Mauritius Blog Tracker » Selective Apathy… http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com Tracking Mauritian Blogs Sat, 18 Jan 2014 00:04:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Music: Pierre Medor – I found your heart http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/09/23/music-pierre-medor-i-found-your-heart.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/09/23/music-pierre-medor-i-found-your-heart.html#comments Wed, 22 Sep 2010 20:33:00 +0000 Selective Apathy... MySpace where he is described as a producer, a twitter page, a facebook page where he is described as the CEO of Medor music group and an entry on artistwiki with a song list. There is also a number of different pictures:

 
He seems to be part of Tha Cornaboyz (http://www.discogs.com/artist/Corner+Boys,+The), and from that first picture makes me think that is right and having listened to some of the songs credited to him I am very surprised he isn't more popular.
Have a listen to "I found your heart" below:



Like the majority of his songs I 've had a chance to listen to I found your heart is pure smooth RnB. Great lyrics - slowjam heaven. Have a listen to "How long does it take", "Perfect Girl" and so on. That's an album I would definitely buy.
But still I'm not sure who he is, anybody care to enlighten me?

Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information. 


]]> MySpace where he is described as a producer, a twitter page, a facebook page where he is described as the CEO of Medor music group and an entry on artistwiki with a song list. There is also a number of different pictures:

 
He seems to be part of Tha Cornaboyz (http://www.discogs.com/artist/Corner+Boys,+The), and from that first picture makes me think that is right and having listened to some of the songs credited to him I am very surprised he isn't more popular.
Have a listen to "I found your heart" below:



Like the majority of his songs I 've had a chance to listen to I found your heart is pure smooth RnB. Great lyrics - slowjam heaven. Have a listen to "How long does it take", "Perfect Girl" and so on. That's an album I would definitely buy.
But still I'm not sure who he is, anybody care to enlighten me?

Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information. 


]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/09/23/music-pierre-medor-i-found-your-heart.html/feed 0 Loch Lee and waterfalls circuit, Glen Esk – In Pictures http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/09/22/loch-lee-and-waterfalls-circuit-glen-esk-in-pictures.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/09/22/loch-lee-and-waterfalls-circuit-glen-esk-in-pictures.html#comments Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:00:00 +0000 Selective Apathy...
View over Loch Lee
My favourite walk this year, maybe ever. We did this walk a good while ago but as you may have noticed I will start again by saying I've not been posting as much as I should. The picture above showing me looking out over Loch Lee with Carlochy just below my feet sums up the walk. In fact it's the best photo the boy has taken all year. I liked it so much I had it printed on canvas and is now hung on my bedroom wall.
The drive to Loch Lee is pleasant through a very twisty road which was unfortunately undergoing some roadworks and a lot of times I couldn't see the ramps until I was on top of them, not good for the cars suspension. At the car park at Invermark we were welcomed enthusiastically:
Part of the Welcome Party
 The birds seemed very tame and constantly after any food you might have although they did not seen to care for fruit. From the car park you cross the bridge and head to the left past Invermark Castle, an 18th Century tower built to protect locals from Aberdeenshire cattle raiders.
Invermark Castle
Following the well built track upstream we get our first glimpse of Loch Lee past the dam.
Horses at Loch Lee
The track continues along the banks of the Loch and is quite pleasant. Watch out for the vehicles who are either rangers or locals.
Loch Lee

There is a clear track marked up the hill directly above the Loch and it looks daunting from the start. However we carry on past the Loch to the right and around the back to the Falls of Unich.
On the way to the Falls of Unich




The falls also provided a good place to stop for lunch as we had started out quite late. It is also worth visiting for a short walk, there were a couple out with six dogs doing just that, yep six dogs.


At the Falls of Unich

After lunch, climb up to the right past the waterfall, there's a lot of small paths running past the waterfall and it's difficult to keep to a single one. just don't choose the one nearest to the river as we did, it got a bit overgrown ad narrow too close to the edge. Quite a bit further upriver the land flattens out at the Falls of Damff.


the boy at the Falls of Damff

Continuing past the falls, you will see a bridge crossing the river to the left. Cross and there is meant to be a faint path to reach the summit of Cairn Lick. However we did not see the path. At this point it's worth mentioning the excellent walkhighlands website where there is a route and map which we followed: http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/angus/loch-lee.shtml
By taking a compass bearing based on the route you come out in the best place for the view over Loch Lee, but a compass is not required for this easy walk.


View over Loch Lee

Notice the small island at the top end of the Loch? Is it or is it not hear shaped in your opinion? Could make for a romantic walk this ;-).

