Category Archives: 2006

132. Newburgh – an Aberdeenshire morning

Posted on 21 December, 2006 by | 7 comments

river-ythan-and-the-sands-of-forvie.jpgAn Aberdeenshire dawn. In deep December. At eight o’clock it’s still almost dark here in Northern Scotland, but I’ve been awake for a while.

A gale has been howling across the sand dunes all night, rattling the windows of my hotel room, whilst the branches of the tree outside are still swaying as if in the aftermath of some apocalyptic explosion.

I grab my windjacket, and head downstairs, past the hotel bar and restaurant where we ate so well last night. I nod in deference to this holy shrine – the hallowed tables where they serve the most famous sticky toffee pudding in all the world.
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Posted in 2006, golf, Scotland, training, winter

131. Brighton Rock

Posted on 4 December, 2006 by | 2 comments

The weather for this year’s Brighton 10 km was every bit as calm and sunny as in 2005, if nowhere near as cold.

brighton-rock.jpgReturning to this race made for a much more pleasant encounter with the scenic seafront esplanade, a backdrop which features so memorably in Graham Greene’s classic 1930s novel Brighton Rock.

And that tale of sordid seaside strife and natural justice found more than fleeting echo as I recalled the sad and painful script of last year’s race.
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Posted in 2006, racing, Surrey and Sussex

130. Tenerife – 2: the world at the end of the light

Posted on 20 November, 2006 by | 8 comments

We were ready for our run around the banana plantation – laces tied, route mapped and dog ready. That’s when Adam told me his last marathon time was 3:15, over an hour faster than mine.

track-through-banana-plantation-garachico-tenerife-spain‘No problem,’ he said. ‘You set the pace. I’ll just hang on your right shoulder.’

I ran that first lap too fast. Then halfway around the second, I turned left instead of right.

‘This way !’ chided Adam mildly, racing down another, seemingly identical trail between the bananas.

And if that was at all remarkable, it was only because Adam is blind.

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Posted in 2006, life and times, Spain, training

129. Tenerife – 1: the light at the end of the world

Posted on 8 November, 2006 by | Leave a comment

Seven human lifetimes ago, the mountain behind me was alive.

Smoke, fire and brimstone poured into the blue Atlantic sky, day and night.

129_santa-maria.jpgThe crews of three small sailing boats watched the terrifying spectacle from the safety of the next island, fearful of such a bad omen whilst their epic journey had hardly commenced. The captain of their little fleet had no choice then but to portray it calmly, or maybe not quite so calmly, as a certain sign of heavenly goodwill instead.

129_1492_vangelis.jpgTwo weeks later, in September 1492, the three tiny vessels left the safety of the Canary Islands, slipped their moorings in San Sebastián on La Gomera, and bravely sailed off the edge of the world. The first voyage of Christopher Columbus and the Santa Maria had begun.
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Posted in 2006, divided by an ocean, geology, history, Spain

128. October is a summer month

Posted on 30 October, 2006 by | 14 comments

october1981.jpgOctober
And the trees are stripped bare
Of all they wear
What do I care ?

Words and music by U2, October 1981.

guildford_29oct2006.jpg

A lot can change in just twentyfive years. And this year, the trees aren’t bare, or even brown.

This October is different, because all the trees are green.

independent_31oct2006.jpgWho knows what the world will be like in another twentyfive years ?

But we know that answer already: October will be just another summer month.

As it already is in England, right now. Today.

emissions.jpg temperature.jpg sea-level.jpg

Related articles:
133. Tomorrow – Avril Lavigne and global warming
69. Running low on fuel
105. A crisis of energy
110. The hands that built America – Houston skylines
43. A sense of time – Earth history and the London Marathon
75. The Cruel Sea – the Indian Ocean tsunami

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Posted in 2006, environment, global warming, music, science, summer

127. Altiora peto, and other Latin lovers

Posted on 19 October, 2006 by | 17 comments

‘I aim higher’. Altiora peto – that’s the motto of my old school, and it’s been a great maxim to take through life, whether for study, sports (especially darts, of course) or business.

gogo-latin.jpgPersistence and patience are the keys to achievement, in just about all things, especially when allied with a burning desire to learn and to improve.

I’ve found that sticking to a task, and simply pressing on, regardless of distractions and disappointments, is often the best approach to reaching a challenging goal.
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Posted in 2006, life and times, training