Edinburgh Nights (and Sunday afternoons)

Photo: Arthur's Seat. Not a bad little location for running.
One significant event that took place this summer was that Andrew finally left his local team Dunbar Colts. Whilst the pull of playing footy with his pals was strong, he had to accept that some of his mates are not all good at footy. In order to progress he had to move on to a team of better players. Our gratitude goes out to the Dunbar coaches who kindly gave up so many hours to train the lads and see them gradually progress to the 2nd Division, where they are doing okay.
After searching for a new club, and being scouted for others, he decided to go with Calvary Park. They are based in Edinburgh and so the tedious car journeys back and forth have begun. Fortunately they play right next to Arthur's Seat and close to the city centre. I have just enough time to go out and run it before kick off (well I miss the first 10 minutes so I must go quicker). My challenge is to do a lap of the big hill and run to the top without a stop. I am so far about 100 meters short of the top, but I do save a little sprint to reach the trig point and impress the numerous tourists who are up there. I am keeping a note of their nationalities as they usually like to have a natter. Germans, Americans, French, Indian and Japanese. I've ended up taking a few photos of them. i don't mind as it gives me time to take in the fantastic views. With the dark nights drawing in, I'd better get some new batteries for my head torch.
Running in Dunbar is a solitary experience usually. I like that as it gives me space to think and do my own thing. Arthur's Seat is in contrast full of runners. It gives me someone to chase, and today I was particularly pleased to get into a challenge with a cyclist going up hill, who I eventually passed. Also up there is an old railway and long tunnel going under the hill called the Innocence rail Way. I followed it and ended up in places around Edinburgh that I did not know existed. Here's a link Innocence railway
As for the football? It's not a bad team and we are seeing the best and worst of Scottish football with mainly wins. The travel is a pain but that is one of the few downsides of living out on a limb. The up side is running around one of Edinburgh's more scenic spots. If you ever visit I'd recommend the hike up.

Who knows where the time goes?

It's September and a whole summer has passed without posting an update on what exciting things have been happening. Rater than bore you all with one long post, I will try and stick a few different things up. Basically the last 2 and a bit months have been taken up by 1) holidays 2) Work 3) Very little running.

The summer has been a good one with plenty packed into it. It started off with a 2 week trip to Spain. So that's a good place to start. Now whilst there I did manage to get myself to one of the 2 10km races I'd planned to do. I did try and go to the other but ended up in a village of the same name, but was lacking the 'montana' for the mountain race. Bemused bathers at the local pool looked on in wonder as I asked where the race was. But I did make it to the other race and here's the first of my summer reports.

Spanish Running Festival

I'll tell you about the rest of the holiday later.

A Night out in Bamburgh

Had a nice trip over to Bamburgh the other night to see our Sarah and co who were staying there with the Woodcocks. Woody is getting ordained next week so it was nice to have time to catch up before he does the dirty deed of kissing the bishops ring. Bamburgh is less than an hour away and is very nice. I can see a camping trip there coming off some time. We headed for the beach as it was a warm evening. Whilst there we had (as Woody described it) 'man fun'. Beer (for non drivers), footy and dune diving. There were some cracking dunes and diving off them had to be done, despite it being slightly high and causing an involuntary wink of the old rusty bullet hole! Anna & Woody haven't changed much since they were teenagers back at Criccieth. Well Woody has gone a bit grey (better than being ginge I say) and both are wearing well now they have the additional bundles of joy of twins. It was a brief encounter but one to cherish. Sadly we will miss the ordination and after service bbq at the Fox. I feel Anna's pain as they move from York to a place that is one vowel away from Hell. All in the call of duty I suppose!

Pond Life

I got a message on Facebook asking me if I wanted a pond. Seemingly someone was chucking theirs out (minus the water and carp) and was going to become landfill the next day if it wasn't claimed. The photo made it look quite small so I took the car around and realised it was approximately 6ft long, 4ft wide and 1.5ft deep. Fortunately I managed to squeeze it into the boot so it was wedged in place. Then after a careful journey up the high street over the cobbles I got it into the back garden. So the with pick axe in hand the bank holiday was taken up digging a big hole in the garden, assisted by Andrew. It needs a bit of landscaping still but before I do that I have got to sift through all the spoil looking for gold! Yes my wedding ring came off and somewhere in the hole is my ring. Not happy at all and I feel naked without it. People will be talking thinking I've done a Giggsy or something. I had some great holidays there and i do miss Wales, but not in a Giggsy sort of way.

