Like many people I am back to the grind today after the festive break. I didn’t drop the ball too much over Christmas. I reduced my workouts and how much work I was doing, but I still kept things ticking over. It makes it less of a shock to the system today now I’m back in the office with everyone.
I caught this lovely sunrise on my walk into the office this morning.…
I’ve been bad at keeping this blog updated. Now I’m focused 100% on building With Jack, I find I slack on uploading my photos. I’m still regularly using my camera, I just don’t have as strong a desire to share my photos. So, despite it being February here is a photo of me from December. Hi.…
We had a crazy blizzard hit the UK. People were stuck in their cars overnight, shops were shut, people panic bought bread and milk. It was a very strange few days. I have never seen snow like this! Indie enjoyed it… for about 10 minutes.
Indie’s almost 12, yet I’ve never let her off the lead. Well, that’s not true. There were a couple of occasions and she ran away. She follows her nose—even if that puts her in dangerous situations. It does mean she never gets much of a chance to stretch her legs and run around.
Somebody on Facebook posted about a dog run in Glasgow and by the next day I’d booked a 30 minute slot for Indie. I didn’t know what to expect, so I packed a ball and some toys for her to run around with. It turns out she never left my side and just wanted to dig in the snow. It was very cute.
My sister and I stayed at Atholl Palace on Sunday. We were treated to a three course dinner, access to the spa and a full-Scottish breakfast. I think it set both of us up for the festive period. It was like a winter wonderland!
This was all booked through 5PM, which has a selection of deals for Christmas. My sister and I are going to book my mum and her partner an overnight stay as a Christmas present. Don’t worry, my mum doesn’t read this blog.
We explored the Atholl Palace grounds on Sunday when we arrived. It had been snowing and it was freezing, but we heated up afterwards in the hot tub. Then we relaxed with cocktails in the bar before dinner.
This morning we popped into the village, Pitlochry, and wandered around the boutique shops. There was a Christmas shop, so we bought my nephew The Elf on the Shelf.
I would definitely return to Atholl Palace, but I’d book two nights and take advantage of some of the popular walks. We were lucky with the weather. It stayed dry except from a light dusting of snow. Beautiful!
Sunday saw Kaitlin, Rab and I head to Stockbridge in Edinburgh. Stockbridge is fairly central yet feels like its own village. I’d love to live here, but property prices are sky high.
There’s a market that—even on a grey Sunday—was bustling with people and dogs. I had Steampunk coffee and drooled over the gyoza.
Afterwards we walked up Calton Hill. Despite being in Edinburgh a lot, I’ve never explored Calton Hill. It’s a hotspot for tourists because you have a view of the city.
10/10, would Edinburgh again.
Rab and I set our alarms for 5.30AM and met in Balloch at Loch Lomond. We waited at Luss for the sun to rise then proceeded to Glencoe, stopping off wherever the light or scenery felt right.
As a set these photos aren’t very cohesive, but it’s an accurate representation of the day. A peaceful sunrise with a hint of orange sky, followed by a washed out snowy, landscape, interspersed with strong gradients of the mountainous highlands. The light would change so suddenly, so dramatically.
As much as I love traveling (well, not the flying part), it’s fun, cheap and accessible to get outdoors in your own country and explore. Do it!
I’m meant to be in Copenhagen, Denmark, but I’m in Glasgow, Scotland. Storm Gertrude messed that one up, so it’s safe to say we are not friends. Instead I awoke and drove towards Glencoe. Bad idea.
Mini Coopers aren’t designed for snow (I was skidding all over the road). As I turned to head back, I drove past another Mini in a ditch. I hope they are OK. Plenty of other cars had stop and were tending to them.
Needless to say, this weekend hasn’t turned out quite as planned! At least I still got to use my camera a bit.
Whenever Brittany asks if I want to hang out, I usually reply with, “Yes! Let’s go for food and eat everything and get fat”, but I indulged more than anyone over Christmas (and my birthday, and the weekend, and any day that isn’t even special). This time, I opted for a healthier alternative and suggested we go for a walk.
Brittany recommended walking along the West Highland Way (which I did not know existed) to Mugdock Castle. I’m glad she did. It was a beautiful walk, and my aching glutes suggest my body benefited from it, too.
