‘Go gently into that dark night’

Was late at night, the buzz of a message. “It’s on tonight, are you up for it?” then “Half an hour OK? Meet you at the door”

Finished the stuff I was doing, I’d just had a bath so shrugged off the dressing gown and layered on the clothes, grabbing all the essentials and then headed for the door.

Off we went, up with all the gear, just a mile from the village. As we climbed up the hill we could see the glow. It was going to be a good yin!

Stopped, open the doors and saw the gentle pulsating – YES!!!

It’s not so often this happens in Scotland, but it was a gorgeous, cold, clear night and it was here.

Gloves & hats on first then we quickly set up the gear, tripods, cameras ready.

Yes it was worth getting happen up for, worth being out, surrounded, worth the cold, worth the wooden fingers.

Then just on the stroke of midnight back home, with everything fading – glorious.

Lethargy and other musings

Some days I’m just content to do very little. Reading, messing around on my iPad or computer or just day dreaming. This morning has been one of those times.
In my early mountaineering days (now over half a century away) we called it festering. Sitting in or out of the tent or bothy, chatting, reading or just absorbing things around us. Sometimes because of the snow, winds or rain, sometimes just too knackered to be bothered.

It’s nowadays a time to contemplate. Think over things that have been, cook up plans for the future that may or may not happen or just meander through my mind, hopefully the better bits of it!

It’s also sometimes good to look over the huge amount of photographs I’ve accumulated, some scanned in, others taken digitally. It’s always good for a giggle or a memory or a touch of sadness.

This afternoon I’ll be busy again. Our community cinema is on so I’ve been tweeting it and will go down to help set up in a wee while.

So where has it all got me? No idea, except for this blog!!

But here’s a few of my memories to invade your life with.
   
Yesterday, cycling below the snowline 

 

The sheep say hi, lined up for my inspection 
  
Near the top of the road

   
Started young! No beard either.

Only 16, just before the beard growth 

    
Winter mountaineering in the Cairngorms- 1970s

 
Soloing Mont Blanc

   
Blasting in blo-karts

  Festering in the French Alps

  
Trapezing on the Forth

 
Dame Rosy Glow – aren’t pantomimes wonderful (oh yes they are, oh no they’re not etc)

   
A wee rescue on the River Tay

 

In the Falls at the Linn of Tummel

   

Telemarking, Glenshee

 

Swiss Alps, Lagginhorn I think

   

Rescue duty, the chimneys were blown up last year

 Local winter cycling 
   

Climbing in Yosemite, a small route, only 600 feet high

  Festering in my bivvied bag on the glacier 

More adventures to come I hope, and lethargy!

Target, Ice & Joy

Well made it. Since I started cycling in earnest, when I retired, my annual mileage has gradually increased. This year, early on, I decided I’d try for 6,000 miles. The other day I made it. The average temperature for the ride was down to -2º. There was ice on and beside the road with the field covered in hoar but we did over 50 miles though we had to stop early on for coffee, scones & a warmup. It was a weird day of temperature inversions. The higher we climbed out of the valleys the warmer it became, followed by descent into the chill zone again.

I also found I had ascended over 110,000 metres during the year, over 12 1/2 Everests – makes me tired just to think about it!!

Not long after I passed my goal we stopped so I could frolic with the angels.

Frolicking with the angels

A satisfied character?

The family shield

Inscription part 1

Inscription part 2

Inscription part 3

Inscription part 4

Below the angel

The Challenge

Rachel (RachelSquirrel) has challenged me, not a cycling challenge as such but a photograph and writing one.

The rules of the Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge are:

1) Post a photo each day for five consecutive days.
2) Attach a story to the photo. It can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or a short paragraph. It’s entirely up to the individual.
3) Nominate another blogger to carry on the challenge. Your nominee is free to accept or decline the invitation. This is fun, not a command performance!

So how could I possibly refuse. I’m starting today as I have a photo:

Regrouping beside the blacksmiths at Saltoun

So here’s the photo, taken this morning. We’ve had a glorious few days with temperatures up to 19ºC and hardly any wind. Then yesterday the grey skies arrived again and this morning the rain had set in and the temperature was down to 5º, it’s approaching midsummer, a Scottish midsummer so winter had arrived again! So donning a modicum of clothing, but still a bit foolishly I ventured out to join the Haddington Cycle Club. After a damp ride the few miles up to the town and then a wee loop as I knew I was early, I approached Samson on his pillar on top of the fountain. No-one was there, so I set off on another mini loop, just in an attempt to keep warm. When I arrived back folk were gathering. There were a couple of new folk so it was great to meet them and welcome them. It always gladdens my heart when newcomers turn up for a ride.

