Day 1637 a very early and tired Rambling Sloth today – that once in a lifetime Aurora came back!!

Since I stopped drinking I have found a zest for life, that crops up at times, that feels a high way beyond what alcohol could give me. Wow.

Now I should say here, I am actually working at Tartan today. I haven’t worked a Friday in a long time but I’m full time this week to give me a Monday off for my trip to Milan at the end of the month.

I knew the Aurora was a very strong possibility last night. I kept getting alerts on my phone and then Rachel two doors down was the best alert ever….. “it’s here!” so I call Claire next door and drag her out the back and we “meet” in our respective gardens.

I then tell her that I’m now dragging her out the front and slightly up the hill so we can get the best views. 😆

We walked out the front door and met Emma, another of our running girls, wondering the streets 😆 and the 3 of us set off.

It’s not visible to the naked eye, but I still pretty impressed given that the 10th May showing was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

There are a lot of electric lines up here that spoil my shots so I use them. 😆

It was so beautiful… I stay out longer than the others as I keep taking photos and never know when to walk away, in case it gets better.

This is the village hall.

Back in the garden.

I am so chuffed and tired. It’s 10.20 by the time I get into bed which is late for me! Craig remarks when I come in that I just look SO happy….. this is what makes me tick. Capturing and sharing beautiful things. It may not pay the bills but the buzz I get off this is incredible.

I’m fast asleep when Craig comes up to bed at 12.30 and I get up for the loo…. My brother has posted some very vibrant shots above his house, on our family chat so I head out into the back garden and it’s there above our house and all over the sky, visible to the naked eye. Red.

I get dressed up and head out the front. Purple from this angle.

I head across the road and up the hill again.

I have no fear at all…. Even when I hear a cow munching in the field beside me!

That once in a lifetime opportunity is back and it’s brighter than it was on 10th May.

I am close to tears.

I cannot explain how this makes me feel. I am so glad to be alive, to witness this. So grateful for my courage letting me walk out in the dark and not be scared for once.

I should also say that I’ve put none of those through my photo filter yet. This is just an iPhone 15 pro and holding it in my hand.

💥 ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️💥

The stars are so vibrant too behind the colour.

There’s a car coming from the bottom left. Zoom in on those stars. ✨

Same car lights dull the Aurora but brightens the stars a bit.

Unfortunately Craig’s car was right outside our house.

The village hall again. The streetlights are stopping the real beauty but that’s kind of what you can see with your eyes without the phone camera.

And I am just blown away with gratitude for life. If Craig hadn’t come up to bed late I would have missed it.

He woke me in that high peak.

My alarm didn’t go off this morning because it’s not set for Tartan starting…. Oops… but thankfully I wake at 6 randomly with a pain in my right big toe joint….. 🥴😆 I went straight back out.

It’s cloudy and raining but very atmospheric.

What an amazing night.

Now I have to get a shimmy on or I will be tired and late for work!

And sending positive Aurora vibes for my Canadian bestie Tracey who’s off out to chase them in Vancouver now. It’s just starting for her!!

Stay safe everyone ♥️💜💚

Day 1447 a testing Thursday!

It was a beautiful morning.

The sun was shining… a reminder that good weather always follows the rain. All of this is going through my head as I drive to work. It makes me smile. I wonder who I am on days like this. I should say it’s 3°C so will bitterly cold.

I drove to work this morning in a great mood. I was listening to my Happy playlist on Spotify. Mel Robbins suggested we make a playlist and we should use it to make us feel happy. Chesney Hawkes “I am the one and only” is my got to since I passed my driving test! That was a while ago… 😂😂.

I rarely listen to music. What I’m about to say here will make me sound crazy…. But it makes me “feel” too much.

I always seem to well up with emotion at the memories that certain songs stir. I can’t listen to a song without remembering where I was, or who I was with or what stage in my life it reminds me of. I find myself avoiding music and listening to podcasts. It’s safer.😂

I had a great wee sing this morning but it won’t happen often.

No one opened the gate for me today either but that was ok! I did it myself 😂

I got really anxious about something first thing and let it affect the rest of my day.

Then I upset a lady on a horse tonight, who said I was driving too fast…. I stopped dead as soon as I saw her even although she was on the other side of the road. She was really angry.

