Monday 30th June

I have been on Team RH since last September.  My weight loss has been steady but best of all my eating habits have changed for the better.  I eat much more healthily now. My new goal is to lose another half stone before Helen and Chris's wedding in August.  Do able -  maybe - watch this space.

I have also re-started my DDPY Yoga practice, I will be doing this on a custom basis swapping the basic programme items out for more targeted items as necessary.  Hopefully this will improve my flexibility and help with my body toning. You never know I might eventually win a t.shirt for 100,000 points.  Long way to go.

 
  Went out in the evening with the dog round the village and then headed down the back road and threw in some Jog Scotland 30 secs walk 30 secs jog approx 10 times not going to be rigid.  This is an experiment and I will be taking it extremely easy because of my knees. 

A more adventurous Sunday Dog walk than usual.

 Cormilligan walk with the dog walk Sunday Crew.

Eunice wanted to visit Cormilligan today and couldn't of wished a better day for it.  Weather was perfect, beautiful blue sky, hot but not too hot.  Couldn't believe the amount of wildflowers a result Eunice says of there not having been sheep grazed there now for several years. I've also not seem so many Butterflies either.    She lived in the farm just before the start of the walk for more than twenty odd years so it was a bit of a nostalgic trip for her today.

Finn was off lead for most of the walk as there were no livestock about at all.  I did put him on the lead for short spells when passing some woods are there may have been deer and when I felt he needed to cool down a bit.  He was very good and came back everytime I called him.  

Most of the route out to the old homestead was flat but the track did disappear which made walking a little bit more physical as we had to make our way through long grass and bracken. After reaching the homestead we headed slightly uphill to a gap in the trees where Cheryl our dogs and I waited in the cool of the trees for the other two to catch us up.  Sat for a while just chatting then carried on out onto the forest track and downhill towards the loch, all in all easy walking on this part.  Stopped at the bottom at the wee loch for the dogs to play in the water which they really enjoyed from there it was a short walk back to where we had left the cars. 

Eunices watch said 3 and a bit miles min said just over 4 when I checked the route on OS mapping it kept defaulting to a route taking in the Old Church remains and St. Connals well neither of which we visited (that route was marking out at 5 miles). 

I feel after today that Finn definitely has it within him to be an adventure dog, Roll on more adventures.

UPDATE 2025

 Where have the years gone.  To be fair a couple were lost to Covid when time seemed to stand still,  plans were shelved and goals basically forgotten.  It took a while to get back to normal as there seemed to be a sort of reluctance on my part to get back to even thinking about adventuring.

However, life did  slowly begin to return to normal.  We were back marshaling at events although a couple disappeared as race directors found other interests.  We still do Grasmere Gallop, a couple of Charlies events and of course the checkpoint at Buttermere on the Lakeland 100.  I managed to break my arm which took a while to heal but  Kim Bev and I did manage a part of the Three Lochs Walk (the part from Balloch to Helensburgh) I even purchased a OMM waistpack so that I didn't need to struggle my poorly arm into an ordinary back pack.  

There have been a few cracking holidays including some cruises and a month long trip to Australia. I love travelling to new places and want to keep visiting new places as long as Im able. 

My best girl, my adventure dog, the amazing Kona crossed the bridge in April 24. Absolutely heartbreaking but we knew for a while is was coming as she had a large inoperable tumour which was managed for a while but she let us know it time and with the help of her long time vet she took that last journey and onto whatever adventure awaited her.   She was 15 years and 3 months.  A very special dog.

We had a very traumatic experience with a puppy, who was going to be my new adventure companion and Kona was going to be her mentor unfortunately it wasn't meant to be.  Puppy Meryl left us at 5 months.  I was totally shattered by this she was so sweet and had her whole life ahead of her but something just obviously wasn't right in her brain and she became very ill and passed away despite the best efforts of the vets.  I have to admit this took me a long time to come to terms with. 

Life has a habit of providing what you need though and I was contacted by one of the girls from Dogs Trust with a photo of this little black and white collie pointer cross who needed a home. Wasn't too sure but we went down with Kona to meet him and came home with him the same day.  He was called Gibby but we changed that to Finn.  He benefited greatly from being a puppy with Kona, they had a ball together and I think he really perked her up in her old age. He is now three years old and it has been a bit of a learning curve.  Always a bit of a nervous Nelly he became a bit worse after his compulsory neutering at a year old.  He is fantastic with people absolutely adores them and adores all the human attention he can get but is not great with some dogs so that takes a bit of careful mangement.  He's super once he makes friends though so does have several doggie friends.  We started mantrailing and scentwork which loves and this helps.  Im slowly building him up to become my adventure dog as he loves being out and about in the wilds.  Watch this space.