Coming back down, we followed the ridge east until the track which descends the Shank of Inchgrundle was found. Of course this was the track we could see directly opposite the loch at the start.

Crossing the bridge to Inchgrundle

The farm house at Inchgrundle is at the end of the descent.
Past the house notice the wee house to the left of the picture below in the copse of trees. We passed this on our way up and it is abandoned and full of nesting birds. I fell in love we this place and really want to buy and restore that house to live in but that would probably inconvenience the birds a bit. Loch Lee seemed quite popular although the walkers with the dogs were the only one we seen all day, the loch itself had plenty of boats on it.
Wee house past Inchgrundle




Finally back near Invermark we were greeted with this strange line of horses:


Strange line of horses


]]>
View over Loch Lee
My favourite walk this year, maybe ever. We did this walk a good while ago but as you may have noticed I will start again by saying I've not been posting as much as I should. The picture above showing me looking out over Loch Lee with Carlochy just below my feet sums up the walk. In fact it's the best photo the boy has taken all year. I liked it so much I had it printed on canvas and is now hung on my bedroom wall.
The drive to Loch Lee is pleasant through a very twisty road which was unfortunately undergoing some roadworks and a lot of times I couldn't see the ramps until I was on top of them, not good for the cars suspension. At the car park at Invermark we were welcomed enthusiastically:
Part of the Welcome Party
 The birds seemed very tame and constantly after any food you might have although they did not seen to care for fruit. From the car park you cross the bridge and head to the left past Invermark Castle, an 18th Century tower built to protect locals from Aberdeenshire cattle raiders.
Invermark Castle
Following the well built track upstream we get our first glimpse of Loch Lee past the dam.
Horses at Loch Lee
The track continues along the banks of the Loch and is quite pleasant. Watch out for the vehicles who are either rangers or locals.
Loch Lee

There is a clear track marked up the hill directly above the Loch and it looks daunting from the start. However we carry on past the Loch to the right and around the back to the Falls of Unich.
On the way to the Falls of Unich




The falls also provided a good place to stop for lunch as we had started out quite late. It is also worth visiting for a short walk, there were a couple out with six dogs doing just that, yep six dogs.


At the Falls of Unich

After lunch, climb up to the right past the waterfall, there's a lot of small paths running past the waterfall and it's difficult to keep to a single one. just don't choose the one nearest to the river as we did, it got a bit overgrown ad narrow too close to the edge. Quite a bit further upriver the land flattens out at the Falls of Damff.


the boy at the Falls of Damff

Continuing past the falls, you will see a bridge crossing the river to the left. Cross and there is meant to be a faint path to reach the summit of Cairn Lick. However we did not see the path. At this point it's worth mentioning the excellent walkhighlands website where there is a route and map which we followed: http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/angus/loch-lee.shtml
By taking a compass bearing based on the route you come out in the best place for the view over Loch Lee, but a compass is not required for this easy walk.


View over Loch Lee

Notice the small island at the top end of the Loch? Is it or is it not hear shaped in your opinion? Could make for a romantic walk this ;-).

Coming back down, we followed the ridge east until the track which descends the Shank of Inchgrundle was found. Of course this was the track we could see directly opposite the loch at the start.

Crossing the bridge to Inchgrundle

The farm house at Inchgrundle is at the end of the descent.
Past the house notice the wee house to the left of the picture below in the copse of trees. We passed this on our way up and it is abandoned and full of nesting birds. I fell in love we this place and really want to buy and restore that house to live in but that would probably inconvenience the birds a bit. Loch Lee seemed quite popular although the walkers with the dogs were the only one we seen all day, the loch itself had plenty of boats on it.
Wee house past Inchgrundle




Finally back near Invermark we were greeted with this strange line of horses:


Strange line of horses


]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/09/22/loch-lee-and-waterfalls-circuit-glen-esk-in-pictures.html/feed 0 The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb – A Book Review http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/07/17/the-dragon-keeper-by-robin-hobb-a-book-review.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/07/17/the-dragon-keeper-by-robin-hobb-a-book-review.html#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:13:00 +0000 Selective Apathy...

Dragon Keeper is by one of my all time favourite authors - Robin Hobb whose Assassin and Liveship series completed my introduction to reading fantasy. I had bought the book when it first came out in 2009 and got a 1st Ed Hardback which was signed by the author (I try to get those when I can). Now a year later, after lending it to a friend who finished it pretty quickly, gave it good reviews and had gone on to buy the second book. I had to get stuck in it myself.

