Reflections on 2009

It is the last day of the year. We are in a very wet Madrid getting ready to welcome in 2010. And my mind starts to reflect on the year gone by.

It has not been a great year. I went to three funerals, and would have attended a couple more had I been around. One of those took place early this week. And all were of friends hardly older than myself. Some other friends and relatives have taken ill during the year and will struggle to survive though next year.

All of that is very sad, but does of course put my problems in perspective. I have not greatly enjoyed work in 2009, I have frittered away a lot of my leisure time and I have procractinated when things needed to be done. All of which has been frustrating, but all of which can be improved in 2010.

So without the time to do a long, deep reflection on the year, I would simply class 2009 as a wasted year in many respects. But I am where I am. I cannot return to times and places now passed. So I should be thankful for my life, my friends, my family and especially my loving partner, Andrew. And I move on to a better and hopefully more interesting year in 2010.

We are going out this evening to a restaurant in the Chueca district of Madrid to see in 2010 Spanish style. Then tomorrow we take the train to Malaga.

I hope all friends enjoy New Year and achieve in 2010 whatever they wish for themselves. It is the first year of the rest of my life, and I will make the most of it.

A Particular Problem

I realise that this is a topic seldom mentioned. Yet it can define whether a day is going to be pleasant or not. It can dominate ones thoughts throughout the day if it becomes a problem. Yet is never thought of when all if going okay.

I refer to regular bowel movements.

I guess over Christmas in Scotland and now here in Spain, I have drunk less liquid than I should have. And most of what I have drunk has been alcoholic. The result is that I have become severely constipated. And this is not pleasant. I continue to put in more food at one end than is being expelled at the other end. So I am severely bloated, digestion is not good and sleeping is fitful at best. The more I try the more frustrating it is. I am now overdosing on Activia yoghurt and drinking loads of water. I am emptying my bladder very regularly. But still nothing is coming out at the other side. I make a lot of noise to little effect. Aargh.

Goodbye Scotland, Hello Spain

Once again we were lucky with the journey south. The road to Aviemore was tricky but drivable with care. The A9 was difficult in places, especially since the windreen washer had frozen. Temperature was minus 9C in middle of day. Then things improved, though traffic increased the further south we went.

Anyway we made in to Hitchin and after a night's rest we headed off to Madrid.

Which is where we are today. A very wet Madrid. Which has restricted sightseeing. But we are well settled in the Hotel Room Mate Oscar and looking forward to seeing in the New Year in Madrid.

Happy Christmas

Well, we got here. The journey could have been worse. Our timing was lucky - we seemed to pass some areas before the snow arrived and not reach other areas until the snow has stopped.

So today, me, my father, my sister and my boyfriend had Christmas lunch at the Ugie House Hotel in Keith. It was all very pleasant - and the snow gave the scene a magical quality.

So Happy Christmas to all.

Tomorrow we start the return journey.

Traveling to Scotland

I had hoped that there might be a thaw. But there won't. So our drive to Scotland is becoming increasingly risky. All Easyjet flights to Aberdeen before Christmas are full and there are no seats left in the train. So we have no alternative.

Unfortunately Andrew has a meeting on Tuesday lunchtime that apparently he cannot miss. So what we have decided to do is this. We will leave Hitchin around 6pm on Tuesday and drive for about 3 hours before staying in a Travelodge, probably around the Leeds area. Then we head off before dawn on Wednesday in order to give ourselves the best possible change of getting to Aberdeen early afternoon and thus getting to Keith before dark.

Normally we would drive M6 then up to Perth, leaving the A9 at Aviemore to drive to Keith via Grantown. But I think in view of the weather we'd be better going up the A1 to Edinburgh then up the east coast of Scotland to Aberdeen and along the A96 to Keith. I be checking the weather forecasts over the next 24 hours or so.

And then of course, at the weekend, we have to do the whole journey down south ready to catch the flight to Madrid on the Monday (a week today).

And just to make things even more tricky, Madrid has had some heavy snow and the airport is currently closed.

I think we've decided to do too much. But we'll see how it goes.

Scotland in Winter

Last week I had to go to Stirling for a regional meeting of AGI Scotland. Getting to Stirling from London for an 11am meetings meant a bit of an early start, but I made it.

