Author: Gordon

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Crisp morning air snaps at my exposed legs, gravel scrunches under my feet. I start the timer and head off, full of purpose on this bright Sunday morning.

It’s cold in the shade of the trees but I know I will warm soon enough as the dappled light throws long shadows across the pathway. I follow the well trodden route down to the water, following the laughter of squabbling ducks which dash from shore to sanctuary as I pass.

Further along the loch opens up before me and adds a further chill to the passing breeze. In the distance a boat bounces on wave tops as it speeds north. I maintain a more sedate pace. Two legs on land.

A dog appears at a trot ahead of me, approaches, slows, and investigates me briefly from afar, before turning and leading the way forward. It’s a small wiry breed, tiny frantic legs pumping as it heads back from where it came, taking me to the jetty where it stops by its owner. I smile as I pass and continue on as the path starts to rise.

Soon I am climbing the hill, onwards onwards, one foot at a time, breath quickening, stride shortening, sweat forming. Pump those arms, focus a few feet ahead, smile at passerby as your legs ignite, calf muscles spasm, thigh muscles scream.

On it rises, steeper now, but I will not stop. It will not defeat me. I glance up ahead, not long now, I can do this. I am doing this.

And then the slope eases and flattens and I lift my head and look out across a grass covered hill, through spring buds on branches, to the mighty Loch below. The sun dashes through gaps in the clouds, splashes of astonishing colour sway in the breeze. I slowly fill my lungs and my pulse slows from a raging torrent to a syncopated melody.

I wander on, head high, lush green and dazzling blue fill my view.

I find my way to a park bench.

I sit.

I am here.

I am now.

I close my eyes and stay a while.

This year I’ve deliberately kept to a schedule here on this blog. Tuesdays and Thursdays I post something, Saturdays are for the Weekend Reading compilations, so aside from monthly roundups, I’ve gotten into a routine of writing. That was the point, to make myself write more.

Sometimes it’s a bit forced, but sometimes it feels easy. There have a been a few bits of creative writing thrown in and they have (I think) mostly worked, but overall it’s about getting used to writing. I had gotten away from it here, away from writing in my journal, away from any notion of picking up the novel I started as part of NaNoWriMo.

I think it’s starting to pay off though. I’ve kept the schedule here, I’m writing in my journal more often (important for other reasons) and more recently some ideas for my novel have started to percolate. I think the time away from it has helped and I’m hoping that, with an empty weekend (what a novelty!) ahead I can sit down and progress things a little.

That said, there will be large parts which I’ll be rewriting but that’s ok, I’m not actually as bothered by that as I thought I might be. I’m more excited that I’ve a clearer idea of some character motivations and hopefully they’ll push the story in a slightly different direction and help me get towards the end. Oh yeah, I’ve had the start and end figured out for a while, in fact I’ve probably had about 75% of the damn thing thought through until you get to the last quarter before the final chapter. There I seem to stall and can’t quite get a handle on how I get from X to Y before heading to Z.

I’m not sure if the blog schedule has helped, or whether it’s just now that I’m starting to get past last year and the flat move, and starting to look ahead. And in that very spirit I’m not focusing on why, just the act of writing itself.

Who knows, maybe this time next year I’ll be able to say I’ve written a book?

My recent move to a smaller flat was prompted by a few factors but I decided to use it as a chance to downsize and minimise my belongings.

Moving from a large roomed two bedroom flat to a small roomed one bedroom flat made more sense financially, and enforced a level of de-cluttering . That process was, in hindsight, the culmination of the last few years of trying to have less, but it was the push I needed to tackle some of the things I’d been avoiding; it’s easy to put off sorting through your clothes when you have a large double wardrobe for yourself, but not when you’ll only have a small single wardrobe in your new flat!

I’ve been in the new place a few weeks now, and I’ve mostly adjusted to living in the new space. There a couple of niggles but nothing major, and whilst I do have a jam-packed hall cupboard (which will get a sorting out this coming weekend), everything has a place and it’s starting to feel like a home. Next steps are to get some artwork up on the walls, which is prompting some interesting decisions as I don’t have the wall space to hang everything I own, and maybe a couple of new cushions (my new sofa came with two that match it but that’s not really the look I’m going for!).

