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

Aberlady & Abba

Coastal walk North Berwick to Aberlady Bay - 19 April 08

On Saturday I went on a walk with the ‘Gruff’ group from North Berwick to Aberlady Bay nature reserve (apparently Britain’s first local nature reserve) – see http://www.aberlady.org/Nature%20reserve.html. I got the train there via Edinburgh with Malcolm the driving instructor from Alloa & met all of the Glasgow contingent at Waverley station - it took about 2 hours of travelling in all to get there.

The GRUFF walking group on beautiful North Berwick beach

The coastal walk is about 9 miles along the beach and through the dunes and passes the small towns of Dirlston and Gullane. We did a bit of bird spotting as we went - I saw a gannet sleeping on a rock on the shore (first real life one I’ve seen), a heron fishing (didn’t know they fished in salt water too) and lots of eider ducks in small flocks a few metres out to sea from the coast. There were beautiful, white beaches with soft sand – wanted to take my boots off and feel it under my toes. There was a strong, cold wind at first but as we got further north along the coast it was more sheltered and got pretty warm- I had to take off my jacket and fleece and even needed suntan lotion and sun specs! There were gorgeous dunes with silver grasses blowing in the wind. The coast reminded me a bit of Suffolk where we used to live – places like Minsmere nature reserve which is coastal.

Gorgeous beaches between North Berwick and Aberlady on the east coast

There was an annoying woman who turned up on the walk unannounced (as I later found out) who kept rushing on ahead and getting impatient when we stopped to admire the view or take pictures…! She then rushed everyone to catch an earlier bus so she could get home cos she ‘had things to do’. Me and another girl were trailing behind the others at the end of the walk having queued for the loos then saw the rest of the group far ahead running for the earlier bus- we ran as far as we could with sore legs, tired feet, heavy boots and a big ruck sack (my new boots were very comfy though). If I had been leading the walk I would have had words with her!

Rickety foot bridge at Aberlady Bay Nature Reserve - the end of the walk.

The bus took us through various small towns in the suburbs of Edinburgh which I’ve never been to before including Musselburgh and Portobello. An hour later we arrived in Edinburgh’s Rose Street where we stopped off in a pub for a nice cold pear cider - very refreshing - and then home on the train to Stirling. I got home by 8pm having left from Stirling at 8.45am to catch the train – a long day out! I didn’t feel much like going to Alloa to a party after such a long day out so just vegged out in front of TV.

Queuing for luxury public conveniences at Aberlady- better than the thorny bushes near the golf course!

The next walk is going to be 2 munros so I’m giving that one a miss since there will still be snow near the summit and I don’t fancy freezing my backside off eating lunch in the snow and hail like the last time! I have since had an email to inform me the group have kicked me off the invitee list cos I haven’t officially joined the Rambler’s yet – damn! Was hoping I’d get away with it for a bit longer! Suppose I’ll have to cough up!

Mama Mia! - 20 April 08

On Sunday I went to see the matinee of Mama Mia, the Abba musical, at the Armadillo (otherwise known as the Clyde Auditorium) in Glasgow with my mum, Kate & Sarah – dad’s treat. Needless to say Michael didn’t come! There were loads of Abba songs in it including our favourites – Dancing Queen, Gimme Gimme etc. The audience was mostly older women with the odd husband, boyfriend and some kids. There was a bloke sitting next to me who hummed through some of the songs! The basic story is that there’s a wedding in Greece where the young bride-to-be invites her 3 possible dads from the UK to attend – pretty tongue in cheek. The whole show including the songs was also translated into deaf sign language.

Mama mia! Glasgow - mum and Kate (Sarah was queuing for the loos)!

Kate was delighted when she realised there would be some muscley male torso on show – an unexpected bonus (can’t say I was disappointed about it either)! Was a good cheesy day out and we all stood up at the end clapping and singing along. Only criticism would be that there are never enough ladies loos – enormous queues!

Spring & Latin American Party

Gillies hill

Michael and I went another bike ride on my week off through the woods at Gillies Hill - a lovely woodland behind the village Cambusbarron where we first lived when we moved to Stirling. We ended up carrying our bikes up an almost sheer muddy hill trying to find a way up it in the woods. They used to quarry here and now they want to re-open the quarry which would mean that a large part of the woodland would be blasted into oblivion along wth all the wildlife including red squirrels and badgers. If you want to support the campaign to save it go to http://www.savegillieshill.org.uk/

Taking a rest on bike ride in Gillies Hill woods - it's a cycle helmet, not hat!