So why have a resurrected the blog, well just lately I've become rather obsessed with running and adventuring books and You tube vids which has rekindled my adventuring soul.  I have plans.  I do know I'll never do some of the things I read about or watch but I can continue with my own version of adventure life.  Yes Im 65 but hopefully there's life in the old woman yet.  So I feel that if I commit to paper then I will have to follow through.  As I say watch this space but really this is for me to try and keep me accountable.  

Dog Walk Sunday

Sunday is mostly always a group dog walking day (this if I'm not away marshaling somewhere).  These are usually quite leisurely affairs more of a social thing an exercise thing.  Today was no exception but did involve a bit of incline.

Didn't really do much the rest of the day I'm afraid.  Had plans but couldn't be bothered oops.  Had some crisps and crackers and pate at Lin's then beans on toast for dinner.  

Saturday sauntering

Today we went to Buittle Castle for my 60th birthday present, yes from last year lol.  Thoroughly enjoyable afternoon learning about the history of the castle and how the cousins (both priests in the Western Orthodox Church) are restoring and improving the Castle to turn it into both a tourist attraction with B & B and a religious community.  The tour included an afternoon tea served in the library, very posh indeed.  

Before the tour we had a walk round Rounall Woods at Dalbeattie, good paths with some slight inclines it took roughly 45 minutes at a gentle pace, the dogs enjoyed themselves.  Good to know this little wood is there for future short  quiet walks.

On the way home we stopped off at Dalswinton so the dogs could have stretch of legs and a bit of running about and having fun.  I stepped on a sluttery tree root and fell onto my knee, yes my sore knee,  Nipped for a while but seems not to have suffered too much

Walking tomorrow at the castle.  Let's see what else I can fit in.

Once More into the breach

Have decided that it's time to resurrect the blog.  I've gotten lazy and fat and fat and lazy.  I injured my knee well over a year ago and it's been a complete menace.  However after a failed attempt with a NHS physio where I thought it was better and decided in my wisdom to stop the exercises, I opted for a private therapist and have been working hard with the exercises, well mainly working hard apart from a bit of a blip lately. So this blog is an attempt   not only to make me take stock and behave and get back on track both with fitness and  my figure but also make notes on my exploration of the world I chose to adventure in.

I don't want my running days to be over and am determined to at least get up to being able to do 10 miles.  So here goes from tomorrow the knee exercises re-start and so does the clean eating.

I'll just use this to record what I do, be it walking the dog, climbing hills, exploring, cycling - yes I have a bike and know how to use it  - just haven't in a while, jogging - hopefully, swimming with Rissa as she's joined the gym and is on her own fitness journey.

Ring a ding a ding it's the year end round up.

My year in pictures.

It turned out to be rather a good year, achieved  almost everything I set out to achieve and had rather a lot of fun doing so. It's been a year of being helped along the way by friends, teamwork working lol.

So instead of writing loads I am basically going to let the photos do the talking.

January

Walk with Neil to see the Andy Goldsworthy's near Penopnt.

Ziggy came to stay

That's Lyth (Probably my last ever but we won't dwell on that even if it still smarts lol)

 March

Little Mell, Great Mell and Gowbarrow with Kim

APRIL

The Great Lakeland 3 Day event with Kim

Northern Viaducts Walk with Kim

In my Volunteer Uniform for Dog's Trust

May

Edinburgh Half Marathon with Jax first road race in a long long time.

 June

Marshaling at KMF and my first ever outdoor music festival.

July

The Great Glencoe Trekathon with Kim

Marshaling at LSU and Scaffel Skyrace

July 

Marshaling and competitor stalking at Lakeland100

 September

Grand tour of Skiddaw marshaling and knocking Latrigg off the list.

An evening with Josh Naylor at Johnstonebridge

October

Ullswater Way with Kim

Dumfries Half Marathon with Jax which was September but this photo is refusing to move

The very BEST thing in the year Molly joins the family.  First Grandchild for me and Bilbo.

November and December

Carlisle Santa Dash with Jax

DRC Santa Dash

Supernova Run Falkirk

Molly's First Christmas

So all in all it's been a good year and I'm looking forward to 2018.  Kim and I are entered into the Great Lakes 3 Day again and this year we are going to ace it.   Training for this will start in earnest after New Year.  Still have RED to finish for December.  We are having a Parkrun in Dumfries and a new Jog Scotland Course starting in January.  Jax and I will be continuing with the road training and Kim and I will be popping a few more Wainwrights off the list.  

The icing on the cake of course will be watching our wee Molly growing over the year.

Onwards and upwards.