Eagles in the Glen

Wow….I saw this glow in the sky this morning. It was sorta red, merging into a deep blue. I didn’t recognise it and was scared. Then I remembered that this sometimes happens when cloud cover is minimal! It was the sight of the sun coming up.
 
I have a real ice phobia. The Olympic curling champion Rhona Martin once tried to encourage me to slide a bit of granite on the ice……I lied and said I had a dodgy back! Fortunately, despite the cold, the cycle path was ice free and I got up to the train station in one piece.
 
It was a different matter at the other end in Gleneagles, where I was heading to the Duchally Estate for a British Canoe Union thingy. Perthshire was looking resplendent in the sunshine and despite the cold, the road was relatively ice free, but all the verges and puddles were frozen solid.
 
I was having such a nice time so I decided to stay for an extra hour, not realising that trains were as irregular as a Donald Trump visit to Edinburgh’s Mosque Café! I had a Skype meeting at 17:30 with some people in the States. so went to the office for it. There was no way I wouldn’t have made it home in time.  
 
I then had another meeting, a very exciting one with an MSc. student in Dublin. I have 4 students to supervise for their projects.  I loved this type of role of supporting coaches at British Cycling, and doing the same sort of thing at a university is both a privilege and a huge responsibility. They’re paying quite a bit of money and are a very committed bunch.
 
After that Skype, I headed outside to cycle up to the train station. Ohhh, bloody no! I’ve got my timings nailed, but they don’t account for riding in a white out on snow covered roads. Staying upright on tiny Bromptom wheels was unlikely. Getting to Bridge of Allan station at 20:01 was bloody impossible. Rather, I folded up my bike and jumped on the bus with a bunch of students. A curly haired spectacled girl looked at me sheepishly. “Did the bus just slither?” I asked. “Yes” she said, looking quite scared.
 

I’m now sitting on the train safely after an eventful day, and if you’re reading this, you’ll know I got home safely too!