In the Monadh Liath's!

On Sunday morning we travelled to Newtonmore to walk up 2 Munros there; A' Chailleach and Carn Sgulain. It was a beautiful day, but the terrain became a nightmare, especially after we passed the bothy, below!

When we reached the summit of A' Chailleach we could easily see across to nearby Carn Sgulain, surely one of the most unassuming Munros around. You would never have guessed it was a Munro, just looking at it!

Below, looking back at A' Chailleach from Carn Sgulain!

Unfortunately, by this time we were eaily 7 or 8 kilometres form the car-park and had to walk back along a stream, the Allt a'Chaorainn, across a testing landscape, and despite how straight-forward it looked, this part of the journey was a real slog!

Future All Mapped Out!

That's me passed everything I need to pass to start teaching. Inevitable, but certain factors were out of my hands, until now. I have 2 weeks back at Uni, just tidying up paperwork and rounding things off, then that's me through till August. One small thing, to pay a visit to the school where I'll be teaching, meet the Rector, scope out my classroom and evaluate the teaching resources and equipment, see what I need! There are of course several unknown variables; who will be my mentor, which courses I'll be teaching and what level of support I will get, as a newly qualified teacher. I am looking forward to it, but of course there's a sense of trepidation. A visit next week should hopefully address my primary concerns.

I've started reading again as well after a prolonged period of book-abstinence. My choice of tome for re-entry into the World of literacy is "Spartan" by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, and Italian author, but translated into English obviously. I'm not that cultured! Of course I'm familiar with elements of the story of the Spartans and the book weaves in and out of the common legends. It's quite gripping, I've read a couple of his other books and he's fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I also have his "Alexander" trilogy, sitting patiently, awaiting my attention.

I'm planning bagging another couple of Munros tomorrow, but it's a bit up in the air at the moment, as the weather forecast keeps changing, and what was promised fine weather, may now well be low cloud and poor visibility. Can't have that, as I was intending to go off the beaten track, in which case I will be reliant on map and compass, but without visible landmarks a map would be no use. So, hopefully, the forecast will alter yet again, and I'll be able to have a grand day out tomorrow!

Descent Into Darkness!

Back to Uni again next week, it's been a while (5 weeks actually). It's always nice to meet up with folk again and hear their tales about their time in school. Everyone has a tale to tell, and not all of them happy ones. Working on the sharp edge of education is a dangerous business, and it's not only the pupils who pose a risk. Of course the risks are not merely physical, but mental and probably most susceptible to damage of all... reputation. If you can keep your reputation, physical, and mental health intact, then surviving school may be a distinct possibility.

I see the French are unhappy over the price of fuel again, but unlike our British truckers who blocked a lane into London, the French are blockading ports, roads and towns. That's how you get things done. We British are far too reserved and law-abiding. If the British truckers had blocked all of the roads into the capital for a few days, things might have got moving. Petrol here right now is £1.13 per litre (that's over $2 for US citizens). I've heard projections of over £1.80 per litre by August. The government is considering scrapping their proposed 2p increase on fuel duty in the next budget and think that that could stem the growing tide of resentment. Well think again, petrol is already going up more than 2p each week at present. Unless they drastically slash fuel duty, things might get ugly. Trouble is, the government has borrowed to the hilt, they don't have the financial reserves to prop up any such action. They've got themselves into a right sorry scrape, that's for sure.

In my mind, the Labour government should be kicked out on their ears when it all falls apart, but our British reseve won't let us push for that to happen. Instead, we'll more than likely be satisifed to see Gordon Brown step down. I say we, I mean the majority of Brits, my personal stance is that he should never have held office, neither him nor his predecessor, the man who dragged us into 2 seriosuly pointless wars, which cannot be won. Throw in, selling us down the river to Europe and opening the floodgates to immigration, and you have the makings of possibly the most inept and cowardly leadership that's ever held office, anywhere.

Life After Quibbles!

Yesterday morning we went to the cinema to see the new Indiana Jones movie, which we've had to wait a considerable time for. It was the first showing of the day, so the cinema was fairly empty, which I found really pleasant. The movie is fantastic in terms of action and effects, nothing hugely over-elaborate, which I believe was the intention, so that it fits together with the previous 3 films. The word is that there might be another one in the offing. I hope they get round to it quicker than this one, or I'll be Harrison Ford's age by the time it's released.