Unlike most of her works The Rain Wild Chronicles is only in two parts rather than being a trilogy although I'm sure fans would have welcomed one. Now how do I know it's only in two parts? I had a sneaky look at the end of the second book Dragon Haven which came out far too quickly after Dragon Keeper and whose title gives the impression of a finale.

Hobb's previous works can only be described as Epic, for me she is amongst the best fantasy writers. Thus The Dragon Keeper had a lot to live up to. The book has an intriguing prologue which has the desired effect of drawing you in immediately. This is however followed by an expected slow start. Hobb writes beautifully, her descriptions and the character development were on par as usual albeit a number of mistakes which was unexpected. But as usual I did find myself getting drawn in and finished the book quite quickly.

However I was a bit disappointed. Dragon Keeper had lost out on a lot of the twists and intrigue I was anticipating. I could also see why. After three trilogies relating to Hobb's "Realm of Elderlings", The Rain Wild Chronicles had the distinct feel of tying up loose ends which may appeal to core fans but any newcomer would miss out on the best of Hobb's flair. This is slightly redeemed by a whole new set of characters but these lacked the closeness of being the major protagonist such as Fitz in the Assassins series and Althea, Kennit and Wintrow in the Liveship series where each book concentrated on one main  character while developing the others. For me that approach worked better.

Unlike the most recent of David Edding's works which caused me to stop reading books by him, I still cannot wait to read Hobb's next novel - Dragon Haven which would see a conclusion to Dragon Keeper. This is mainly because Dragon Keeper reads like the first half of a novel even at 560 pages.
I would still recommend the book but only half-heartedly, if possible start with the Assassins or Liveship series, they may have a slow start but by the time you finish them alongside the Tawny man series you will be a fan wanting more and the Rain Wild Chronicles will slot right in.



]]>

Dragon Keeper is by one of my all time favourite authors - Robin Hobb whose Assassin and Liveship series completed my introduction to reading fantasy. I had bought the book when it first came out in 2009 and got a 1st Ed Hardback which was signed by the author (I try to get those when I can). Now a year later, after lending it to a friend who finished it pretty quickly, gave it good reviews and had gone on to buy the second book. I had to get stuck in it myself.

Unlike most of her works The Rain Wild Chronicles is only in two parts rather than being a trilogy although I'm sure fans would have welcomed one. Now how do I know it's only in two parts? I had a sneaky look at the end of the second book Dragon Haven which came out far too quickly after Dragon Keeper and whose title gives the impression of a finale.

Hobb's previous works can only be described as Epic, for me she is amongst the best fantasy writers. Thus The Dragon Keeper had a lot to live up to. The book has an intriguing prologue which has the desired effect of drawing you in immediately. This is however followed by an expected slow start. Hobb writes beautifully, her descriptions and the character development were on par as usual albeit a number of mistakes which was unexpected. But as usual I did find myself getting drawn in and finished the book quite quickly.

However I was a bit disappointed. Dragon Keeper had lost out on a lot of the twists and intrigue I was anticipating. I could also see why. After three trilogies relating to Hobb's "Realm of Elderlings", The Rain Wild Chronicles had the distinct feel of tying up loose ends which may appeal to core fans but any newcomer would miss out on the best of Hobb's flair. This is slightly redeemed by a whole new set of characters but these lacked the closeness of being the major protagonist such as Fitz in the Assassins series and Althea, Kennit and Wintrow in the Liveship series where each book concentrated on one main  character while developing the others. For me that approach worked better.

Unlike the most recent of David Edding's works which caused me to stop reading books by him, I still cannot wait to read Hobb's next novel - Dragon Haven which would see a conclusion to Dragon Keeper. This is mainly because Dragon Keeper reads like the first half of a novel even at 560 pages.
I would still recommend the book but only half-heartedly, if possible start with the Assassins or Liveship series, they may have a slow start but by the time you finish them alongside the Tawny man series you will be a fan wanting more and the Rain Wild Chronicles will slot right in.



]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/07/17/the-dragon-keeper-by-robin-hobb-a-book-review.html/feed 0 Trey Songz – Already Taken http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/07/14/trey-songz-already-taken.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/07/14/trey-songz-already-taken.html#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:24:00 +0000 Selective Apathy...


Trey doesn't seem to be as big an R&B performer in the U.K as some of the other American artists. But I believe he does have a great core following here, tracks like "Can't help but wait" and the more recent "Neighbors know my name" have received decent airplay.

