Only 6 days to go....

Only 6 days to go and because I have not managed out most of last week due to a work training course and the days now getting a little shorter, I decided to tackle the Stanley, Dunkeld, Murthly and Caputh circular route starting from the Stanley car park as I did not have enough time to leave from my house due to more work commitments later in the afternoon.

I managed just under 40 kms with a few detours to take some pics and felt relatively confident that after I had returned to the car and had some water and a banana, that I could probably have done it again had time allowed. The itinerary for next week is approx 80 kms most days and I believe I replicated the expected heat conditions in Jordan by wearing an extremely bright but far too warm jacket for today's weather conditions!

The sun is lower now and makes visibility on the road not so good, so I thought it would be sensible to be seen in my bright orange jacket, but I think my face was probably glowing more than the jacket with the heat I built up.

The last 10 kms had an extra bonus as I stopped to take another picture, a much younger and fitter looking woman sped past me, so I used her to set a pace for me to follow. I managed to keep a regular distance behind her and considering she did not have the jacket and my weight, I believe I did quite well to keep her in my sight.

Many thanks to all the comments I have received while doing my journal and looking forward to meeting you Shane, see you on Sunday.

Huntingtower Castle

I quite like this run now as it takes me away from the city traffic and has a good mix of small hills and easy cycling to just have a good run and enjoy it.

I took the opportunity to keep engaging and disengaging my shoes to my new peddles, and I think I have now mastered the technique of flicking the heel in toward the frame to release and I have painted one side of each peddle a different colour to ensure easy recognition during cycling, as it was quite difficult to stop the peddle on the correct side when I wanted to lock onto it.

Anyway it was another lovely Autumn day and Huntingtower Castle was looking quite splendid in the late afternoon sun.

Falling off my bike again...

I'm out cycling almost every day now and travelling up and down between Stanley, Luncarty and through to Huntingtower and beyond. I make sure now that I do a minimum of 25 kms each outing and if possible twice a day now.

I have also been improving my bike and just added a nice new comfy seat which will be going to Israel with me, new silver and lilac cycling shoes and a set of peddles will also be travelling with me.

One of the original peddles cracked under the pressure of me pushing them up hill !! Now I have the lock on type to prevent my feet slipping, the only trouble is I have not quite acquired the knack of releasing myself quick enough and landed in a heap today out at Bridge of earn when cycling with Ernie, he was a bit upset at my mishap and I don't think impressed with the peddles, but I am determined to get used to them as they are certainly secure when going uphill.

I just have to make sure I release at least one side first when I am coming to a stop and not lean to the side that I am locked into, which is what I did earlier and there was no hope of regaining balance, so down I went.

Around Loch Earn

Today was a pretty good Autumn day weather wise, so I headed off to St. Fillans with my bike in the boot of the car and heading out the Crieff road, St. Fillans is approximately an hours drive from Perth.

After finding it relatively easy to park at this time of year at St. Fillans, I headed off to cycle around the South side of Loch Earn. It is quite lumpy and bumpy, but not too difficult despite being a single track road with passing places. It was not too busy today, but sometimes water enthusiasts and caravans can be plentiful during the Summer months and weekends, but today it was lovely and quiet.

The route right around the loch from St. Fillans, through Lochearnhead and back to my car was just under 27 kms and there was plenty of good places to stop and take in the views, I even saw some lovely red squirrels, but they would not stop long enough for a photograph, so I took one of my bike and the water instead.

Horse Tales....

It was a lovely Autumn day today, so after finishing work I found time to tackle that Rynd Road again, and I do believe that hill was a little easier today. I have not been out too much over the past few days as I had to have a little work on my back which was showing signs of playing up, but appears much better now after some deep muscle massage and a few back crunches delivered by Helen.

I had spent many years horse riding prior to owning my bicycle and have always had a tendency to need a little treatment from time to time, and as it happened I passed some beautiful horses on the Rynd Road today that took me back to my Endurance Riding Club Days.

I absolutely love horses, so I am hopeful of an opportunity to either visit some local horses or even have a little canter over the sand when in Israel, so will have to pack the jodpers just in case.

Fun, Food & Fashion........

Hopefully that is what everybody enjoyed on the evening - Fun, Food & Fashion in aid of The Nazareth Hospital.

Loads of thanks to Tracey who organised the fashion and models, Michael who organised the food, which was absolutely delicious, Linda who provided refreshments and expertise on the beauty side.

Lorna Davies who provided a wonderful flower display which I used as a guess the botanical names of the plants in the display quiz and take the display home (for a small donation of course) and also Carol Feeney who provided a large 3 wick scented candle which was offered as a prize for guessing the correct wieght of.

60 ladies turned up and helped me towards raising a further £450.00 towards the fund for the hospital, so well done to all who participated in the evening.

Photography by http://www.fraserband.co.uk/