How to destress my way!

Well, I have to say, it's absolutely ages since I have visited my blog! There have been various reasons for this, mainly, since retiring I have very little time to myself now!
The last few months have been a bit stressfull. Amongst other things we were wanting to do some alterations on our house, so set about getting an architect, well one that would actually do the work! Easier said than done. The plans were eventually drawn up and put in to the council, planning permission wasn't too bad to get, however getting a building warrant was a different ball game. Change of architect (the one that actually wanted the work!) eventually the warrant came through.
To keep sane during all this time, we found that locking the door, packing the car and going off paddling was the best destress we could get and as we seemed to have had more than our fair share of hassle, we have managed to probably have more than our fair share of paddling!
Since Orkney, I've managed to fit in my 4* OC training, not sure I'll ever be up to scratch for the assessment!

OC rescue practise

Next was a special paddle. I took the Kayakey Kid for his first sea "trip" in his own boat. He was delighted to be visited by a seal. 

A very happy Kayakey Kid

We've had a wonderful weekend paddling from Easdale, battling the currents, through the Corryvreckan, battling the wind, through the Cuan sounds, generally a bumpy, refreshing, but great time weekend!

The bridge over the Atlantic

It was an exhausting trip!

A weekend up on Skye doing rescue scenarios ended up with me only having half a set of spare splits - not happy! Tried to contact Celtic paddles to see if I could buy a replacement half, didn't even get a reply!

Me 'n' He having fun

Then there was the Scottish open canoe symposium up at Glenmore - more paddling up at Knockando, great weekend!

More OC rescues

More fun

Next we were up at Ratagan with the Lothian club, out round by Plockton, then a play down at Kylerhea. Another excellent weekend!

After the, we needed a wee warm up off in Florida. We did manage out in the Everglades for some paddling, however, there had been a lot of rain just before we arrived, as a result there were masses of hungry mozzies. We also managed to get a bit of diving down on the Keys with Turtles, Nurse shark, Barracuda, lots more. Fantastic holiday.

A couple of our paddling companions

Coming back from the lovely heat of Florida, we went straight up to be final sweepers for the Tay Descent. I have decided this is about the most soul destroying job of the Descent. We left after everyone, including the racers. We paddle the full course of 23 miles to make sure no one has been left behind or injured and never saw any other paddlers at all.

Glad to have finished!

It didn't seem long before we were now into the New Year which of course meant our New Year's day paddle. It was certainly breezy enough to blow away even the most stubborn of cobwebs, but good to be out again.

Our New Year's day jaunt

Out again on the 2nd, Inchcolm this time.

Still January, up at St Andrews this time where I managed to have a battle with a barnacle covered rock, the rock won!

February was pretty much taken up with our son's wedding, there are certain times even we don't go paddling!

Not a drysuit in sight! With No.3 Grandchild

In March we had a beautiful days paddling on Loch Lomond, stopped for lunch on Inchconnachan, spotted a Wallaby, then on to Luss for what else, but icecream!

Loch Lomond Wallaby

The following weekend was a SSKEG trip up on the Moray coast with Zoe. Big and bumpy conditions meant we couldn't get close in to the shoreline. Day 2 saw us having a great time with a surf session.

Into April with another SSKEG trip, our one this time, out to the May Isle, unfortunately a bit too early for the Puffins to have landed.

Rounding the May

Next weekend we had fun under the Forth Bridge playing in the faster flows with "An introduction to moving water" session.

Even more rescue practise!

The following weekend, we were back up at Ratagan, seeing the Leopard man's bothy, then stopping at Eilean Donan for icecream, where they thoughtfully put up a "wet floor" sign behind us!

Inside the Leopard man's bothy

Eilean Donan for ice cream

Still in April, we were up at Glenmore again for the CVC, this time I took up my river kayak and ended up on the middle Findhorn, then had a fabulous surf session the next day up at Sandend.

Time to warm up again, so off to Tenerife, no paddling, but we did get out diving, lots of Turtles and rays.