While I did enjoy the film, and it's great to see the format revived, there were a few minor quibbles; firstly I'd have liked to have seen a few more of the baddies meet nasty ends. There were some good ones, but there were so many opportunities for more, for instance, the cliff-top race scenario. A few trucks could easily have plummeted into the water. My second gripe was one which I've made over many recent films; the lack of real continuity and more particularly the lack of plot-line. Yes, there was a vague plot-line, but most of the movie had been and gone before it became clear what was happening. There was a distinct lack of set-up. I wouldn't be surprised if many viewers left the cinema not sue why Indie went to South America in the first place.

On to other matters. Following my previous post, and in no way intentional, Channel 4 showed a program last night called "The 11th Hour", with Leonardo di Caprio hosting, and many scientists basically saying that the human race is ****** ! It was stated that 99.9999 % of all creatures that have lived, have become extinct. We, the human race have a limited window in which we exist. The window would appear to be closing. That's to be followed tonight by a show called "Life After People", looking at how nature would quickly wipe away all traces of human existence, should we suddenly become extinct. I'm going to watch that it looks really interesting.

No Future For You!

There's something decidedly wrong with this image! What's that then you say? Well, I'm no sightseer, but I really cannot see a future for the car, or any road-borne vehicle. Not only is the use of oil-based fuels becoming untenable, but there is just way too much traffic on the roads, and no matter how expensive it becomes, it doesn't seem to deter families from having a second car, or even more than two cars.

What alternative do I envision. I don't. I'm afraid that my vision of the future is quite bleak, I try not to think about it, because I am actually an optimist, but my faith in humanity fades a little more everyday. When one thinks back on history, rapid population increase tends to be followed by terrible wars, pandemics, natural catastrophes, and before humanity was around, mass extinctions. It seems like the planet always has a mechanism for having a regular clear out. It seems unlikely that we can sustain the current level of pupoulation growth, and that inevitably, if we don't bring about a huge decline in the World poulation by ourselves, then some external factor will kick-in and do it for us.

There are already signs that the planet will wreak havoc on us all; melting ice-caps, magnetic poles shifting, huge increases in UV levels, freak weather, widespread extinctions of animal species, drought and famine. The upshot is, it can't go on. There's bound to be a point where the planet goes nuts and tries to shake off it's human opressors. That moment will be critical for the survival of the human race. Some few will survive to begin again, just like they did last time, and come crawling out of the hills once more, reduced to primitive survival techniques and reliant on base instinct and adaptability.

Raising Merry Hell!

It's not essential to have a sense of humour to be a teacher, but it sure as hell does help. I've met some wonderful people so far, with amazing comic wit, unbelievably witty. Some of these guys have a smart retort for everything, but you can't help but admire that. It's a sardonic sense of humour brewed from years of being under pressure. It's their coping mechanism. If they didn't have that, they'd probably have had breakdowns long ago. God knows the system heavily favours the pupil and their increasingly vociferous parent(s), who blame the teachers instantly for their wayward children's neddishness! Of course the kids are in no way responsible for their own actions, and the parents aren't going to blame themselves or take any responsibility for crafting a well-rounded little individual who thoroughly believes that the World owes him/her!

I've heard some unbelieveable stories, and the major gripes from teachers is not so much the behaviour of some kids, but the lack of support they get from senior management. Terms used to describe senior management; two-faced, back-stabbing, conniving, duplicitous, incompetent, sloping shoulders... the list goes on! Many teachers consider the qualities most desirable for progression to be those which most people would regard with contempt. And once in a position of power, those who have acquired it without just entitlement, will allegedly surround themselves with cronies, who will not only do their bidding, but will readily defend them out of some misguided sense of loyalty, having been promoted by them in the first instance.

Despite all of this, I'm not in the least perturbed. Oh yes, I've been stabbed in the back before, and double-crossed, but ultimately, those sort of people orchestrate their own spectacular downfall eventually, and a complete loss of integrity and trustworthiness must be utterly depressing. I don't have much trouble sleeping and that's the way I intend it to stay. I give everyone a chance, but betray me once and you've made an enemy for life!

The Slippery Slope!

