The Super Sisters.

Today was Edinburgh marathon day, when approx 30, 000 people descend upon the city and it's coastline to run in varying lengths of races.

Beth was so inspired by watching her sister last year that she signed up early on to run this 26.2 mile course.

Lesley, having run an amazing first marathon time last year got invited to do the London marathon in April, which she completed in and unbelievable 3hrs 20 something.

Both ladies had done all the training required and this morning I met them in town to see them off at their start points.  The weather was not great but it was better than the very hot day we had on Wednesday, which def would have been a killer for these fair skinned gorgeous ladies.

Sisterly love.

I was on bike support so once I had left them at the start I headed out to the 10 mile marker which was out past Musselburgh. I found a good spot next to a very chatty and friendly volunteer marshall.

Lesley came through first and was looking strong and cheery as ever, then came Beth also making light work of the course.

Now for those that don't now the course, it is one of the fastest courses in the world because there are relatively no hills, but don't let this fool you in to thinking that it is easy. Personally i think it must be hard as it is one long straight line for 18 miles then you turn around and come back! This also means that you see all the people ahead of you heading home as you may still be going out. To me this is mental torture, so extra, extra kudos to anyone who completes this marathon.

I was wanting to head to the 18 mile turn point, but it was too difficult to get along the road at any fast pace as the whole road is used by the runners. In the end I waited at around the 22/23 mile mark at Cockenzie. 

Some how I sadly managed not to see Lesley the 2nd time, because I think I may have been in the ladies room behind a wall.

I did see Beth however and another friend Becky. Both said they were feeling slightly weary but they looked in good health. I scooted off back to the finish to try and see everyone.

The finish was very busy but all were found and and in relatively good spirits.

Both ladies finished in highly respectable times. Lesley 3:31 ish and Beth 4:22.

I am so proud of both of them. They also raised £700 towards Macmillan cancer. 

Also a big shout out to Kathleen who finished her first marathon and raised £800 for Alzheimer Scotland.

The Elite athletes coming through the 10 miles in 51 mins!

So fast.

Cockenzie.

So many people.

Storm clouds over Edinburgh.

Yeah Beth almost at the end.

Peace x

The Big Breakfast.

I have been a Coeliac (gluten free freak) for about 15 years now. In this time the availability of gluten free food in the shops has increased massively and the choice of snacky treats is definitely getting better, some are even tasty!

The food labelling for allergens has also become much clearer, which is not only good for me but excellent for other people who may be trying to feed me.

Restaurants in the UK, in my opinion, have been slow to catch up with the change of dietary needs within the population and I am always very wary when eating out, so when I see a menu with GF written next to items, I still get stupidly excited.

This weekend contained one of those excited moments. For a little change to our normal busy weekend schedule, we decided to go out for breakfast on Saturday morning. After dropping off my bike at the shop for a well overdue service, we drove into town to Urban Angel on Forth Street.  I had checked the menu on the web the night before and they had a good assortment of delights to choose from so was looking forward to my breakfast.

After a quick look at the menu and a double check of what they could offer I decided to go with the same as my lovely companion. French toast with organic bacon and maple syrup!

To say that it was fantastically, mouth wateringly tasty is an under statement. I honestly thought I had died and gone to heaven. Such a simple dish to make, but the fact that I could order the same as a non gluten free person was so pleasing.

Obviously this could be easy, even for me, to make at home but the added decadence of going out for breakfast was just lovely. It's true that life is about enjoying the little things and for me those little things often revolve around food.

I did not take a photo of my delicious food so here is a rainbow instead.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey

A Pictorial Catch Up.

The last few weekends have been very busy with fun stuff, so have not had a chance to catch up with the old blog. Here is a less words, more photos, kind of post.


Edinburgh Festival is back again, which means traffic, traffic traffic, and some very grumpy hours having to drive through town. The traffic management system of this fair city is beyond horrific!

Jams.

Although I find the whole festival thing quite tedious these days, a good girlie night out was had at "Forth on the Fringe".

 Gin a necessary accompaniment to a good night out.

Gin in Tins.

2nd row seats.

Illustrations from a book in the pub.

Thick ankles?

A walk up Ben A'an made for a lovely day out, even though we got a bit wet in the rain. A short and steep walk that is well worth it for the views at the top.

