THE CENTRE OF SCOTLAND

On a windy, and sometimes wet, weekend, Pauline and I headed north to the small Highland village of Newtonmore, said to be just a few miles north from the centre of Scotland. The Ordnance Survey put the centre further south, 5km east of the mountain Schiehallion, but Newtonmore was near enough for me.

It was from here that we loaded up our bicycles and set off north east toward Aviemore for a weekend of cycle touring. The wind was behind us as we pedalled along, with gusts at times knocking us of our course together with the odd squally shower giving us a refreshing soaking. It wasn't quite the forecast the BBC had served up just hours before.  While the rest of the UK suffered from major flooding, Pauline had pin pointed Newtonmore as having the least weather problems for the weekend. Despite the forecast being wildly inaccurate, again, on reflection we did get the best of conditions compared to elsewhere.

Three miles on we turned onto a quiet backroad and passed by Ruthven Barracks, a ruin of a fortress built by General Wade after the Jacobite uprising of 1715, and set on a prominent hilltop. He was a prolific road builder at the time, keen to make passage through the Highlands easier. To this day many of our main roads follow his original routes.

Just under 10 miles on we found a woodcarving sculpture trail near the small settlement of Feshiebridge. The carvings were all created by artist Frank Bruce who died in 2009 aged 78. The works depict icons of patriotism and  tragedies of world poverty, yet set in a beautiful and tranquil wood. I found some a little creepy and unnerving while others were thought provoking.

Our plan was to do a loop circuit, camping for the night in Rothiemurcus Forest. Just two miles short of the 18 miles to Aviemore  my bike developed a puncture. Used to this now, and with the help of a handy tyre lever I bought in the USA, I quickly changed the tube, only to find the tyre going flat almost immediately.

It seemed that on virtually every bike ride the rear tyre would get a puncture.  Clearly something was fundamentally wrong, a fact Pauline was quick to remind me that she had said this many times.  But of course stubborn me persevered thinking I had solved it each time I changed the tube.  But the tyre was also now split due to riding with a flat. I had no alternative. I walked, pushing the bike with all it's gear, the two miles to Mikes Bike shop in Aviemore.

A new tube, rim tape and tyre later, and thanks to a very helpful staff, we were back on the road, but time was now not on our side. Picking up a trail through Rothiemurcus Forest, which lies adjacent and east of Aviemore, we found our campsite for the night, deep in among the old Scots Pines of the forest.

Rothiemurcus Forest is a remnant of the Great Wood of Caledon, which gets it's name from the Roman word for Scotland, and used to cover much of the country. Now just 1% remains, and most of that is thanks to recent regeneration projects.  Rothiemurcus is the largest such remnant, and we both love its dense variety of native trees and wildlife. Many years ago Pauline saved the forest from near disaster as she ran several miles to raise the alarm on a fire that had broken out. This weekend however it was a little too damp for any risk of fire.

There was a bright half moon out in the evening, dispensing with the need for a torch as we fetched water from the nearby river. The wind died down, and under a clear sky we busied ourselves making camp and supper. I love this part of outdoor adventure. I look forward to it all day.

The following morning started off sunny and bright as we continued on toward Boat of Garten where we turned to start the 24 miles back to Newtonmore. Gradually the clouds gathered and the heavens opened, so half way we took shelter in a coffee shop on the shores of Loch Insh for soup and hot chocolate, before the final push into a head wind, retracing our steps back to Newtonmore, the centre of Scotland...

...or thereabouts.

WINDSWEPT & INTERESTING ON ABERLADY BAY

Just 15 miles east of the City of Edinburgh lies the small coastal village of Aberlady.  500 years ago this was an important port for the neighbouring town of Haddington but the village's origins go back a lot further to the 7th and 8th century.

As you leave the small picturesque village you have magnificent views across the Firth of Forth and the shallow beach that forms Aberlady Bay. In 1952 it became the first local wildlife reserve in the UK.  It was here, on a very wet and windy day, that Pauline and I ventured out for a day that had promised broken sunshine but had turned out to be anything but.

To our right was a well known links golf course adjacent to the next village of Gullane. Ahead the path snaked its way through open pasture, flanked occasionally by what I think are Sea Buckthorn bushes, ablaze with bright orange berries, a spectacular sight on this grey and wind blown day. The path then started to rise up large sand dunes, held together by clumps of coarse grass. As we reached the top a sandy beach opened up and stretched out before us.

