Had great fun walking this afternoon walking over the Erskine Bridge. Been on my list of things to do in Scotland for a long time! So glad it’s been ticked off the list.
More photos from this set can be found at www.gordon-valentine.com/zenphoto/scotland/erskine-bridge/.
Merry Christmas you sexy lot!! Hope you all have a great day!!!
Since it’s that time of year again! Guess I better post this video again!! Yep for the third year in a row. Maybe I need to find a new one for next year!
Here are the first lot of photos from my second day of my mini tour of Scotland. Sorry no photos, at all from the first day. Due to the weather.
I did not travel far at all today. Just went to the local distillery, which is called Glengoyne Distillery. Just down the road from Killearn. Then I went to Balfron to take some photos of the “new” high school. The one I went to, is long gone!
Here is the very first photo of myself, wearing my new Castelli Presto Due Bib Shorts 2013. That I got from Wiggle today! Got to say, I am well pleased with them. Looking forward to the warmer weather. So I can start cycling wearing them!
I have ordered myself some new white Lycra shorts! I better say, I did order them, before I found out, how much my car, was going to cost to get fixed!
But I love white Lycra, so I don’t mind! They set me back £48, full list price is £80. So a saving of 40%.
Can’t wait to get them! And of course do many photos and vlogs wearing them :).
At least one good thing has happened today! After my car costing so much to get fixed! I now have the Internet back!! Not had a working phone line or Internet in the new house, till today that is!
We have moved from Demon Internet to BT Internet. Mainly so when the village gets superfast broadband, due next year. We’re ready for it! Since Demon only does ADSL. Also means I can watch BT Sport at long last!
Many of you will know, that I should have got to Scotland by now!! I was due to drive up on Sunday. But on Friday night on the way back from work, my car started to make a hell of a noise. So I took it to the local garage Saturday morning.
They took one look at it and said looks like one of the brake calipers have gone. They put it up on the ramps and trying to spin the back wheel and it just stopped!! So they told me, it was best not to drive it!
Just a new caliper cost £209! Then it needed a new break disc and pads. Then add labour to that. It came to a total of £492.62!
At least my car is back on the road. So I can now set off to Scotland in the morning. Some 48 hours later, then I was first hoping…
The Railway: First Great Western (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 22nd December 2014)
Documentary series following the staff of First Great Western. In this episode, as the deadline to re-open the mainline at Dawlish nears, engineers work around the clock to annul the threat of a landslide. At Paddington, onboard a special service with a Pullman silver-service dining car, chef Paul pulls out all the stops to impress a food critic and in the Cotswolds, station manager Theresa illustrates why her ‘firm-with-care’ policy has earned her the nickname ‘the smiling tiger’.
John Bishop’s Christmas (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 22nd December 2014)
John Bishop’s Christmas Show is an all-singing, all-dancing festive comedy spectacular. To help him bring the Christmas cheer, John is joined on stage at the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End by big names in music and comedy. George Ezra and Olly Murs both perform their hits from the year and Jack Whitehall, Jason Byrne, Katherine Ryan and the Horne Section are some of the comedy acts supplying the laughs. There are plenty of other Christmas treats and surprises along the way, including Mr Bishop performing a dance routine with 16 Tiller Girls.
Holby City (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 23rd December 2014)
Hospital drama. Elliot’s plans for a quiet family Christmas are derailed by the arrival of a friend in need. Arthur must step up when those around him are falling apart. Ric returns to AAU and manages to tread on quite a few toes.
The Choir: New Military Wives (BBC 2/HD | 8:30pm to 9:30pm | Wednesday 24th December 2014)
Two-part documentary following choirmaster Gareth Malone, as he forms a special Military Wives choir to perform at a World War I centenary prom at London’s Royal Albert Hall, alongside the cast of War Horse. It’s three years since Gareth formed the first Military Wives choir and since then the organisation has mushroomed with over 2,000 members around the globe. In this episode, Gareth works the wives harder than ever as they prepare to share the stage of the Royal Albert Hall with some of the world’s top professional musicians on the 3rd August – the eve of the day Britain entered World War I. The wives meet the National Theatre’s War Horse team who they will perform alongside, and the planned repertoire forces the wives to confront their own vulnerability. One of the serving wives makes the momentous decision to leave the armed forces. This episode culminates in Gareth and his 100-strong amateur choir giving a professional and emotionally engaged performance at the BBC Proms.
Doctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 6:15pm to 7:15pm | Thursday 25th December 2014)
The Doctor and Clara face their last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!
Miranda (BBC 1/HD | 7:15pm to 7:50pm | Thursday 25th December 2014)
Miranda has received two proposals – one from Gary and one from Mike. Will she choose one of them or will she run away from the pressures of relationships and the fear of not coping with being a wife?
Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 7:50pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 25th December 2014)
Drama about a group of midwives in 1950s London, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. The episode opens in 2005 with Jennifer Worth at home preparing for Christmas with husband Philip. She reminisces about the friends and colleagues of her youth at Nonnatus House, and as she talks there is a cut back to 1959. Rehearsals are under way for the Sunday School Christmas concert and while Chummy tries to choreograph dancing snowflakes, Trixie sets to work designing a Father Christmas outfit for Fred to wear. Chummy is enlisted to help run a poorly managed mother and baby home and with Patsy’s help succeeds in bringing some Christmas joy into the residents’ lives. Cynthia is drawn deeply into a case concerning two former residents of a Victorian mental hospital who have been left to fend for themselves and are barely coping. This causes Cynthia to make a life-changing decision.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.
Sports Personality of the Year 2014 (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 10:20pm | Sunday 14th December 2014)
After another fantastic year in British sport, Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan present the 2014 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, live from Glasgow’s Hydro Arena. This star-studded event features some of the greatest names in world sport and ends with the presentation of the famous trophy, with the winner chosen by viewers on the night. There are ten contenders for the main award and picking a winner will be tricky. Glasgow hosted a memorable Commonwealth Games with golden glory for many home nations’ competitors. In other sports, Rory McIlroy won two of golf’s majors, Lewis Hamilton became Britain’s record Grand Prix winner and Lizzy Yarnold struck Winter Olympics gold. Seven other awards will be presented, made up of Team and Coach of the Year, Young and Overseas Sports Personality, Unsung Hero, Lifetime Achievement and the Helen Rollason award, given for inspirational achievement in the face of adversity.
Wild Weather with Richard Hammond (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 15th December 2014)
Richard Hammond travels the globe in an attempt to reveal the hidden world of weather. Richard Hammond investigates the crucial role temperature plays. Without heat, there would be no weather – no clouds, no rain, no snow, no dust storms, no thunder and lightning. Richard sets off to find out about hot air with the help of a quarry and a massive hot plate discovers just why it is so hard to pull a sword out of snow. He discovers, by building his own massive dust storm with the help of a few friends and dust specialist Dr Nigel Tapper, just how sand from the Sahara bounces its way to the UK. In Canada he creates his own ice storm. He also drops in on Dan Morgan who creates lightning bolts in his lab, where Richard is able to see thunder and hear lightning with the aid of some special cameras, light bulbs and a few candles.
The Choir: New Military Wives (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 16th December 2014)
Two-part documentary following choirmaster Gareth Malone as he forms a special Military Wives choir to perform at a WW1 centenary prom at London’s Royal Albert Hall, alongside the cast of War Horse. It’s three years since Gareth formed the first Military Wives choir and since then the organisation has mushroomed with over 2,000 members around the globe. In this episode, Gareth sets out to audition as many of them as possible for his 100-strong choir. The wives usually sing pop songs, but Gareth has a repertoire of taxing classical pieces that were popular at the time of the First World War in mind. As rehearsals get under way, Gareth discovers that the wives’ dignity in the face of the constant threat of the death of their loved ones is as strong as ever, and the wives discover powerful parallels with their counterparts 100 years before them. The episode culminates in a performance at RAF Brize Norton for some of Britain’s last deployment of troops to return from Afghanistan.
Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 17th December 2014)
Vaughan goes to the police after Justin punches Allie, making a decision that could affect Justin’s entire future. Darren arranges a surprise for Grace but she’s not too happy about it.
George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 18th December 2014)
George attends a carol service in a 130-year-old flat-pack tin church – one of the earliest examples of flat-pack construction. Will visits a very different chapel that’s been meticulously transformed into a luxury home. George and Will help the country’s only female ice carver create a winter wonderland themed ice bar in Liverpool. The show catches up with some of George’s favourite builds of the year and there’s Christmas drinks in the garden of Joel Bird, winner of the Shed of the Year prize.
The Railway: First Great Western (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 18th December 2014)
Documentary series following the staff of First Great Western. In this episode, Cheltenham Spa station manager Richard finds it heavy going when he is swamped by 60,000 horse racing fans, just as the mainline at Dawlish is about to be reopened a crack is discovered in the sandstone cliffs above the line and driver Gary has to be quick on the draw when a pedestrian takes a perilous short cut.
Ice Road Truckers (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 19th December 2014)
Reality series following big rig drivers who tackle the frozen winter roads of the northern most parts of America. After declaring war on Polar Industries, Hugh heads north without waiting to give new recruit Todd a helping hand. Alex and Darrell navigate an unmaintained road to deliver a million-dollar load to a dam project, and Lisa gets the school bus moving.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.
Check out more of his work @ www.facebook.com/MichaelHamm
