Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all....

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Bonnie Scotland

To save us writing loads of Christmas cards, we thought we would be more environmentally friendly and send you all a Christmas blog instead !!!!.

I must admit i've been a bit lazy on the blogging since we got back from travelling. So I thought I would just stick a selection of pictures from what we have done over 2012, enjoy !!!!!

January : Visiting relo's in Australia.

February: Taking a cat for a walk in South Africa !!!

March: Made lots of new friends in Tanzania !!!!!

April: Back hope in Scotland, but still lots of adventuring to do !!!!

May: Exploring Edinburgh !!!

June: Back overseas !!!!!!

July: Enjoying some lovely Scottish beaches.

August: Growing old gracefully at 40 !!!!

September: A wee trip to Amsterdam.

October: A couple of personal bests at the Dublin Marathon.

Novermber: Belfast !!!!

December: Finally winter caught up with us.

Christmas: Running with the pack again !!!!

We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2013.

Dean and Gillian.

A weekend in Belfast.

Been neglecting my blog a little bit over the summer, training for the Dublin marathon seemed to eat up all our time.  However I thought this would be an interesting one.  A few weeks ago Gillian and I went over to Belfast for the weekend to watch our friend Grant run for Scotland in the UK and Ireland Masters Cross Country championships.

We found Belfast to be a fantastic city, great pubs and friendly people.  We also visited the brand new Titanic exhibition and also took a  black cab tour along the Falls and Shankill roads to learn a bit about the troubled history of Northern Island.

Grant in his Scotland Running vest : Braveheart !!!!

Queens University Belfast

Guinness time in the Crown Bar with Grant and Dave Simpson (from Belfast)

Belfast street art.

Titanic Exhibition.

Outside the Titanic Exhibition.

Titanic dry dock.

Belfast City Hall

Republican Murals on the Falls Road

Republican Murals on the Falls Road

Bobby Sands who died in a Hunger Strike Whilst imprisoned by the British.

The peace wall dividing Catholics from Protestants.  Imagine if you had to build a cage round your back  garden.

King William of Orange on the Unionist Shankill Estate.

Battle of Talavera, The Duke of Wellington was an Irish Protestant.

A little warning : You are being watched !!!

The story behind the Red Hand of Ulster.  Two guys raced a boat from Scotland to Ulster to become the King.  One guy chopped his hand of and threw it onto the shore to become king !!!

The first King of Ulster.

Gillian, Dean and Grant at the Peace wall.

Melrose 13.1K Race

It was a beautiful late summer morning when Gillian and I drove down to Melrose to take part in a new Race, The Melrose 13.1k Road Race (Half Kilomathon).  The Race started from the old railway station in Melrose, then round the base of the Eildon Hills via Bowden.  It was pretty tough with some nasty climbs and fast descents.  We both had great runs finishing in the top 10.  The race was low key but very friendly and there was a sumptuous buffet afterwards.  

Beautiful morning in the Borders.

Born to be Wild !!! 

Gillian and the Eildons

Buffet Time

I won a spot prize

Tour de Forth

I've getting right into cycling this year, enjoyed watching Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky winning the Tour de France and then enjoyed Team GB successes (and failures) in the Olympics, so was keen to get involved in some cycling this year.  Gillian had just bought a lovely new bike and our friend Grant has just bought a new Team Belgium cycling top so we decided to enter this years "Tour de Forth".  Its a 70 Mile cycles from Edinburgh across the Forth Road bridge and along the North of the Forth to the new Clackmannanshire bridge and back along the south of the Forth back to Edinburgh.

It was a tough day on the bike, but the weather was good so we had a few stops and photos on the way .  100 Miles next ?????

Dean and Grant to the Start.  Dean was the Domestique (i.e. I get to carry everyones kit !!!)

Ready for the off.

Gillian about to cross the Forth road bridge.

Half way across the Forth

A lovely couple !!!!

Lunch stop at Culross !!

Time for a Whisky !!

And another !!!!

Hopetoun House

Dean, Gillian and the Sphinx !!!

Grant gives the Sphinx a ride !!!!

71.5 miles made it !!!!