I then took the opportunity to head up to Keith for a couple of days to see my Dad. The weather in Keith was glorious. Cold, yes. Frosty, yes. But crisp and clear with not a cloud in the sky. Breathing in fresh, crisp air was invigorating.

One day we went to Spey Bay. It was lovely to stand at the mouth of the Spey watching in the birds and the seals sunbathing in the low winter sun.

And at night, in the local park in Keith, there were myriads of stars twinkling in the black, cloud-free sky. Something I never see in London.

I am now back in London. But we are planning to drive all the way up to Keith on Wednesday. Which might be tricky given the current weather throughout the UK. I note from today's Press and Journal that the North-East of Scotland had quite a bit of snow overnight and that there were a number of accidents on the roads. Police suggest driving only when strictly necessary. So fingers crossed that the weather might relent before Wednesday.

Madeira

The day after we visited Tenerife, we docked at Madeira and again took a tour of the island. I enjoyed Madeira. Perhaps I wouldn't want to spend a fortnight there, but would be happy to go back for a few days.

Anyway here is the video I took -

Tenerife

I have just returned from a couple of days in the North of Scotland (of which more later). I had some spare time so I edited some of the flip video footage I took on our recent cruise and uploaded it onto You Tube. Here is the day we spent in Tenerife, my first visit to the island -

And the winner is .....

I don't often win anything. Though I often come close.

I guess it started at school. In my final year at primary school I got the 'Proxime Accessit' medal. (not sure if the spelling is correct). This is for the person coming second. The winner was, of course, the 'Dux'.

At age 16 I took up ski-ing and entered the North of Scotland Novices Cup. I came second, 0.3 seconds behind the winner - and 10 seconds ahead of the person who came third.

In 2002 I went to Sydney to represent Britain at golf in the Gay Games. I came 4th on countback and therefore just missed a medal.

I tried again at the 2007 Eurogames in Antwerp where I again I represented Britain at golf. This time I did win a medal, but it was silver. My playing partner won gold after sinking a 20 feet putt on the 18th hole to pip me by one shot.

Then, finally, on Thursday evening I won something. And it was entirely unexpected. It was our annual AGI awards dinner, taking place at the Royal Institute of Physicians. After dinner, the awards took place. Prizes were given for those who had submitted papers on a number of topics in the world of Geography. The final award of the night is the Past Chair's award. Given to someone who has contibuted to GIS and to the AGI in particular. The recipient does not know in advance that they have won. I was relaxing at our table when suddenly my name was announced as the winner. I was gobsmacked. And really chuffed.

BBC Alba

I am not exactly a techno geek. I have a bog-standard pay-as-you-go mobile phone. No Blackberry. No i-Phone. I don't have sat-nav. I have a notebook PC but rarely use it. My Outlook diary is held in about 3 different places, so I often have to scribble reminders on bits of paper.

And I don't subscribe to Sky or Virgin satellite TV.

However I did recently replace my 20-year-old television with a new set - a 37in LG with freesat. And suddenly I have a plethora of strange free channels. My favourite of these is BBC Alba.

Three reasons -

• The outside shots of the spectacular scenery in north-west Scotland shows off the picture quality of the new set.
• I enjoy the music programmes from such places as Stornoway, Ullapool or maybe Eden Court in Inverness.
• Live Scottish football.

So on Sunday I found myself watching the second half of the Challenge Cup final between Dundee and my beloved Inverness Caley-Thistle live from Perth. Just two small problems. The entire commentary was in Gaelic. And ICT were 2-0 ahead when I started watching and 3-2 down at the end of the match. Frustrating.

Back to Julie Fowlis live from Achiltibuie!

November

I hate November. I always have. It is wet, windy and dark. The days continue to get shorter. And there is a long winter to look forward to.

Accordingly I feel lethargic in November. I realise all the things I haven't done during the year and the people I haven't seen. But it is not a month which pushes me to suddenly do those things. And so I will once again have the same New Year resolutions as I had last year - and the year before.

Andrew is in Tenerife delivering a talk to the Tourist Board, so I have the weekend to myself. A great chance to get things done. Yet here I am, Saturday afternoon, and all I have managed is a trip to Sainsburys and a couple of hours on the internet. What's wrong with me? Where has the energy gone?

Change in Government

The present Labour government seems to be resignedly heading towards defeat in the General Election which will have to be called before May. There is no sense of purpose any more; not even a pride in their achievements. And there undoubtedly have been some significant achievements.