We made the first footprints in the sand as we continued on our walk. The sea was pushing its way back in as the tide began its fast rise across the flats. Somewhere out there were several wrecks of fishing boats that had met their fate over the past 200 years, probably on a similar wild day.

The route we were on forms a small part of the John Muir Way. He is a world famous naturalist born locally in the town of Dunbar in 1838. Most notably he was the founding father of the National Parks in America, successfully petitioning Congress in 1890 to form Yosemite and Sequoia parks.  He left the UK as a young boy but we honoured him here in the UK by creating the 50mile coastal path in his name.

For lunch we found an overhang of rock and crouched under its natural shelter to escape the worst of the weather to feast on a flask of homemade soup and sandwiches.  All around us were the remains of millions of shells swept ashore by the rough seas, destined to one day form part of the sands of this coastal route.

As we sat enjoying our lunch, hunkered down from the elements, a group of walkers trudged by, led by a very wet looking gentleman who, judging by his faint mutterings, would rather be somewhere else.

We returned by the same route, invigorated by the winter storm, a little damp but definitely looking windswept and interesting.

I WANT ONE!!!!

These days it seems everyone has a mobile, and   younger and younger when they get their first one.  Manufacturers are continually coming out with all manner of new gimmicks to try and persuade us to get the latest version.

Personally, as long as it makes calls and sends texts, I'm satisfied.

Well, how about this: your dog, or cat for that matter, is about to get it's own phone!

There's a company in Minnesota, USA, who have developed a product called Pet Chatz.  It's pricey though, at around £200 (or $350). What you get is a unit about the size of an American football that fits to your wall at your dogs eye level.  It contains a screen, a chute for treats and a camera.

Using an app on your phone, or tablet, or computer, no matter where you are in the world, you can phone the unit and speak to your dog (I'm not making this up, honestly!).  You can then get the unit to dispense treats while you chat about your day and find out how your dog is getting on without you.

The manufacturers are saying it's a new, fun way to interact with your pet.  You wont be thinking that when the bill comes in and you find he's been phoning his pals long distance!

But actually . . . I love it!  It will only be available in the USA and Canada when they launch it around May this year, but they're working on a European model already!  Result!

Although, maybe I should get a dog first?!

LIFE REDIRECTS HERE

Over the past little while I've been putting together a film of my friends cycle around the world, called The Bicycle Diaries.

She wrote a great blog during the long adventure, and as research for the film I enjoyed reading over it once more.  Right at the end she writes:

"There is an art to life and happiness, you can't just expect it to happen".

I like to think of myself as a person who seeks out and embraces adventure. I'm also a bit of a dreamer, sometimes unrealistically. So it seemed appropriate recently to go and see the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  Don't panic, this is not going to be a film review!  Suffice to say that the film centres around an employee of Life magazine, back when it was producing its last ever hard copy. The story takes the main character out of his comfort zone and thrusts him into challenges, some life threatening.

Every time I have embarked on a new adventure, from just a few days in the Scottish Highlands, trekking in the high Himalayas for three months or cycling across a continent for half a year, I never knew what to expect. I would plan and prepare as much as I could, but there would always be the unexpected.

I recall many times when, without warning, the challenges presented themselves, I wouldn't deal with it very well, seeing them as an intrusion, or a departure from what I considered normal. On hindsight though none of the adventures I've had in life would have been quite as memorable without those challenges. They are in essence what made the journey.

And it's those challenges that make life what it is.

Pauline is right. You can't expect it just to happen. You have to put effort into making your dreams a reality, and expect the unexpected.

Life magazine had a great motto:

To see things thousands of miles away,

things hidden behind walls and within rooms,

things dangerous to come to,

to draw closer,

to see and be amazed.

After I saw the movie I did a little research on the magazine. The first result took me to Wikipedia. At the top of the page it stated: "Life redirects here".

The next time I find myself faced with a challenge on a new adventure, or even just day to day, and it starts to feel a bit stressful, I'll tell myself, "life redirects here".

I'LL DO IT TOMORROW

OK, so by now I should be writing all about the first week of my new food plan.

