Summer stuff

Well, I haven’t been blogging much the past few months – partly to do with job-related hassle and partly me going out enjoying the longer summer nights.

I had been saving up my holidays so took 2 weeks off in July- much needed after no (official) time off since the start of March. I spent one week down in York with my sisters, their kids and my mum and dad – we rented 2 cottages outside of the city at the same place we went to last year. It’s great for kids as there’s an indoor pool, tennis courts, a pool & table tennis table and a playground. Unfortunately the weather was quite rainy with unpredictable torrential downpours on most days including the day we went to the beach in Scarborough! We had a day at ‘The Deep’ – the aquarium in Hull, went into York city a couple of times, went to Castle Howard of Brideshead Revisited fame, and a lavender farm which smelled great!

Ruben watching jellyfish, The Deep, Hull

France family portrait (minus Sarah & Kate) at Castle Howard - from front left to right: Dan, Mum, Ruben, Me. Back left to right: Matt, David & dad

The last week of my hols I spent in Stirling- it was rainy here too and pretty cold for summer – only 16c. It wasn’t the best week cos Charlie our adored cat was ill and we found out he has feline aids (they can’t infect humans) – Michael was inconsolable until Charlie pulled through his illness really well after a course of antibiotics. He (the cat) is now eating huge piles of very expensive cat food! I swear his food costs more than ours!

We did have a few very humid and hot weeks in July but since then the weather’s been really wet and not very hot – some days it’s been downright cold! I don’t think the rest of the country has fared any better mind you.

I have managed to do a bit of sight-seeing in Scotland with a day trip to Glencoe and a hill walk up one of our most scenic mountains Stob Binnein. I also dragged Michael up one of our most accessible hills, Ben Ledi near Callander!

The ascent to Stob Binnein- the ridge up to the summit in the mist

Toni & Roser at summit of Stob Binnein having lunch

Carniverous sundew plants on boggy hillside

Glencoe - The Three Sisters

Glencoe - Micael trying the real ale at the Clachaig Inn

I’ve also discovered a fantastic salsa night here in Bannockburn near Stirling which happens once a month – it’s been years since I did any salsa but I am picking it up again and really enjoying it. I am considering taking a few classes just to improve enough to avoid knocking knees with my partner and stepping on his toes! I indulged in a wonderful pair of proper dance shoes which makes a big difference - they are really soft and comfortable despite having a 2.5 inch heel (I only tried on about 30 pairs)! They mean you can do turns without jarring your ankle and also don’t slip on the dance floor.

Salsatastic!

For Dad's birthday treat we went to 'Go Ape' an adventure course in Aberfoyle in the forest with zip wires, rope bridges, ladders etc. It rained quite a lot but we didn't get too wet under the trees.

Going ape- dad on longest zipwire in UK

I am still working at Edinburgh Uni just now although the contract is due to end in November. The job didn’t turn out quite how I expected and has involved dealing with huge amounts of NHS bureaucracy and hassle which has been demoralising and DULL. Anyway, on the plus side I quite enjoy being in Edinburgh particularly in the buzzy summer season and during the Festival when there are lots of interesting street acts all over (including bands playing outside my office window)! Also my boss has gone on sabbatical for a year so as of this month I am now spending most of the week at Stirling uni which is much easier to get to and means I can fit in more fitness classes!

The Udderbelly venue at Edinburgh Festival

Unfortunately I didn’t get the project grant I applied for although I did get through to the final selection round which is an achievement in itself. But my current project has been extended for a few months and I can work on that part-time based at Stirling Uni – the prospect doesn’t exactly fill me with joy but, hey, it’s better than nothing!

I am looking forward to my next trip which is a few days in Barcelona. I have only been once and that was for the Millennium celebration in 1999/2000 so it’ll be lovely to go back and this time in warmer weather. I find I work better when I have something to look forward to!