Skiing days are back

After a very off and on snow season so far I finally managed to get up on the mighty hill that is Glencoe on Friday with Lizzie and Garret. The day was clear and not too cold and my ski partners were off for the top slopes virtually before I had reached the top of the first tow. The ski legs were slow to kick in after a time away but the place is so beautiful the experience is enough for any soul. The ski buddies swooped after a while and dragged me to a higher place. Softer deeper snow was the reward with consequently better sport. Bliss.

Lazy Sunday?

Not in this house! Having set the alarm on my trusty phone I woke at 8:30, half an hour late as I had switched off the sound. Playing catch up all the way I managed to get out of the door at 9:30 having consumed pre run breakfast. Only Rosie was up to see departure and to hear worries about clothing issues. All the preparation was for a run out with an ultra marathon running friend who is suffering low mojo the same as I am. We met at Kilmory, Lochgilphead for a sunny, rainy, hailey hill run and a damn good chat!! In fact such a good chat that we totally missed a turn on the way back and did a good two-three miles further than intended but in the language of teenagedom.... Whoop whoop eleven miles!! Been a while since I have done that distance. So a happy Fee! Was only twenty minutes late to collect Freya from her sleeps over..... Oops.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/65435930

Rainy Saturday

Well..... Not wishing to put off any potential tourists but today was a pretty rubbish day! Winds, hail and rain filled most of the day. The three minutes that I was at the bottle recycling bins was especially joyous.... And very wet. So what to do. Of all the things available I decided to make scallop ravioli. The scallops come from Fyne Fish and were very fyne indeed. It took most of the afternoon, I did enjoy the whole process... Very aka Masterchef. Toby had his first driving lesson today, the instructor is the father of a boy a year older than Toby. In a world a few years ago I met him and his boy at play group and knew one day I would be contacting him professionally. Circles within circles.

Three guests and a run....and a walk

Three guests today which is awfully good for the finances in the lean old month that is January. The very dear Howard and Myrna, horse riders extraordinaire and a chap doing something electronic to several Post Offices in the area. From Hamilton his English head office had bizarrely chosen Claonairigh for him to stay in despite it being at least an hours drive yesterday morning and again this morning...still the pound notes are better in my hot sticky little paw than in someone else's. A very typical January day, a wee bit of chill and mist and and on and off drizzle. Perfect for a run... I am having to try to get myself into gear as The Mighty Deerstalker beckons at the end of March. I have to be competent if not competitive at running up two blooming great hills, the second one a scree surface, run 1/2 a mile up a raging river ( very fast running wide stream but still...) and for light relief crawl through a few water filled tunnels. Last year the final few yards of the 10k (ish...nearer 10 miles) was covered by a cargo net which in my innocence I thought would be quite light. Had I had any breath left the Marshall who cheerfully urged me to " just crawl!" might have had a case for disqualification due to "marshal abuse". Back to this year...we shall just say that I am a work in progress. A pesky hamstring at the back of my weaker left leg is being troublesome but despite this I managed a cross country 8:08 miler today with Liz and Denise. The last mile was quite fast and I am loving my new trainers which have hooky things underneath especially for the downs. Home, a bath and huge amounts of food cos I deserved it and then the gradual dawning that I had a puppy that needed walking...different set of clothes and shorter route. Quite nice to get out walking (or falling into steams for both of us) through the rough bits of the woods instead of sticking to the tracks. Pizza Friday for four Corners this week as Freya is on an weekend sleepover. At present I am waiting for Rosie to appear for a movie after her revision ( so much nicer when the carrot is more acceptable than the stick.....) whilst Toby at long last appears to be mucking out his room prior to being bought his first driving lesson tomorrow.





Ps the photo is winter lichen.