Already taken is from the Step Up 3D soundtrack in stores July 20th. The movie should be around in August.
I very rarely listen or post songs from film soundtracks but I did not realise at first Already Taken was from Step Up 3D, I had to watch the video to realise as it consisted of a lot of movie footage. Already taken is a polished track with great arrangement and catchy lyrics. I love the end third of the tune as the beats speed up slightly it really draws you in.
Have a listen and support.

Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information. 


]]>


Trey doesn't seem to be as big an R&B performer in the U.K as some of the other American artists. But I believe he does have a great core following here, tracks like "Can't help but wait" and the more recent "Neighbors know my name" have received decent airplay.

Already taken is from the Step Up 3D soundtrack in stores July 20th. The movie should be around in August.
I very rarely listen or post songs from film soundtracks but I did not realise at first Already Taken was from Step Up 3D, I had to watch the video to realise as it consisted of a lot of movie footage. Already taken is a polished track with great arrangement and catchy lyrics. I love the end third of the tune as the beats speed up slightly it really draws you in.
Have a listen and support.

Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information. 


]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/07/14/trey-songz-already-taken.html/feed 0 Ben Lawers by way of Beinn Ghlas in Pictures http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/24/ben-lawers-by-way-of-beinn-ghlas-in-pictures.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/24/ben-lawers-by-way-of-beinn-ghlas-in-pictures.html#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:38:00 +0000 Selective Apathy...
Ben Lawers is one of the more popular Munros with ample parking at the start point.


An easy start gives way to a steeper ascent up to Beinn Ghlas.


The views over Loch Tay begin almost immediately. I must say already the pictures don't do the views justice.



Looking up to Bein Ghlas, I must admit that struggled with this one, not fit at all.


Is that a paved road on a Munro?



On top of Beinn Ghlas.


On the way to Ben Lawers.


Smiles at Ben Lawers summit.


The second cairn, Ben Lawers.


Really on top of Ben Lawers.



Coming back down.

This walk took us about four and a half hours. Thats with my constant stopping, Arun just ran to the top.
More spectacular views from our last walk - Loch Lee, Glen Esk will be up soon.


]]>
Ben Lawers is one of the more popular Munros with ample parking at the start point.


An easy start gives way to a steeper ascent up to Beinn Ghlas.


The views over Loch Tay begin almost immediately. I must say already the pictures don't do the views justice.



Looking up to Bein Ghlas, I must admit that struggled with this one, not fit at all.


Is that a paved road on a Munro?



On top of Beinn Ghlas.


On the way to Ben Lawers.


Smiles at Ben Lawers summit.


The second cairn, Ben Lawers.


Really on top of Ben Lawers.



Coming back down.

This walk took us about four and a half hours. Thats with my constant stopping, Arun just ran to the top.
More spectacular views from our last walk - Loch Lee, Glen Esk will be up soon.


]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/24/ben-lawers-by-way-of-beinn-ghlas-in-pictures.html/feed 0 Untitled – Left Me http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/16/untitled-left-me.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/16/untitled-left-me.html#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:05:00 +0000 Selective Apathy...
"Untitled releases his second single Left Me featuring rising vocalist Kelsey via brand new community inspired label Behave Yourself."

Manilla PR, who had got in touch with me regarding a review of one of my favourite bands, Choong Family send me periodical emails about new artists and releases.
I must admit I usually ignore these. However I took a chance and clicked on their last one about Tottenham artist Untitled.
"As well as performing and recording as a solo artist, Untitled is also part of a music group called Behave Yourself.  A community group heavily involved in the capital to promote their message of non violence in local communities."


Left Me is his second single of 2010, the guitar riff at the start of the song reminded me of  The Calling's Wherever you Will Go, the production is very good and it was good to hear some guitar to this type of music.
The lyrics are what makes this song for me. Along with Kelsey's chorus and Untitled's rhyme, this song is not a masterpiece but well brought together and about something most everybody can relate to. Check the video out below:



There is a Store link on his website, buy and support.


Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information


]]>
"Untitled releases his second single Left Me featuring rising vocalist Kelsey via brand new community inspired label Behave Yourself."

Manilla PR, who had got in touch with me regarding a review of one of my favourite bands, Choong Family send me periodical emails about new artists and releases.
I must admit I usually ignore these. However I took a chance and clicked on their last one about Tottenham artist Untitled.
"As well as performing and recording as a solo artist, Untitled is also part of a music group called Behave Yourself.  A community group heavily involved in the capital to promote their message of non violence in local communities."


