Fort William and hospital lol

Sorry not posted for a wee while but had lots on as the array of photo's on this post will show....Firstly we went to ten under the Ben at Fort William.  This is a wonderful endurance race which is 10 miles of off road mountain biking which goes on for 10 hours... this in the past was a massive quagmire of mud and wetness but this year the forecast looked good and we set off in Vinnie for the weekend.  Vinnie wasn't going to be slept in at night but was acting as one of the support vehicles for the riders, he looked after food, keys, water and me of course. 

 When Rob and I arrived at FortWilliam we went straight to town and I bought a sun hat for the weekend.  And very st tropez I thought I looked too what do you think?

Also along was Vinnies wee pal Victor driven by the ultra fit Kathleen, here is victor playing host to Kathleen Sarah and Bessie, and very nice that salad looked too nom nom..

The day was a great success for all the riders from the Cowal Peninsular Team Diva Descent came first in their category woo hoo go girls

the other girl team first timers at this discipline all of them also got a podium place and we were all there shouting and cheering for them.. "three spare tyres and a flat",  The girls from Benmore outdoor centre were hard core they slept in tents at the venue before and after the event.  And trust me the midgies were awful.....I was totally bitten to death...  

Here is team Mouse..... which isn't their team name but was the nick name they collected over the weekend.  They also achieved a podium position so we really did well.. The other teams who didn't get podiums were amazing but were against some of the top of the top so did us all proud anyway.

This is the lovely set of chalet's we were lucky to take over again this year but don't be fooled we were not able to sit out side at all or open a window..the above mentioned midgies obviously had been starved for a year and decided we were good food...lol  On the plus side in hiring these chalets you got free membership to the Glen Nevis hotel spa and very nice it was too we partook of the facilities twice over the weekend and must admit swimming in the pool with the site of Ben Nevis Framed in the window at the end of the lane was awesome.

 Now I bet you are wondering why I am brandishing a ball of yarn at Tom who has his bike up on a mobile bike stand?  Well Tom had originally had his stand on the decking and yep it happened that pesky wee bit dropped down between the boards...so with the help of a magnet curtsey of team mouse and my yarn a wee fishing trip resulted in a happy Tom and a mended bike phew.






Well after the weekend I was straight into Inverclyde for my gallbladder operation... this pesky wee organ has been giving me a lot of trouble over the last few months and was very much an organ not required any more.  So Wednesday saw me over the water on the 7am ferry and before even into bed my trolley was there and I was down into the theatre waiting area... now bet you wont guess what happened then?   Yep a nice young man came and stood next too me said hi and then introduced himself as Ross who I spoke to at Fort William only the day before, another cowal mountain biker... he was a sight for sore eyes took my mind off the approaching journey to theatre... (yep it was also fire alarm testing day would you credit it!)  Still I am totally indebted to all the staff especially Mr Alani who performed a minor miracle and managed to remove my gallbladder by keyhole..... it turns out that yes I had gallstones but my actual gallbladder was very challenging (his words) and was oozy and nasty so had to come out.... this made the removal a bit more of an issue but he managed it and I am so so grateful...  I was a wee bit surprised at the eviction so early the next morning but was back in my own bed by 10 am the morning after the operation so its now just a case of doing as told and getting better each day....  I was in so fleetingly but in that time met some amazing staff and I am in awe of how much they get done with what appears so little effort... the analogy of a swan serene above the water and the frantic swishing of legs underneath...

So it is now 6 days post op and I am doing well, team sandy sitting ie my mum and Alison Titmus are doing an amazing job and I am so so grateful to them for their patience and kindness and the straight talking they are giving me when I fall into tears for no apparent reason.... they are a great help...

I have had a wee lovely gain to my flock this wee one came from my wonderful hubby and has a nice wee bleat too.





 While all this has been going on Milton is marching on to completion.  She has had her final scaffolding removed and is now awaiting painting and coating to be applied.. there are still a door and three windows externally needed to be fitted and numerous jobs internally but we are informed we should be allowed access to move around the 22nd june... (thats woolfest time) ..... eeek Rob would be moving with out me but he likes that idea as he is worried I would end up doing too much... who me? never...



Here is Miltons Kitchen starting to take shape...

Last night I decided to get out and go up to the castle gardens and watch the lighting of the beacon for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations... if you look closely that is Rob and I there on the top half way along on the right..... thanks to Catriona for the photograph, Robs haven't been down loaded yet but will be added next time..

I hope this finds all my friends and bloggits happy well and that you have a good summer