We’re not in

We’re out.

I don't do Hallowe'en, at least, not in what appears to be the popular way, because I'm not American. I don't mean to be controversial, but there it is. We don't do 'Trick or Treat'. My children have never dressed up and knocked on doors, I never did as a child, (long time ago, I know) and I put a polite but to the point sign on the door saying we don't.

Somehow, I always get persuaded by my girls for them to have friends round, dress up, bob for apples and have slightly odd food. Nobody needs to know what goes on behind closed doors...Brain Balls and Witches Fingers

I prefer something a little more up market myself and a nice G & T with ice and lime to start. Ahh, must be a Saturday.

I’m not lost…

I have absolutely no good excuse for my disappearance, to be honest, I don’t suppose I thought anyone would notice, but just in case you did, I’m still here. Sorry to disappoint!

I’ve been doing bits and pieces over the last month I s’pose. Took three of the little treasures for a stroll on my own over their ‘Tattie Holidays’ mid October. Rhiannon was too busy with her nose in a book to join us. David had the pleasure of dropping Aedan, Conall, Ciara and I at Roseisle, just up the coast a bit, and we walked home along the coast path. It’s quite a nice 7 mile stroll, but it’s always windy and that Sunday it was blustery, showery and a little chilly, but we made it home safely. I’m not used to taking sole responsibility for our offspring in the great outdoors, but apparently I’m quite capable. Shall do it more often now. Maybe.

Had another girly walk last weekend. Yet again, we were a good few short of a full house. We started with seven, but by the time we finished, we were four and a little damp round the edges. It was only a local circuit around Forres, about fifteen miles, but it was actually quite a nice, varied route and the promised rain didn’t start till we’d dropped down the other side of Califer hill, so the wind and rain were at our backs and we barely noticed it. No, really, the damp creeping up my trouser legs, the droplets dripping off my nose were the least of my worries, but we won’t go there. Suffice it to say, I was glad to reach civilisation when we did. Even if the shortcut, at half a mile longer, was strictly speaking more scenic than short. What’s half a mile between friends? Depends…

Now is the time to add a map, but I’m still working on that. I’ll get there, I’m just a bit slow. Sounds like a good name for this blog.

So, that was last weekend, since then I’ve walked a usual six mile Monday route with my friend, the Other Louise, five miles into town and back to bank a birthday cheque, (not mine, sadly, another seven months yet) and five miles to the hairdresser and back to be well and truly scalped. It’ll grow back.

The Achilles? Ah. Now then. I really ought to have done something about that before. Now I have a lump on my heel which isn’t shifting but isn’t really causing any grief. Until I walk  a fair distance in my boots, then it might be a little inflamed but not really painful, just a little. I’m making like an ostrich, it’ll sort itself out in time.

David says he’s doing  the Challenge with or without me. Bloomin’ cheek! He wouldn’t have known about it without me. Humph.

Ploughing on with the photography course. In fact, I’m well ahead with the course, so I’m entitled to ignore it for a day or two while I get the camera surgically removed from my face. Not attractive. Blair’s Loch

Nibbled Fly Agaric

Any road up, best be off. The little treasures are just getting in from school and I’m sure I ought to be doing something more constructive. I just don’t know what off hand.

 

Plan B required

Plan A was to carry my camera whilst out walking to kill two birds, so to speak. It would appear, however, that I'm going to have to find a plan B. I managed to squeeze a 45 minute walk into, er, 2 hours this morning. This doesn't bode well for my fitness, but I might get some nice photographs for my assignments. Ankle was fine though, which is good news.

Little hill revisited

I went on the monthly girly walk yesterday, back to Ben Rinnes which I did earlier in the year with David. It was a bit silly really, so soon after an injury, but Alison wanted my company to bring up the rear, (we're both slow coaches!) and as there was only five in the group in total, I didn't think I would feel too bad about holding folk up. We are a particularly well gelled group.

We went up a different route, leaving from the Ben Rinnes distillery at Edinvillie. It's a long, gradual incline, a total of 2018ft over about 3.28 miles to the trig. After about one and a half miles, the track ends and we did a spot of heather bashing before we joined another track for the last mile.

We found a fabulous spot for lunch, under the crags to the south of the trig, well out of the wind, which was windy, again, but the skies were clear and the views to the west, the Grampians and south, to the Cairngorms, were tremendous.

A chap and his eight year old daughter joined us and we had a natter, whilst the rest of the traffic plodded past to the top and back down again. Turned out, we got a bit carried away and took a whole hour for lunch! The chap and his daughter left and went to the top and returned a while later, "I can see ladies really do know how to lunch!" he commented. Cheek.

We left the top and slipped and slithered our way down the path I'd used before. It's a purpose built path to save erosion, but the slippy gravel is dreadful. We took our time, particularly those who didn't want further injury! At the bottom, we took a left along the quiet road back to the distillery, but three of us decided to take a track that contoured along the bottom of the hill. I wasn't keen, the track was rough, very rutted, boggy and slightly uphill, which was beginning to pull my tendon. Alison happily joined me back on the road and we strolled back to the car, beating the trio by about ten minutes.

Despite the concern for my tendon and the exertion, (blimey, it's uphill alright!) we had an absolute ball. I haven't laughed so much in ages and was so pleased I changed my mind and joined them. My heel is tender today, but no more inflamed than it has been for the last week or so, so maybe I've been lucky and done no more damage, ahem. I have taken some photos, (of the views, not my ankle!) and I'll upload some to the post when I get round to downloading them, the camera is on the other side of the room, seems a long way away to me at the moment.

Next month, we're doing the Five Harbours walk, from Buckie to Portsoy. I don't do a lot of coastal walks, so this is a new one on me. I just hope we're not too close to the cliff edge. I'm not good with heights...

(Photographs added)

Happy bunny!

Isn't this is fabulous fungi? I will get around to identifying it, the Collins Gem is poised, but first, I'm so happy!

It has to be said, it is quite easy to make me happy. If it's chocolate, make it 70%, if it's whisky, make it malt, if it's perfume, make it No 5 and if it's champagne, make it Tattinger. I said it was easy, not cheap! But it was none of these that made me such a happy bunny, oh no. Today's happiness was cheap, cheap, cheap!

I went for a walk on Monday, the first for a couple of weeks and the usual 6 miles with my pals, wearing my Merrells. Excellent. Today, I went for a short stroll to the marshes, wearing my Brashers and there was no pain. Yes! The girl is back in business and next week I can get back to the walking in earnest. Only now, I really mustn't forget the camera, I need photographs for my course. What a nice time of year for it too.

Happy, happy, happy!