Another Sunday, Another Hill!

Haha, intrepid adventurer that I am. Given that most of the snow had melted overnight, and not to be perturbed by the dark clouds looming (see picture), we decided after lunch today, that we may as well attempt the trek up Ben Aigen. I think it's 471 metres or so, but the ascent itself isn't a problem, because it's very gradual. So gradual in fact, that it's about an hour's walk from the car park to the top, and that's including a short-cut through a very boggy fire-break.

The hill you can see in the picture is Ben Rinnes (from the top of Ben Aigen) which I'm itching to try and ascend. It is considerably higher than anything I've ever attempted though, at 842 metres (which makes it a corbett). I'm told by experienced hill-walkers however, that going up Ben Rinnes at this time of year would be pure madness, and I well believe they're right. However, the view from the summit must be phenomenal.

We've sort of got into a routine of climbing hills on a Sunday, with the Bin Hill 2 weeks ago, the Knock Hill last week, and Ben Aigen this week. Each one successively higher. Yes, I know they're not mountains, but it is Winter and my daughter in particular is highly averse to mud and dirt. She was very concerned about the state of her new jeans, which she had misguidedly worn for the event. The worst aspect of hill-walking at this time of year appears to be the run-off, by which I mean the torrents of water pouring down the hillside from rain and melting snow. A decent pair of water-tight boots is essential. I don't have a decent pair of boots, and can unfortunately confirm this as fact!

Snow Go!

Since it seems I'm going to be thwarted in my attempts to do any hill-walking this weekend and because I promised you some photos, here they are;

This is the Spey Bay to Fochabers road, the river Spey is about 10m to the right just behind the trees and bushes.

Here is the river, looking downstream. I believe it's the fastest flowing river in the UK.

Elgin town centre with St. Giles church at the rear.

This is the back road into Elgin. The building at the end of the road is a distillery.

This is Buckpool, where I live. I took this picture looking out over the Moray Firth, about 150m for my house.

Something For the Weekend!

Well, that's me finished teaching for 3 weeks or so. It's been an experience! On the assessment front, I'll get my results and feedback at Uni, on Monday. Going back to Uni's a bit of a thought to be honest. I've gotten used to being in the school, and the prospect of having to stand waiting at the train station at 6:45 in the morning, at this time of the year, is very unappealing. It's got to be one of the coldest damn places around here, at the best of times.

So, we've had a little snow today, but it looks like tonight is going to see some major snowfalls here for the first time this year. Don't know if I'll be able to get any hill-walking in this weekend, the rest of the family are wavering. They're talking about the cinema, but there's nothing on. They're not even showing Cloverfield here, which is the only film I'm remotely interested in going to see at the moment. Did I mention that the oven in my cooker has packed up? No, I don't think I did. I'm not happy about that at all!

I will try and get some photos this weekend though, rest assured I'll find something photograph-worthy on my travels. Preferably with snow in it, but I can't guarantee it. If you live in another part of the World, you might not really understand how the weather works here in Scotland. We can get the four seasons in one day, any combination of snow, rain, sunshine and wind. The weather can change every 10 minutes. That's what it's like here, always changing, from good to bad and back again in next to no time. That's why you always have to dress for the worst possible weather!

I Predict There Will Be Weather!

I was planning another foray into the hills this weekend. Nothing major, but even so, it looks like the weather could intervene and spoil my plans, tonight and tomorrow we're set for heavy snowfalls. I'm tempted to go even if it does snow, just because I know I'll get some great photos if that proves to be the case. We'll just have to wait and see. It's very difficult to predict the weather in these parts, and on the coast where I live can have nothing, when inland a mile or so is knee-deep in snow.

Did I mention that I've set myself the goal of walking up Ben Nevis in the summer. It's about 3 and a half hours drive from here, but if I set off early some fine Summer's day, it should be most enjoyable. Apparently it takes 4 hours to go up and 3 to get back down, if you make good progress, but I think it should be quite do-able, even though it will be swarming with tourists at that time of year.