Back to the pond, Despite coming with an expensive filter and other pond gadgetry, this one is going to be a wild one and I will let mother nature manage it. Failing that I am sticking a heater in it and we're having a hot tub. Bets are on as to which child is going to be the first one to fall in.

Penicuik 10km

The multi choice Saturday came to be and I opted for the 10km race. STV was not showing the FA Cup Final. Instead they were showing the Alan Titchmarsh Show and Midsommer Murders. The race was not in Pencaitland as I carelessly put on the previous post, but in the town of Penicuik. A lovely backdrop to this race is the Pentland Hills and the course itself is rather hilly too. So much so that the talk in the post race feed & chit chat was it adds around 60-90 seconds to most people's runs.

188 runners set off, narrowly avoiding the huge archery tournament that was going on next to us. I felt sorry for any Mods passing through Penicuik today! Anyway the course takes you immediately up a hill. The well wishing marshall lied and said it leveled out...but not for a long way was the bit they forgot to add. It's been about 3-4 years since I ran a 10km so I couldn't decide how to pace it. I decided on trying to keep up or even pass those in front. It worked mostly but after 5km I realised that the more experienced racers of this distance use their first 5km to warm up and then step up a gear or two for the last 5. This meant a number of runners passed me but I was confident I would be in the top 20. I could hear the snort of a runner behind me for ages. As supporters kept saying 'keep going Adele' I realised a woman was on my tail. I held her back for most of it which was a nice downhill stretch, but in the last 800 meters my lungs were making some strange noises, my spirit was dim and then I got a fly in my eye and I lost the edge. Still happy enough with 17th place and 5th in my age, but I was not happy with my 39:12....but if I take 60-90 seconds off it gives me an idea of how I'd do on a flat course. I am after anything near 36. I'll try and find some more to do and see what I can get. I have also spotted a couple of 10km in Barcelona that are on when we head there for our holidays. I would like to give them a go.

Decisions Decisions

What a day we have coming up on Saturday. So much to choose from.
- Pipe Band Day: Not very nice on the old earole's but a good old community gathering. from 8am onwards we will be able to enjoy the drone of the devils instrument.
- The Dunbar Regatta. The first in decades and a few friends taking part down at the harbour. Hats off to those who have built their own boat and are now ready to race it. I am tempted to join them but like football, it is in conflict with my running which is far more enjoyable.
- The FA Cup Final. Okay, not until 3pm which for me is late in the day, but worth a watch. I have grown to dislike City more and more, although I do like the loyalty of their fans. I can't put my finger on why but I will be pleased to see the cup head to Stoke rather than Manchester. I had a nasty boss who was a city fan, along with his miserable wife, and the thought of any kind of suffering being inflicted on them is to be relished.
- Pencaitland 10km. Looking like the favourite simply because it is a race not on a Sunday and I have not done a 10km for years now. I did a 3km on the track the other day and sort of enjoyed it. This ones got a hill so it should split the pack up a bit. I like hills!
- Loch Leven Half Marathon. Less likely because a) I hate the last 4 miles of running into the wind and b) a touch of the old cantbearseditis kicking in.
- Douglas's full immersion baptism in the swimming pool. This could be interesting and we are all hoping they will make use of the big slide before turning on the wave machine. I've reminded the minister no mooning is allowed, or peeing off the diving board.

Alternatively the garden/bed/beach beckon my attention. have a nice weekend.

London Sight Seeing Trip - The VLM 2011

The climax of my racing calender has been reached (groans & moans included)! Sunday was the London Marathon and both me & Emma joined 360000 others for great day out. Whilst the novelty value has slightly gone doing it a second time, the experience is still quite unique and should be marked as one of those significant moments in our lives. Just the size of it and the mass of support and the sense of occasion make this an event you should try to be part of some time.

Pre race we headed off to the Expo to collect our numbers and check out the running stuff. We had the kids with us and they had a ball running around getting free food and drink, playing on XBoxes and alike and joining in with the festival of running. We took the opportunity to meet the Adidas sports scientists and get our gait analysis done on their computer gadgets. Emma has the weirdest gait ever so it produced some useful information to apply after the marathon. Mine showed my right leg to be near perfect, but my left verging on severe over pronation. Further on, Emma and her cousin Rhona were sold some running socks by some more scientist types. I am not sure what they were supposed to add to their running but as both of them went on to get slower than usual times they can blame the socks! I opted for a high viz vest so I don't end up as roadkill whilst training in the summer. We also got our goody bag which includes a tempting can of beer.

