Move along.....

....nothing to see here. It's been a slow day so I'm tinkering.

Back to the Future

In the box where I found Highland Days, there was a copy of Ralph Storer's "Exploring Scottish Hill Tracks". I've got his "100 Best Routes...." book and I'd been meaning to get a copy of this one for some time and there it was, priced at a couple of quid. Bargain.

It's a wee bit dated but still a good read and it's given me ideas for 2 or 3 day walks (overnighters) which is something I havnae done for a long, long time. (I've a mind to do the WHW next Spring but I don't want to jinx it by talking about it out loud).


Another reason I mention it is that Ralph was one of my Computing Studies lecturers at Napier. If I'd known he was a hill man maybe I would've gone to his classes more often. Instead, I dropped out, got a job in IT and actually started working for a living. And here I am, paying more attention to his written word now than I did back then. His book on Structured Programming is pure rubbish by the way.

A load of Balls

So there I am, sitting doing a fair bit of nothing much, when the postie chaps* on the door. I open it and he hands me a small box. It's addressed to me and has a Mountaineering Council of Scotland postmark. It rattles when I shake it. I havnae ordered anything from them so I'm figuring it must be a mistake but, what the hey, I'll open it.

It's full of balls. They look like something you'd put out for the birds and then it dawns on me; I'd won something! Well, more of a free draw but they'd pulled my name oot the hat. I'd seen something in the last issue of The Scottish Mountaineer and thought "Oooo, that's interesting." and fired off an email.

They're Bounce Balls, made with natural ingredients and designed to keep you going when you're out and about. More details at http://www.bouncesnackfoods.com/uk/index.php but I can tell you they're actually really tasty. And, in my case, free. :o) I'll definitely look into getting more when these ones run out.

Big thanks to the MCofS and Bounce for the freebies. Much appreciated.

*chaps - Scottish for "knocks on".

The Good Old Days

The Future Mrs D and I recently made a foray to Kinross Market, ostensibly to get some stuff for the dugs but in reality a chance to pick up some of The World's Best Tablet* and have a rummage thru' the second hand books. So there I am, working my way thru' the many boxes of books on offer but, apart from a couple of SciFi classics, finding not very much at all. I was on the very last box and just about to call it a day when I spotted a familiar face under a pile of AA road maps; it was none other than the late Tom Weir and a pristine copy of Highland Days, that was mine for less than £4.

I finished it last night and it's been an inspiration. It's reminded me of the joy of being in the hills and the love I have for this country of ours. Such a great wee book and so beautifully written that you can feel the wee man's passion for the outdoors flowing from nearly every page.

It should be required reading in schools. Brilliant, just brilliant.

*A concoction of Condensed Milk and Sugar that's a bit like fudge only firmer. Dentists like it because it makes them rich.

The Dark Side

A "weel kent face" on the OM & Trail forums, and now a columnist in Trail Magazine itself, Ptc* has turned his hand to blogging. It's a medium that I think will suit his unique mix of technical knowledge, intelligent wit and flowery banter. I laughed out loud several times. And it looks good too.

He's going to be a busy boy, what with the new arrival so the posts may be a bit sporadic. Or at least at odd times of the night :o)

Go look here.