Doddie Aid - Week 4 - Part1

Week four started with a quick climb up Traprain Law, the ponies were sheltering down at the bottom, casually snacking on the gorse bushes.  I was within touching distance of the car when I fell like a sack of spuds!  I spotted the woman getting in to the car next door was sporting a similar look and also getting a towel out of the boot to sit on.  On the Sunday I noticed that this was the first week I had closed all the movement and exercise rings on the fitness App on my phone since the week before I tested positive for Covid last May (got a wee medal!)  On Wednesday I took a day off work and we ventured to Corstorphine Hill for the first time ever.  There is a five story hill tower, a walled garden and a quarry which contains an underground nuclear bunker, plus we spotted the Edinburgh zoo zebras.  We also investigated the deluxe Ormiston bug hotel (garden goals!) and the Burns Night inspired post box topper. 

Getting ideas?

Prickle having a lesson with gold medal winning Olympian Tom McEwan.

Doddie Aid - Week 3

Started on Sunday with a walk around Gifford community woodland, as you near Broadwoodside the owners of the farmhouse have added wee points of interest and random sculptures, some of which we spotted.  Then after a coffee and scone we had a stroll around a very quiet Gosford Estate.  This weeks close to home walks have been improved by the addition of a few inches of snow and blue skies though a quick trip to the office highlighted the more dramatic scenery of the Borders.  Ended the week with a walk around Humbie Church woods, apparently famous for harbouring the only colony of the North African herb, Cochlearis Megalosperma in Scotland (not that I would know it if it leapt up and bit me to be honest!)

Doddie Aid - Week 2

Sunday's walk was along the Longniddry to Haddington railway walk, other than being flat, mostly mud free and socially distanced from the fridge there is little to recommend it as a walk.  Nothing much of any interest in either direction!  No bonus bank holidays this week so a quick swing round my local loop Monday lunchtime.  Photo shows the rear view of one of my pet hates and I am grumpy as I lost today's game of Patriarchy Chicken, wiped off the path by the self importance of some limp looking yoof.  Midweek walks have been investigating my nearest wood, Woodhall, good for rainy day walks and it will be stunning in the Spring when the Rhododendrons are flowering.  Saturday was more exploring of the Winton estate walks from the Pencaitland side.  All in all a week hampered by work and weather, hopefully a better effort next week!

Doddie Aid - Week 1

I am not normally one for New Years resolutions but the turn of the year seems a good time to give myself a shake up and get moving again.  I signed up for Doddie Aid where you log your exercise for six weeks.  There was only time for a short walk on NYD, Craig turfed me out the car and I did a few miles back along the Pencaitland railway walk, passing the totem poles on my way home.  Two of these wood carvings tell the history of the community, coal mining and market gardening and the third is today's wildlife.  Bright blue skies on the 2nd so a longer walk taking in Threipmuir Reservoir, Harlaw reservoir, Red Moss nature reserve which is a peat bog up to 6m deep in places and skirting round Loganhouse Black Hill to the Green Cleugh path.  The 3rd was my last day off work so I started to investigate the tracks around Winton estate for their suitability for pony hacks, definite possibilities if we can avoid the donkeys of doom...  Finished up the first week with a very soggy stroll around Butterdean woods.  As we were leaving we spotted the wood louse sculptures by David Freedman, there are a further three sculptures in the woods by him including an amazing looking Celtic pig so we will return to hunt them down.

Good effort Prickle

Susan posted this on Facebook titled "When you decide to have an indoor jumping lesson with a new instructor"!