Other race prep included wandering up Oxford Street where the kids were in shopping heaven and I was in hell, especially in that Hamley's Toy Shop which was overpriced and full of little brats and custody dads of the high income variety. I did enjoy the Nike Town store. It's beautifully laid out, almost like an art gallery but well stocked with everything Nike. So I tried on a pair of racing flats in size 12 as they are not readily available on the high street in that size. In fact they were too small and magnified my pronation issue severely. Whilst in there we bumped into some of the Ethiopian elite runners. The women were tiny. Saturday we headed to the Natural History Museum where we soon got bored and fed up of queueing, so we trekked over to the Diana Memorial Play Park at Kensington Gardens to meet out Cath and co for a picnic (Tesco's £2 meal deal).

THE RACE DAY - Having been caught in a rush last year we went down to Blackheath early on the 7.45a.m. from Charing Cross. If you can start that journey at Charing Cross then you should, as all the other stops enroute are packed and on later trains you just would not be able to get on. We arrived with over 90 minutes to spare but it was cool and dry so we just chilaxed! Eventually we went our seperate ways. Rhona to the Blue star with the Championship women, me to the Red 'Good for Age' pen and Emma to the Green Start which doubled up as the celebrity pen. Here she mingled with the stars and started her first 3 miles running with Will Young. My pen looked more like a scene from a prisoner of war camp. Lots of undernourished men caged in with hardly an ounce of fat on them. Chatting to one or two of them I realised that most were going to be sub 3 hour runners and I would be wise to stay behind them at the start. I did quite a bit of stretching here as my hamstrings were suffering from a spasm in my lower back. By the time the start came they were delicate but okay and I decided that as long as I didn't sprint they should warm up. Apart from dodging a few tossers who jumped in front of me, the start went well and over the line in 1 minute and 7.07 for the first mile. My target time was 3:05 and anything quicker would be a bonus, but the pace was quick and my first 7 miles were averaging a 3:00 pace. Then my GPS stopped working so I had to resort to the clock and my pace band which was a 3 hour pace (they didn't have a 3:05). I kept a good pace and slowed down a bit but not a lot and drank something at most of the water stops.

I was running for The Christie cancer charity and wore their vest with my name. I know some people find having their name called off putting, but I found it helpful towards the end of the race. At mile 20 I was tired and it was hot. The sun blazing made those showers a must. But as I went in, the cold/hot ccombo sent my hamstring in to a cramp. I'd been expecting it so I knew that the only thing to do is stop and stretch and go. It worked and so only 30 seconds max lost there. With 3 miles left I had not really been focussed on my pace, when I realised I was within 20 minutes of a sub 3 hour. Foolishly I decided to up it a gear and tried to crack it. Needless to say I quickly cramped up again, and again. The crowd gasped as I pulled up, but then really shout and scream encouragement to keep going, and when I did they were really giving it some. The last mile is just awful as people are collapsing all around, just minutes from finishing. I knew my family would be waiting just outside Buckingham Palace so I needed to stay in one piece to give them a wave and to look good for the finish. They were all there and it gave me a boost to finish well. 385 yards to go and the clock was turning 3:06 but with my 1 minute line crossing to factor in I was right on track for a 3:05. In fact 3:05.10 to be precise! Exactly 2 minutes off my PB.

Crossing the line is surreal. The volume of noise from the crowd is loud, but as you pass through those famous red finishing funnels it suddenly stops and you are stood amongst other runners looking dazed. It's how I'd imagine the scene to be after a bomb goes off. People in shock, disorientated, some collapsed, others in tears, some with bodily functions out of control and others just glad to be alive. It took me a 4 minutes to bring myself to move, because that's when Rhona came in looking slightly fed up with here 3:09. Not that she should be because she was still 11th in her age group despite not getting a pB.

We headed to the Horse Guards Parade to meet up with the The Christies lot and everyone else. Emma was still running but soon finished with a 3:53. Slightly slower than her pB but conditions were tough. She did enjoy it though and will have to do another marathon quicker to get a guaranteed good for age place next time. Will I do it again? I hope so but there are others I'd like to try too. Meanwhile my legs are in agony and it could be a couple of weeks before I run again.

