Minirolls Musings

BIRD 2025 – Qualifying Day

I got back to the whoop haus after setting up, later than planned. I think I got 5 hours in bed, but nerves and the intermittency of the van heater meant I got much less. The alarm went off 10 mins after I was awake, my internal clock anxious to get going.

Look a Little Loch

Last full day in Scotland of our little holibobs and we are taking an easy stroll around a little loch. It’s still 6km, but relatively flat.

Daito on Dun Da Lam

This morning Daito discovered pheasants outside the kitchen window, just in front of a field full of ponies. It’s like a TV cooking show for dogs.

Old Man of Storr

It seems to be that out on Skye, the weather is best in the mornings. And as much as we wanted to stay in this beautiful cabin to watch the sun rise over the mountains (we have already wondered about coming back here in summer on the motorbikes) it was time to go. So last night, after failing to get some car light trail photos, we packed up the majority of our stuff so we could be up and out early.

Weather Windows

Today the wind sang thru the trees surrounding the cabin, whistling around the sharp modern corners and bumping into the panes of glass. The trees shook their limbs angrily at the clouds spraying them relentlessly with tiny shards of ice and freezing water.

Watching the frantic weather from within the cabin, we sat and stared out the huge windows. Only visible from the distorting dribbles of rain coursing down the surface, the glass separated us from the cold and wet. Yet, allowed us to be surrounded. I think the enjoyment of watching such a show comes from a mix of awe and smug defiance.

Fairy Pools Flowing

Up this tiny single track road, with passing places we wriggled up into the hills again. And as we did, the weather started to turn. It had been so good this morning, we actually had a view for most of it. Driving along we kept stopping for photos, or to ask a pig if he was meant to be crossing the road on his own.

Dead Arm

Your finger can bleed a remarkable amount. It had soaked thru the bandage A&E had given me, and then again the bandage our local GP wrapped it in. But I was back at the hospital so someone would deal with it.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

This post contains some graphic injury photos. Don’t look at them if you’re a little queasy about blood… You’ve been warned.

Partial Finger Amputation

Things happened so fast and before I knew it I was bleeding. Quite badly. I rushed down to the kitchen and put my hand under the tap. The end of my finger almost completely flopped off and I suddenly knew I had to go to A&E right now.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

This post contains some graphic injury photos. Don’t look at them if you’re a little queasy about blood… You’ve been warned.

The Malle Mile Motorbike Rally

You know when you look at some of the advertising photos those expensive, hipster, scruffy-posh brands put out. The people look like their having such a jolly good time but you think, “ahhh its so pretentious, so staged…” Well this is that rally where they are taken. And you know what…

British Grand Prix Silverstone

What time is it? No… really? We are already at the circuit and we are arguably late. At 7 am! We had to queue to get in. We had to get a bus to get here. From a park and ride. At the other end of the A43. After an hour’s drive for picking up Cerb. After an hour and half drive from Stoke…. Yeah, I was up early. But not as early as it could have been. I did the drive from Stoke last night and stealth camped in the Birmingham suburbs. As you can tell from this blog entry, I survived un-stabbed.