We have whale...

Saturday night bbq - 10.30pm - Duncan checking out the sea with the the tripod mounted monocular... Minke whale sighting!

Kev and Dale were out doing a quick shakedown run on the boat and they confirmed the sighting by watching the Minke feeding on an ocean roiling with mackeral and sand eels.

Well done to Duncan for spotting a whale on day 1!!

Email blogging - Watching the dolphins and whales of the Moray Firth

On the rooftops shouting out, baby I'm ready to go

Three and a half hour meeting just winding down. Tick tick tick.

I'm all ready. Everything is packed at home, had to borrow my girlfriend's pannier today to not disturb my carefully packed ones. I totally over packed but then I always do. I just have to figure out how to drag all that stuff 53 miles. Maybe I can offload my sleeping bag onto one of the bus riders which was the only thing that didn't fit neatly into my panniers.

Click, out of the office message on. Let's hope it doesn't rain too much.

Kerry.

Dump all those items! In fact, dump all the kit they are affiliated to aswell! You're gonna be at the bottom of a cliff, with a bit of electric on a key meter!

Is it...

Is it perfectly normal to be packing...

• a laptop charger
• a blackberry charger
• a Nokia charger
• a Nintendo DS charger
• a Ipod charger
  
• a video camera charger

or do I have technology dependency issues?

Answers in the comments please! :-)

One day to go…

Ok, really starting to get excited now! One day to go before we board the Caledonian Sleeper at Euston station and head off on our expedition.

Internet access permitting we will update the blog every night, so set up a RSS feed to get the latest updates delivered to your blog reader or Outlook every morning.

Making a list, checking it twice

Just about ready to go. Finally got my doctor to sign my note certifying that I'm healthy. I had two nice swims in Loch Tay in Scotland and at Boulmer Haven in Northumberland, so I'm ready for a few cold water swims. Went on a cycle tour of the Trossachs a week ago, 450 miles, over a few hills, so I should be prepared for that big hill to Gardenstown. On my way back from Scotland, we stopped off at Seahouses in Northumberland to see the Farne Islands. My bird spotting skills should be finely honed now then. (As well as my reflexes for ducking from those frightening Arctic terns.) It rained on me a lot this week in London (freakishly it didn't rain at all for my week tour last week in Scotland, I thought I was in the wrong country) so I should be prepared for rain now too. I've doubled check my train reservations, they always always mess up bike reservations.

Packing, hmm, better start doing that and not just let that go until the last second, as always.

MESSAGE FROM THE GOOD DR!

Being a techno plonker, Kev has failed to open a Gmail account, despite spoon fed instructions! ha ha! Anyway, here's his message to you all - not to me, obviously, 'cos I can't come - waahhh!

Bev

Dear All

Very much looking forward to meeting you this Saturday! Seems we have another heat wave on its way this Fri, just in time for your arrival, so all looking good weatherwise this end too! Hopefully, BBQ to greet you on your arrival then?

Just to wish you all a safe trip to Scotland. Any problems with your connections etc, we can be contacted on 01261 851696.

Best wishes

Kev & team

Excitement mounts - countdown begins!

Well, the excitement is mounting. The team is making frantic last minute arrangements - mostly along the lines of: what pub shall we meet at? will I have enough time to make the train? will I find everyone else? how will we know each other? will the bar car on the sleeper train be able to cope?

So, we'll all be wearing red carnations and hanging around Euston looking lost and dubious come Friday evening!

I am only joking of course - under Steve's watchful, organisational eye we all have all the details we need. We know where to meet and when and how we'll spot one another. In fact, it feels as if we know each other already so my guess is we'll make a great team.

I have it on good authority (Bev de V) that whales and dolphins have been seen aplenty in the Moray Firth over the last week or so, Pine saw 2 minke whales and about 20 dolphins up there a couple of weeks ago. So let's hope they're hanging around for us!

Looking forward to meeting everyone and starting our crazy celtic cetaceous caper!

Amber