On Saturday I went to The Metro Centre to buy a new pair of trainers. Being a bit of a creature of habit I got another pair of Nike Air runners, which are lovely and comfy, give good grip and are good for my daily 'power walk' (don't do too much running these days!) As I was dispatching my lovely old trainers to the bin, a thought occurred to me.... how LONG had I had these old friends? After a bit of a check through my old diaries I discovered that I bought them in 1990, for doing the Great North Run that year! So I solemnly took this touching photo of 'left and 'right', as I've come to affectionately call them, before sending them to their maker (well, not actually their real maker, but you get my drift). Here they are...
But I couldn't stop there. I wanted to check out where I had been in these lovely shoes, what adventures they had been on and to which exotic spots they had conveyed me. So here is a rough break down of their... and obviously my, journeys:
1990 - Great North Run, Newcastle / Dublin, Ireland
1991 - Great North Run, Newcastle / Norway
1992 - Greece
1993 - Norway
1994 - Norway / Sweden / Finland / Russia / Canada
1996 - Norway / C2C Bike Ride (UK!)
1997 - Norway / C2C Bike Ride (UK!)
1998 - Sri Lanka / Norway
1999 - Sweden / Norway
2000 - Norway
2001 - Sweden / Norway
2002 - Norway
2003 - USA / Sweden / Norway
2004 - Norway
2005 - Norway / France
2006 - Norway
As you can see.... lots of trips to Norway in these shoes, but not much travelling for the last few years. Note to self.... must rectify that!
Bren and her brother Graham at a Sushi buffet in downtown Palma...
...our lush beach and secluded cove... ideal for lolling around on the Lilo!
... our hotel pool, early morning with many towels already in place on sunbeds...
... the sunrise each morning in front of our balcony...
...and the moonrise in exactle the same place each evening!
Some bloke Bren met on the Embankment...
And a slightly better catch farther along...
It doesn't get much better than acting the fool in McDonalds with your granddaughters...
Megan taking things slightly more maturely.... writing her memoirs no doubt...
Apparently this is what passes for a beach in somewhere called Brighton...
Summer water fights.... great fun!..
Matt and Leon were dropped off at Stansted en route to Finland...
Aaron and Bren at Carnaby Street...
But I couldn't stop there. I wanted to check out where I had been in these lovely shoes, what adventures they had been on and to which exotic spots they had conveyed me. So here is a rough break down of their... and obviously my, journeys:
I submitted a painting (not this one!) to an art sale fundraiser. Hope you can support this worthy cause. Sixty artists were asked to submit a painting 6"x6" on the theme 'Shoreline'. The paintings are all for sale at £150 each and the proceeds will go towards renovations to a community building on the Isle of Tiree. Some of the paintings are by well known professional artists, and some are by novices such as myself. We won't find out exactly which artists did which of the paintings until they have all been sold. Tomorrow morning me and my buddy Jason will drive to Tiree to visit and work for the organiser of this project, Mr Colin Woodcock. Jason will be taking photographs around the island and also doing some web training. It promises to be a lot of fun... I am mildly excited!
It seems (contrary to urban myth) that John Fitzgerald Kennedy got it spot on when he uttered this famous phrase beside the Berlin Wall on June 26th 1963. We have just returned from a wonderful visit to this amazing city, where recent history tugs at your sleeve at every street corner. Here is an image so resonant for many of us, the Brandenburg Gate, an entry point to a city where contention has been the name of the game for many years. Nowadays you can stand in front of it and get your picture taken (if that's your bag!) with mock Russian and American troops, complete with flags. This is of course to prove that since the Berlin Wall came down we are all buddies now. As Dick Gaughan once said; "maybe putting it there was our first mistake"! More pictures to follow in due course.
