New Home, Christmas and Shinty on the Beach!

Here comes another year! Saying goodbye to 2013 is somewhat of a relief at the moment. It seems to have started with my Dad being unwell and ended with myself being unwell but the adventures I have had in the meantime have more than made up for the worries! Last year's Hogmanay was hard to beat but I feel like I ended 2013 with equal style.

The last few months have been a blur of moving house, diabetes worries, several Christmas's and New Year on Mull! The moving house part was all very quick as it took six weeks from starting to look at house to actually moving into one. We were very lucky to find the perfect place and we are now proud owners of a bookshelf full to the brim of climbing guidebooks. Very happy bunnies! Our first Christmas was early december down in Suffolk with my Grandparents, second Christmas was on the day itself with Ali's family, third Christmas was on the 27th with my Mum and 4th Christmas was all rolled into New Years festivities with my Dad and Brother on Mull. Somewhere in the mix, my doctor called to tell me my blood sugar was almost certainly pointing towards diabetes, which is unfortunate but I feel a little more justified in my tiredness now! New Year was superb, involving vast amounts of food, scottish dancing, whisky in a wild bothy, and shinty on the beach with homemade sticks.

Thankyou to everyone who contributed to to my Christmas and New Year moments, thank you Ali for being patient as I yawn my way through life at the moment, hello to our new lodgers and hello to 2014!

Ali on a gruelling, wet, slimy slab in  Glen Nevis.

Ali playing on the Sands of Morar, on a dodgy rope swing with two anchors that threw us around like rag dolls...

 Exploring Steall Falls, Scotland's 3rd highest waterfall, with Kate, Dieter, Kees and Ali

 Kate crossing the Nevis precariously.

 Looking out of the Nun's Cave near Carsaig, Mull

 These guys made most of our day smell like goats cheese. Wild Mullian Goats near Carsaig.

 Weapons at the ready, lining up in preparation for the annual Ardalanish Shinty match. This is quite a unique event. Imagine 60 players, two balls, a gradually receding pitch, ever changing goals, cheeky referees, very few rules, homemade shinty sticks and an age range easily covering 6 and 60. Not to mention countless dogs throwing themselves into the mix, at least 40 onlookers cheering for anyone and everyone and plenty of hot soup to help throw off the hangovers.

One of the many scrums during the shinty match.

For more awesome photos see Ali's page http://www.mountainstotheseaphotography.com/2014/01/happy-hogmanay/

or if you are friends with her, Alice has some wonderfully funny photos of the New Year shenanigans!

Have a good 2014 full of adventures and fun!