Angelique Kidjo

Ten years ago I watched Angelique Kidjo on Jools Holland, she was irrepressible and her music was infectious. I went out and bought the CD Ayé. It was the first of many. Last night I went to see her live at the Glasgow Fruit Market as part of Celtic Connections. She is a mesmerising live performer with more humanity than the entire Simon Cowell showcase. 

This was music for a better world and it was interspersed with beautifully constructed short stories of her passion for improving the lives of children. She is a UNICEF ambassador and dedicated to many causes: eradicating disease and poverty, saving young people from unemployment and, in all of these she is a champion for Africa. 

She electrified the audience and danced her way around the entire hall of a thousand well-lubricated Glaswegians with the energy of a twenty-something, not a 49-year-old who had only managed 2 hours sleep before travelling up to Glasgow. There are some good YouTube videos of her doing similar concerts in almost every continent and even a slot on Jools Holland, Agolo. If you get the chance, go and see her. She has musical depth and rhythm but is also a very special voice for the sort of world we should all aspire to in these dark days of austerity and selfish populism.

At Celtic Connections

Ben Lomond

Towards the Arrochar Alps

Summit looking NW

Loch Lomond islands

Saturday 26 January 2010
1005metres of ascent, distance 12 km., 4hours 48minutes

Ben Lomond 974m, 2hrs 33mins


This was the first munro of the year after a long walk over the Menteith hills yesterday afternoon and then a late night at the Angelique Kidjo concert. Alan Geddes had phoned on Friday, he was staying at the Lake of Menteith for the weekend, and we decided to have an easy day on Ben Lomond (or Ben Lemonade as it was spellchecked when I sent a text to Gregor in the Andes). The hill was plastered with new snow when I peeked out of the bedroom window in the morning. We had a late start and there were lots of walkers ahead who traced a dotted line against the persil white slopes to show the route to the summit. I had spotted Mark's car in the car park and when we were halfway up he came bounding down in his nearly new PDSA Berghaus red jacket. (My last visit up Ben Lemonade had been just over 2 years ago with Mark. We had spent the morning cantering along the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe and after a 2 hour drive round to Rowardennan in the afternoon we had set out at 4:00pm. It was Bonfire night and we watched some splendid firework displays from the summit on a perfect still winter's night. We were pleased with ourselves for attempting and enjoying such an absurd combination of hills.)  We spent a while recalling this and other crazy outings and generally catching up on life and gently steaming in the warm midday sun.

As Alan and I continued we emerged from the soft snow and the conditions became icy with ever increasing depths of snow above 600 metres. It gave me chance to put on my crampons for the final 150 metres of ascent to the sun kissed summit. The views to the west were stunning with light reflecting on the Arrochar Alps.  We had 15 minutes at the summit and I took photographs for various other parties before we started the descent.  The islands were like inkblots in the sparkling waters of Loch Lomond and we marvelled at the ever changing vista as the sun, sky and clouds mingled in a sort of celestial kaleidoscope. We were down by last light and home just after 5pm. A good start to the munro year and my right leg had stood up well  although still lacking the strength of its pair.

The Perfect Day for a Bonspiel -8 January 2010

The perfect day

Sadly not a Bonspiel

Lake of Menteith at dusk

Brush, brush, brush

Lake Hotel

For 15 days, the temperature had been below zero and the Lake of Menteith had frozen over by the New Year. The early curlers, made brave by whisky, were out on the ice by 3 January and speculation about a Bonspiel was growing by the day. Conditions were well nigh perfect on both the 7 and 8 January but instead of the authorities focussing on what precautions should be taken to facilitate a Bonspiel the Royal Caledonia Curling Club, Central Scotland Police and Stirling Council evaded any positive responsibility and instead hid behind Health and Safety matters and the opportunity to stage the Bonspiel was lost. Roads would need to be cleared, shuttle buses from the nearby villages provided, traffic control in place and a clear statement about risk being a matter of personal responsibity.

The issues should have been addressed in a positive fashion starting in earnest at the end of December but the overly long festive break meant that most authorities were not back until 5 January. By this time there was no time or appetite for constructive discussions and, with the roads clogged with snow and the fear of recrimination, the decision not to proceed was the sad but inevitable outcome. But it is a lesson for everyone: focus on seizing the day not strangling a unique event in what were blissful conditions. Our ancestors knew how to extract joy and fun out of severe winters, oh that we were not so risk averse.

We did the next best thing and had an amazing afternoon sauntering across the Lake in this magical arctic winter.

Buchaille Etive Beag

Buchaille Etive Beag - Stob Dubh

Buchaille Etive Mor from Stob Dubh

Gregor on Buchaille Etive Beag - Stob Dubh

Saturday, 3 January 2009

Ascent:       970 metres

Distance:    9 kilometres

Time:         3 hours 12 minutes  

Stob Dubh                   958m     1hr  25mins

Stob Coire Raineach   924m      2hrs 19mins

I had always intended to retire at some stage between 2008 and 2010. After a difficult year in 2008, when my father had died and work had become increasingly stressful, I had decided over the Christmas/New Year holidays to retire in late May 2009. I had begun to feel tired by the long hours of work and frustrated by the ever-increasing edicts and inspection from central government. I had also been diagnosed as having atrial fibrillation by the GP over the holidays. I drafted my retirement letter and would give 6 months notice when I returned to work on Monday. After 38 years of uninterrupted service and only a week off with a broken leg in all those years, it felt more like an earned freedom than a resignation. 

It was a perfect morning as Gregor and I left Aberfoyle at 9:00am and the views on the drive to Glencoe were outstanding in the early morning light. Unfortunately, by the time we reached Bridge of Orchy, high grey clouds had begun to fill the sky but the visibility remained good. It was a crisp winter morning with no wind as we started the walk at 10:45am with the temperature at -4°C. We followed the good path up the Lairig Eilde, there were patches of hard ice but it presented no problems. We climbed at a good pace to the bealach at 760 metres achieved in just 45 minutes. We had overtaken a dozen walkers and Gregor had charged ahead arriving 6 minutes ahead of me. We headed south for the summit of Stob Dubh first, it was hard-packed snow frozen hard but we were able to use previous boot steps to climb the excellent ridge that gave stunning views across to Buchaille Etive Mor.

We had some coffee at the summit and soaked in the excellent views in all directions. We returned to the bealach and ascended the northern top, Stob Coire Raineach, which provides a balcony view over Glencoe. Gregor was charging ahead again and we passed another 7 walkers by the time we had returned to the bealach for the third time and began the descent to the Lairig Eilde. There were several difficult patches of black ice that slightly slowed progress. We were down by 2pm and called in at Tyndrum for a roll and some chips to bring in the new year and celebrate my pending retirement.