OK, I found out today which school I'm going to be teaching at after the Summer, and it was just as I had expected! I don't have a problem with it, it's a half hour commute, but it could have been much worse. Unfortunately it's in a town with a fully spawned ned culture going on, but I guess I'm just going to have to go in their kicking ass right from the start, metaphorically speaking of course!

Just another 3 weeks and my course will be finished, so unless I get pushed into a job of some sort, I'm hoping to have some time to catch up on all the books I've been accumulating over the past year. I'm fairly certain I've got some good reads laid by and I've been sorely tempted to get stuck in on more than one occasion, but if I had it would have been to the detriment of my course. I'm fairly certain of that. I'm just not good at juggling several balls simultaneously, another metaphor dammit!

Think youseleves lucky if you're not Scottish, we now "officially" pay more tax than any other country in the World, and fuel prices here are now more expensive than any other country in the World. In other words, we're being right royally screwed! It's starting to feel like the early 1980's again, when the cost of living was out-stripping income. It's not so much the pinch, as a downright grab really. Gordon Brown is trying hard to stop things slipping, but everything he does just makes it worse. Blair stepped aside at the right time, perhaps he saw the way things were going and it was, "Over to you Gordon"!

Cairn Gorm!

I told you I had a busy weekend, that's why I haven't been able to post till now. Yesterday we went up Cairn Gorm, and expereienced the four seasons in 3 hours which the custodians promise in their pamphlets, brochures and elsewhere! Above: Looking up at Cairn Gorm, the 6th highest Munro.

The Cairn on Cairn Gorm. Nice view from here of several other well known Munors; Ben Macdui, Beinn Mheadoin, Derry Cairngorm, Cairn Toul, Braeriach and even Beinn a'Bhuird, some distance off and in the heart of the vast Cairngorms.


This is the view looking back down towards the ski-centre... fantastic!

Just Rewards!

Yes, I'm working conscientiously once again! I've got through loads of documentation for my portfolio today. Also, received the news I've been waiting to hear, that my probationary year will be spent locally. Not sure how local yet, but certainly local enough so that I don't have to move home. Yesterday was a full-packed in-service day where I participated in a great many things. Quite willingly, because they will fill gaps in my portfolio. That's why I was so busy today, documenting everything that we did yesterday and tying it into my professional development. I was shrewd enough to make last week's targets coincide with the agenda for the day.

I'm presently toying with the idea of going for Cairn Gorm this Sunday, that would be the highest Munro we've climbed so far, if we can pull it off. I'm sorely tempted, it's either that or Meall Chuacih at Drumochter. My weekend is quite busy anyway, so it's a bit of a toss up between a shorter drive and a longer walk or vice versa. I'm definitely edging towards Cairn Gorm though. Either way, I'll be taking pictures and posting them here as soon as possible for your perusal.

Toilet Gazing!

Why a picture of a toliet seat you ask? Because that's what I've been looking at for the last half hour. No I'm not ill! The simple fact is that my family are destructive as hell when it comes to toilet seats. They never seem to last any length of time. I only had the last one for under a month before it was annihilated! There may well be a partial excuse in the proximity of the radiator to the toilet, but I haven't broken any seats, and I'm probably the heaviest of us all. Anyway I had to pop in by B & Q earlier today to buy a replacement, so I tried one with a different attachment and it took me a while to work out how to fix it in place, as the instructions were laughable, and it wasn't exactly obvious. As it happens there is a small plastic component which slides out. How I was meant to work that out, I'm not sure.

Anyway, another long weekend coming up, decent weather too, so if I get caught up with all my paperwork tomorrow, that'll leave the weekend clear and on Sunday I'll probably take the family down the A9 to climb Meall Chuaich. An apparently easy enough Munro, which after last week, it better be. The kids won't forget that hike in a hurry, and won't let me forget about it either. That will leave next weekend clear to go and watch the new Indiana Jones film at the cinema. Not sure how good it will be, but who cares, how far wrong can you go with a franchise like that?

Four weeks to go until I finish my University course, at which point I will be a fully fledged probationer teacher. The probationer part seems harsh, but at least I will start getting some form of payment, and that can't be a bad thing with the student loans I have to pay back. It will literally take years, maybe even into double figures. Where are the incentives to enter the teaching profession? Besides the holidays, there are none. Most teachers could find easier, less stressful jobs, for more money. They're only there because that's what they want to do, or don't know any better.