You know me. I apologised at the time. I drove off…. I felt awful. Then I was angry. Then I felt awful again. She who doesn’t like to upset anyone got a right dressing down. I guess it worked, as I will think of horses on every road I ever drive on from now on. Just another thing to add to the list of things to worry about.

I’m ok though, I’m actually good, just quiet and I’m now sitting outside in the garden… thinking… it’s cold but I’m enjoying the fresh air. I’ve swept up some leaves and I have the 4 dogs sitting out with me. It feels good to decompress.

My favourite bush is coming into bloom.

It would appear I’ve not been “on” HRT for much of this week. Every time I go to replace my patch, the one I want to remove, is not there. You’d think I’d realise at some point? Nope.. oblivious. Those wee patches must disappear into thin air. I never find them!

Despite all the negativity in my day, I had another great kinesiology session last night and felt very calm afterwards, I slept like a log.

The synchronicity….. I get an email from tut.com this morning which is exactly what Kinesiology was all about. ♥️

Tomorrow is rail trip day as I’m off to Pitlochry to meet Mum and Dad who are on holiday up there. The forecast is SNOW!!!

Least I’m not driving and it might make for some pretty pictures…. If it actually happens!

Have a great Thursday night.

Stay safe everyone ♥️♥️♥️

Day 1428 a wee day trip to Loch Katrine!

Oooh I did not sleep well… Fitbit decreed it was a “FAIR” sleep… I agreed.

It was lovely and sunny when I finally got up, though super frosty. It’s one of those mornings where the sun defrosts the car before you go outside…. Love that!

So I set off just after 8am, in the glorious sunshine, headed for Loch Katrine.

The first part of the journey from home to Glasgow Airport, was through thick fog. Thankfully the fog cleared and there was pure blue sky. My head wasn’t the best this morning but this was just the tonic.

It was a stunning drive.

The morning sunlight made everything stand out. The colours were very autumnal. The mountains were very brown as the heather isn’t growing yet, the ferns were a beautiful rusty red/brown and any water I passed was like glass. It honestly took my breath away.

Yes I was a bit anxious on some of the roads, when someone got stuck behind me but I was there just after 9am.

Could that be any prettier?!?

It’s the blue that gets me every time. I took similar photos after the boat trip and they look really different. I was so lucky to be able to see this.

This is the Sit Walter Scott Steamship. She doesn’t sail during winter but is ready for her first outing of the season, next Friday.

If you look at the photo above, she has canopies front and rear but on my photo below she has a fixed cabin area on the front.

I had about two hours before the boat trip sailed, so I set the timer on my phone for 45 minutes to walk alongside the loch. I had plenty time to get back if I turned with the timer. I’ve marked the walk with a thin red line out to Brenachoile Point.

It only worked out at just over 4 miles.

You can see the wind is starting to pick up and that’s the last of the still reflection shots.

The road alongside the loch is slightly wider than single track but an old style waterworks road with rusty old railings, very pretty in itself.

This moss was so vibrant.

I may have disturbed these geese….

Brenachoile Point has views all around the lock.

It also has a beautiful little shingle beach with crystal clear water.

As I said, I was so lucky to get here but the timer went off and I had to turn back. It made a lovely wee picnic area.

Sir Walter Scott wrote his poem The Lady of the Lake about this area of Loch Katrine.

I made it back for 11am. Quick drink of water and changed into my winter coat.

As I booked on line the ticket inspector radioed to say he had the Avery Party….. cringe… Avery party of one….. 😬. We headed out in Rob Roy III…. As I listened to a guy telling his parents that the Rob Roy I and II had sunk…. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

The boat trip was full. There were about 30 of us on it. I think honestly, it wasn’t the best part of my trip. The diesel fumes at the back were pretty strong and honestly, it was just freezing out there. I had an Argentian couple sitting one in front of me, knees touching and one so close beside me on the other side, I guess it was just a bit uncomfortable and I did feel a bit SOLO traveller.

The winter cruise sails out into the loch for a half hour and back.

I was fascinated but the colour of the wake bit if you look closely enough, I think it’s the diesel fumes floating above it that create the effect.

The commentary was a little quiet but really good. I had no idea, or most likely, had forgotten, that Loch Katrine supplies much of Glasgow with fresh water. So all the water used in Irn Bru and Tennants Lager, to name a few, will come from Loch Katrine.

