Portavadie cycle

I love my B and Bs, I really do but in compensation days like this are fabulous. A loose Facebook plan hatched by a fellow Mid Argyll Triathlon club member last night looked grim this morning at 7:30am as I hauled two bikes from the hut in torrential rain, the resulting foot soaking stayed with me all day, and racked them on the car. A hasty breakfast for Freya and I,then more bike hauling when the skies cleared and Mr Fair-weather cycle decided to come along. Down to Lochgilphead and then Tarbert to meet with friends and catch the ferry to Portavadie for a 20 mile cycle through lovely scenery peppered with convenient coffee shops. Happy day!

Triathlon time ( again)

Five Corners, five bikes, two colds, a toothache and several sore joints headed down to Lochgilphead on Sunday for the annual triathlon. Wonderfully this year all five of us took part, despite fears that cellulitis in his knee would halt Toby, and more crucially all finished safe and sound. Everyone did themselves proud and we bought home five prizes.. 1st MJ and fastest T2 ( Toby), 1st FJ ( Freya) 2nd FJ ( Rosie) 3rd FV ( Fee). The thrill of competing together was addictive and I hope there are more moments like this to come. No rest or time for celebration at home though as University Mum had to deliver Son back to his other home... A looooonnnnggg drive home alone.

Autumn times

In the full throes of the heaviest cold I have suffered for a while...the joys of having chills when suffering simultaneously from hot flushes is not to be missed...if you are masochistic in any way (I am not). So, the exercise has tapered but that was the plan anyway with the annual triathlon at the weekend. Son and heir is surviving in Glasgow, still intending to come and compete on Sunday en famille so no dropping out because of a snivelly nose for me....not that the idea had entered my head. Swimming is a bit painful right now so it is to be hoped that the small irritating creature inhabiting my head and banging around sinuses and ear canals has succumbed to Lem-Sip, Sinu Tab and whisky by Sunday.
Argyll at its mellow best at present...dropping night-time temperatures and red raw rowan berries amongst the yellowing, fading leaves.hedgerow blackberries for the taking. The roads are quietening and the evenings darkening..I love the autumn! Took the Leicann walk with my pal Lyndsay and her two Labs today...soggy underfoot but beautiful and cleansing for the mind, soul and body.

Red Hot Swimming Hats.... Or something

A whirlwind of a weekend after a week trying to get Toby into gear for Strathclyde university life. Duly delivered on Saturday and no communications since so I am assuming he is still alive. There is a strange Toby sized hole now so what to do? We filled it with guests and more guests, the Best of the West festival at the Castle featuring the best Stovies ( google it) ever and the Red Hot Chilli Pipers ( likewise). They did a set with the Inveraray and District pipe band ( Also worth a small wander of the google-ing finger) which was amazing, all very energy fueled and NOISY!! Sadly due to an impending chemistry test tomorrow Rosie and I had to bid farewell and head home to wrestle with some complicated stuff that frankly I have never heard of nor will ever have to. Six pm and I am
wading out to knee depth in Loch Fyne complete with wet suit, wet boots ( fill with water and weigh me down and then for suction reasons are IMPOSSIBLE to remove) and a wet hat Circa 1750....I am getting better, I must be but it was chilly!! Awesome... There was a cheeky, nosy wee seal tracking along besides us as the weather segued from torrential rain to rainbows as I reached the boat buoy marking the turning point. Still with the rain ripples marking the water the sun was bright behind my sighting point for the return making it hard to fix. I chose to sight on Richard who is determined to make me an open water swimmer somehow and followed him along the shore. I think I was steadier than last time counting strokes to ten before sighting... At one point fingertips brushed a starfish larger, much larger than my hand. The chill was manageable but I left Richard to swim
on and headed for coffee and a battle with the afore mentioned wet boots.Now sipping a little glass of Scotland's best to dilute the effects of swallowing some of Loch Fyne and a suspiciously sore throat.