But I haven't started yet.

My excuse is that tonight I'm meeting up with friends for pizza, chat and a movie, so that would have spoilt it.  Sounds reasonable to me.

I'll bet I'm not alone. How's your New Year resolutions going, hmmm?

I've been pretty good so far with my "list" of things to tackle in the new year. I love a list:

1/ Put up an outside light in the garden. Done, even though I've been putting it off for 20 years!

2/ Sand down the rust on the bodywork on my van. Done, put off from last January.

3/ Edit a film for a friends round the world cycle. Done, though she did finish back in 2012.

Feels good to get them all done, and done well.  There are still things to tackle in my all encompassing list for the first part of this year though:

Clear out all the unwanted clutter in the apartment (that could take a while with 25 years of gathering); renovate my bedroom (that's been on "the list" since mid 2010); get super fit (OK, so somethings are unrealistic); build 3 new websites promoting my businesses skills; create lots of photo books covering all my outdoor adventures of the last 18 years; finish my feature script that I started back in 2002!!!

Oh, and improve my diet and lose weight of course.

There's always tomorrow.

LET'S DIET

And we're off, into a whole new year, but boy, have we all piled on the pounds or what!?  So forget the January sales, this month is all about the diet for many.  I include myself in this.

There are so many diets on the go, most with one aim in mind: to shed the pounds.  However, I've been doing a little research and found the vast majority of "diets" are not really that good for you.  Not just that but most people complain that once they stopped the diet the pounds piled back on, and they ended up right back where they were.

There's a simple reason for this: most diets these days look at reducing the amount of food we take in, as opposed to changing to the right foods. There's a big difference.  Ultimately we need to have the well known "balanced diet", but most promoted diets are far from balanced.

It may be a good plan to reduce the amount of calories you eat, but if that simply means reducing the quantity you eat then chances are it's going to be hell and you'll be constantly hungry. You also run the risk of not getting the right full range of nutrients.

I've been heavily reading up on a one Dr Furman's research, and he advocates increasing the plant based element of your food intake to high levels, while reducing your carb intake to about 10% and literally eliminating all animal products. He cites many successful case studies, with the majority reaching an ideal weight and keeping it off. Dr Fuhrman's results also include people with diabetes type 2 being effectively cured. So, sounds impressive.

I met a good friend of mine today, Bill, who has also recently embarked on a new food plan. It differs from the Dr Fuhrman plan significantly, but Bill reports some amazing results on his new food plan. So, though I usually lack in motivation for this kind of thing, he has inspired me take on the challenge of changing my poor diet lifestyle. I'm about to give it a go for as long as I can, hopefully six weeks. I'll report back.

Now, where did I put that Mars bar?

WOULDN'T IT BE NEAT

A Happy New Year to you all.

In usual style, whilst at a friend's on New Years Eve, a round of "what's your new years resolutions" started up, or, as one friend put a spin on it, "what are you most looking forward to in 2014".

There were the usual losing weight; getting fit; earn more money; have a dream holiday adventure; meet someone, type of declarations, with one friend saying get married. But there were no surprises really. Nothing out of the ordinary. Reasonable goals that seemed simple enough on the surface.

As midnight came and went, and the enormous fireworks display from the picturesque Edinburgh Castle flew into the air, heralding in the start of the year, the countdown to all these promises and goals began.

But life is rarely that neat.

Wouldn't it be neat if you could diet for just a day and hit your target weight.

Wouldn't it be neat if that dream job you've always wanted landed in your lap without an interview.

And wouldn't it be neat if they finished building the tram system in Edinburgh (in joke).

But life is rarely that neat.

Wouldn't it be neat if everyone rode a bicycle and there were no cars on the road.

Wouldn't it be neat if global warming turned out to be a good thing

And wouldn't it be neat if famine was a thing of the past.

But life is rarely that neat.

Wouldn't it be neat to release the past and move forward into the future with no regrets.

Wouldn't it be neat if you were never lonely again.

And wouldn't it be neat for the love you gave out to come back to you in equal measure.

But life is never that neat.

I wish you the best of luck with your resolutions and goals for the year ahead. A little commitment just might make them happen. Wouldn't that be neat?

For me I need to do a little tidying!