Busy month

It's silly season again. These Christian festivals certainly generate lots of work for me in the schools. This last week alone I have been working with 300+ youngsters presenting the Easter story in some fairly creative ways. Top of the list had to be today's performance where we had a clown juggling knives over our RME teacher. Had it gone wrong it would have been a perfect opportunity for him to explain the finer details of circumcision! Dunbar has a growing team of volunteers who are now helping me do this kind of stuff and I think they enjoy it too.

Over the last month I have done my annual pilgrimage to York with P5's...twice! 4 classes is too much for 1 trip so we split them up. I think this was either my 9th or 10th visit with school and I am now familiar with the local history, stories and locations of quality shops like Poundland! It was a surprise hit as the little n's spent their pennies on novelty gifts for loved ones back home. It's cheaper than those over priced gift shops, but the range of goods is quite different too. One girls dad will be delighted to open his gift of a tape measure, whilst another will be moved by the packet of dog biscuits and Brillo Pads. On trip 1 I accompanied Stuart's class and had a great time. Trip 2 a month on saw better weather and over 15 kids who got up for the 7.30am run on the race course. I managed a few extra miles myself too, keeping on top of that relentless marathon training torture. I always say it, but I thoroughly enjoy listening to Danelaw Dave the Viking re-enactment bloke tell the 60-70 minute story of Thors Hammer. Good to see the gift of story telling being used in a modern world of multi media.

The marathon is next week, and I am tapering down so enjoying some fine jogs along the beach the last couple of evenings. Spring sunsets and a warm wind make for the perfect close to the day. Our 'The Christie' vests arrived today and we have raised a small amount for them through our Just Giving page . We are not under any pressure to raise anything, but I know some of you might just want to support us or the Christie by sponsoring us. Feel free to give what you want to, I'm just happy to allow my sport be of some small benefit to others.

Talking of running, I was delighted to see our Dunbar Primary School cross country team reclaim their trophy in the East Lothian competition the other day. I'd helped train them through the winter so I was pleased for them getting such good results. The winning time on 1 mile course was 6:13...pretty quick for an 11 year old.

Other news...Emma's sister had a girl...Catriona. Much debate and discussion as to whether this is pronounced Catriona (as in C & the Waves...hairy armpitted German woman) or Cat Re:Owner. I think that's about the news for now so I shall probably next write after the marathon, as we are heading off a few days early to the Big Smoke. I saw the list of celebrities today...not impressive unless you count extras from Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and chefs of lesser know eateries as being important. There were a few I shall be looking for though. Her off the Apprentice with vinegar tits, former MUFC star and womaniser Dwight Yorke and the 2 ladies from Bucks Fizz!

Red Lace Day

The red laces arrived in the post on Monday. No, this is not some sort of coded message or medical term, it marks the arrival of our London Marathon pack...which also translates into HELP IT'S ONLY A MONTH AWAY!

The training is sort of going well. I have managed a few 20 milers now and one was slow, one was quick and then on Sunday somewhere in between. I am trying to learn from my mistakes and with just one more to go I hope i will get it right. I am not racing this year before the marathon, so I am really having to use my built in pace judgement detector on the day.

It looks like London is going to be a busy place that weekend. Along with the 35000+ runners, their families and friends, there is also going to be half of the north west of England as the FA in their stupidity have put both the Man Utd v Man City, and Stoke v Bolton semi finals on at Wem-ber-ley that weekend. The FA have got their figures wrong as they are only expecting 20,000 runners. What a merry time it will be on the streets of London and even better still on the trains. Still, what dream weekend that would be a derby semi on the Saturday, marathon on Sunday. Fingers crossed!

Wild Things

It's creeping up to that time of year when everything bursts into life. I love spring for the wildlife and I went out for a 13.75 mile training run at 7.30am today and immediately encountered loads of it. First up, some visually impaired deer in the woods. I say that because I was wearing a high viz shirt and they did not notice me until I was 10ft away from them. Hovering above was the sparrow hawk. The trees were full of small birds and the noise of their bird song at that time of the day is amazing. That was my first mile! Later as i passed through the John Muir Country Park
and passed the salt marshes and estuary, herons, swans and geese were plentiful. Further on up to Law Head is a vantage point that takes in the full range of the Lammermuir Hills , which were looking very inviting. Maybe next week for my long slow run? A good run at just over 95 minutes today and feeling strong enough to enjoy the views.