Now we assembled, a complete dozen, and set off  into the wind and rain down the way I had just come up, ah well. We squelched our way up past the wild ponies on Traprain Law, a local volcanic laccolith of Phonolitic trachyte (a kind of volcanic boil which hadn’t been lanced, there was a Roman silver hoard found there as well, but no chance of a sighting today). Then came the steeper climbs up to Whittinghame and Gifford. Despite, or maybe because of the rain everything looked just superb, vibrant greens and browns.

Eventually we had a slightly longer stop than the usual catchups, at Saltoun, to munch a bit of sustenance. Saltoun is a lovely wee village, with a three angel statue, an unusual church with a spire on top of its tower and a blacksmith’s forge with a huge pile of old horseshoes outside. It’s brilliant on the rare occasions I’ve cycled past and a horse is being shod, with the forge roaring away, all red and gold flames. Today it was silent though, but the temperature had risen to a balmy 6º and the rain had stopped. The village was the first place in Scotland to have a barley mill  in the early 1700s as well.

After refreshment and chat we were off again, with chilly damp feet cooling nicely on the hurl down the hill. We got back to Haddington and I signed up, metaphorically, for an extra loop especially as it passed my house. So up the 6º climb out of the toon, and the temperature rose to faintingly hot 12º with glimpses of sun, before I arrived back home after a somewhat damp 44 miles and bid farewell to the group on the loop.

So history, geology, statistics, meteorology, equines, pain and suffering as well as joy, what more could you want in a story?

And tomorrow, hopefully, two wheel adventures of a different kind!

What do you feel? The second bit.

I wrote the first bit over 2 1/2 years ago and have finally got round to finishing it as I wait for the frost to melt on the roads.

‘Last time it was the physical side, the heat, the cold, the discomfort and the times when everything just felt good.

This time it’s what’s going on in the brain.

The pure joy that just flows through you when all is right in your cycling world. Singing along to yourself, not caring if the world thinks you’re totally mad. Smiling at cows as you pass them, or speaking gently to dogs that pop out to say hello. That grin as you ease yourself off the front of the group to drift back and slot into the rear after a hard go into the wind. These times are precious and I feel I’m lucky to have them on a reasonably regular basis. There’s also that satisfaction when all your physical bits are just working together in harmony.

November 2016 – Out with the gang

November 2016 – Autumn decline?

November 2016 – gorgeous Autumn hedges

But (and why is there always a but?) the downside is the those days when you just feel rubbish, at least for some of the ride.  Those aching legs, arms, torso, head throat, feet etc (just choose what’s appropriate) cause you to grit your teeth and brings out the patience to continue knowing that good times will surely come again. Early on in the winter I had some sort of virus which I thought had gone. It’s effects seemed to remain for a couple of months, make me feel like I was really ageing. I was a bit down, but kept going through the gloomy times hoping it would improve. Even then it was not constant. Some days better than others, but not as good as usual. Out with various groups I cycle with I’d be struggling to keep up, feeling down with the effort involved. Then one day I just flew, for no reason. I didn’t even think I was going that fast but just felt good again. Thoughts of age were dropped again and I felt a wash of pleasure run over me.’

November 2016 – A rare pic of me, dressed for winter

November 2016 – The colours of Autumn

November 2016 – biking sunset

November 2016 – night cycling, my favourite Art Nouveaux gravestone locally

So – many miles and experiences more and where am I? Still loving being out, come rain, sun, snow, wind or calm. Still loving being turning the pedals, short rides or long. Still enjoying strilingual for Strava PRs some days, others just meandering. Still having good times with the groups I cycle with or my solo ventures. Can’t be bad.

November 2016 – a vandalised cycleway sign in Edinburgh

November 2016 – the ooper super dooper moon?

November 2016 – the day after the supermoon

November 2016 – night cycling

November 2016  – One of our local castles at Kingston

And mostly much healthier, so many compensations in this journey through life.’

November 2016 – flats again, thorns from hedge cutting