Ben More and Stob Binnein

The guidebook introduced this route by saying "it is not so much a walk as a challenge". Robbie and I tend not to take these things too seriously as the books have to take into account walkers of all levels, but by the end we admitted that was the perfect intro after all.

For starters there were two rivers to cross. The first crossing resulted in my lower half getting soaked. The second was this - no room for false steps or it was down a waterfall!

After a forest walk and the hopping of a deer fence or two, we had our first proper view of the two main peaks we'd be climbing, Stob Binnein (1165m) on the left and Ben More (1174m) on the right.

It had been warm lately, but lots of snow still on the hills. And much more to come as we'd discover. There aren't proper paths as such, so it was a lot of scrambling and looking for a ways to go up. After several hours of this, and after climbing Stob Coire an Lochain, the way up to Stob Binnein became quite clear.

And then the first peak, Stob Binnein - which was absolutely covered in the white stuff. Felt more like the Alps than a Scottish hill in March.

From this angle I was a bit nervous - if it was going to be this snowy at this altitude, it would be tough going what with having to avoid snow filled holes and the like. Luckily we found that the other side was relatively snow free so the climb up Ben More would be a bit more managable.

And finally to the top of Ben More! It felt great, but we were exhausted. And now we had to get back down through the snow, and it was a bit later than we'd hoped at this point.

And sure enough, the decsent was tough going. The snow patches were basically ice on this side, and it was hard to keep yur footing. In the end, once we determined that we could steer, we got on our asses and slid down the icy patches. Scary but exciting as hell!

As you can imagine, as the sun went down it got pretty damn cold. And we did slightly lose our way near the end which resulted in us following the old advice - if you get lost, find a river and follow it out. Which is exactly what we did and it worked. So came out sore, wind-beaten and soaked, but definitely the best hillwalk yet.

"The Smiths - were just a band"

Check out this track by Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius called "Thou Shalt Always Kill". Brilliant observational lyrics and catchy track too. More than a few Britishisms to confuse the Canucks though...

Travis @ ABC

One of the morning DJs put it best last week when he said there is something incredibly comforting about Travis being back.

Last night we caught one of their warm-up shows before the new album release and UK tour. Crowd was excellent, sound was great and the band seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Wee Fran and co. just come off as really likeable folk. Travis have been accused of putting out music that is a bit twee, but their live show is full of energy and quite frankly properly rocks.

They previewed several new songs which all sound really promising. Check out the first single "Closer".

Concert Report

It's been pretty hit and miss so far this year. And while I wouldn't say there have been a lot of "misses", there have been a lot of underwhelming shows that have bordered on disappointing. And sometimes - well, Sloan put it best: "It's not the band I hate, it's their fans".

Case in point - The Fratellis. Nice little album, fun band. But they seem to be a beacon for every lager idiot in this country. It's almost like the show is just a place to get pissed and be annoying before hitting the clubs. I've bitched about this one before, but what is the deal with buying a plastic pint, finishing half of it, and then launching it into the crowd? And since I'm taller than most, my head seems to be a nice target. I'm just grateful that so far everytime I've been hit it has been cold liquid that I get covered with - if it is ever warm, I'm swearing off gigs for life.

But before I'm accused of getting too old for this (the thought did cross my mind), there was the Rifles gig at the Garage. Still guitar based music, same kind of musical demographic, but folk were there for the music. No flying pints, no slamming into people for the sake of it. And with the band on fine form, this was one of the best gigs so far this year.

Bloc Party put on a nice little show - their drummer has got to be one of the best in the business - but we didn't manage to get tickets to the Glasgow show so had to go to Edinburgh. It doesn't seem far away on the weekend, but getting home to Glasgow on a school night is a nightmare so that by the time you get home you wonder why you bothered.

I've got mixed emotions about the Killers. I still think they released the song of 2006 (Bones), but they do take themselves far too seriously. A show at the SECC is already a bad start, but the band seemed to just go through the motions. It all sounded and looked nice enough, but reeked of "corporate rock show" that rehearsed to death. I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier?

Madviolet - they can harmonise like nobody else, and they're still gorgeous.

Guillemots - they've got some great songs, but they've also got some overblown artsy rubbish. A bit too much of the latter.

Junior Boys - gorgeously produced last album, but their electronic thing just doesn't work live.