I am still a member of the Labour party, but since it is unlikely that I will vote for them I guess it is logical that I should cancel my subscription.

If only they had managed to change leader when they had the opportunity six months ago.

Mind you, the Tories are increasingly shambolic. Their new links to right-wing homophobic parties in Eastern Europe frightens me. I have no confidence in George Osborne as Chancellor. And the thought of Liam Fox, Eric Pickles etc. in positions of power is frankly scary.

I am likely to vote Lib Dem just because they have been right more often than the other two parties. And they have a moral purpose that the other lack. But no doubt my vote will be a wasted one. It will not influence the result. The Tories will win. But at least I will be able to say -'Not my fault, Guv.'

It is just a pity that politics has become a decision between the lesser of evils rather than a potive statement about Britain's future.

Malaga on a Sunday

Whilst walking around Malaga on Sunday last week, I took some footage on my flip video starting early in the morning and finishing in the late evening. It is a bit longer than I had meant it to be, but anyway here it is -

Back in UK

We returned yesterday from our 10 days in Malaga and on a cruise. It was a good relaxing break and the cruise was interesting - though not an experience I want to rush back into. Anyway no doubt I will have photos and videos to post in due course.

Age profile in Malaga

The is a curious dynamic about Malaga, espcially on Sundays and holidays. It is an age-based one. This morning I headed for the beach at about 10am. It is Columbus day - a holiday in Spain. So Malaga was relatively quiet. But the cafes were open for business and they were quite busy.

Then I noticed a curious phenomenon. There was no-one in the cafes, or on the streets, under the age of about 60. It was as though Malaga had suddenly become a gated community for the retired.

Yet last night when I walked around there was hardly anyone over the age of 30 in the bars and cafes. Malaga seems like a different city in the mornings and in the evenings.

As for those between the ages of 30 and 60, what do they do? Sit at home and wait until they are 60 so that they can go out in the mornings?

What is happening I guess is this. The youngsters stay out late with their friends. Concequently they don´t get up until about mid-day. The oldies meanwhile go to bed earlier and get up earlier. So the morning streets are full of oldies and the nighttime streets are full of youngsters.

It happens everywhere I suppose. It just seems to be more obvious in Malaga on a holiday.

Anyway I continued down to the beach and set up beside the oldies. At least it was quiet. And somehow I felt I belonged there. Which proves, I suppose, that I am an oldie.

Voy a Malaga

I've had a bit of a introspective few months. Busy but not always making good use of my time. Not getting the correct balance between work, rest and play.

So I plan to use my time in Malaga to relax and also to get myself more in balance ready for the autumn. I hope to return refreshed and invigorated. Ready to be more pro-active during the rest of the year.

And I intend to enjoy my time in Malaga and especially our 5 days on the cruise to Tenerife and Madeira.

Time to go.

Hobbling around

I played tennis on Sunday. I was fine until I bent down to pick up a ball. Ouch! Something went in my lower back. And here I am four days later, still in agony and still hobbling around. Getting out of bed in the morning is excruciating. And putting on underwear is almost impossible. On Saturday I head for Spain - not sure how I will cope with Easyjet when I am feeling like this. But I am looking forward to getting the warm sun on my back.

Back from Gran Canaria

I had a really good few days in Gran Canaria. Some of the time was spent in visiting people or places on behalf of Andrew's travel company, Amro Worldwide. But I managed to relax, catch some sun, meet some interesting people and have some delicious food. I enjoyed staying at the Beach Boys Resort. Great place. Manel made us very welcome, as indeed did Nicky and Marcus. Thanks guys. As ever I took a short video -

Gran Canaria

Back from the AGI Geocommunity09 conference in Stratford-upon-Avon. Exhausted, but proud of what we achieved. I took this short video.





And tomorrow we head for Gran Canaria for a few days only to talk to appartment owners on behalf of Andrew's business, Amro Worldwide. I trust there will also be the opportunity to relax in the sun.

AGI Conference

We have our annual conference this week in Stratford-upon-Avon. Entitled 'Realising the Value of Place' it explores a huge range of topics in the world of Geography and GIS.

As last year, I have to run the quiz on the pre-conference Icebreaker evening. I also have to give the finance report at the AGM. I am, strangely, more nervous this year than I was last year. I'll be glad when the week is over.