Scotland

The town of Brodick on the Isle of Arran

Cycling on Arran

And then it got bushy, and hilly, and rocky, and very much not a bike trail. (I was a wee bit grumpy.)

stonecrop

sheep vertebra

scrambling up Goat Fell

On top of Goat Fell - the highest point on Arran

thistle

The spooky A'chir Ridge

Cycling the West Highland Way with a lot of stuff strapped to our bikes.

Pointing at Ben Nevis - Scotland's highest peak

Nikki, Andy and goofy James on the Aonach Eagach Ridge

A pea flower

The final descent to the pub (pubs are standard at the end of Scottish hikes, I think I could get very used to this)

Pub menu highlights

We spent an afternoon at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh which is where I'll be doing my masters in 2008/09. The green houses are amazing.
sexy pistil

banana leaf

The Lake District

We spent two days in the Lake District in northern England where there are many excellent hikes and scrambles to be had.

The Sharp Edge - where we're headed.

Up on the Sharp Edge

Me, my ninja hoodie and Piggy riding in my pack.

Summit sheep. Sheep are everywhere in this country. Trees do not fare so well.

New crisp (chip) flavours! One of the perks of hiking in the UK. These were sundried tomato and basil chips and they were damn yummy. Though I'm also fond of the meat flavours - Chicken & Thyme or Lamb & Mint.

In the Bracken. Bracken fern does really well as it is toxic to sheep.

James, Sue, the bears and I on a misty Sunday Summit.

An old oak. Where old forests have survived (by being fenced off from sheep and deer) they are incredibly beautiful.

No hike is complete without a beer.

Vicky and Jonny

We spent an evening visiting Vicky and Jonny. They're the folks who write a lot of the music that we play. We were lucky enough to catch them on a night when they were playing in a pub at an open-mike type thing. They are fantastic to see live. I'm hoping we can convince them to play at the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival one day.Jonny on accordion and Vicky on the Nyckelharpa - a funky Swedish instrument. Vicky also plays the small pipes (little bag pipes), the flute and the upright bass. Jonny also plays the guitar and they both sing. Damn talented musicians and very much an inspiration to James and I - check them out at: www.smallpiper.co.uk

Shepperton and London

James and I just spent three weeks in the UK. We flew to Glasgow and then headed straight for London on the train to visit family.
This is the view from the back yard of Sunnybanks - the house that James grew up in from age 11 on. Sunnybanks is in the town of Shepperton, about a 45 minute train ride from London. It's one of the first places outside of London where there is a descent amount of greenspace. This little creek flows into the River Thames and has many motor and sail boats all along it.

Snails at Sunnybanks

James and Grandma Lily on the River Thames in London.

Lost bicycle