Tomorrow is my last day of teaching practice, at least for 3 weeks, until I get stuck into it again at a different school. So I'll be able to ditch the shirt and tie for a while, and shave when I feel like it again, which will be infrequently I reckon. That assessment I've been moaning about for ages, because I still haven't had my results back... well, I still haven't had my results back, and yes it's becoming tiresome! On a brighter note, my teaching practice has gone extremely well, and as far as my teaching mentor is concerned, I could start work on Monday. I would do it too if I could, but the system won;t allow it. "The Man" won't permit any deviation from the norm. Damn "the Man"!

Time For Mortals!

Yes, we all have our weak moments when we consider the fragility of our mortality. "No we don't!" you cry, and I say "Shut up kid!" If you don't ever consider your mortality, then chances are you're still a fairly young pup, probably a teenager, at which age we all believed ourselves immortal. Yes, even (in fact, especially) those boy-racers who killed themselves in head-on smashes. A common occurence here in the NE of Scotland. The young lads at sea and working offshore always had more money than sense.

But no, as you get older (I'm not that old... yet), your thoughts do turn to the possibility of shuffling off from this mortal coil. You may well consider what could contribute to this event. Anyone who has watched a relative or friend die the long, slow and painful death from cancer, would presumably hope that they will either drop dead in the street, or simply just not wake up some morning. Indeed, that would be most fortunate if that were the case, but let's not make it too soon though, eh?

I'm only 36, but I've noticed a rapid decrease in the number of weddings I get to attend, over recent years, and a most unfortunate but dramatic increase in the number of funerals I've been too. Time stands still for no man, they say, and I'll be damned if it doesn't actually speed up. I think Einstein would back me up here, assuming that gravity has less of an effect on you, the older you get. You may well disagree with this hypothesis, but yes, it's true, even Einstein agreed that his space/time theories were not universally applicable. It's my own opinion, but I suspect that binary stars would be a good place to start looking for answers!

Secret Cat Seminar Caught On Camera!

Cute and cuddly by day, intergalactic rulers of unstoppable evil by night. Dogs are dumb animals, but not cats, no... they're with you out of mutual convenience. The cat can leave you anytime, because it's a survivor, it doesn't need you, you need it. A dog on the other hand is the favoured pet of those of lower intelligence. They were only ever intended as working animals, but somehow wound up in the home. It's at that point that the dog owner begins to believe that their dog understands them, not only what they say, but emotionally as well. That the dog is somehow empathetic to what's going on in it's owner's life. Wrong, the dog knows nothing, it's just a dumb animal, and if your dog is your best friend, then perhaps you and the dog aren't that different after all.

You may get the impression that I'm not a big fan of animals. You would be right. Unless it can work, is edible, or somehow supports the food-chain, I can't see the point of them. Some people think it's a good idea for kids to have pets, but they haven't thought it through. Pets don't live very long, however, just long enough for kids to form a tremendous attachment to them. Then they're emotionally scarred for life when the animal dies (usually under the tyres of a car, in a door or a lawnmower). That aside, I have no problem with animals!

Cats are the only anomaly in the whole thing. All other types of pet just do pointlessly inane things all day long. Not the cat, it has purpose, it has intent. It's one step ahead of the owner. Clearly, the cat has been on this planet longer than the human, and is therefore only biding it's time until the human race is in a weakened condition. Then it will strike and take control of the planet. They're organised (I hear them communicating at night), and their plans are afoot. See the photo above for a prime example of a cat seminar being busted wide open. The only reason that the photgrapher in question here was allowed to live, was because the cats know that their secret language hasn't been cracked yet! I could go on, but I'm getting bored of this now!

Round and Around!

You live the urban life, and never think about what goes on in the countryside. The truth is, you have no idea what goes on there. Crop circles, where do those come from? Nobody knows! Maybe if you lived in the country, you would. They'll never tell you city folk. And what about these sheep (see picture) forming a circle, and chanting? Have you heard about that? I don't think so, what happens in the countryside stays in the countryside!

Nah, I'm talking about the Middle Ages, when people used to convene in some secluded woodland loaction, to try and communicate with wing'd creatures through the medium of horniness. Of course nothing happens in the countryside anymore. What can't you do from the comfort of your own home these days? Who'd have thought 20 years ago, that in 2008, you could be a virtual warrior, having virtual relations with a virtual sorceress, who was actually a real person on the other side of the globe? Technology eh? Constantly enhancing our daily lives!