Weather

The snow has arrived at Claonairigh after the worst storm for many years. No extensive damage here thankfully apart from to the new puppy's nerves. Since she arrived two weeks ago we have had torrential rain, blizzards, hurricane type winds and the odd stunningly beautiful spell as in the photos. The annual Inveraray jogscotland Jingle Bells run is this Sunday so away up the track Liz and I went to check out the ice situation. Four and a half or so miles later no ice but very wet feet so no change there for a run in the Argyll winter, at least they were not coated in mud too. My running mojo is still not back... Do I rest or keep plodding on? Five miles seems to be the limit for heavy tired legs.
Shades of years to come last night with the girls both on sleepovers and Toby taking an early night, we even got to choose what we watched on TV, my Mastermind choice did not go down well with Garret. He would rather the kids choice I think. Holly frolicked, bit, played and chewed (bone) her way through the evening at last collapsing exhausted.

Holly

We have a tradition in the Corner family re dogs names which leads to many a debate ( argument). Tess, our first born hound was named to remind us of the haunted heroine of Thomas Hardy's novel. How highbrow we're we?? Well, me anyway. Garret could well have chosen Rimmer from
Red Dwarf.....Sam came next and of course was named for Samwise Gamgee, faithful hobbit companion. I read the whole kit and caboodle to Garret when we had no entertainment beyond LW radio 4. By the time dog number three joined us I was wading through the sublime Narnia stories and so Lucy joined us for alas too short a time. Ginny was next, half sister of Lucy and named amid Harry Potter Madness. With Lucy's untimely departure we had a vacancy for.... Holly the latest collie to join us. The naming was a problem as seemingly all the books we like have cracking male monikers but rubbish girls ones but Captain Holly Short ( Artemis Fowl) from the Fairy LEP came to our rescue. So, welcome Holly!! Ginny and I took refuge from puppy times for a wee four mile run along Loch Fyne.....

Piggy times

The pig family now numbers nine.. Two boars, two females one of whom is the mother of five fine piglets. I say now numbers but in fact the tense is incorrect. Pig escapades and adventures have hastened the inevitable. A leisurely guest breakfast time was drawing to a close in a chatty way when a large black pig was spotted down the hill. The others had already been corralled back into the field by Garret but poor black pig had caused her last disruption. However the end was swift and what we intended for our meat. Garret found the porcine equivalent of a escape tunnel and blocked it. We wind forwards through a pleasant morning of housey stuff ending with a couple of boiled eggs and toast for lunch. This was just settling nicely and I was contemplating a cuppa when a friend rang. Relaxing, organised day came to an abrupt end with the news that pigs had been sited trundling along the A83....I rang the cavalry to come and assist and set off down the track yellow bucket in hand and heart in mouth. One hundred yards from the end of the track a small black boar was sauntering homewards but sadly alone. Encouraged to stay with a handful of pig nuts ( yum) he was left whilst I shot out onto the road and gave an international signal to the van driver stopped nearest meaning " Where the hell are my pigs??), luckily this was the pig spotting pal and he indicated to errant pigs chomping by the roadside 500m or so along the road direction Inveraray. Calm headed chap that he is unlike mad flapping woman with bucket he drove past the group to stop an invasion of our Royal Burgh. A light bulb flashes above my head and bucket held high I shout "Pig!! Pig!!" ..... Good huh! The pigs raise unworried grazing heads and spotted the feeding receptacle. A rout ensues with the boar and female chasing bucket and holdee along the road and up the track. Grinning stationary motorists had a treat as galloping pigs gained on me and indeed overtook on the hill. Two little fat piglets vainly tried to keep up with their legs pumping away with all their might. Back in the field we all took a breather and welcomed the cavalry from Argyll Adventure who arrived hotfoot just as I clicked the gate shut. The afternoon was spent cramming any heavy junk I could find into the escape hatch. By her lingering presence Mother Pig was definitely the ring leader. Lots of pork dinners coming our way methinks!!
Good cold run with Lizzie today. Hail, wind, rain we had it all... Reward lovely cosy lunch in The George.