More Of the Old!

Greetings Earthlings, I am Tharg! I'm not actually Tharg, that was a homage to the Sci-Fi comic 2000AD, which I used to read in my teens. There's a disappointing lack of Sci-Fi nowadays, don't you think? Back in the 60's and 70's folks couldn't get enough Sci-Fi. I don't understand what's happened, surely reality based films cannot compete. Directors have a free reign with Sci-Fi films, they now have CGI and bluescreen technology to allow their imagination to be realised on screen, and yet besides very few occasional movies, Sci-Fi is largely neglected as a genre. What's going on here?

It might not be too ridiculous to surmise that the book as a medium has died a death, that serious readers, contemplators and thinkers, prefer the quick fix that television offers. How could anyone be satisfied with the Sci-Fi detritis offered up by television? I've seen a few of the latest episode of Doctor Who, and frankly, my intelligence is insulted. If I had endured Sci-Fi like that on television as a kid, I'd have put pen to paper and written a derogatory letter to the BBC. Yest somehow, kids today are more than satisfied with it, simply because they haven't known any better. The easiest assumption to make would be that the show is written by kids as well. What's with everything happening in Cardiff? If I'd crossed time and space to save humanity, I'd take one look at Cardiff and think "Sod them!"

These guys need to go to second-hand book shops and car boot sales and pick up some of these 60's and 70's SCi-fi books, and make them into films using modern technology. Not just straight-forward Sci-Fi pulp fiction, but thought-provoking stories full of symbolism and meaning. That's what I want to see. The books and films that stick with me are the kind that I'm still pondering months and years later.

Only 278 To Go!

I finally decided to head down past Aberfeldy yesterday, to the Ben Lawers range. 7 Munros all in a huge semi-circle. We were going to tackle the remotest 2 of those: Meall a' Choire Leith and Meall Corranaich. Above: approaching Meall a' Choire Leith after crossing over a mile of boggy stuff!

Looking across at Meall Corranaich from Meall a Choire Leith. The actual summit of Meall Corranaich is on the right, quite far off. The peak on the left is Beinn Ghlas.

Looking back across the bealach to Meall a' Choire Leith.

Looking back along the ridgeline from Meall Corranaiach to the lower top Coire Gorm and the rounded lump in the distance which is Meall a' Choire Leith, from where we had just walked. Still had a long walk back to the car from this summit. Took us 6 hours in total and left everyone with really tired feet. I still had to make the 3 hour drive home too!

Run To the Hills!

The weather's very uncertain for tomorrow. I've been keeping an eye on the forecast to see whereabouts in the country might be the best place to bag a Munro or two, and it keeps changing every hour. First I was heading for Ben Wyvis up North, then Meall Chuaich near Drumochiter, and currently I'm heading past Pitlochry for the Ben Lawers range, although all that could be changed again by morning, when I will make my final decision.

I've been knackered today, too much exertion with all that gardening last night. I woke up with a sore head, but still had to make a couple trips to the dump with all the bushes that the wife insisted in cutting down last night, even after I told her to stop. She was only meant to prune them back, but the Sun must have gone to her head, because there's virtually nothing left now. From one extreme to another, as they say!

Time to go and have those Bulmers left over from yesterday, and keep my fingers crossed for tomorrow. If all goes well, I might even beat my 3 Munros in a single walk, record. That's still a big maybe for now though!

Wecome To the Jungle!

I finally mowed my garden tonight, for the first time this year, and probably 3 weeks later than it should have been done. It was well over a foot tall in some areas and there were dandielions everywhere. It took me 3 hours just to mow it and cut the borders. I hate gardening, that's why I've procrastinated until now. However the forecast for tomorrow is heavy rain, and because Sunday might not be too bad and I'd like to head for Ben Wyvis, I decided just to bite the bullet and do it tonight.

Actually, I'm toying with the idea of going and getting myself a couple of Bulmers. Yep, I think that's a plan. Not too bad a day today, besides the gardening malarkey. I got a lot of work done, good stuff as well, for a change. Things are going to get a lot easier from here on in, so fingers crossed that my essay makes the grade and that I get placed in a decent school for next year. Although I'll just have to take what I get and make the best of it!

It's Just A Game!

