Tae a Haggis
When ye’ve nae got a sgian dubh to hand while addressing the haggis on Burns night (25th January), an ice axe will just have to do?
Into the haggis the dagger did plunge
But I digress.. in other news, the recent drifting on the hills has ensured the snow is going into all the right places. With a quick thaw/freeze cycle this week, it’ll consolidate everything nicely and (hopefully) set us up for a long season! Here’s to that.
Glenmore Gondola: revisited
If only? Discuss!
''Am I nuts? No, I'm insane''
Mobiles and Mountains..
Here’s to 2010
Even the dog is getting involved in the Hogmanay celebrations..
 The Highland-Instinct pooch getting involved.. |
 Is it all finished? Better check to make sure... |
No dogs were harmed in the making of this blog post.
Hae a guid yin ane an aw, and see you out there in 2010.
Jamie.
18.12.09God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Arrival at day 18. Gets opened in the evenings rather than the morning!
As the number of open doors overtakes the number still closed, my Scottish advent calendar is indicating that we are rapidly trundling towards the mighty JC’s big day.
The weather seems to have got the hint too. Having just stepped out the car in Inverness having driven up from Edinburgh I can confirm that it’s beginning to get a little bit wintry out there. The hills still need more, mind, but it’s a good start. The CairnGorm trial snow cannon arrived with them this morning, but looking at the weather charts it looks like plenty natural stuff will be delivered in the meantime. There could be an exciting period coming up!
Am now sitting in front of the log fire and enjoying the Black Isle Brewery’s seasonal Christmas ale (St. Nicholas’ Knicker Dropper Glory). Cannae complain!
Take it easy folks.
Jamie
15.12.09Scottish Advent Calendar: gone viral!
Scottish Advent Calendar. My photo that seems to have become an internet phenomenon
So you guys remember at the start of the month I made an advent calendar out of a 24 pack of Tennent’s and posted a picture of it on this blog, right?
Well, that photo has gone completely viral. Yesterday it made its way back to me as an emailed forward, and I couldn’t help but wonder how many times it had branched off from that.
Having received the email, I today ran a Google search for “Scottish Advent Calendar”, and was surprised – nay, amazed – to see literally thousands (yes, really) of different websites returned (including mostly social networking sites and message boards, but also newspaper and broadcasting websites), with discussions kicking off left, right and centre, each containing my photo. Check it out for yourselves! I think one of the stranger parts is seeing complete strangers claiming credit for something that is sitting on the worktop in my kitchen – surreal or what!
Here's a second photo you won't see anywhere else on the internet. Tagged this time!!
I still have the original advent calendar, and counting the number of open windows tells me that we’re rapidly running out of days until the 25th. And to answer a common question that is appearing on numerous different websites – why isn’t there a 25th window, and what will I do on Christmas day? Well, on Christmas day I’ll be drinking something a damn sight better than Tennent’s, that’s for sure!!
Hope you all enjoy the festive period folks. And let me know if you get sent the photo or see it appear anywhere interesting! Strange how something I started off as a laugh has turned itself into an internet phenomenon. Never underestimate the power of the world wide web!!
Now – where’s no.15? Scary’s on the wall..
Jamie (still feeling bemused)
Beyond the Horizon?
Well for my first days on Scottish snow of winter 2009/10 I came back up north in time to catch the good spell of settled weather. On Friday and Saturday I was lucky enough to travel along the ‘Big Mac Motorway’ two days running. Not that it was a motorway of course – the route between CairnGorm and Ben Macdui is very poorly trodden by ski tourers at the moment. A surprise, considering the weather and that the whole route was fully skiable.
But I digress. So why is this blog post titled “Beyond the Horizon”? There are varying reasons, but put most simply it is because on 12th December we were absolutely convinced that from the summit of Ben Macdui, Scotland, we were able to see ‘beyond the horizon’ due to the refraction that can occur during certain high pressure scenarios.
Beyond the tors of Ben Avon and beyond a sea of cloud obscuring almost the entire country to the south as well as the east (with the exception of a few ‘island’ peaks), was a very prominent ridge line of distant “snow-capped peaks”. With no land feature in Scotland that could account for these distinct “hills”, we reasoned that they could only belong to coastal Norway. While obviously very distant, the “hills” were so sharp, so well defined. I took a photo, but as it was zoomed right in using a camcorder, the clarity falls far short of the appearance they had in reality.
Since Saturday much debate has ensued on various internet sites, some rebuttals better grounded than others. The general consensus seems to be that while there is a possibility, it is more likely than not that what we saw was not Norway, but instead some sort of mirage. A superior mirage, even. The jury is still out, however, so I welcome any additional thoughts.
Assuming we were incorrect, I wouldn’t be embarrassed at all over any ‘mistake’ we may have made. Days out in our hills have power to inspire and provoke you in a way that nothing else seems able. And regardless of whether or not it was what we thought it was, whatever we saw from the summit of Ben Macdui was both inspiring and provoking. In that moment, it was real and exciting and amazing.
These are the days of our lives.
Take it easy folks!
1.12.09It’s that time of year..
The march towards winter is over, with skiing kicking off for the 2009/10 season on Saturday 28th November in the top bowl at CairnGorm. The arrival of the new winter has also meant that several Scottish snow patches made it through to the new season from last year, on Aonach Beag, Ben Nevis, and Braeriach.
And so we find ourselves at the start of December. With the usual shops already attacking you with music and overdone decorations, it is just a reminder that there is apparently a need to look towards Christmas. As such, we here at Highland-Instinct have given in to the peer pressure, and are counting down the days with our own special home made advent calendar:
Beer Advent Calendar. 1 per day - Highland-Instinct promotes responsible drinking!
Finally – a massive thanks to Mike for giving me a couple of stickers he had made up. One of them is on the fridge, and another will soon find its way onto my Mantras! 
Check it out..
The very first..
Slainte, and here’s to the new winter!
Jamie
