Balmoral

On Saturday we visited Balmoral. The big event of the day was the Run-Balmoral 10K, which Dad had entered. His first 10K in years. Not quite back to previous weight or results but slowly getting there, having lost 17 lb before the event. There were a number of side events and displays in the grounds and the scenery is lovely. Weather was good to us and everybody there looked to be having a great time.
The Run-Balmoral 10K has been voted Britian's most scenic race by readers of Runner's World. If you're interested in entering a 10K then this is a good one but don't underestimate "the hill". It is 1km long and gob-smackingly steep. The equivalent flat distance of the run is 6.6 miles, according to the Good Run Guide http://www.goodrunguide.co.uk/RaceDetails.asp?RaceID=254

A big Thank You to everyone who sponsored M and helped him raise over £300 for Cancer Research.

Getting ready for the run with the help of Manager K. Pinning on the number and strapping on the ankle chip that activates the timer


Crowds starting to gather near the assembly point. There were thousands of people wandering around the grounds and different races were going on throughout the day


Bit of a squeeze getting over 2000 people in the starting area


During the race K tried her hand at archery


And not doing too badly either

Glad it's all over. Finishing in a time of 1h 02m 47s in 1400th place. Of the 2400 entrants 1996 finished with the missing few either failing to finish or not showing. Results can be found at http://www.born2run.co.uk/Pages/Results.aspx


K and Dad after the run. Dad sporting the t-shirt while the Manager looked after the medal


A popular photo spot


Beautiful Balmoral

Bennachie, The Mither Tap

On Sunday we went to Bennachie with Uncle M and cousins B and J (AKA - Kintore Adventurers). We started off looking for geocaches, following the sculpture trail and avoiding the Muggles. Fantastic weather. A truly wonderful day out.

Kids at Totem Pole


Kids at the cabinet


foundation stones of an old building


Cache No.1 - Found it

Salamander, guardian of cache 2.

Geocache No.2.

Stop for a snack on the way up

K and B, well ahead of us at the top of Mither Tap. 518m (1699 ft) above sea level. Dad, Uncle M and J in the foreground, D hiding behind the camera

The summit. What an achievement. Resting before the trip down

Oxen Craig. Distant and only 10m higher than Mither Tap. Not as steep or as popular but I bet Mither Tap looks better from there than Oxen Craig looks from here!

Enscribed A-Frame marking the remains of a colony, which was populated right up until 1939

Geocache No.3, on the way down from Mither Tap

Red Loch

A closer look at the Ordnance Survey map indicated a large body of water less than 2 miles from our house, which we didn't even know existed. In the middle of a wooded area, inaccessible from all directions except one, via a dirt track near "The Gash" it is very well concealed.
The deciduous trees and ferns were struggling to break free of winters grip so the area looked cold and dead when we visited. Not very welcoming at all. I'd give it 1 month and this place will look fantastic. Green and very Alive!

Red Loch


Fungus growing on a tree


Named the Harry Potter tree by D. Not sure what variety of tree this is but certainly not common round these parts


K at the HP tree

K and Mum

Ghostly trees through a clearing

Egg and treasure hunting

Today Cousin L and his Dad dropped in on their way home from Peterhead. K had painted some eggs for Easter so we hid them in the garden. Didn't take long for eagle-eyed K and L to find them.


After hunting for eggs we decided to try another type of hunting. Following in the footsteps of Kintore Watts we headed off in search of a nearby geocache.


We searched for ages in the area until Uncle D finally found the cache. A small clip-lock plastic container with some goodies, a notepad and pen. We exchanged one trinket for another and carefully replaced the cache. It had been well concealed so we placed it back exactly as we found it


Uncle D reveals the contents of the cache

K and L following the footpath, with Cairness House in the background. L holds the small parachute figure, which he swapped for a monkey head key-ring

Willows Animal Sanctuary

On Saturday we went to visit Willows Animal Sanctuary. A regsitered charity dedicated to the care of abandoned and ill-treated domestic and farm animals. http://www.willowsanimals.com/



A blind Shetland Pony

B's visit - Easter holidays

It's Easter and the kids are on holiday.
Cousin B came over to stay for a few days and despite the April showers there were a couple of opportunities to get out and about for some exercise.

K and B at the beach with lighthouse in the background.....and of course, seagulls


At the beach with lovely backdrop


1/2 way up Tiger hill


Where's the oxygen? The air's thin up here!

Kids on new beach climbing frame, complete with apocalyptic sky in the background. Better hurry before the rain comes

Anyone fancy tennis?

Happy Easter

New car

The new car - Ford Kuga with Panaromic roof and quite a few extras.

We carried out a lot of research, comparing similar cars such as the VW Tiguan and Toyota Rav 4 before commiting. The Rav 4 came close but lost out because of the side opening boot and while the Tiguan was a good drive it didn't provide enough to justify the extra expense.

D's quirky/fun/shop/food photos from Paris

Some of D's photos. Her take of Paris!

You can take a girl to Paris but she still finds a Scottish shop

Gorgeous handbag (far too expensive....sigh)

Funky chair

Gorgeous, crazy dress

Harajuko lovers perfume

Ha Ha, you won't see this back home!

France's National dessert

Banana/choc crepe, delicious!

Choccies, MMmmmmmmm

more chocolates

chocolate easter egg shop

Fancy bread

Environmentally friendly police transport

Metro sign. Golden arches with a different meaning. We got used to seeing this by the end of the holiday