That’s it – my garden recycling bin has been filled to bursting for the final time this year, and on Thursday evening I’ll drag it out to be emptied. This final ritual – if past years are anything to go by – is my permission to myself to ignore my garden till Spring. I will… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Inverness
Highland Hospitality – the contrasts.
Highland Hospitality – the contrasts This past week it hasn’t felt like being in the Highlands at all. The sun has shone and there has been warmth in its rays, out of the breeze. The birds are singing, daffodils are bursting into joyous colour, and there’s a feeling of hope in the air. Spring weather… Read more »
Hydro Screws, paddling & impulse buys
Old solutions to new problems A few weeks ago, I resolved to reduce my reliance on single-use plastic. It was pointed out to me what a relatively new thing our dependence on plastic is. Going back to paper bags for fruit and veg, and cotton dish cloths instead of plastic sponges, is reverting to what… Read more »
E-bike bliss, plus jogging-on & Bond bugbear
Hi-Bikes? Ooh, hello! E-bikes in Inverness? Just £3 for a three-hour trial? Irresistible. Last Saturday morning, with Daughter #1 and her partner here for the weekend, we each downloaded the Hi-Bikes app, uploaded our details, and looked for available bikes. We chose the Inverness Campus rank; more scope for getting used to them in a… Read more »
The hunt for Nessie is over!
The search is over. Nessie has been found! Regular readers will know I’m fond of dunking myself into lochs around the north of Scotland. Back in the good old days we used to call it swimming – it now seems to have attracted the tag ‘wild’. But whatever we call it, I like getting cold… Read more »
River Ness… plus crafty Tom & a writing comp
River Ness – is it back to earning its keep? Most of the world’s great cities straddle a river; London has the Thames and Glasgow the Clyde. Prague grew up either side of the Charles River, which it relied on for trade and transport, and Paris would be nothing without the Seine. Inverness may be… Read more »
Through the eyes of others
Holiday friends, with benefits. This week, good friends from Manchester have come to stay. In more normal times this would hardly be news, but it’s the first time since last March that anyone other than our immediate family has spent the night, and it’s the first time we’ve welcomed these friends to the Highlands. In… Read more »
Dreams for Inverness
I’m utterly relaxed. I’m sitting writing this on a camping chair with my feet in a loch. Our van is parked off the road and there’s a promising whiff of bacon in the air – Mr Marr is on catering duties. It’s the sort of summer day when it’s easier to see the shoals of… Read more »
Let’s be confident and ambitious about Inverness
Lessons from coaching In another part of my life, I’m a coach. I often encourage clients to focus on what they can do, rather than what they can’t, and to ask themselves ‘How would I like things to be?’ That can help them shift their perspective from negative to positive. Why not let go of… Read more »
Holy Spokes, I’m a (trike) pilot!
. WThe very first thing I did on my very first day back to work this year was gain a qualification. After a couple of hours’ training in the rain I am now proudly a qualified pilot for Inverness based cycle charity Spokes for Folks. My first outing with real, live passengers is on Friday… Read more »