The Victorians needed a fresh water supply as much of Glasgow only had access to dirty water… there were some complaints this the newly piped-in Loch Katrine water had no taste and no texture!!! 🤢

The loch is 13 miles long.

The cruise is over in no time. It only cost £15 for the hours round trip. It took me an hour and 19 minutes to get there from home so it’s not far from Glasgow.

I’d taken some lunch with me so I rushed to the car to heat up and get my lunch after 20 hours of fasting… I’ve lost 3lbs this week!

I spotted this wee guy on the drive home!! He was kind enough to do all his scratching right opposite a lay-by!

He’s super cute.

The drive home was equally pretty… Dukes Pass is a very windy but stunning drive.

I pulled into St Mocha in Carbeth, a drive through coffee shop. I walked in though as I’ve been wanting to go there for a while. My kinda place. Very highly recommended!

So a lovely wee day but I am exhausted now!

Feet up making reels for FB. Go check them out on my page The Rambling Sloth. I really enjoy doing them.!

Hope you’re all having a great weekend.

Stay safe everyone 💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

Day 1171 the out of office is on! 💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿☀️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

It’s 5pm and I’m sitting at the side of Kilbirnie Loch. I’m getting my toes painted at 5.30 nearby, not enough time to go home really.

It’s so hot, beautiful blue sky and there seems to be no one here but me.

I literally just typed that and 2 dog walkers have just walked around the corner. 😂

I’ve just been woo woo woo’d at by a wee white fluffy dog because I said hello!

It is beautiful. So calm and peaceful. This swan just did a wing flap for me!! I love the photo but it’s maybe a bit too zoomed in to be anything special?!

A lovely end to a hectic day. I’ve been so busy these last few weeks that I’ve had to leave a lot of work not done but I hope that I’ve done everything that really needed done… I just know what I’m going back to.

I do need the break. With the exception of Iceland and my friend Helen visiting, I’ve been working 5.5 days a week. I’m looking forward to some down time…. And what a way to start, sitting right here!!

Craig and I are heading off on Saturday morning for a week in Clachtoll, north of Ullapool. It’s a long drive, but it’s the first time we’ve been on the Scottish mainland for a summer holiday for a while. No ferry trips this time.

The forecast keeps changing and doesn’t look the best at the moment but it will be what it is. It will be lovely if we get some sunshine like this.

And relax.

Stay safe everyone 💙💙💙

Day 100 of COVID-19 lockdown… what have we learned so far? 🌍❤️🌈

💯days eh?! Which means I have written a blog every day for 92 days as I only started on what we recorded as our day 8. I see others saying we’re already up to 103/104 etc but this is when we calculated it at the time and rather than stress that my whole blog is worthless and rubbish the new me is choosing to keep going as is. It’s our day 100. Mine and Craigie’s and Calaidh’s and Bhruic’s and Freya’s….. forgive the poor English 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️😬 but you know what I mean.

If anyone had told you, 100 days ago, that our lives were going to change in a way we could never begin to imagine, we just wouldn’t have believed it. A world where we could stand right next to anyone and touch anyone (with reason obvs!) and we literally hugged people we didn’t even know. We didn’t have a care in the world when it came to that kind of stuff. Yeah we turned out noses up at folk not washing their hands after going to the loo etc but we screwed up our face and moved on. We survived.

Now we have an unseen killer. A virus that can spread among us through touch, can survive on surfaces and pass to others and we can’t see it. We have no idea where it’s lurking and worst of all, people can have it and not even know they are infected. It’s the stuff of horror movies!!

We watched every virus movie while we’ve been stuck home and the truth is actually terrifying. We watched these in the past thinking they were just that… far fetched thrillers. We had no idea.

So 100 days ago, we finally realised how serious this was and Craig stopped work and we stayed home to save lives, to help stop the transmission of COVID-19. We “sheltered in place” as they said in America. We only left the house for dog walks and food shopping for months.

It feels like a time for reflection…. what have we learned in this 100 days? Apart from the fact that the rainbow is a sign of hope 🌈❤️

We’ve learned that family and being together is everything. We’ve been given a special gift to spend time with each other but we’ve also been told that we can’t see other family members or friends that have been a part of our daily lives. We’ve seen a community spirit that was always there in Gateside but growing in a way we would never have imagined. That old war time share and share alike. I’ve bartered with rice and milk and sugar… there’s been a lot of sugar passing over fences. We’ve made the best of the lockdown life we’ve been given. Generations ago our grandparents etc were sent to war, we were told to stay home and watch tv, I mean how lucky are we?

