New year’s resolutions….

I was trying to think what I’d done/ achieved this past year and what would I like to do in 2010. Well I tried to learn to play squash better to be able to at least occasionally beat Michael- but I still haven’t beaten him! I did learn some new moves but only made it to 4 out of 10 lessons, not as many as I’d hoped! Next year I’m going to try to go to more lessons!

I’ve picked up dancing again for the first time in seven or so years and despite an unpromisingly, uncoordinated start I have improved and am really enjoying it! I’ve been doing salsa and a range of other styles from Bollywood to African to contemporary with a bit of Michael J’s Thriller thrown in just for fun. I just started a bit of Brazilian samba too which is very fast and makes all your wobbly bits shake – oooh!

I didn’t get up as many mountains this year as I would’ve liked but I think maybe I should learn to read an ordnance survey map properly – that could be one of my challenges for 2010: learn to navigate in the hills! Then I’d feel more confident going out without an expert and maybe Michael and I would get lost less often!

Yoga has been a regular feature in my life in 2009 and I am actually improving! I think I am inflexibile genetically but I am gradually getting there:-) As my teacher says- it’s taken her 30 years to get to where she is now (she’s in her mid-60s and can do the splits and many weird and wonderful contortions). That’s something I am definitely going to carry on with in 2010.

On a more practical, less personal note, one of my more urgent ‘resolutions’ is to move to a bigger place without a damp problem! Hopefully by February we will have moved out of our tiny bungalow and will actually be able to invite people round for parties and to stay over! Maybe next new year I’ll have an ‘open house’ on 1st January and have all my local friends and family over! It would be nice not to have to sleep on a mattress on the floor when we have someone to stay and to be able to have more than one guest at a time in the house! It would also mean that we can have a separate room for the computer desk rather than have it in the living room.


Another ‘wish’ rather than a resolution is that I’ll make it to France next year for a visit at some point –maybe somewhere I’ve never been before like Toulouse or Lyon. My last visit was to Paris in 2008 for a weekend. I loved it but I have been many times before, particularly as I spent a year in Versailles in ‘93-’94 and had my half price travel card which was very well used on numerous weekly trips into the city!

I do fancy doing some language learning next year – maybe picking up my Spanish again or starting something new like Arabic or Gaelic (just for fun!). It will depend how much time I have on my hands…

Now, I am off to make the most of the last 1.5 days of 2009! Happy new year!

Winter 2009

November/ December Chaos

It's gone by in a blur! Inevitably, November and December are busy months with various parties and celebrations from birthdays (including mine!), to bonfire night, dinners and charity events to secret Santa gift-giving. Add to that a week-long holiday abroad (Lanzarote, which I’ve already written about), my numerous job applications and interviews (some bizarre experiences), and a climate change march – not to mention a change of job - and I’ve barely stopped until now!

I’ve found the whole experience of academic job applications somewhat of a let down. There is often no real equal opportunity in academia where jobs are promised to individuals but then must be advertised by law. You can’t know in advance which jobs actually exist and which are a complete waste of your time – very frustrating. Anyway, after numerous interviews including one in Bournemouth the outcome for me is that I have a short-term, full-time contract at Stirling Uni, where I used to work, as an extension to the project I’ve been working on for the past 2.5 years. That ends in January when I should have two part-time contracts based at Stirling giving me a full-time research post for 12 months. It is working with really nice people so I am looking forward to it but it will be extremely busy as I will also still be unofficially doing work on the current project which is still running until March.

Doune Castle, Nov 09 - various Monty Python scenes were filmed here

View from Doune Castle


Through the portal- a view from Doune castle ramparts

In amongst job interviews etc I’ve been out and about enjoying various salsa nights including ones for a charity set up by my friends to raise money for building wells in Nicaraguan villages (http://www.agua.seoras.com/).

I also managed to visit the Xmas markets in Edinburgh which are really pretty and atmospheric- there’s a ‘highland village’ market selling loads of woollens and also drinks like mulled wine –mmm! – and German market with loads of foods, trinkets, and decorations from, guess where, Germany. There are also traditional funfair rides, like a big wheel and helter skelter, and an ice rink –all in the Princes Street gardens. They’ve even temporarily stopped work on the (much delayed) tramline on Princes Street over Xmas so people can get around more easily.

We finally had a proper look around Doune castle and enjoyed the very entertaining audio guide by one of the Monty Python actors complete with optional excerpts from the film dialogue. If you visit I’d recommend taking a torch as some of the staircases in the upper sections of the castle are very dark and narrow!

Salsa night for charity in local bowling club - I'm the one in the blue dress

Finally, I took part in my first demonstration! I joined thousands of others (around 6000-8000) in ‘The Wave’ in Glasgow to stop climate chaos. The atmosphere was great with samba bands and pipers playing and lots of families taking part. We walked a few miles from Bellahouston Park in Ibrox to Kelvingrove park in Glasgow’s west end via the new footbridge over the Clyde (video at end of post). With folk from my Friends of the Earth group we carried our blue banner and were joined by the ‘People and Planet’ group from Stirling uni. One of their banners was a lot ruder than ours - I can’t remember exactly what is said but it included ‘F*ck’ in it…

Me and Walter carrying our banner at 'The Wave', Dec 09 - a bit blurry but the only one with me in it! It says 'Stirling for Climate Justice'

In London everyone had been asked to dress in blue to create a visual ‘wave’. In Glasgow we weren’t asked to do the same- it turns out that this was probably because of the Celtic match being played that day. Their arch enemies Rangers wear blue and there was concern that we might be mistaken for rival fans…! How sad!

Yelitza & Roser with their Xmas teddies they got from secret santa

Snow on the Ochils behind Stirling station on Xmas Eve


December snow on the hills in Riverside, Stirling

Stirling Baptist church with a hint of snow still on the roof

I have been hugely enjoying my time off over Xmas catching up on reading, sleeping, seeing family and doing some swimming which I haven’t done in ages. The week before Xmas I had the pool practically to myself as there were only three people using two pools at the university! It was a lot busier yesterday as people are trying to burn off some of the Xmas excess!

Video of the start of the climate change march in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow (it would only let me insert it at the end of the post for some reason...)