Not sure if he was hungry, but definitely a caterpillar.

Loch Katrine.

Ben A'an.

Day out, home cooked dinner, drinks and a rainbow. What else does a girl need?

Lunch at my Tay spot.

Harbour at Granton.

A day trip west to Culzean Castle. The drive through is quite far but well worth it for a walk along the beach and then up to the very picturesque castle and gardens.

A bonus for the day was seeing an adder soaking up some warmth on a piece of rock, before it slithered off into the grass.

Pretty.

Sun dial head.

Red flower.

White flower.

This weekend has been busy with running and mountain biking and more rainbows. 

Happy? I think so.

Pentlands.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Crossing the great divide.

The weather finally broke this weekend, so with our outdoor pursuits looking like a very wet option we thought to try a little bit of culture.

My cultural co-pilot although currently residing on the East side of the country is from the West and very much takes the view that "West is best", so it was decided that we go to the City of Culture, aka The Weeg!

Having only ever really been to Glasgow for shopping, which has and always will be "smiles better" than Edinburgh, I was keen to go and see some of the finer things the great city has to offer.

Basically, our afternoon went something like this; a very pleasant wander round Kelvingrove museum, lunch in a trendy deli/cafe, a drive by of the Clyde and various modern structures, and a visit to a Chinese super market.

It may not be everyones idea of fun, but I loved it and it was ideal on such a rainy day.

The West definitely ruled for today!

Red sandstone.

Loved these guys.

The big yin.

The King......

is in the building.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Pedal on Parliament.

Today, me and family Gall, Pedalled on Parliament. This was my first ever experience of participating in any kind of demonstration and I have to say it was a very pleasant one. We met at Harrison Park and then cycled to the main gathering point at the Meadows, where we joined hundreds of others.

I have cycled many miles and many years on Edinburgh roads and have often cursed and bemoaned drivers, the state of our roads and general lack of cycleways, so it was about time that I should lend a hand to the cause.

It was great to cycle from the Meadows to the Parliament without traffic, but it was very apparent on our way home how unsuitable our streets are for cycling in a group with small children.

Good afternoon out and the rain stayed away. Bonus.

Near the front of the line.

Pandas POP.

The back of the line.

Panda Power.

At parliament.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey

Rainbow season.

Not really had much to blog about recently, must either do more or find more to grumble about!

Anyway, the thing that has made me smile the most this last week has been the fantastic rainbow shows. I must have seen at least half a dozen or more, but sadly not at photo opportunistic moments, until today. This beauty appeared while on my run this morning.

Not only did I see this beautiful arch of colour but I rescued a baby lamb that was stranded on the wrong side of a fence. The mother and lamb reunion made me happy. 

I had the chance a few weeks ago to visit, St Serf's church in Perthshire, which is not very exciting in itself but it houses the Dupplin Cross which is fairly impressive and quite interesting. Worth a look if you are passing.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey.

Time to Bike.

I am not great at cycling through the winter as it is usually too cold, wet and windy for my liking. I have been out a couple of times since the turn of the year, but decided a few weeks ago to go get my bike fitted properly. I realised that I still did not feel 100% comfortable whilst riding and felt that my movement was not overly efficient, and since I have signed up for a sportive at the end of April, it was time to get fitted to become more at one with my bike.

I booked into Ronde and had the very lovely James McCallum help with the fitting. It is surprising the vast difference a few small adjustments of the seat and handlebars can make.

This morning was my favourite type of weather, cold and crisp with very little wind, so headed out on my newly adjusted bike. Rather than go on my regular loop I thought I would cycle to Arthurs Seat and go round the hill a few times. I ended up doing 3 rotations before heading home. It was only a total of about 19 miles, but a great workout and showed me that I have much more work to do before April.

Although a short cycle, it was great to test my new position. I used to feel a great amount of tension in my shoulders and never find a comfortable position on my seat. Today felt great, just lacked the fitness and stamina required for my sportive. I think the Seat will become my new interval training ground, the back road is great when traffic free.

East view.

Arthur.

Peace x

Photos by Caroline Harvey.

Pedal for Scotland. Done. Tick.