Eye Eye

I went to do my embarrassing dad duties on Saturday and watched Isabelle play hockey. I arrived 5 minutes into the game only to discover Isabelle sidelined holding an ice pack on her head. Hit in the eye with a hockey ball after 3 minutes of play. Fortunately any damage is superficial and she's got a cracking black eye today.

Earlier in the week I discovered the joys of emergency dental treatment. Not for me, but for Stuart who was in a really bad way with tooth ache. On the advice of the dental nurse on the phone, we made the trip into Edinburgh to get it checked out. Needless to say there's a bit of work to be done there and biscuits are off the menu for a while.

A bit nippy

Had to visit the Dr today with my latest running acquired injury (for some people, the next few lines of this post might sound a bit sexy!). I did a long hard one the other day in the rain. My wet t-shirt was clinging to my chest and consequently a bit of friction on the nipples led to the outer skin wearing away and blood was drawn. A week later a nice big lump appeared on the left nipple which was quite sore. Was I having some sort of phantom pregnancy thing and would I find myself lactating at the sound of baby cries? Not quite, but some weird puss did ooze out when I squeezed it, but I don't think it was edible. Anyway, the doc reckons it is an infection so I'm on course of med's for a week to see if I can reduce it a cup size or two. Meanwhile I have taken to wearing blister plasters for extra protection. Not a pretty sight and one hope I don't have an accident and end up in hospital with a lot of explaining to do to the nurses. Hang on...this is the same scenario my mum used to paint when she tried to make me and our Colin wear clean undies. "If you got knocked over and taken to hospital what would they think if you had dirty undies on?" (I did get knocked over once and sent to hospital and thankfully I passed the Grubby Undies Detector test).

Meanwhile back on the nipple...I enjoyed reading this article about those London people who really are a bunch of tits.


I wonder if they do raspberry ripple?

64

It's been a long week of running for the pair of us. 63 miles between us over Saturday and Sunday, and my total miles last week went up to 64. The mileage is up but my pace is terrible so more work to be done. I don't really feel like I am reaping any benefits from all the additional training I am doing. Perhaps when this chesty cough clears up things might improve. Nothing slows you down more than a dockers omelette in your lungs first thing in the morning.

Shocking behaviour

Stuart has been up to no good again at school. Once a month they get to take an electric toy in to class for others to play with. Whilst most kids take in game consoles and fun games like Operation, Stuart went against all our orders and took with him....a taser! Well it's not quite the fully working taser that the plod use to stun felons, but it is still an alarming little device that you play with a friend. Basically it's a reactions game and the slowest one gets an electric shock....what fun! So when I went to collect him his teacher told me she'd confiscated his taser. "What taser?" "The one he said you told him he could bring in to school". After electrocuting several girls and the class hamster, the teacher wanted to find out what the fuss was about and ended up electrocuting herself. Stuart's response was "mum said I could bring it". Devious little devil. And if you are wondering which irresponsible adult bought it him....the answer is the Methodist Church who gave it him as a Christmas pressie.

Beyond the Point of No Return

Well the marathon training is well and truly under way in preparation for London in April. Both me & Emma have decided to follow the same programme, albeit at different paces. And unlike previous attempts to follow something, I am so far sticking to it. But it is really hard work. For 6 days a week we have to have a run. Some days that is only for 3-4 miles, but the long ones at the weekends are up to 17 miles now. The effect of all this is that I am running well but it means being permanently hungry and fatigued. I am eating more than ever but I am now losing weight. Since Christmas I have dropped around 4lbs or more, so I am not actually sure how much of me will be left if I continue to lose it at this rate. Taking on a marathon seriously is a big ask in terms of time and energy. However with around 10 weeks to go I feel like there is no turning back now....all that effort will be wasted. besides which, I have booked train tickets to London so there's no getting out of it now. The relentless silent call of the training programme has been a good motivator. On these cold wintery nights and days when I would previously have a dose of cant -be-arsed-itis, I find myself out running. It's not normal...I don't think I am..Weirdo!