Well the sunburn is starting to ease off, not before time, but the sunshine hasn't let up. That's a whole week of sunny days we've had, and believe me when I say that we would usually expect a week of sunshine in a year, this is Northern Scotland. It's a sign of the times I suppose, or simply another indicator of climate change, either way, a bit more sunshine can't be a bad thing. All the more reason to get out and about and see some of this wonderful country. I'm already planning a few more hill walking trips, although I should get a decent pair of insoles, apparently they make all the difference.

All things going well, I'll be able to notch up a decent number of Munros in this my first year hillwalking. It seems that quite often it's possible to bag 2 or 3 in a single walk, as the Munros are seldom on their own, but more often that not, part of a chain of Munros and lesser peaks. I do have to remember though that the kids capacities for walking have a limit, at which point they will let me know in no uncertain terms that they've come far enough!

I noticed some kids in computing club today playing Mario on some Nintendo emulator and got all nostalgic, and suddenly wishing I was a young lad again, seeing these games for the first time. It brought back memories of my first time playing Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII and Pro Evolution Soccer. Ah the World was our games console back in those days! Anyhow, what's all the fuss over the new GTA game, I much preferred the Driver series, better controls and fantastic smashes!

5 Hours and 3 Munros!

Yesterday as a family we climbed 3 Munros at the Glenshee ski centre. We got badly sunburned, because it was a scorcher.

Above, the first Munro - Carn Aosda!

Looking across at the Cairnwell form Carn Aosda. The Cairnwell was to be our third Munro of the day!

Heading towards Munro number 2 - Carn a'Gheoidh, centre of image.

This is Loch Vrotochan, a lovely spot. We had our lunch just past here! That's our Munro tally gone from 1 to 4 in the space of 5 hours, although you can add on another 5 hours driving to get there and back again, as well. Next up, Ben Wyvis, probaby!

Cordially Invited!

I couldn't post yesterday, I wasn't here, I was attending a special ceremony. A secret ceremony? Not quite, but it drew visitors from all over the country, won't happen again for 100 years, and it won't be in the press. I take that back, it might be in the press, but I'm guessing that it won't be! Very mysterious eh? And yes, there were several members of the aristocracy in attendance, and it took place during the day... mainly!

Now that I've intrigued you sufficiently, I will disappoint you by making no futher mention of the aforementioned event, save to say that not just anyone could attend. You had to have certain special characteristics (and a ticket) in order to qualify for admission. That is all on the matter.

Tomorrow, we're off to Glenshee. The weather forecast is sunshine, although the forecast was rain for the last 2 days, and it's actually been lovely! The plan is to bag 3 Munros in one walk, as I've mentioned previously. The hardest part will be just getting there. Trying to travel across the North East of Scotland is like pretending to be Michael Schumacher for a day. Very narrow roads, twisting and turning, and constantly up hills and down valleys. Impossible to get up any great speed unfortunately. Anyway, the game is afoot and will be seen through to completion. I'm almost fully kitted out now as well, so all the gear will be brought into play for the occasion!

We're Going Down!

Well, May Day has come and gone, and nothing special happened here. In some places they tie loads of ribbons to a pole on the village green and dance around it like demented Morris dancers. Actually, perhaps they are Morris dancers, I'll have to check that one and get back to you. Locally, there's a holiday on Monday, which they're calling the May day holiday, even though it's four days too late. Nevermind, we'll take any time off regardless of whether or not it falls on a specific date loosely corresponding to pagan rituals celebrating Spring and symbolic re-birth.

Better than that, the weather forecast for Monday is looking good, in which case I'll be heading down to Glenshee in an attempt to quadruple my Munro tally in a single trip. I managed to get myself a pair of gaiters from Tesco for £7, thus perpetuating the myth that hill-walking can be done relatively cheaply. It also looks like my son might be going on a trip to climb Lochnagar in several weeks, and that adult helpers are required. I think I'm the ideal adult helper for that journey, yes indeed!

Into the Abyss!

Our present Labour goverment must think themselves untouchable, beyond reproach, for at the moment they're so flying in the face of public opinion that it's almost obscene. What's more they seem to shamelessly revel in the fact! It has been revealed that Chancellor Alistair Darling's plans to hike Road Taxes are way more far-reaching than first thought, they're going to hit the public hard. It has also to be considered that the recent fuel crisis has made both the government and the oil companies an absolute fortune.