Sunday 9th September, the day finally arrived. It seemed like a long time since we signed up for Pedal for Scotland way back in January, but at the same time it came round kind of fast and I was really worried that I had not trained hard enough. 

The day started very early with my alarm going off at 4.45am, which is a bit of a shock to the system on a Sunday morning. First task, open the curtains and check the weather. Pitch black. Oh yeah still night time! It was dry so that was good and I could see the stars, so no cloud, also good. Next task breakfast although I still felt a bit full from my dinner the previous evening.

With all my stuff gathered and Dolly safely ensconced in the boot of the car, I headed to meet the Galls and Catriona for our team trip to Glasgow Green where the race would start. We had to be on the start line between 7.00/7.45am and I think we crossed about 7.20am. Game on!

The route and elevation etc is here.

The weather in the West was also fair but slightly on the chilly side, so was thankful that I had put and extra layer on. The sportive race is a timed race and your time is recorded by chips (not the French fry type) that you attach around your ankle which activate when you cross a magic line. In this race this was activated once we got out of Glasgow city and before we hit Edinburgh city limits, so that the times did not include long traffic light stops.

I was desperately trying not to think of what lay ahead as we pedalled our way out of Glasgow, it only kind of hit me how far I was from home when we cycled past signs saying "Welcome to East Ayrshire". 

At the first feed station I was feeling ok, but still in denial as to how far we still had to go. I munched on some of Beth's amazing flap jacks to refuel and we were off again. 

The weather was still holding, cloudy but no rain, not too hot either but the wind was gathering. At some points it was in our faces or blowing us sideways which was not so pleasant but thankfully it was a south westerly wind so was going to blow us home in the final stages. Happy days.

At lunch we were over half way, tiredness and a few aches were starting to kick in but spirits were high. After some food and Ibuprofen we were off again.

By this point for me it was all mind over matter, I had already cycled further than I had ever done before so what difference was a few more miles going to make! At some points it was coping with the dreadful road surfaces that was more of a challenge than the actual pedalling. Too many of Scotland's roads are made with the tar and huge chuckie stone combination. This makes for a very bone rattling ride and interferes with the speed and pace of your cycling, or at least it does for me.

At this point I have to mention the fact that the very excellent cyclist that is Beth Gall, aka Victoria Pendleton, managed to complete a fairly long and very steep 1:16 hill without stopping. This hill appeared on the route about the 80 mile mark, so fresh legs we did not have. I was close, but ran out of gears and power, so no cigar for me. Major Kudos to Beth, you are AWESOME!

Last Pit stop at Carnwath and we could smell home, the wind was with us and it was just a matter of keeping the head down and thinking about my dinner, my tin of cold cider in the fridge and my bed.

We all made it to Murrayfield in one piece and in good times, under 8 hours for actual cycling time. We were all very proud, if not slightly aching, but a good day was had. There were no punctures, breakdowns (mental or physical) and thankfully no extra miles due to taking the wrong turn.

I would thoroughly recommend the event to anyone. The organisation, marshalling and signposting was fantastic. I would also like to mention and thank a chap called Kenneth with very lovely orange socks, who I played cat and mouse with for most of the day. Well done to you too. Other mentions must go to my Dad for my supply of Haribo, which along with the flap jacks are the best fuelling system around.

Preparation.

Getting ready.

Murrayfield.

Forgot to unzoom!

The 3 amigos.

Map and medal.

Fame.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Edinburgh Book Festival

As the fantastic feast of sporting excellence comes to a close in London, Edinburgh is starting to liven up with start of the Edinburgh International Festival, The Fringe Festival and the Edinburgh Book Festival.

 My very good friend Hazel Allan is a very talented and I feel under valued children's author. The last book in the Bree McCready trilogy is going to be published later this year, but she has been invited to do a reading at the Book Festival this year. So as an invited author she asked me to accompany her to the opening night party.

The festivals tented village takes over Charlotte Square in Edinburgh for a few weeks and included in there is the Famous Spiegeltent. A great venue and a fantastic night of laughs, chats, dancing and free wine.

If you haven't heard of or indeed read the Bree books get a copy here. Enjoyable for adults and children alike.

We were here.

Hazel, pre free wine.

Cheers

Lovely

deck

chairs.

The fabulous band.

Bad hair evening.

Giggles in the loos.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey and Hazel Allan.