We spent a while carreening through the trees and then headed off down country lanes through farmland eventually coming out south of the city in the Whins of Milton. We then returned home on the roads since it was a downhill ride taking that route, although not as scenic.

Latin American party 11 April

Don't remember what we were laughing about but the food was great!

Roser hosted another party at her flat but this time the chefs were Jennifer and Jairo from Venezuela and Nicki who lived in Guatemala. Some of the guests provided a few extra dishes like nachos. I had a yummy vegetarian rice dish made with coconut milk and kidney beans- there was even some left so I took a bug tub home and ate it for lunch and dinner for the next 2 days!

The menu included:

arepas - fried corn bread
caraotas negras (black beans)
carne molida (mince meat)
pepian de pollo (chicken dumplings)
Caribbean rice and beans with coconut milk
guacamole chapin
platanos fritos (fried plantains)
quesillo (dessert similar to a flan)
mojitos & wine

Yummy Latin American flan - 'quesillo'

After stuffing ourselves I'm surprised that anyone was able to move let alone dance but dance they did - salsa and merengue. We also had an impromptu poetry recital in Spanish from Jairo of a famous Latin American poem which has hundreds of verses - thankfully he didn't recite them all, just the first one or two.

Merengue dancing Ailsa, Jenny, Sergi & Jairo

Salsa dancing Latin American style

Holidays & birthday bike ride

29 March 08

I took a week off work and have been on hols since Friday 28th March- yes! Amazing how tired you can get sitting at a desk! A good friend Rachel from Herts was up visiting old friends –she use to live in and around Stirling including in Dunblane & Bridge of Allan . We’ve known each other for around 12 years now since we used to share an office together at Glasgow uni when I was a PhD student and a Rachel a research assistant - we always had lots of hilarity particularly around 3pm for some reason!

So on Saturday night Rachel and I went out on the town starting with a lovely meal in ‘Mediterranéa’ a, not surprisingly, Mediterranean-influenced restaurant in Stirling. We each had a lovely sea bass – very reasonably priced and very decent house wine too – at last have found a restaurant worth going to in Stirling! Even though it was Saturday night and was pay day it wasn’t very busy - at 11pm we were the only customers and the last ones to leave (how I used to hate those people when I was a waitress!)

Rachel in Stirling restaurant Mediterranea - it's not her guitar.

We then tried to find a decent bar in town – we tried Pivo’s a Polish or Czech bar but we were wearing too many clothes and the music was too loud (a sign that we are now quite old and rather boring). We ended up in the rather more sedate older persons’ haven the City Walls which I don’t particularly like but it has lots of seats and the music’s fairly quiet! Pity I have yet to find a particularly nice local bar for a Saturday night out.

30 March 08 - Wallace Monument

Rachel stayed over with us as Michael, kind soul, offered to kip on the sofa so that Rachel could share the bed with me. The next day we took our time over breakfast then we strolled to the Wallace monument to look at the lovely views of the snowy mountain peaks. We then stopped at Corrieri’s café for a light lunch (delicious fresh pizza – 7 inches for £3.60! No rude jokes please!) and coffee before taking Rachel back to Alloa where she is staying with a friend who has a house bigger than ours! (Corrieri’s is a bit of a local institution – an Italian café with good food but can’t say I was impressed with the coffee last time I tried it).

Rachel admiring view from Wallace Monument

31 March 08 - Happy Birthday Michael!
Nature was kind on Michael’s birthday – it was a beautiful spring day, warm sun, gentle breeze. We got the bikes out for my first outing of the season and rode through the small village of Cambuskenneth (one pub, no shops and a ruined Abbey), through Bridge of Allan (old spa town) to Dunblane (quaint ‘village’) using the Darn Road path through the woods. The Darn Road is now a public footpath which runs along the Allan Water river through mature woodland – apparently it used to link up 10 mills along the river including paper mills, meal mills and sawmills. There were also copper mines and salmon fishing along this stretch of water. Kate will be delighted to hear that I was wearing my socks and sandals - perhaps not such a good idea bearing in mind how muddy and wet the forest path was…

We could see the bluebells everywhere (not yet in flower but will be gorgeous when in bloom in May) and smell the wild garlic leaves. We then met up with the tarmac-ed section of the road which is a steep hill down into Dunblane – I whizzed down the hill into the village so fast I scared myself and had to brake (not like that adrenalin junkie Michael who put his head down to go faster)! I realised why Michael advised me to keep my mouth tight shut on the downhill stretch cos all the wet mud that had accumulated in my tyre treads flew up and hit me in the face! I looked most fetching cycling around Dunblane with mud streaks all over my face, in my hair, on my fleece….

