmet and bike lock key were in my office. I ended up spending 30 mins doing a tour of the maze that is Stirling uni Cottrell building to find a porter to be able to get my stuff to get home. (I’ve been cycling to work this week too but it’s making me quite tired!)

Above: Postgrad BBQ on campus with my building and the Wallace Monument in the background

Spring is here!

April & May 08
Well I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to blog! Work has been a bit hectic with a two day marathon trip to Oxford to plan some research I’ll be doing there. My green conscience meant I took the train which was ok on the way down despite several changes but on the way back I got on the wrong train home… Why there are two trains both leaving Birmingham New Street as precisely 18.03 both going to Edinburgh I cannot understand! I ended up on the slow East coast one and almost didn’t get back to Stirling - the last train from Edinburgh is around 11.30pm, my Birmingham train was running late and only got into Waverley at 11.26pm. I ran like an asthmatic for my last train home (maybe I am asthmatic, my hypochondriac alter ego wonders?).

I also had a two day seminar up in Carnoustie which is north of Dundee where I had to give a presentation only I hadn’t had time to finish the presentation having spent a lot of my spare time doing other more enjoyable things and helping Michael with his Masters report. The hotel was right by the beach and golf courses - I don’t golf but there was a spa at the hotel, a nice bonus, of which I made use for a swim, Jacuzzi and sauna! I woke really early for some reason to see the ‘har’ – fog – obliterating the view from my window. By 7am it had cleared a bit and the first golfers were teeing off- they must be bloody obsessed (golf widow Vanessa will agree with me on that one)! I had time to finish my slides, eat a huge breakfast in my room (it would have filled 2 or even 3 people) and go for a walk on the beach while the sun was still shining! Oh, and the presentation went ok too!

Above: Gorgeous sunny bank holiday- our rented bungalow and cherry blossom

The weather has been great up here recently – very sunny and warm - so I have been making the most of it with bike rides, sitting outside cafés drinking coffee, walks and parties!

Last Friday I went to the French society barbeque where we had Normandy pear cider, stinky stinky cheese (brought a huge piece home and Michael thought he’d developed an allergic reaction to it as his eyes had swollen up but that turned out to be hayfever), and delicious tarte au chocolat. Unfortunately, a bearded lady dominated the conversation all evening with boring anecdotes about herself most of which begin ‘in my church group…’. By 9pm, finally unable to put up with much more, we finished up and as it was such a mild evening I walked home through the campus where the baby rabbits, squirrels, geese, ducks, and swans were out in force.

Above: View of Dunblane & river

On Saturday night I went to another party this time in Glasgow where Patrice, an old uni friend lives a few miles away from my parents. There were lots of people crammed into her house including people from Spain, Germany, India, Luxembourg, the Netherlands. I had half a glass of champagne then drank apple juice all night till I left around 11.45pm – I wasn’t even the first to leave (didn’t want a hangover for my yoga)! I stayed over with my folks as I had to be in Glasgow the next day anyway for a yoga workshop.

Above: Bike ride - Michael between Bridge of Allan and Dunblane

Sunday yoga workshop with Firooza Ali

I did the yoga workshop with Firooza Ali from Mumbai - felt a bit out of place at first since a lot of people there were trainee yoga teachers and all knew each other but as the day went on I got into it. I accidentally placed my mat right in front of the teacher– means you can’t get away with doing anything wrong! I felt sore the day after, particularly my shoulders and they were still sore the next day. It was 5 1/2 hours of yoga but with lots of instruction a bit like a lecture and demonstration and we had an hour’s break for lunch. At the start of each session we had to repeat a chant in Sanskrit or Hindi or something- by the time she’d finished a line I’d forgotten it so was struggling to repeat it! Oh and we did quite a few ‘oms’ as well!

Above: View of the Ochils from Cambuskenneth Abbey

5 May bike ride

On bank holiday Monday the weather was gorgeous so Michael and I went on a bike ride via Cambuskenneth, round the lochs at uni, through Bridge of Allan and then took a different route to Dunblane from last time using back countrey lanes and then going through the woods. There were more people using the woodland path than when we did the route in March and on our return journey there were even people paddling in the Allan Water river in BoA. It was warm, 20-21c, and we wore shorts & Tshirt. I wore my new padded cycle shorts which were great and stopped a lot of bum ache!Weather is gorgeous here since Monday. It has been so nice this week that I even rode to work and back for the first time ever (better than the bus with grumpy drivers and noisy students) and did it on 3 days! It’s not far –it takes about 20 mins there and 15 back.

I have now been living in Scotland for a year and Michael’s anniversary is coming up soon as he moved up 3 weeks after I did.

Above: Remains of Cambuskenneth Abbey founded in 1140

Above: View of Stirling & castle from Cambuskenneth Abbey