It comes around again

2 years since the last post! Oh dear.

Well what draw me back? A repeat breaking episode!

I have gone and done it again and broken my leg this time. It would seem my left hand side gets a battering. Broken ribs, broken collar bone and now my fibula. So I am now sitting here with a piece of metal in my leg and a lovely purple cast.

Thankfully I am on the mend and apart from frustration I am in no pain.

Back at work - but not unable to drive so Cathy is kindly driving me around.

Anyway must get back in to techno wizardry and put a post on what we have been up to the last 24 months!

Scotland - Its dangerous!!!

It has been a while since we have published, so there will be some frantic updating going on over the next few days.

Cathy and I headed up and over the border for the Kendrick family holiday. Coldstream had been prepared and I was able to tie it in with a visit to Natural Power's offices in Dumfries and Galloway which enabled Cathy to see the 'old place' for the first time.

Mum and Dad H kindly offered to come and stay at Tegfan and undertake dog duties, such as belly rubs, patting, walks and playing ball, so we spent all of 12 hours with them before running away.

D+G was three days of great weather which may have not been the best time for Cathy to see the old homeland and may have tugged on the old heart strings.

However we struggled through and headed off to Coldstream for the week. And that is where the problem arose! As you will now from a previous blog the last trip to Scotland resulted in a broken collar bone, this trip - the back but not broken. Several years ago, I had sciatic in my lower back which has left it prone to injury. As a consequence of getting out of the car, my back twinged and that was that, yours truly walking like a 75 year old - I could have stood as a Liberal democrat!

Having whinged about the back we did have a lovely time, the weather held and we had some lovely days out, although I was at half the speed of everyone. Cragside House (above) was apparently very interesting but I never made it, Berwick upon Tweed was a Lowry extravaganza but I never made it. But I did become a crack shot at Tiger Woods Golf Tour on the Playstation!

So I am dreading my next trip to Scotland - First one was a broken back, the next a crippled back, so it should be a lost limb or some split blood next time. Now where is my travel insurance!

Sing along - by Alistair

Well, Last Friday saw us travelling to Newtown to see the Barnsley nightingale - Kate Rusby. Kind of a thank you for Cathy having to put up with a one armed man - The worst type! Having said it was a thank you have also to understand that I still can not drive so Cathy actually had to take me.

So she headed up to Aberystwyth to pick me up and then east to Newtown, had a lovely Cantonese meal - Cathy had a tasty Coke. Then on to Theatr Hafren, all still a surprise. Walking in there were the signs for Danny Champion of the World and the Newtown Quilting Festival, all of which Cathy was feigning great interest in! Then she saw the Kate Rusby posters and Cathy was having to be peeled off the ceiling!.

So two hours of Kate, a couple of guitars and some support - fantastic. She sang songs from her new album (now purchased - highly recommended) but interspersed with anecdotes about life on tour.

Anyway I have to say really really enjoyable - but of course it was not my surprise!!!

Summer breaks, Holiday snaps and any other jokes that are close to the bone - by Alistair

Oh dear what can the matter be! There was meant to be an update about a fortnight ago from Inver-sneckie following a traverse of the country explaining about my fun birthday spent in a hot car and talking with Planning Officers but something got in the way ------------- a tree!!!!

Having driven up on the Friday followed by a lovely day with Mum H at Cally Gardens - the Homer BD cake was yummy - I joined Steve, Callum and Nancy for a bike ride near our NPC's Scottish office.

We arrived at Kirroughtree around 11.45, and before reading on can I just say for anyone in to their mountain biking the Scottish borders offer a wealth of fantastic routes and despite my efforts they are very safe.

There we were in the rain and thinking of all those individuals enjoying a late breakfast with a Sunday paper. So off we headed down the lovely sweeping Rivendale trail with beautiful berms and that is all I can say really. Less than 4 minutes and I go and pick an argument with a tree - it won! I would love to say there was a real technical drop off or set off steps but no, reasonably straight with undulations but somehow I managed to catch the edge of the track bounce through a culvert and down a bank.

And there I was at the base of the tree cradling my left arm having attempted something like a flying rugby tackle from the saddle of a bike.