The material things in life have become irrelevant. Even with all the money and possessions in the world you still had to stay home. Businesses are realising people can work from home without the world ending and it will reduce their overheads and the carbon footprint of their staff.

We have learned to appreciate the present. To live in the moment as everything else is too uncertain. Everyone is living on the same terms. 🌍

Personally we’ve learned to appreciate each other again and communicate clearly as we have had time to spend together. We can see what makes the other tick, what triggers and argument and we can stop it in its tracks with a laugh or a shrug of the shoulders saying here we go again. Through writing this I have expressed my daily feelings in a way that shows how erratic they are, how quick they are to flare up to anxious, fever pitch but most importantly how virtually none of it is Craig’s fault. He doesn’t have to second guess everything. He can just read it if he didn’t already know it. 🤣🤣🤣

I have learned to slow down, to watch the world move on through different eyes. To watch my handsome husband and smile realising he’s mine, to walk 3 Border Collies without them pulling on the lead, to value the endless movie nights, the takeaways and the connections with others. I hope that the world will be a better place as a result.

However, we have to remember that we have been untouched by this deadly virus. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We are very lucky.

The UK have lost 44,131 souls to COVID-19 officially but there is evidence that the number of excess deaths for this year far exceeds that. Scotland stands at 2,488 people so far.

England is seeing a surge in new cases, particularly in London where the R rate is creeping above 1. For everyone one person infected at least one other person catches it. There seemed no doubt this would be the case as the amount of protests and large gatherings threw people together at a time when we were still meant to be 2m apart. It’s easy for me to sit here smugly and be happy that our lockdown isn’t as loose as England’s, that our government is being more strict.

Localised restrictions in Dumfries and Galloway now too

I’ve read today that Boris has urged people not to think of Saturday as Super Saturday as we need to still be careful and make sure that we protect each other by not spreading the virus. Yet apparently pubs can open at 6am….. several chains are planning to open just after this. Maybe it just because I don’t drink anymore that this seems so crazy to me?!?

I am nervous of normal returning as I had stepped back from normal for a good year or so. This is my new normal and I love it!!

I did not love the weather today!! It has stoated down all day… absolutely soaked on the dog walk again.

This is where the dogs usually play and Craig day over the other side of the burn. Bhru stuck her tongue in it to take a drink but didn’t go any closer.

Same at this but! It’s like they are on a life raft together 🤣

Phone got soaked every time I took a pic!

Drookit pup #1 wouldn’t stop playing with the stick long enough! Check the coos behind her under that tree… miserable!

Drookit pup #3 always happy regardless of the weather… 😬😆

Bhru’s telling Calaidh Reek St is flooded

Did manage to see some beauty in the dreich day!

It’s all about how you look at it… I was walking along thinking this is miserable, cold and wet, must be crazy being out in this when I saw a neighbour in Reek Street and he said “good weather for ducks!” 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆 that really made me smile as I’ve not heard that in years!! Splashed through all the puddles in my wellies from then on! 😆

And I wonder why my house isn’t a palace?!? Check these 3…. how many sopping wet dogs can you fit on a couch?! Least I put their dog robes on!! Unlike some people 😬🤣

Came home from dog walk and did a poop scoop as I was soaked anyway…. thought it would be a good idea to do it before the bins go out. Got the grey bin ready and took it round the front…. it’s Friday…. grey bin doesn’t go out until Tuesday……. wtf 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤣🤣🤣 my brain is frazzled today as it’s been such a busy week. Not busy in the sense of how busy I used to be… but very busy for me. I did another 2 Pawsitive Solution calls today… the first was dreadful… it was like putting the wheelie bin out 4 days early! Nothing flowed…. but the second was great.

This is what I have to put up with…. 🥰😆🎾🐶

So now I am wrapped in my crocheted blanket with my feet up in front of the fire. I plan not to move until bedtime!

Thanks again to everyone for sticking with this everyday. It means a lot!

Stay safe everyone ❤️💜❤️ here’s to the next 100 days and who knows what they might bring?!? X