But, do you really believe that technology has made your life better than it would have been without it? Is being able to never leave the house a blessing? Is being easily contactable at anytime, really what you want? Does sending 200 texts a day help you in anyway? I doubt it! So, let's get back to those halcyon Middle age times, and I'll see you in the woods.... No wait, I just remembered about the plague, serfdom and the Witch-hunter General. Ok, meeting online it is!

Tough At the Top!

When I got up this morning, although the ground was damp, there wasn't any wind, and so I decided it was time for another hill-walk. Just like last week, but potentially much more difficult. I had decided that the Knock Hill near Grange would be a good option. About a half-hours drive to the base and the rest would be straight-forward. No bewildering forest tracks around the base of this hill. You just go straight up!

Well, that was the plan. The reality on the ground was slightly different. First off we had to drive a half-mile up a track from the main road. We parked and made our way in. To say that the ground was wet would be an understatement. The path up the hill was more like a stream, and the ground all around it was sodden. My feet were immediately soaked, so much for those boots. Not until we were almost half-way up did it get a bit drier, although it was still fairly muddy right to the top. Surprisingly, it was really mild on the way up, but the wind on top was unbelieveable, it was difficult to stand still.

So, the picture you see above is the view South-Westwards towards the Cairngorms (excuse the compression, I had to, otherwise the page would take forever to load). You can see some snow on the peak right in the centre and also to the far left. Those are just the foothills to the Cairngorms though. The real thing lies just beyond that, obscured by the clouds. I'm sure on a nice Summers day, you would see them clearly enough. Anyhow, we're just trying to get a little bit fitter by tackling a hill each weekend. Next week we plan to try Ben Aigen, weather, footwear and circumstances permitting of course.

Bring Out Your Books!

Today I managed to acquire some books that I've wanted for a while. I would have had them yesterday had the parcel fitted through the letter-box, but it didn't and so it winded up back at the delivery office. There was a good reason why it didn't fit in the letter-box, and that was because it was a box-set. The "Alexander" trilogy by Valerio Massimo Manfredi. Translated from the original Italian into English of course. Supposedly second-hand, but clearly they've never been read. You can tell that sort of thing!

I hadn't intended to buy them yet, but having purchased a CD from Amazon recently, I realised that by adding a couple more cheap items, that I could save paying postage (they have some sort of deal on). I read "The Tower" by Manfredi, last Summer when we were in Italy, and it was a decent read. I have decided, from the reviews that I've read, that these "Alexander" books will be even better. I also notice that Matthew Reilly has a new book out too, "The Six Sacred Stones", the first part of a double header, continuing the adventures of Jack West. Now, that's a man who knows how to write action adventure stories.

You might be wondering what the photo above is of? Well, this is where all good books go to die, an abandoned book depositry. Perhaps not, they go to live in cardboard boxes in attics, cellars and garages. There must be billions of books rotting away unwanted and unloved. Why don't you go and look through your old books... do you still recognise them? Perhaps some of them are worth reading again. Otherwise take them to a second-hand bookshop, so that someone else might get the benefit of them.

Ships of the Desert!

This is how I feel quite often! I can't say that I have tremendous patience, because that would be a lie. When things are happening, life is grand, but the times in between can be so infuriating, especially when you're waiting for something to happen. Right now I'm waiting for to hear news concerning some assessment results, and it's frustrating because I'd expected to hear long before now. Not only that, but I feel like I can't really get on with other things until I know how I've done with this. I know I'm not the only one, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it.

I had a conversation with someone last week, which ran along similar lines. The individual in question told me that he wasn't getting any job satisfaction from work, and so was driven to seek achievement elsewhere. Not achievement as in recognition, but achievement in the sense of, having to do things in leisure time which would deliver self-satisfaction. In this instance, out-door pursuits were the order of the day, but I guess you could just as easily go hang-gliding or parachuting. It strikes me that I may have to find myself some rewarding pastime to help me fill the gaps in my existence.

It wouldn't be true to say that I never received any job satisfaction this week, all the same. I had my moments, but I'm constrained to a fair degree by the position I'm in. I'm not my own boss yet. I don't have the autonomy which would allow me to really try out the things I'd like to do. But my time will come, and when it does, I'll be making the best of it, you can be sure of that!