So far, the best gig this year has to be from Newmarket, Ontario's own Tokyo Police Club. Nice n' Sleazy's was jam packed, the crowd was up for it, and the band was brilliant. Each song a 2-minute gem, and driven by some great bass lines. Couldn't help but notice that I was probably the only one there who would have to get up and go to work in the morning though!

Ben Venue

My first hillwalk of the year. And with views like this, I ask myself why I don't do this every week.

Vigelandsparken

I quite like the way the pics from Vigelandsparken turned out, so here are a few more. I'll take the high road and let you make your own shrinkage jokes!

Wind, Rain, and 2007

Is it too late to say Happy New Year?

What a great bit of time off that was, but man did it ever go quickly. As for New Year's Eve, it is still the single most overrated day on the calendar. But I guess this time was amongst the better ones. Went out in Glasgow, and then caught Hot Chip and a DJ set at the Old Fruitmarket. Funny though - I've only been in Scotland for New Year's Eve twice, and just like last time the wind was so crazy that most of the events across the country were cancelled. Luckily ours was indoors, so it was all good. But I've never seen Glasgow city centre so dead in my life. They had expected at least 20,000 to George Square alone for the outdoor concert.

Also managed to make it over to Oslo, Norway for a few days beforehand. A great city, highly recommended. Very clean, very safe, very picturesque, and yes, very expensive. Spent the day soaking in the atmosphere and checking out the excellent museums, all broken up with trips to the top class coffeeshops found throughout the city. Turns out Norwegians spend their holiday time with family, so the nightlife was pretty quiet. But by asking the right questions, we found some brilliant wee restaurants and pubs off the beaten track. And they managed to recover Munch's recently stolen "Scream" so we were able to see that in person (which was very nice of them).






Oslo city centre. Good vibes. But baby, it's cold outside.

A 13th century stave church that was relocated to the wonderful open-air Norse Folk Museum, north of Oslo. Real viking ships in the museum next door too!












Probably the highlight of the trip - the enchanting (I don't use that word lightly!!!) Vigelandsparken which is a park full of sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The sculptures were wonderful in their own right, but even more so arranged as they were throughout the park. The frost covering was the icing on the cake.

There and Back Again

What a strange working month December has been. I'd managed to save up two weeks of holidays, so I've only had to work one week to earn a full month pay. Works for me.

Refreshed the Maple Syrup portion of H+MS with a teasingly short trip back home. Cheers to my cousin Ally and her new husband Simon for the invite to their wedding. It was a really good time, and provided a great reason to get all the family together for an occasion other than Christmas. Cheers to the Ottawa boys who were able to make it to Toronto on a Monday - good times. Cheers to Steve and Rachel for having us over to their new place - it was great to catch up and be introduced to the newest member of the MacMillan clan. And finally managed to meet up with Lisa and Randy for the first time since I first came to Scotland (nearly 5 bloody years...madness!).

I experienced my first Christmas in Scotland this year, which perhaps unsurprisingly is pretty much exactly like Christmas back home but with different accents. Some great eating and drinking at Fi's parents place. Though admittedly a bit nostalgic about being away from home.

2006 is not quite done yet! Off for a quick getaway, and then one more concert to send off the year. And then 2007 (my last year as a 20-something...!).

Pan's Labyrinth

A rare case of where the UK gets a film release before Canada!

But when it comes out, you must see this movie. Stunning.

The Feeling w/ Captain @ Glasgow Academy

I know it's Scotland and I should expect rain, but it feels like it hasn't stopped raining in weeks. And of course, of the cold November variety. So with puddle dodging and hydroplaning in the dark a normal part of my daily commute, a little sunshine was in order.

Which was to come in the form of The Feeling and Captain, two bands leading the revival of unashamedly radio-friendly hook-laden guitar pop. Up first Captain, bringing to mind the Stars girl-guy call/response and harmony sound, with lovely shimmery guitars. Going to see them for their own headline gig (last of 2006!!!) next weekend. Then The Feeling who is making 70's Supertramp style rock cool again. They were solid last time I saw them, but since then they've morphed into proper rock stars, complete with windmill guitar playing, tight trousers and suit jackets and high kicks. Ridiculous but awesome.

Though I couldn't help but think that the two bands were swapping notes when making videos...

Sewn by The Feeling


Frontline by Captain