My biggest concern, and a very valid one it is too, as all of this ties together, is that hauliers are going bust daily because of the fuel prices. This has a knock-on effect, firstly, surviving haulage firms will increase their charges, and secondly the cost of the goods being transported will increase to make up for the increased transport costs. This is already evident in the soaring food prices, which to be fair are also rising anyway, because of global shortages. Expect the cost of food and all other goods to keep going up for the unforseeable future.

To get back to my main point, the government is doing nothing to get us out of the economic crisis we're spinning headlong into, despite Gordon Brown's "The economy is my main concern right now". The economy was always his concern, and look what he's done to it. I for one am very discontent and I imagine the peasantry at large are discontent too. How much of a shambles do we have to put up with before changes are made at the top. Get those fools out of there now before they ruin us all!

Oil Be Seeing You!

I've been busy working on my car tonight, had to change the oil filter and oil as well obviously. I also had my doubts about the wheel alignment, which proved to be correct upon closer inspection. There seems to be a leak near the door in the drivers footwell too, although it's not immediately apparent where that's coming from. Of course, I'm far too busy to be mucking around with cars right now, but since I'm planning a little trip away this May-day weekend I thought I'd see to the essentials. Anyway, that's all for now!

Nothing But Hot Air!

That's me back in school for a 5 week stint, although I suspect I sounded like a comedian saying that! Perhaps the comparison isn't that inaccurate, much of the job nowadays is to entertain. It's not like when I were a lad! Anyway, the education sytem is once again about to be shaken up, and I'll be caught up in the changeover to whatever new course they bring into replace the Standard Grade and Intermediate courses. The government spokesperson for education was talkling it up last week, all the bright new ideas they have, then when asked what would be replacing the existing courses, she admitted to having no idea. It's all hot air! At the end of the day, they'll have to pay a bunch of experienced teachers to write the new courses, but in such a way that all the daft government ideas are addressed.

It's true that most existing courses need a real shake up anyway, to make them nmore appealing, but what's proposed isn't intended to make them more appealing, only to place more emphasis on achievement rather than attainment. The Curriculum for Excellence for intsance suggests that students might have talents which are not assessable within a school context, and therefore, that although they might not be successful in an educational sense, their out of school success should be recognised within the school system. In other word, let's breed more Richard Branson type figures.

This is probably a welcome time of the year for most teachers, with exams coming up. A chance to take stock and evaluate how the year has gone, and to start planning for next session. Next session I'll be teaching full-time, so I'd probably better pay attention!

The Prodigal Son Returns!

Not taking any chances with this fuel crisis, and not heading down to Glenshee as I had wanted to, we instead returned to my old childhood stomping ground, and the coastal path between the villages of Findochty and Portknockie. The above picture shows 2 large free-standing rock pillars, which are almost surrounded by water at high tide. We called them the Mammy and Daddy rocks, and I climbed up both of them many times as a kid.

The approach to the village of Portknockie.

Portknockie harbour.

On the return leg we saw the Air-sea rescue guys practising their winching at the top of the cliffs.

Here's one of them being lowered down, ideal weather condition, hardly a breath of wind. It's not going to be like that in a real situation is it?

Heading back the way, looking at the East of Findochty and the Sandy Craig beach.

The Sandy Craig beach closer up

The Pumps Are Dry!

Looks like it's going to be a nice day tomorrow, but I can't go anywhere. It's going to be the first day of the 3 day strike at Grangemouth refinery. I "have" to be able to travel every day next week, so need to conserve every millilitre of petrol that I can. I had fancied driving down to Glenshee and bagging 3 easy Munros there, but I daren't risk not being able to acquire more petrol.

A tidbit of additional info came to my attention today, from an unlikely souce, but never mind. It seems that the bosses at Grangemouth refinery were planning a shut-down for maintenance and repair work anyhow. So now they can carry it out without having to pay their massive workforce for standing idle. Handy huh? What's more, the workers there have a truly legitimate reason for going on strike, their boses have plundered their pension fund. That's happened so often in this country, that if you ask me, they should be handing out lengthy jail sentences to the executives behind it. They won't though, because the government have done it too.

