New Fences

For the second time in a week I have come home to a new fence.
After the storm damage from last year the back and side fences have been in a bit of a state.
The two exposed panels of the back fence were effectively completely destroyed, the shed protected the third one, while the side fence has been collapsing since we moved in. The storm finished off parts of it.
The main problem is the number of people I would have to liaise with in order to get the fences replaced.
The back fence, all three panels of it, is shared between 4 dwellings because the houses which back onto mine are not aligned with my one. The two sides are simple.

AB and CD are the fences needing fixing

Back in April the guy living behind me got in touch. Since all of his fence was down (CD+) he was in the process of organising a replacement and wanted me and my neighbour to contribute which we both agreed.
He then removed the carcass of the old fence and the posts in preparation for the new one, which would be "in the next 6 weeks".
I would check the back garden each morning before leaving for work to see if there had been any progress, but sadly no.
Finally when Fiona and I returned from Aviemore last week the new fence was finally in!

The only slightly annoying aspect is due to the woman who shares the other piece of the back fence (BC) with me. Since my shed and her shed have protected the fence she had no interest in replacing her part of it. If she did, she would have also had to include one other person. If he agreed then another would have to be brought in. You can see why it took so long to get it all sorted.

Since this woman wasn't having her fence replaced, the shared post couldn't be replaced. So an new post was added and the fence built. Since the guy behind was the customer its all nice and neat on his end. On my side however there is a small gap where the old meets the new.

Looking closer, the horizontal supports on the new fence actually meet with the edge of their side fence. That fence is leaning (which is a different issue) so this meeting is only at the bottom, leaving a single slat wide gap between the old fence and the nice new one.

During all this time my other next door, sharing the dodgy side fence was in the process of getting a friend to sort that one. Finally last Tuesday they arrived with the wood and trappings and by Thursday night when I got home all was installed.

What's even better, they dragged away the scrap fibreboard which was dumped alongside the shed, saving me a trip to the dump.
Sadly they have left the anchor rock from the old whirligig which Ciaran and I excavated last year.

Now they both need painting. I wonder if Ciaran has read Tom Sawyer?

Old style dining

This morning was a bit wet but as we were both shattered from yesterday's cycle and Fiona's leg isn't much better we've had an easy day.

We did have our grand dinner out on the "Strathspey Highlander". All week each time the train goes past the cottage we have been looking forward to tonight and it was no disappointment.
We had a return journey from Aviemore, through Boat of Garten and then to Broomhill, or Glenbogle to those familiar with Monarch of the Glen, on the steam powered "Strathspey Highlander". For those who know who Tomas the Tank Engine is, Donald and Douglas are both the same type of engine as the Highlander, and the Highlander is the sole surviving engine of this class.

The high point of the trip was dinner - a 4 course dinner is served.
With the food, the scenery and the company, it was a fantastic way to end our holiday.

Cycle cross

Today was the first time I was really glad I had the older bike with me.
It started off easy enough - cycle trail on crushed gravel but by the end of the day we also had tarmac cycle path,tractor tram lines, road, and complete forest trail.
We headed along the cycle path northeast into Boat of Garten and then north west into Carrbridge were we had our lunch.
Since there was an alternative route back we decided to take it, as it used the local path network. The trail was we marked but at one point it got a bit steep. I was glad of the mountain bike gears today.

We passed back through Boat of Garten and decided to continue on around Loch Garten. As we tried to decide where exactly to go, some idiot overtook the bus which was turning left. Luckily no one was turning right out of the junction, but we decided we really didn't want to be on that road.

That left us with the option of going back or using the forest path. In the spirit of adventure we headed off on the path. Again I was glad I had the mountain bike with me. Its not that there was any 'real' climbing, its just that the muddy narrow track really benefited from having wider tyres on it with a low gear ratio so that the mud didn't bog us down.
We finally made it back onto quiet roads and were able to make it back to the cottage.

In total 5 hours out, three hours cycling and 30 miles travelled.

Munro bagging

We did our "ascent" of Cairn Gorm today. That's my first munro bagged.
Its a bit of a con though - you drive your car to the base station car park (at 635m) then get the funicular railway to the top station (at 1097m) where our guide led us on a tour to the top at 1245m.
Naturally, the views were spectacular, when you could see it.

looking back at the top station

Due to the high winds (gusts of 65mph) weather was coming in and leaving quite quickly, though it was warm. A windproof jacket helps though.
Our guide, Sammy, was amazing. He provided so much info in such a casual way. We took a circular route up to the top, trying to avoid the worst of the wind.
We did make it to the top but couldn't see to much, and the descent was quite misty.
It was too windy to keep the camera at the ready and the mists rolled away too quickly for me to get the camera out and on in order to get a picture. I also think I need a new camera as I can't seem to get what I can see in some of these landscapes.

Thundering and Lightning

Yesterday we had a more lazy day and ended up at the funicular railway at Cairn Gorm. We are planning to do the "Walk at the Top" on Wednesday so we hope the weather will stay good.
We did wander about the area though and spent some time in the Camera Obscura

Now you see it...

... now you don't

Since we had a chance to see the road, today we cycled from the cottage up towards Loch Morlich. This was a bit more what I had expected - completely off the road but on well maintained cycle paths. It was steady climb from the cottage to the loch. But it was fun and we felt good. The weather was good - cloudy but warm. We headed into the forest park and while we were deciding which further path to take Fiona commented on an air plane passing, knowing I tend to look at them, since the RAF fly Tornado over the area. A few minutes later while we were still deciding which way to go we noticed a flash out of the corner of our eyes, followed by another "air plane". We decided to take the loop back and we just heading off when the heavens opened with thunder and lightning. To say we speeded up would be an understatement - neither of us wanted to be atop a mountain with lightning. We eventually stopped when we realised that the rain was not going to stop for a while and since it was now hard to see the path. Eventually it stopped enough for us to continue and we headed back as quick as we could. Luckily it was all essentially downhill, but now the paths were quite wet and our brakes were not great, but we made it. I did have one particularly close call with a sharp turn but no harm was done. Needless to say by the time we got back to the cottage we were soaked through.

Don't you dare put this picture of me on your blog!

The real frustrating part was that the weather was coming in from behind us. Once we arrived at the cottage and peeled off our wet clothes I happened to turn around and see blue sky. Less than an hour later it was glorious evening.

Kingussie Cycle

Our first full day in Aviemore. The cottage is great. It actually backs onto the Strathspey Steam Railway line - we're having dinner on board on Friday night.

View from the breakfast table

Since we brought the bikes we are determined to use them, unlike at Center Parcs.

Before we headed off last week I had googled the area and looked at a few potential cycles. Based on what it looked like we decided to bring the mountain bikes instead of the road bikes because it seemed to be mostly off road trails. That was not the case as today was all on road but with very light traffic. I was using my old bike, which is now Ciaran's. I remembered why I got a new one - the gears are not suited to riding on the flat and the tyres are not suited to the road. We persevered and with lunch stops and all we managed 30 miles.
Terrain wise it was a bit of a mixed bag. Since both ends of the cycle are along the Spey river, there is not much altitude change between the 2 ends. The hills seemed a lot bigger than the map says they were though. It was certainly easier cycling back along the more main road but less enjoyable as there was more traffic. I did make use of the range of gears but I think it would have been better with my usual bike.
Fiona seems to have hurt her leg though. That may affect what we can do this week. Lets hope is nothing serious.