Working order

Just to reassure readers that the washing machine is now fully functional and the smell of dirty running gear is slowly beginning to fade in the house. However I fear some of my base layers were left too long without exposure to the old Daz. I get roughly 2 minutes of exercise out of them before they begin to hum. Any solutions for removing offensive smells from clothing would be warmly welcomed by fellow runners.

Looking forward to starting to coach the cross country team again next week. Could this be the year we reclaim the East Lothian Primary Schools trophy? I've already got some of them asking if we can do a couple of laps of the racecourse when we go to York in a few weeks time. I'm up for it as I am trying to stick to my marathon training plan. So far so good, but as the mileage creeps up, the time for each run does too.

Out of Service

I hate the piss poor service we get in this country. I don't know if it is the same elsewhere in the developed world, but the distinct lack of pride and effort put into people's work and businesses is probably reflected in why so many of them go to the dogs. I hate the way it goes without saying that the customer is treated as subnormal, second class and that the people we buy from are doing us some sort of favour. I hate the way they do everything on their terms and expect us to wait.

Take for instance our 11 month year old Beko washing machine. In mid December we stuck it on a hot wash and it broke. We called out the repair man as it was under warranty. Except you have to call Glasgow and they arrange it in one of those 'some time on Tuesday' slots. Some time on Tuesday arrived and after waiting in all day, the call comes in to say that the engineer is off sick. Another slot of 'some time on Thursday next week' was arranged and yet again a mid day a call comes in to say he is stuck in North berwick in snow and won't be traveling the 12 miles extra to Dunbar. By now we were at Christmas so another time was set....and yes another fail. Finally we get offered a slot on Hogmany. Beyond all belief he actually turned up (at exactly the same time as the heating engineer who fixed our heating) and looked at it. "You need a new motor, it will be next week as I'll have to go to Luton for it. The office will call you when it's in". A week later they hadn't called and low and behold it's another week before we get sight of Mr Beko.

The knock on effect of this is my running gear is getting really smelly. I'm trying to reduce the amount of washing so I've taken to wearing it more than once and drying it out. Mmm! Hurry up Mr Beko

2010 bids farewell

That's the end of another year. A quick look back over the blog reminds me of some of the highlights.

January - It started watching Stuart doing a Lonny Dook in North Berwick. I opted for towel holding in a bid to preserve my manhood. Soon after a weekend away with the clan St Margarets in the lakes giving us time to catch up with old and getting older friends. the low point was my marathon training hitting the rocks with some dodgy swollen ankle thing. A whole month and a bit wiped off my training plan for London. It was a long month as the schools return was delayed by a week due to snow. It was the first proper snow and we spent almost the whole week sledging on the golf course. It's funny how a year on the novelty of snow has well and truly worn off.

February was uneventful. I regained some fitness and did the National Cross Country championships.

March saw an early Easter and the second and very successful Holy Ghost Walk. One of those rare occasions where the churches pulled together and let their hair down. I did the Alloa half marathon in a half decent time and it was one of 2 visits to York with the school kids.

April saw me pull off a PB at the London Marathon. It was a surprise to me that the crowd support and the sense of occasion would be so good and I'm looking forward to doing it all again this year. The volcanic ash cloud lingered around most of Europe but in Sunny Dunny the sun was out and we headed to the beaches and the gold course.

May saw yet another trip to York and also school related a great sense of pride when we finally won the East Lothian Primary Schools athletics competition. We'd worked hard for that...30 years to be precise!

June was Andrews last year in Primary School. Out with a bang, he and his mates and Wagette's hired a big limo to take them to the school prom. It's been good working with his year and I continue to do so in the grammar school. On the racing front i crashed and burnt at Loch Leven's half marathon.

July saw us take our first ever fly drive holiday. The warmer climate of Tuscany was our destination, which was stunning in parts. Apart from getting fined for jumping a toll barrier, we enjoyed the life of Riley in our Eurocamp budget tent! the latter part of July was also spent in a tent...just 12 miles up the coast at Scoughall where I was helping out on the SU Camp.

August took me to the Edinburgh Festival for the first time where I met up with the Jones' of Burnage! We also had a very good holiday club with the churches in August and it rounded off well a long busy summer. The was a tragic end for some. 2 of our Guinea Pigs croaked in the same afternoon. Unknown causes but the long haired one lives to tell the tale.

September brought new life in the arrival of Myfanwy over in Oz for Colin & Sharon.