I would first like to say a big thanks to Steve, Callum and Nancy for helping me back to the car and to hospital. It would have to happen at the start of the ride as it is such a good route, then again it really did chuck it down on the way to hospital so at least I saved us all a soaking.

Quick note - I do not intend to break collar bones on any future rides if rain is predicted. So keep an eye out for when the Mandolin practice starts again.

While the Cat(hy) is away the mice will play - by Alistair

No Photo this time, as you will see from the bottom.

Well it is Thursday and Cathy has been away since Sunday night staying with Helen and David (M+D Kendrick to those in the know). Which left yours truly Home Alone.

The Bachelor Days are back. So did I live it up like the Uni days, all night parties, loud music, riotous guests, and broken pottery - Urr No.

So may be it was the Aberystwyth Poker Evening or Men's Only clubs - Urr No. This is Aberystwyth after all were a wild night out might be a trip to the latest arts show at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre (took a long time for them to think that name up!).

I have not even visited a pub! Nope. Instead I have been at home trashing the place on my own. Some of you might think that means dirty washing everywhere, plates stacked up to the ceiling, beer cans all over the place. But no the place is spotless - You will have to take my word for that as none of you are going to see it this week so I have a chance to clean before Cathy gets home - he he!

Trashing = painting the bathroom. That's right the height of excitement, stripping (not a club) wallpaper, sanding and filling (or should that be the other way round) and finally coating it in white paint.

It is for that reason that there is no photograph - watching paint drying would bore you stupid!

Mudelicious (by Alistair)

This was going to be titled Mud,mud, glorious mud - however bro got there first. (www.alexanderhinton.com) Something about great minds and all that or is it just a brotherly bond? So to reflect both the status of the ground (Mud) and the rather great selection of foods (delicious) you get mudelicious. That Uni training was well worth it!

Unfortunately any of you that have been on the link to Alexander's website will have got the gist of the weekend so I must therefore lay claim to different info so as not to bore you.

First off - I think he should have made it absolutely clear that his travel plans did not go according to plan thanks to the weather. This could have supplied a nice link between Alexander's previous post and his latest but he failed to pick up on that (6/10 from the Ed.). You will notice that there is a nice link between the mud of Mountain Mayhem and that of Trowbridge (8/10 from the Ed.). This delayed Alexander's arrival and hence the other 11 of us slogged our way up and down the hill from campsite to the cars like Tenzing Norgay and pitched tents.

Then there was the other delicacies on offer (The Thai was rather good) the goan fish curry, the singapore noodles, the falafel (pronounced fƏ'læf.el) and finally the pièce de résistance - DOUGHNUTS (queue Homer moment!). I have to say I was slightly concerned with the food arrangements and Isobel's reassurance that she was only there for the food was actually borne out.

Finally there is the grading. Bellowhead in third??? Surely they have to be top? Cathy would like to see Martha Tilston up there also. Eric Bibb was very good as was Ruthie Foster. Then for comedy value there is The Spooky men's chorale and Idiot and Friend (No - not Bro and me) who were both wet your pants funny. So for me it comes down to a first and lots of joint seconds.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend - and that was down to the cracking music and the great company - met a whole load of new friends and shared some beers. Here is to next year and the Mandolin (but that is another post!)

And in the beginning ....

Hia All,

This is my first posting created because my parents have shamed me in to getting a blog. Thats right if the older generation can do this, than a young newbie like me should find it a doddle.

So as I sit here overlooking the sea, with the gentle cry of the gulls, I can actually see the sun! The British Summer is here - at least for the next hour or so.

All this rain has caused havoc these last few weeks (months) our garden has resembled a jungle with grass that could have been cleared with a machette and in place of lions and hyenas we have slugs and snails to contend with.

I have got back in to the saddle of mountain biking - well trying to fit it around a busy lifestyle means it is the odd evening and weekend rather than a dedicated addict. Recently a team from work tried our hand at the 24 hour Mountain Mayhem. I had a go last year and was lulled in to a false sense of security with the perfect cycling weather. This year the mud bath from hell. But still smiling I really enjoyed it - if in some perverse way getting muddy and pushing your bike round an 8 mile course can be called enjoyable.

Thats all for now