Planning an expedition

With a massively busy week ahead for the whole family, I am looking forward to Friday already!
I have four days at work which will involve trying to drag students through assessments and practicals that, in many cases, should have been completed months ago. No.1 pride and joy has his last 2 exams, No.2 pride and joy has another football final on Tuesday and the BF is in Geneva until Thursday night.

SO all the more reason to look forward to our planned expedition next weekend.
First thing on Friday morning we will set off for the 5 hour drive to Oldshoremore (about as far North and West as you can drive and not fall off the edge of Scotland), followed by 5-6 miles walking carrying tent, sleeping bags, cooking kit and all other essentials to reach Sandwood Bay - completely inaccessible any other way.

But it's worth it......photos will come later ;-)

But in order to enjoy this trip, it must be precision planned....

and it's at times like these I appreciate BF's OCD.....

P.S. Oh dear, my brain really is mince. I have just been informed (by text) that it's actually Paris this week, Geneva next week :-/

Definitely the most difficult yet.

Quite well know, but probably not often seen from this angle?

I could give you a clue if you're stuck?

Since you got it so easily...here it is from a different perspective:

A very easy one!

One of the most recognisable places in Scotland.........?

Tempus fugit.....

Sed fugit interea fugit irreparabile tempus singula dum capti circumvectamur amore..........

A little more difficult (though still quite easy!)

Ok here's a harder one.........

......................................................................maybe?

An easy one to start with....

I thought I would steal someone else's idea and just post some nice piccies and see if anyone could guess where they were taken....

.....so, an easy one first:

Any ideas?

Exam fever

It's full on exam time in my house.
I have several classes of frantic students fretting and stressing over various levels of assessment.
No. 1 pride and joy is in the throes of Intermediate 2 exams in 7 subjects and Standard grade in 1, and pride and joy no. 2 will start his (admittedly not as significant) S1 exams next week.
The thing that strikes me most is the contrasting approaches. My students are, on the whole, stressed and panicy (?), many having left it far too late to make an impact on the volume of work accumulated throughout the year. No 1 son is confident and chilled though obviously comprehending the importance of the situation and , with a bit of encouragement, seems to be working surprisingly hard, whereas no. 2 son is resistant to all attempts to encourage him to study believing (with the innocence of the young) that he knows it all already!
The proof, I believe, will be in the pudding!

EDDI READER - Patience of Angels

I just love this voice........

Feed me!

I have a very small garden, living as I do, close to the centre of a town.
I'm not a big fan of gardening so it suits me fine.
It does, however, have lots of activity in it.
Every year for the past 5 or 6 years, a pair of blackbirds have nested in the large pyrocanthus just outside my kitchen and raised a single chick. I don't know if it is usual for blackbirds to have just one chick. Maybe someone can enlighten me?

Anyway, today I was lucky enough to have my camera to hand as mum first landed on the fence...........

...then hopped down onto the grass (I hesitate to call it a lawn) to feed the chick......

...then made off towards the herb patch, leaving chick plaintively calling for more........

Trying to get it right!

I have been struggling to get the layout of my blog right, so with a few tips from the much more experienced Dr Scott, I thought I'd post a few photos from my substantial back catalogue to test out a new approach.
Taken in June last year on a solo trip up my favourite hill (mountain?), Ben Vrackie.

Nope, it still hasn't worked :(
I'll just have to keep experimenting.

Ben Vorlich

On a rare weekend without children, yesterday the BF and I decided to tackle something a little more challanging on the walking front.








After some debate on the relative merits of Ben Vorlich (south of Loch Earn) or the Tarmachan Ridge (north of Loch Tay) we settled for Ben Vorlich due the the uncertainty over how much snow was still lying further north.

I had hoped to combine this with Stuc a'Chroin (didn't tell him that before we started!) but feeling the effects of the previous night's rioja we settled for just the first peak at 3232ft.









The weather was perfect for walking and the views spectacular.







Looking north we could see Ben Lawers and the Tarmachan Ridge that will be saved for another day.




Looking south, Stuc a'Chroin that we decided was a step too far!

And west gave us views of Ben More and Stobinian in the distance.

All in all an excellent day out, with the only casualty being a touch of sunburn on BF's rather unprotected scalp!


Just thought I'd add this picture in to show how completely different the scenery was down at the lochside where we parked the car!

Election day

Ok, the whole country (or those of us who chose to exercise this particular right) is voting today (is/are voting?....not sure) so I feel compelled to pass comment.
I don't have any strong political affiliation. I also find it difficult to decide who should get my 'X' in the box because as far as I can see, most politicians are out for themselves.

That said, one party has REALLY got my back up this time.

How on earth can anyone justify giving an extra tax allowance just for being married????!!!!!
I am a single mother. I didn't plan it that way. I thought I married for life. I was married for 17 years and I didn't chose not to be married now (though I admit I am perfectly content not to be). I work my a**e off to provide for my children, doing 2 jobs to do so, despite the fact I would probably get almost as much on benefits.

So.........who do you think I didn't vote for?

Oh, I love being a mum!

Pride-and-joy no.2 in the aftermath of winning the local under-13 league last night!

Ben Chonzie - Hill of the Mountain Hares?

One of the reasons I decided to start blogging was to share some of my pictures, particularly of our beautiful country. I want to do this, not because I think my pictures are really any better than anyone else's, but because I love the Scottish countryside and I know not everyone can see all the bits I somehow manage to reach.