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