Tuesday 13 September 2011

the cycle that wasn't

yes, there was supposed to be a big cycle happening last month and while i do have pictures of what went on that week, cycling wasn't one of them. there were gales, there were hills, of course abundant rain and an abundance of midges that just wasn't funny (i told geo that i was going to camp in morvern and he just laughed and that was before jojo, a cycling acquaintance of much more tenacity than me, bailed out of the great glen as it was all 'just too much').

off to the sea instead for a bit of kayaking and, when we got back, a bit of canoeing. all very lovely.

and then the festival. readings went well and there was a (very) surprise appearance by a couple of old school friends who i hadn't seen since the early eighties. there are few times i am stumped for words but this was one of them.

and finally this week via watching the tour of britain i did manage to get back on my mountain bike. sure it was only glentress but i made a decent enough fist of it considering and didn;t get too annoyed by those trailcentre types who have to 'rest' at every available point right in the middle of the trail. that they couldn't catch up with an out of shape fat man made me feel, well, not too bad really! i even took my shaken bones to this the new peel centre. now that the dust has settled i found it rather nice. very plush in fact.

4 comments:

kate said...

it always seems unfair to have gales AND midges.

swiss said...

jo's pretty hardcore so i felt no shame at avoiding the bitey menace. the hill at glenshee hill will never be a dawdle but it's not difficult, at least not when you're free of a berating from the wind and horizontal rain. it was so bad at the top that some truck driver guy wanted me to shelter in his cab (at least that's what he said he wanted!)

kayaking was a riot tho. can't wait to get back to islay for more of the same

kate said...

blimey, it must have been bad for a trucker to stop.....sounds like the start of a dodgy 1970's film ;)

swiss said...

yes, the jokes i've had about that!! lol. i was up past there today and part of me was wishing i'd kept at it. until i got to corgarff. fierce hills before the lecht! but do-able!