There is the bonus of having a garage to use as well, which is holding my bike and a couple of boxes (tools and bike stuff), but overall I’ve fitted into the smaller space well.

Perhaps too well! I realised at the weekend that I have an entire small set of drawers that is empty, and a small bookcase which has some token items in it but which I could probably get rid of as well.

Longer term my aim is to replace what I have with better quality items, be they antique or not. I’ve still got a lot of IKEA furniture – two tall, one short bookcase, the TV unit, and two chest of drawers – that I will look to change out at some point, but there is no rush.

The other long term aim is to avoid the temptation to re-clutter! I’ve bought a few books recently and they are on the shelf alongside the other novels I’ve never read, but as soon as I’ve read them they’ll be passed on. Other than that, I’ve purchased a few household items to help organise the space I do have a little better and I think that’s where I’ll be focusing short-term. A few smart ideas to help store things, to make the space look bigger than it is, and I should be sorted.

And then there are the vanity items. The aforementioned cushions fall into that bracket, but the purchase of my lime green sofa was part of a deliberate move away from duller colours (my living room was mostly dark browns and deep reds before) to embracing colour far more. A few tweaks here or there (and possibly the purchase of a dark mustard yellow coloured footstool) and I should be set.

I do enjoy this aspect of being in a new space, a chance to re-invent through necessity, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I’m also re-inventing myself; counselling for the mind, bootcamp for the body. A friend of mine commented as much recently, saying that he was proud of me for getting help with these things, and that I was setting an example, tackling all of this at once.

And for once I’m doing my best to take his compliment to heart. I am doing a lot, I am working hard physically and mentally, and this weekend, after I returned from bootcamp and I sat on my newly delivered sofa, I looked around my new living room and smiled.

TL;DR – my tweet from last night:

Despite the fact the ‘parent’ restaurant (111 by Nico) was a 2 minute walk from my last flat, I only ate there once but it was a fantastic meal. So when I heard about this new venture, and started reading the reviews, I was desperate to try it out.

The premise is simple enough, as explained on their website:

A NEW RESTAURANT EVERY SIX WEEKS
Six by Nico will be home to a series of carefully curated and constantly evolving restaurant concepts.
Each six weeks, Nico and his team will serve a brand new six-course tasting-menu – each one themed upon a different place or memory.

We were there on Tuesday night, catching the tail end of the first six weeks of the restaurant – “The Chippie: A nostalgic nod to the traditional Fish and chip shop, this restaurant will showcase the ‘Best of British’ flavours for which the UK is famed for worldwide.” – and yes, it includes their take on a deep fried mars bar.

Entering the restaurant (at 9:15pm on a Tuesday night, one of the few mid-week seatings that was still available when I booked) you are warmly greeted and welcomed to a very stylish place. The first thing you’ll notice is the kitchen, open to the restaurant. The decor is dark but not gloomy, refined without feeling like it’s trying too hard. We were sat in the table by the door, right next to the kitchen area. Only downside was the draught from the front door but that’s mostly down to people not knowing how to shut a door properly (although could be ‘fixed’ by installing a taller glass panel at the back of the booth perhaps?). Even the menu and wine list shared the same high quality, muted appeal.

Safe to say the attention to detail was great, all the way down to the old school salt and vinegar condiments on the table, just like you get in a Chippie. Clever touch.

The staff were great. Friendly, relaxed, and clearly well drilled. They knew what they were talking about, explained each of the six dishes as they were presented to us and, always a good sign, they had definitely all tried the food. So, when you are trying to figure out what that extra component in a dish was, they can help tell you it was probably the tuna in the broth…

Anyway, on to the food. As it’s a set taster menu, you don’t really have to do much other than choose your drinks. We didn’t go for the wine pairing (this time), but felt it rude not to also get the Snacks & Bread prior to the first course. And boy did it set the tone for what lay ahead.

