In the hills

I've been up in the hills a bit recently, 3 times in the last week in fact (62.5km and 2400m of ascent) but it never gets old because it is never the same.

On Wednesday I met a friend at the bottom of the hill, say hi to Bill the Bactrian

Wednesday was a really funny weather day. We never saw the sun, it was windy but it was 28c all day until about 4pm when the temperature began to drop and I went out for a run.

The climb was, well upwards, and took about 30-minutes but what greeted me when I got out of the trees and reached the views was - unexpected to say the least. Not only had the wind picked up to gale force proportions but UB had disappeared.

I was not looking forward to descending into the sandstorm, but by the time I got down it had gone and things were calm. All through the 40 minute jog back to the apartment there was a very occasional drop of rain, until I walked into the apartment grounds. Then the skies opened. I'd been out 3 hours missed the sandstorm, missed the rain and got home without incident. Result.

I did the same route on Friday with Sarah. The rain had changed everything.

Trees had suddenly gone green and flowers were everywhere.

And UB was back - go back and look at the sandstorm picture - these two were taken from similar positions.

A lovely jog hike without the sense of impending doom that had dogged Wednesday.

Saturday I did a different route.

She danced down the trail spooking the foal a bit - would we see her later at the Scotch House?

We went over the top of the hill and started dropping down the other side towards a monastery but the trail became a little indistinct.

team inov-8 roclite

Gavin couldn't find anyone who would ship to Mongolia that stocked his size

We finished the trip out with a beer in the Irish Castle - except the beer was bad and there was a children's party on so we headed for the Scotch House - where there was Scottish country dancing. Seriously! And of course the boys all sat and drank while the girls were pressed into taking part.

Hello 'New' Appartment

We were moved in as little as 3 hours. The men arrived at 10:00 and were fast and efficient  there was very little in the way of breakages. The music was on the internet connected, the TV functioning and the sorting was well underway by 2:00pm.

looking in from the front door

lounge bit

kitchen area

study and spare room

complete with horsehead fiddle

main bedroom

main bathroom - there is a second one with toilet basin and washing machine

spare bedroom

It's really quiet without the building site and the trains blow their whistles at the other end of town so e hardly hear them.

Bye Bye Building Site

No more noise, no more dust, no more heavy machinery and gallopita gallopita machines running through the night. It has been fascinating watching this site in action though. Part of me will miss it. Not the part that likes peace and quiet. Not the part that likes to sleep through the night. And not the part that objects to the clouds of dust and debris which meant keeping the windows closed.

So they defrosted the building site about a month ago...

It was slow going at first, a few men a couple of diggers...then they demolished the shed and built it again somewhere else on the site. We couldn't quite work out why but as the site came slowly back to life it became very obvious.

We move out in about 3 weeks, they are likely to have the first couple of floors poured by then at this rate.

Shed visible in the fading daylight to the right just before construction stopped

...and it's gone...the site wakes...

there it is rebuilt...

looks like more underground carparking

keep making that rebar construction girls

we are going to need it

foundations of the next block being laid

and for the carpark

rebar in place wooden frame fixed time for the concrete

and here it comes

from there

to there

Add caption

and start the rebar knitting for the next level

Earlier this week

Earlier this week a friend, now resident in Colorado, sent me a picture of her house covered in snow. It had been snowing for 3 days straight. She seemed happy, the schools were closed, the kids excited, and the the ski season seemed to be extending through April.

I had a somewhat more curmudgeonly response:

"I don't know whether to be happy for you - or not, I guess it depends on whether you view it as an opportunity to extend the ski season and have a day or two off or...

I was out running in the hills on last Sunday and the snow was gone from all but the sheltered sections that were shaded. I was in shorts and loving running on rock and dirt. 

I got up Monday and it was snowing. At it's deepest we had about 6-8 inches which is not a lot by your standards but huge here, where the snow usually comes in small amounts of dry powder. A lot has gone but the hills are white again and daytime temps have dropped back way below freezing having been as high as +10c. Enough already! I want to hit the hills with a light back pack holding food and water - not a day sack full of extra clothing in case the weather changes.

I survived the winter relatively sane - I was expecting it - I prepared for it- the cold did not bother me that much, but I'm really really ready for Spring - this is beginning to piss me off. Time for nature to turn green, for the trails to open up and for me to show more than just my nose to the sun when I run. 

Clearly I am in need of a little arctic explorer dna and need to restructure my expectations and reactions

Back to Sir Ranulf.

"My dear,

Weather is neutral. It’s neither good nor bad. It just is. What’s bad about it is how prepared you are for it.

The snow isn’t bad if you have a warm jacket or house and a cup of hot cocoa. The scorching heat isn't bad if you have an air conditioned house and a cooler filled with ice cold beer.

There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

Same goes for fortune.

There is no such thing as bad fortune. Only inappropriate expectations and reactions.

Falsely yours,
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes

Simon (who is happy for you snow bunnies but pissed off at the latest refreeze just when he was beginning to see the light at the end of winter.) "

So I took Sir Ranulf's advice re-evaluated my expectations and rethought my reactions. 

 I went back up the hill today with Sarah and a few others, it was still snowy, it was a little treacherous in places but I took a quality camera instead of my phone, and enjoyed myself immensely.

"Perspective - use it or lose it!"

Thanks Katy thanks Ranulf