The ghost of Robert Louis Stevenson's cave, Darn Road - ha ha!

We cycled round the beautiful cathedral and down the main street of Dunblane past lots of wee independent shops and cafes. It still has real character unlike many towns and villages that have been overrun with chain stores (although there is an ugly Tesco in the centre now). Dunblane is tiny with a population of 10,000 but is actually classed as a city (who knows why?)!

The route back took a different path for the first mile or so and passes by a small cave called Stevenson’s Cave after Robert Louis Stevenson who used to holiday in Bridge of Allan. It’s said to have been where he was inspired to write 'Treasure Island', although it wasn’t very impressive or pretty, just wet and muddy!

Michael about to set off on the next leg of the ride - Darn Road between Bridge of Allan & Dunblane

In all it was about a 15 mile round trip, very muddy in my socks and sandals. We had lovely views, away from the traffic on country lanes, and met very few people being a Monday. I’ve got a sore bum now. It’s the first time I’ve been out on my bike this year. I am now ready to cycle to work – but only when the weather’s nice!

Easter Snow & Cakes

Easter weekend

On Thursday I did my 3 hours of yoga and have hurt my shoulder and neck (only just improving a week later) - have been waking in the small hours in agony. Think it was when Lynn yanked my feet in shoulder stand, as Kate said, I was ‘sagging’ so she pulled me straight! Was glad I had decided not to do the walking group Pentlands hill walk on Saturday - I would have struggled to carry my rucksack.

At last- a long weekend off! On Good Friday we went to Dundee – Michael had to hand in his draft diploma assignment to uni and I went along for the shopping! I did find a very lovely pair of hiking boots to replace the aged and knackered ones, although I haven’t christened them yet. They have some interesting street sculptures in the city centre including the dragon, Desperate Dan and a parade of wee penguins!

Dundee Dragon

We had a light flurry of snow and it was very, very cold so we didn’t linger outside for long. We found a wee Italian café by chance and were told on arrival by a customer that it was the best coffee in Dundee, which is exactly what we were looking for (well spotted Michael)! We warmed up in there until the clientele started to make Michael feel like we didn’t belong (I think they had a lunch special for pensioners on) – I hadn’t even noticed!

Sarah & David with Tamagotchi-parents love 'em!

Saturday was a non-event since my shoulder was hurting but we went over to see my folks on Sunday for Easter and had lunch and chocolate eggs. Mum had bought the grandsons the new Tamagotchi keyrings – electronic pets which demand attention, food, love - even holidays! My sisters end up looking after the ‘pets’ – just like real life (I think they secretly enjoy it)!

Catalan Easter cakes & UK contribution of crispy cakes, mini eggs & hot X buns!

Monday we had been invited to an Easter cake eating party at the house of a Catalan friend Roser- well why not! So I went armed with coffee and a bottle of rum for Jamaican coffee and ate 4 different kinds of Easter cake then could barely move…. The Catalan cake is called ‘La mona’, regardless of how it is cooked, and means ‘female monkey’! One of the ‘monas’ was a ring of pastry with a boiled egg in its shell baked into it – apparently a traditional gift from a godfather to his godson with a boiled egg for each year of the godson’s life up to age 12.

Best coffee in Stirling-Michael in Cisco's cafe

I was feeling re-energised on Easter Monday and the sun came out so we wandered into town, had a coffee in our favourite wee café Cisco’s (best coffee in Stirling!) and then wandered through the very wealthy and pretty part of the town called King’s Park where the daffies were out. We even went as far as Cambusbarron, the village where we first lived when we moved here and popped in on our old neighbours to catch up on the gossip.

Easter daffodils in King's Park area of Stirling

Have discovered Facebook this week so have been spending far to much time browsing friends’ photos and writing messages on people’s ‘walls’!