Me 'n' he again 

Going up!

So as you can see, we've had an extremely stressful few months! However, now that the building warrant has come through, the real stress begins! House has to be cleared again, quite how we have managed to fill it with so much junk already, I'll never know - we're never at home! At the end of May, the builders were starting. First off, walls were getting knocked down, so what did we do? We went paddling! This time to the Jersey seakayak symposium!

You should give kayaking a try!

Our early morning alarm caller!

During our recent visit to the Gulf coast, we were having a walk round Lovers Key, a place we've visited on previous holidays. Along the way we came across a couple of ladies who were paddling a double sit on top and were having a breather on this sweltering hot day. They were excitedly telling us about manatees and dolphins they had seen before announcing "You should give kayaking a try, it's great!" We still don't know what was funnier, the fact that we should "give kayaking a try" or the thought of Hubby dear and me in a double! - I don't think so!
A bit further on, we saw our own manatees and ospreys.

The not so slow resident tortoises

White Egret

Belted Kingfisher

We hadn't planned on paddling this part of our holiday, that was to come on our next leg, down in the Everglades. We've paddled this area a good few times before and we were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately the US Government had other ideas! They were on shutdown. The whole of the Everglades is a National Park and was closed. You'd think it would be impossible to close such a vast area, but no, they managed! So no paddling for us there. We were only there a couple of nights anyway, long enough to have one of their fabulous grouper sandwiches washed down with an ice cold Bud.

A smiling local!

Woody

Blue Heron

Little Green Heron

Enjoying Grouper pieces and cold beer

Our next stop and final part was down to Key Largo, a wonderfully laid back area popular for diving, but as we still hadn't had our paddle, we had a little visit into Florida Bay Kayaks to put this right. Organised for the next day, we arrived back at the shop bright and early and was then taken over to Ocean side at Garden Cove where we launched, not in layers of thermals and drysuits like our previous paddle up on Skye, but just our cozzies, buoyancy aids and sun screen - bliss! We headed off round Rattlesnake Key, thankfully no rattlesnakes were spotted! We then cut across to Sound Point where we spotted Spiny Lobster in the mangrove roots. We cut right across Whitmore Bight to save a bit of time, we had to get to the bottom of Sound Point before lunch when the tide would change and it was still a good distance off as we hadn't been paddling fast, nosying around the mangroves. We passed Willie Point, then on past El Radabob Key where we paddled over a massive Eagle ray and made it to the bottom on time. We stopped on a small chain of islands for lunch and a wee snorkel with lovely little Butterfly fish before cutting back across to South Sound Creek where we passed over a nurse shark. Once back inside John Pennecamp park we had to make a bee line for ice cream which we guzzled whilst watching large iguanas wandering around folks sitting on the beach! We then cut through a channel back to the Gulf side only to meet another couple of paddlers just coming off the water. On finding out we were from Scotland, they asked if we knew of Gordon Brown. Their jaws almost dropped when we described the last time we were paddling.

Hubby dear crossing over to Rattlesnake Key

Lunch stop on our own wee island

Crystal clear water

Heading into Largo Sound

Green Iguana

Cutting through the channel

Next day, up bright and early again and off for a couple of dives. I was a bit nervous as we hadn't been diving since last year, I needn't have worried. We went with Key Largo dive centre who were superb! Just Hubby dear, our dive master and myself. We were out at Molasses reef where the water wasn't particularly deep, 35 and 40', but wonderfully clear. Lots of fishes, eels, corals and sponges. Quite surreal looking up through the clear blue water to see a Caribbean reef shark cruising past in one direction and a large ray drift past in the other direction, just like being in a giant marine tank!

About to be pushed in?

Last pic before the waterproof camera was no longer deemed waterproof!

Black racer

Colourful Red Cardinal

 Unfortunately holidays come to an end - just as the American government opened for business again. We did manage a walk through the now opened Everglades before getting back on the plane.

Wild Orchids

The End