October saw us visit London twice! First for the wedding of Rory and Anna and the second time for a jolly with the kids at half term. Good times were had by all. Another baby arrived. Elsie became the latest addition to our Sarah's lot. Apart from getting attacked by a swarm of wasps, it was another good month.

November was most memorable for it's rather early snowfall. Yet again the schools shut in fear of some awful thing happening (like kids getting an education or learning some basic survival and adaptability skills). Something I have not mentioned much is that Andrew's football team take me all over Edinburgh and further afield as they take on a mixed bag of teams. They are playing well and they came close to getting into the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup. And Emma is now coaching the 3rd year girls hockey team. After a disastrous opening season last year, things have turned a corner and as it stands they are on to 4 wins in a row....including beating the formidable North Berwick.

December will too be remembered for snow. It all ground to a halt and brought a premature end to what had been a very enjoyable year. I hate it when you look back at a year and nothing has gone on. Not 2010, it was a good one!

All over for another year

Photo: Dunbar's decorations in storage for another year

Ah that's the last of the baubles put away in the garage, although i am sure there are a few stray ones lurking behind the sofa. The good thing about decorations are that they hide the mess. Now they are down, that dirty chipped paint work that had been hiding behind the garland was fully exposed. With time on my hands the job had to be done. Out came the magnolia and the hall and a bedroom were done, helped by Stuart and Andrew who were so enthusiastic that they even painted each other.

Christmas went well. The build up to it at school came to nothing as our friend the snow caused it to shut early on the Wednesday and never reopen. Numerous Christmas party's and nativity plays never happened. No time for farewells and Christmas greetings, just a mass exodus of staff heading home to avoid the snow monster. This did us a favour because it meant getting an early start for our journey south. With our street being completely covered in the deepest snow yet, I wasn't sure if we would make it beyond Adsa, but luck have it, this was localised snow and everywhere else was clear. So we had a smooth journey, giving us bags of extra time and leaving us with the the rare opportunity to call in at the New Balance Factory Shop in Shap. It's always a bit hit and miss in there. Emma got a very good pair of cushioned shoes for no less than any other place, but I managed to get a good pair of support shoes for £15! I was tempted by all the other shoes in the size 12 and over bargain boxes but the Christmas pinch was being felt.

Once in Manchester it was a great few days of soaking up the Christmas joy, with assistance from my dads malt whisky selection and a banquet of food. We had a shopping trip to Stockport to pick up a few loose ends and watch the people. I like Stockport. It's a good looking town but it could do with increasing its gene pool a bit. Shop after shop were filled with slightly (through natural causes and general wearing down by life's hardships) disfigured and ugly people. Obviously all related and from one of Stockport's many small estates where having a 3rd nipple and hairy palms is standard. Later that day we saw the more refined side of Stockport at its fantastic Plaza Theatre where we saw the pantomime of Peter Pan. This is what theatre going is all about. A beautiful art decor building saved from ruin and life as a bingo hall, restored and run by volunteers, including an organ recital before the panto. Brilliant to experience. The show was short on gags and didn't really transfer into panto despite Boycee's performance (him off Only Fool and Horses). Nevertheless we enjoyed it and it was a good way to spend Christmas Eve.

It's anyones guess who will turn up at my mum and dads on Christmas Day. Throughout my life I have joined many a waif and stray for the festive merriments. This time we were joined by our Jane's Andy's lad Mark, Aunty Dorothy and Uncle Frank and John! I am not sure who he was but he fitted in well. We had been over at St Margaret's Church earlier for the service. After which it is a a sort of speed dating scenario of trying to see everyone before the verger shows us all the door.

We didn't do a lot in Manchester this time. We went out for a walk with the whole of the Pugmire family. Nice to see them all but really too many kids, dogs, distractions and not enough time to get beyond 'oooh haven't you grown...or how bald are you'. I managed to get a few runs too. The most memorable was a 10 miler into Stockport and back via the Mersey which had frozen over. Running there requires a lot more forethought, and consideration to things like a) how many roads will I need to cross b) will I get mugged c) am I likely to get mauled to death by a stray pitbull. That said, there are a lot of runners about and i'd love to do a race down there some time soon.

So with all the pressies opened and a MacDonald family party to get back for, we returned on an equally easy journey. Not sure what's happening next year. Rumour is our Colin is back from Oz, but it is probably our turn to host it. What will we do?