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Advent Running

On the 1st December my friend introduced me to Advent Running.

The challenge is to run '25 in 25'. That is 25 runs in 25 days in the lead up to Christmas. The idea is that if we really want to, we can all find 30 minutes (the minimum run time for the challenge) every day to commit to running.

I love the idea of the challenge, it's great to get out when you don't necessarily want to and finding new places to explore is testing.

It's day three, I must admit I am feeling a little weary but it is great to be part of such a positive experience.

#runforsprouts

#adventrunning

Rain or shine, it's still summertime and so the barbecue shall still be used. Umbrellas up. Greek marinated pork kebabs, mushrooms and red onions, Char grilled peppers, Flatbreads, Quinoa falafel (baked in the oven), Tzatziki, Tomatoes.

Rollo, Stockbridge

There's a little restaurant sneakily tucked in beside Pizza Hut, opposite Scran & Scallie, it's name is Rollo. Edinburgh is teaming with places I want to experience but I have my mother to thank for introducing me to this one. It's little but bursting with life. It's low lit and the atmosphere is enhanced by the occasional burst of flame through the open kitchen door. It's the sort of place you could quite happily spend the day (and night) trying everything on the menu and sampling the various wines that sit quite at home on the walls of the restaurant. What sounds light and bright actually is light and bright, what reads as rich and indulgent materialises rich and indulgent. It's relaxed, it's friendly, it feels at home in Edinburgh and everyone seemed to feel at home in there. I look forward to returning pavement-side for lunch as the sun spends the afternoon climbing rung by rung down from the sky until it becomes totally out of sight... Then perhaps on to the Raeburn which looks seriously inviting.

#stockbridge #edinburgh #food #restaurant #cornerstravel

The Cheeta Shake is an outstanding shake. Joe & The Juice, as a new entry, has landed high on my list of must experience things when in London.

Been to St Kilda

A few seconds of readjusting the eyeballs and I realised what all the hype was about. The sea had swayed me into the depths of the Land of Nod but the audible ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s of the other passengers brought me back to reality… The edge of reality really.

Some people get very excited about the St Kilda archipelago if it comes up in conversation. If they’re not excited about it, they’ve probably never heard of it. It is a group of islands stuck away out west. They are the most western point of the British Isles. On a map, they make the Outer Hebrides look positively European by comparison.

Before my eyes adjusted from the nap I had always been unsure of what exactly it is that everyone gets so animated about. Is it purely the geographic remoteness? The unique social history? The physical landscape? Photographs of the islands are deceiving. I had never thought the islands looked particularly dramatic but I have concluded this is just because there is no clear perspective in any photos I have seen. In reality the cliffs strike upwards from the sea, you can imagine them being forced up by mighty hands beneath the surface of the earth. Bobbing in the boat in the shadow of the great shards reminded me more of being by Koh Phi Phi in Thailand than anywhere I’ve been in Scotland. The scale is truly breathtaking. The solid islands are wrapped in a constantly swarming tornado of birds strangely reminiscent of pilgrims at Mecca. It feels intrusive to be there at all.

After this experience the reveal of village bay is marvellous. The social history element begins to gain some weight in ones understanding. St Kilda is complete integration of people, place and space. Although there are stories told, I think the island itself will forever guard the secrets of it’s people, absorbed and hidden in the depths of the soil.

#stkilda #gotostkilda #scotland #remote #adventure #scottishisland

Run, run, running with the Cairngorms as a backdrop. A refreshing change from city pavements. There's a great path from Aviemore to Boat of Garten... I did manage to miss a turn off and ended up dodging bunkers as a moving target on the golf course. A brief rabbit run later, through the heather (and tics), and I was back on track. Breathing in fresh air is so preferable to the traffic fumes of the big smoke.

Yesterday I went to the Cheese Pantry at Ardersier for lunch. It's fantastic. They have a room where they sell all sorts of interesting cheeses, their own and varieties from elsewhere in Europe. There's a little coffee shop area where you can order cake or a cheeseboard... Obviously a cheeseboard is the sensible option given you're sitting in a dairy. They run tasting classes and the place leaves you thinking- why are there not more places doing this kind of thing?!

Thai Soup to Kill the Cold.

When I was in Thailand we used to take a moped to the other end of the village. A noodle soup cart would set up there most evenings. There was something about that buzzing light and the hum of the generator beneath the dark night skies that was magical. The metal ladle clinked against the metal pot and the steam would rise up to meet that buzzing light, all the time drawing shadows in by their noses. The fragrant cloud that shrouded over the borrowed car park was exactly what I craved to kill my cold last night. With no plan I began. I chopped garlic and ginger and fried them off in thai curry paste. I threw in half a stir-fry pack of vegetables... I decided I should have approached this in a different order. I poured in boiling water, crumbled over two stock cubes... remembered the noodles. It simmered away for a few seconds. I crushed some peanuts. I added a splash of soy sauce, a dollop of sweet chilli sauce, another teaspoon-full of curry paste. A pinch of sugar. I was too nervous to taste... straight in the bowl, topped with the peanuts. So good. I would not be so bold as to say it was the same as sitting on those plastic chairs in that Thai village, but it brought back the memories. It hinted at the shrouding fragrance and distinctive melody of the street, and I was content.

#Thailand #soup #travel #cooking

Scottish Highlands highly recommended for some weekend fresh air.

Mark Greenaway hosts a workshop to improve the standard of food photography bouncing around social media. The debate continues, should cameras and social media be allowed to mingle in the restaurant? Greenaway thinks so.

Aux Verres de Contact, Bv St Germain Truffle risotto. Pan fried duck, parsnip purée, roasted apples. Chocolate pot with financier.

Surely the best lunch stop on the way up Montmartre. Super helpful friendly waiter, delicious food and a quiet street hidden from the tourist mob.

Paris

#paris

Fantastic lunch at La Bonaparte, St Germain. Minimal tourists, great for people watching, delicious simple food and friendly waiters.

#paris #lunch

Paris from the Pompidou Centre

#paris #sunset

£1 Coffee in Dundee's West End. The good, the bad and the ugly coming soon.

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