Getting there

STOP PRESS: tackling health and sustainable development should go hand in hand!

Some of us have been harping on about this for years. Still better late than never. And there's some hugely important assertions:

“economic growth is not the most important measure of our country’s success” and that “fair distribution of health, well-being and sustainability are important social goals”. Furthermore, “tackling social inequalities in health and tackling climate change must go together”.

Go Professor Sir Michael Marmot rah rah rah!

Never snows but it thaws

I mean, I'm not complaining....

BUT

We are forecast to get heavy snow over the 48 hours. So far we're getting a lot of very wet snow which is been blown about about a strongish wind. Stepping outside is like stepping into a Slushie machine in overdrive - only not as colourful I guess. The Girl didn't appreciate it as she stepped forth to walk to school. Such a pity the school phoned 10 minutes later to say it was closed. She'll be fine.

But I'm not complaining - down south they've had it much worse and for much longer.

Of course you prefer to hear about the sun and jollity - so here are a couple of piccies taken on Tuesday when we had a visit from goat friends armed with camera. Aaah those heady sunlit days of mid-winter. It aint like that now.

And Scotland* have been knocked out of the curling! Oh no!

*Sorry I'm mean GB of course. Actually I'm not sorry - I mean how often do you hear GB referred to as England? - even on the curling commentary last night! Shameful!

Really really really free

Sometimes I go into the kitchen. Some would then accuse me of pottering. But pottering sounds altogether too purposeful. Sometimes I go the the kitchen and pitter.

Pittering is best when the old ipod is loud and fresh. And this morning I was blessed to hear God Save the Queen .

I was about 16 when this was released - head full of the likes of Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Genesis and yes even Yes. And boy did punk sound crap. I mean really crap. I soon came to love it, and this morning that echo was a joyous one indeed.

But how offensive to the establishment! I know it was banned by the Beeb and all that, but even so I can't imagine anything so radical being released today - let alone becoming a hit.

Pop today is, well best summed up by Dizzee Rascal :

'All I care about is sex and violence/ A heavy baseline is my silence' (from Bonkers)

Where has all the anger gone? All that teenage angst and rebellion that I certainly loved to love? I doubt there's any drugs been added to the water - we have something far far worse - Simon Cowell and his endless pap pop.

Pap pop. Pottering pittering. I made potato scones this morning. How punk is that?

Sunrise 0730, Sunset 1731

Woah! Yay! Look Spring approaches! Albeit a sub-zero Spring. But we are definitely feeling the effects of lightness out there - of course the clear skies help too - stars shining like the broken shards of yer best beer pitcher. Or something equally poetic.

And if you wrap yer lips around the thermometer you can get to positive figures, if you can stand the gales of hilarity from the fire service when they come to rescue you of course.

Saturday Night

The Girl goes off for a sleep-over. Yeee Haaa - we can go to the pub.

It gets quite a build up these days - going to the pub. We shower, we plan the timing of the goat duties, we ensure that the evening meal will not be late, we change into clothing free from eau de caprine. All so we can get maximum time soaking up the jovial atmosphere of a Saturday night in the pub.

So under the most gloriously starry sky ever - we slid our way to the local relishing the prospect of an evenings entertainment.

But when we got there - all was dark. The pub was shut. On a Saturday night? Not only was it shut, but we could see from the tracks in the snow around the pub, that everyone else knew it was shut - we were the only thirsty souls who'd sought refuge within for some time.

So we slid our way home again and watched QI. Disappointed.

Why was the pub shut?

Frosty jectives

Have you ever wondered - what is a jective? - or, for that matter, a ject.

"It's friggin freezin'" clearly subjective.

"It's not risen above 0C for days" Objective

"Aye, Tis a heavy frost" Adjective.

"It's too friggin cauld - I cannae do a thing" Abject.

et cetera

And somehow I find it hard to think of frosts as heavy. Except maybe as in heavy man. Would deep be better? Hoary? Whorey?!?

Jussi has started Gaelic lessons. (An unfortunate juxtaposition indeed!) So when the phone rings and the house fills with Germanic shrieks, these are now interspersed with Gaelic which I have to say sounds rather strange. But at least I now know the meaning of the Gaelic name for the place in which we live - Golden Bog. Which is nice. Sort of.

Right now its a bloody cold bloody steely gray friggin bog. Too cold, in fact, to work the camera properly - especially in macro.

Toilet habits

I've started planting. In doors, in empty toilet roll inners - leeks. But we've run out of toilet roll holders - we saved them for ages, then they got thrown out and now we're short - so here is another plea for more visitors - we need you to come and stay so I can plant more leeks.

But this return of winter - the snow - the cold - the biting winds - - it's taking its toll on my ability to get motivated and get to grips with the veg patch again. A neighbour gave us two good big blackcurrant bushes at the weekend. Fantastic - but it forced me to get out and dig up more ground for them - and man was it heavy work. In between all the snow and stuff there has been a lot of wet dropping down - the soil is back breakingly heavy - Spain looks quite nice (though not this one obviously - not enough land).

Hey ho.

Getting round to it

Last week I had returned from Dunbar, and never got round to blogging about it, and more particularly blogging about the return of spring, which was marked and delightful last week.

Yesterday I took The Girl to Inverness to see Avatar in 3D. The return journey was over hilltop roads smattered with snow. Spring unsprung methinks.

Sunny Dunny

Or not.

Anyway here I am in Dunbar and obviously the highlights of my trip all revolve around seeing friends.....

AND I had a curry in Stirling on Wednesday night. My first 'proper' curry for over two years. It was phenomenal. How I used to take such delights for granted.

AND I went for a meal in Stirling on Thursday night - a treat from my employer - and indulged myself of a meal which included 'caraway air'. Mmm - but it was perfect with the crab canneloni and tomato bisque.

AND I've been to one of those coffee shops that serves coffee that has actually been made from actual coffee.

AND I've been to the pub in Edinburgh. Twice. People.

AND I've had fish 'n' chips from Rapidos and mushrooms with garlic dip (AND I manged to do all that and not miss the last train to Dunbar).

but it's the friends that are the real highlight. Obviously.

Tommorrow is the long trip home. I'll leave Dunbar on the 8:52 and - with a a few breaks, arrive in Thurso at about 21:45 - all full of beans for the 45 minute drive home.

Escape

So - when the sun finally appeared this morning, he headed straight for it and is now racing South as fast as the trains will take him. Will he be able to resist the temptation to keep going, or will he turn around and come back up?
Meanwhile, it's a glorious, crisp, sunny day up here with glittering snow and everything.