I'm going out for a little drink toinight. First time in I don't know how long. I don't plan on getting too drunk though, I'll save that for the end of my Univeristy course, when we're all going to go out in Aberdeen and paint the town red, just like the Dandy Dons! If the state I was in after finishing my degree is anything to go by, then look out Aberdeen!

Drowning In Debt!

I'm back into school on Monday. Unfortunately, I have to travel to get there, and this non-existent petrol crisis could cause problems. Interestingly, the local filling stations have decided that this sudden demand for fuel necessitates a steep rise in cost. After all, if people want it that badly, then they will surely be prepared to pay a little extra. The way things are going I wonder how long Brown can hold on to power. The fuel crisis is just the tip of a dangerously huge iceberg, food prices are also soaring, utilities have been going through the roof, and they've just targeted Road Tax on the most popular makes of car. It all adds up to a looming depression, I can't see it going any other way.

If I were to be cynical, I would suggest to you that the present Labour government want the economy to crash. Why? Well, if you recall, Brown has already ratified the re-drafted Euro-constitution that Blair signed us up to without giving us our promised referendum, the promise of which returned Labour to office. One of the key elements of that document, is that the UK adopt the Euro. Of course, that would have been ridiculous while the pound was the superior currency, but the gap is truly narrowing now, and watch what happens when the Euro becomes the more valued currency. Brown will have us jingling Euro's in no time, and how could we protest? Why would we protest?

If I were a Labour MP, I'd be looking to move for a vote of no confidence in Brown. After all he was the Chancellor responsible for the UK economy before becoming PM, and some would say he's still pulling the strings. He recently stated that the economy was his biggest concern, so he's almost certainly making Alistair Darling dance like his little puppet Chancellor, that's for certain. One way or another, the global economy aside, Brown is entirely resposible for this pickle that we're all in right now. There's no obvious way out, and even though Blair led us into Iraq, opened the door to millions of immigrants and thus welcomed a new wave of terrorism to our shores, those things never made the man in the street furious. Pushing the working class back into Victorian levels of financial suffering, let's see what effect that has on Joe public?

Bitten By the Bug!

Proving that any sport no matter how exclusive, can be graced on a shoe-string budget, I picked myself up a nice looking rucksack from Lidl's yesterday. I've already acquired trekking poles from there several weeks ago, which have since been essential in reaching the tops of several hills. I also bagged a Craghoppers jacket and fleece from TK Maxx, at very reasonable prices. The only things that's actually cost me a bit, were my boots, which I bought from Millet's, and even then they were reduced. The fact is that I probably got all of the gear for about one tenth of what people normally pay.

I've been asked several times already, why we've suddenly taken up hill-walking, as though it's some sort of medieval contagion. There are several reasons, but the main one originated in my reasoning that if I'm going to be a teacher (which I am), then I should spend more time out-doors when I get the chance. Climbing hills seemed like a good incentive, it's challenging, there's a goal (the summit), and I would get to see parts of the country I haven't been before.

The fact is that once we started we did sort of get bitten by the bug fairly quickly. There is a sense of achievement, which I'm sure can be had in most sports, and yes, sports do tend to be expensive. Fortunately for me, I don't care too much about brand names, and elitism, so I can quite happily show my face on any hillside, minus the Berghaus clothing, and still claim it as my own. Anyone who thinks people shouldn't be there unless they have the best of gear, deserves to be rolled off of the hill. Not everyone has cash to burn, but everyone is entitled to participate, It's called inclusion, here endeth today's lesson!

While the Sun Shines!

Managed to squeeze in another jaunt up the Bin of Cullen today. Got to make the best of it before I'm back in school. That starts next week, and there won't be much in the way of spare time then! The first photo is the view towards Buckie.

The village of Findochty is hiding in here someplace!

This is the picturesque village of Cullen, with it's magnificent railway viaduct, probably the greatest architectural feat in the area. It's not a big place, but it has history!

First Munro Bagged!

Yesterday I bagged my first Munro "Schiehallion". Here it is just after we set off (the wife and kids did it too). 1083 metres, up and down in 4 hours, pretty good going!

A familiar site on the hills, burning heather. Why do they burn it? I supsect it's to allow grass to grow, but that's just my theory!

Up on to the boulder field, the steepest part was already over with!

Look at all those boot prints. This is a popular Munro!