I had checked out the full menu beforehand and at first glance I was a little bemused…

1. Chips & Cheese
2. Scampi
3. Steak Pie
4. Special Fish
5. Smoked Sausage
6. Deep Fried Mars Bar

But of course there is a lot more to it than that, what we actually got were six dishes that were excellent prepared, beautifully presented and would grace the finest tables in the land! Specifically (and to be fair, I’m playing fast and loose with the menu here, it’s clearly articulated on their website):

1. Crisp potato cannelloni with crowdie mousse
2. Scrabster monkfish cheek, squid ink and herb emulsion
3. Speyside beef shin, onion choucroute and brioche
4. Shetland cod with sea vegetable, pickled mussels and taramasalata
5. Ayrshire pork with black pudding, apple and celeriac
6. Salted caramel, chocolate nougat, malt parfait

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Without fail, every dish elicited high praise from our table, usually through a quiet contemplative silence as we all just sat and savoured the fresh flavours and wonderful combinations, knowing nods as each mouthful revealed another contrast of flavour or texture, and cleared plates at every pass.

I’m stopping short of trying to describe each dish, largely because I don’t have the vocabulary but each one displayed the same core thinking. Take ‘know flavours’ and distil them down to their core, then present them in clever ways in dishes that were without fault.

A small example, accompanying the cod dish there were small morsels of crumb which tasted exactly like salt and vinegar batter. As each of us discovered these on the plate we all had the same look of delight on our faces as we were transported back to the chippies of our childhood.

The real kicker to all of this? The one thing I still can’t quite get my head around given the quality of what is on offer? All of this, the staff, the service, the fantastic food… £25 for the taster menu (all in with starters and wine, we were £40 a head), £25! Amazing value.

They announced the new menu for the coming six week stint and by the end of our meal we had already booked to go back in a few weeks. Can’t really give it higher praise than that and, as I said, I’m not sure I have the words to do so.

Two down, eighteen to go!

I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into when I signed up for the Summer Boot Camp at AG Fitness, but with the first week complete I’m (already) glad I did.

The sessions – run on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings – are HIIT based (oh yeah, I’ve got all the lingo now!) aka High Intensity Interval Training , which is exactly what it sounds like. A new form of hell on earth!!

OK, it’s not actually that bad; there is a range of exercises which you rotate through, we did a set of 6 repetitions of each; 15 secs exercise, then 15 secs rest on last Wednesday night. I’ve already got some favourites (ones that I find easy) and some really-not-favourite-AT-ALL (ones that are mostly pain, and suffering, and ouchy making). They are all designed to exercise different muscle sets, and ranges of motion, some of which I didn’t even realise existed, I’m learning so much!

It is hard work but it is rewarding. Admittedly after the very first session I was a bit wobbly, and close to throwing up, but I’m putting that down to a crap sleep the night before, and possibly not eating enough so I ran out of energy towards the end, and I was probably pushing myself too hard during the exercises as well (the last three I did were half-efforts at best). After the second session (at 9am on a Saturday morning, which is just cruel) – which was fewer exercises but 30 seconds long – I didn’t feel as bad.

And I’m sure I’ll get use to my muscles aching ALL the damn time, right?

There are 12 of us doing boot camp, so every session we split into groups of four and work through the exercises. From pushups and planks, to russian twists and battle ropes, with added kettlebell fun and even a set on the heavy punch bag (picture your favourite politician and go!), it’s varied, and as you are only doing each exercise for 15 secs at a time it’s… manageable.

Part of bootcamp inlcudes an (optional) one hour nutrition session, which was very useful as it was aimed at making sure we were eating the right kind of food to give us the energy to do the exercises. I finally understand what all that macros stuff is about – bootcamp, exercising your body AND your mind, who knew!

It’s been fun so far, and a lot of credit goes to our trainers Juan and Andy, both of whom keep things relaxed and friendly, and very far removed from what I imagined a boot camp to be. Add in some good music being belted out, plus the support everyone in the group is giving each other, and I’m already considering signing up for the next session. One step at a time though!

And I guess that’s what has surprised me the most, how much I’m enjoying it. I’ve been a member of numerous gyms in the past and never stuck with them, I’ve tried a one-on-one personal trainer but that just felt awkward, but working out in a group, in a great environment, really helps. The last time I actually enjoyed exercising was when I joined jogScotland (alas my wonky knee permits much running these days) and I know the camaraderie of exercising with others is a big part of how this works (for me at least). Ohhh and a small added bonus is the Facebook group where we can share our common moans that seem to kick in a couple of days after each session; ‘sneezing really hurts’ and ‘I didn’t even know I had muscles there!’ being the most common, so far.

