Trampoline Queens

There are loads of cheap sports classes on at the Stirling university sports centre if you're a member- including free trampolining classes. There were only 3 people signed up for the class initially so I drummed up some support from the nursing & midwifery department making 6 of us so that the course wouldn't be cancelled. (I'd initially signed up for free squash lessons but was the ONLY one interested so they cancelled it!). Usually there were only a maximum of 4 of us who turned up to any one class menaing we each got a good 10-15 minutes each on the trampoline. It's a lot harder work than it looks!

We learnt some of the basic moves and struggled with the more complicated ones which the coach made look easy. If I want to continue in January I'm going to have to sign up as a full fee -paying member of the community and make sure I work in Stirling on Friday!

These photos made me laugh a lot- I hope you enjoy them too!

What style! Doing some warm up jumps - whee!

Me mid straddle jump.

Ann doing the straddle jump - nice one!

Bernie jumping in her own distinctive style!

Levitation! Me practising a back drop on a nice padded mat.

Looks like static - Ann landing.

Bernie's magnificent back drop - looking like some weird head balance!

Diane practising a front drop -ouch! It's really hard to keep your body rigid and avoid smacking your face off the trampoline or breaking your thumbs!

Pike jump (bring your legs out straight in front and touch your toes while in the air) to a half turn.

Winter Snow & New Commute

Winter is here & new job at Edinburgh Uni - Nov/Dec 08

November was a very busy month at work, so not much blogging from me! I always knew that come November 08 my contract would switch from Stirling Uni to Edinburgh Uni for the final year of the project I work on but it came around faster than expected! I have mixed feelings about the move since I’ll no longer have easy access to the great sports facilities at Stirling uni - if I want to remain a member it costs a lot more as a member of the public - and also have a 1 hour train commute to work instead of a nice short bike ride! On the plus side, Edinburgh is a more prestigious uni - so good for the CV! - and the department has more variety of people in it being a social and political science department rather than a nursing department.

Late November snow- first this winter. footpath by River Forth opposite our house.

Snow on Dumyat Hill

When I started I had a desk but no PC or phone so had to borrow an office for a week or so – as we were behind with the previous stage of the project I had to get my head down and get on with the project report straight away – we already had an extension on the deadline. We had barely started analysing the data so it wasn’t exactly a stress-free start to the job!

Dark winter morning at Stirling station - off to Edinburgh to my new job

Winter funfair in Princes Street gardens, Edinburgh

Advocate's Close- the fastest way up the hill from Waverley Station to the Royal Mile!

I’m based in a refurbished building near the Meadows, a large park, and share a nice sunny office with views across the hills and nearby buildings including the old Royal infirmary – my room mates are an Australian and a Russian research fellow who both seem very friendly and willing to share their coffee (always a nice bonus)!

The uni is right on the city near cafes and shops - totally unlike Stirling uni which is a beautiful green campus but a bit isolated from shops etc. I like the buzz of the city and did a wee bit of exploring one lunchtime and spotted a few independent cafés I’m going to try. I suppose the down side is that I’ll be tempted to spend money in the shops – lots of funky clothing and shoe shops!

My new office building- the Chrystal Macmillan Building near the Meadows, Edinburgh

George Square, Edinburgh where my new office is - this is the more scenic view of the square garden and old townhouses

It was also my birthday and Michael and I tried a Thai restaurant in Stirling – the ‘Wilawan’ - that someone recommended – it was very busy and the food was pretty good. 10 days later is Kate’s birthday so I babysat for her and stayed over at her house so she could go out for her birthday. She and the boys had flu/ a virus which Michael and I then caught – it lasted for 4 weeks mutating from a sore throat to voice loss and a full on cold - yuk! My dad still hasn’t recovered from it, neither has Sarah and it has taken me almost 2 weeks off over the hols to feel human again!

My new office - just refurbished along with the rest of the building and shared with Jen from Australia and Ekatarina from Russia

Great views from one of my office windows looking over the old infirmary and a new block of fancy flats with a Starbucks, deli and Sainsbury's underneath - handy!