Despite the torture… sorry, “carefully crafted exercises”, I’m really enjoying it, even though it has highlighted just how unfit I’ve gotten the past few years. I’d say if you are in the Glasgow area, and have been wary of doing something like this, I heartily recommend giving it a try.

Keep an eye on the AG Fitness Facebook page, or their website, for the next one.

Ohh and there were (optional) “before” photos taken as well, I’ll share that and the “after” photo in about 18 weeks time!

* I was in no way asked, paid, prompted, or cajoled to write this. To be honest, I’m hoping if the trainers read it they might go easy on me in the future!! (haha, no chance!)

Last year I bought a 12.9″ iPad Pro to replace an ageing 2012 MacBook Air which, like its owner, is noticeably slowing as time passes.

I did my usual round of research before making the jump.

I love my MacBook, is does everything I need but the screen is a shortcoming, especially these days switching from iPhone/iPad to the MacBook was jarring. I could’ve gotten a retina screened MacBook but that’s when the second consideration kicked in (our old friend money).

For a lot less moolah I could get a gorgeous big retina screen, if I switched to an iPad and having seen pictures of the 12.9″ retina screen I was very tempted.

I had an iPad Air and a bluetooth keyboard already so had a sense of what I could, and couldn’t, do if I switched operating systems. I then spent 20 mins or so in the Apple Store trying the iPad Pro out and came away convinced I could make the switch.

And I’ve been pretty happy with the decision. Over the past year or so I’ve rarely used my MacBook and, other than still needing to get a better keyboard, if feels like it was the right thing to do. Also, the Apple Pencil is a thing of simple wonder (and no, I can’t draw for shit, but it sure is fun trying).

But.

Well, of course there is a but…

The other day I was looking for some old photos and needed to fire up my MacBook to attach an old external drive. It was odd going back to a laptop (I use one at work but it’s Windows and that switch is odd enough) and I had to stop myself from touching the screen several times.

However, after about 10 mins the old muscle memory returned and it felt… faster, quicker, I felt like I wasn’t being hindered by the device I was using, something I hadn’t really noticed when I started using the iPad Pro, probably because I was busy re-learning how to do things, rather than noting how quickly I was managing to do them.

The iPad Pro hardware is much faster to react to things within an app but as I Alt+Tab’d my way around the MacBook I realised that one area where the iPad is lacking is in just this kind of multi-tasking. It is possible to do what I was doing on the iPad but because it’s using iOS, and crucially I have to take a hand off the keyboard to four finger swipe between apps, it left me with the impression that I was working faster on my MacBook than I could manage with my iPad.

And it was noticeable enough that it’s been bothering me (bothering me enough to write a post about it!).

What was going on?

Was it just because I’ve been using macOS (OSX) for so long now it’s more familiar than iOS, so feels more comfortable and, somehow, ‘faster’? Was it because I still don’t feel like iOS is fully suited to ‘work’ (even though I’ve been using it that way for a while now)?

I’m not sure, and maybe it’ll just take me more time to feel comfortable with iOS as my main interface. But (there’s that word again) it’s been a year, so if I’m not used to it by now, well, will I ever be?

Maybe it’s because I use a computer all day at work (an IBM ThinkCentre black box with a keyboard and a mouse), and have done for cough years, and that re-enforces the notion of ‘getting things done’ that is still mentally mapped to that form of working, hands on keyboard. Or maybe it’s my physical model that needs to adjust to the mix of movements that iOS requires? I can’t help but think that periodically lifting a hand to the screen and away from the primary input device still feels wrong.

Or maybe it’s because I’m a power user, I use a lot of keyboard shortcuts and inherently, because of the limitations of iOS in that department, it will never feel as fast.

Who knows.

The only problem I have now is that the thought is in my head and the lure of new shiny is strong.

Because, new shiny!!

And I am weak.

So so weak.

P.S. This is not a long winded way of saying I bought an new MacBook. Honest.