Left Me is his second single of 2010, the guitar riff at the start of the song reminded me of  The Calling's Wherever you Will Go, the production is very good and it was good to hear some guitar to this type of music.
The lyrics are what makes this song for me. Along with Kelsey's chorus and Untitled's rhyme, this song is not a masterpiece but well brought together and about something most everybody can relate to. Check the video out below:



There is a Store link on his website, buy and support.


Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information


]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/16/untitled-left-me.html/feed 0 Glen Tilt Circuit http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/04/glen-tilt-circuit.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/04/glen-tilt-circuit.html#comments Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:40:00 +0000 Selective Apathy... This means that I can actually do something which my friend Arun and I had been discussing last year - Hillwalking.
We started easy - the Glen Tilt Circuit near Blair Atholl.
This is a 9.25 mile mostly flat walk up the glen (for those not in the know a Glen is Scottish for Valley, and as it is a word specifically for Scottish valleys this means steep sided long valleys. However there is the option to cut the walk in half by turning back at Gilbert's Bridge. I will give links to the walk at the end of this post.
Parking is available for free at the Old Bridge of Tilt in a smallish car park very close to a track which could be used to set off. This place looked very familiar to me and rightly so as it had been the starting point of one of my Duke of Edinburgh Awards Expeditions. I was all set to go up the track which I could vaguely remember. However we were using Arun's AA 50 Walks in Scottish Highlands and Islands which pointed in a completely different direction. The book is very good but the maps in it were a bit lacking and we ended up following the directions slightly wrongly. So after a very false start we arrived at our proper second check point which was Blair Castle (I wish Arun would not take portrait pictures, might take my camera next time):

along with our second wee problem : you have to pay to enter the grounds at the usual extortionate castle rates. We confidently ignored the pay signs and walked on as we were not interested in the castle or its grounds and simply wanted past it to our next checkpoint at Old Blair. I was pretty confident we would have no problems as the Land Reform (Scotland) Act grants access to the countryside and the tiny road to Old Blair goes through the castle grounds. Unfortunately we did not get far as we were immediately approached by an official the moment we passed the entrance point.
Having explained our intentions and looking the part of hill walkers with my OS map and other gear we were allowed through without paying. My advise here to anybody considering this walk is to use the track at the Old Bridge of Tilt Car Park and avoid the castle and Old Blair. We did however get a nice wee walk through the castle grounds.

Old Blair is tiny but the steep road we had to climb immediately after it was not. However we made good time and now that we had got started properly I was beginning to enjoy myself. Having left the road after Old Blair we followed a pleasant track through Blairuachdar Wood which is a managed wood:

Immediately after the first part of the wood there is a Rifle Range which was in use as denoted by the vivid red flag. The warning sign indicates that it is dangerous to travel through the range when it is in use but the track through the range is only closed when long range ammunitions is being used. We were therefore able to walk through without any trouble.
                                                                                       


In fact the track is far enough from the rifle range for the danger to be minimal, there were plenty of signs to keep us right:

The views from the glen are not the best but great enough:

Notice the jacket and the hat and my half open bag. There was a chill wind and several rain showers that morning and the zip gave way on my bag, glad to see Arun did not warn me about my open bad after he'd taken that picture. I lost an apple due to that :(

Shortly after the rifle range we reach Gilbert's Bridge where you have the option to turn back or go through the diamond shaped gate and continue the walk:
The walk is quite clearly marked where it matters but I could not go walking in the highlands without my map and compass.
Further along there is a sort of viewpoint which you can climb up to, this is also well marked with some building remains.




There is a collapsed section on the way up and if raining the path could be quite slippery as confirmed by a dead dear we say near the river bank which looked like it had slipped while running from something.
As you can see by the pictures the weather was not great going up the glen but this cleared up coming back down from Marble Lodge. We did rush back a bit and there are no pictures of the return leg apart from sheep and who want to see those (I personally think they have an evil look about them).

We used the AA book as a guide but I would recommend http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/
The Glen Tilt Walk can be found here.
I like this site because it has printable maps, clear guides and even pictures.
More walks and pictures will be forthcoming, we have already done Bealach na Searmoin and Killicrankie, Pitlochry from which we unfortunately have no pictures and Aberfeldy & Kenmore hill circuit which included the Birks of Aberfeldy which is really picturesque.


]]> This means that I can actually do something which my friend Arun and I had been discussing last year - Hillwalking.
We started easy - the Glen Tilt Circuit near Blair Atholl.
This is a 9.25 mile mostly flat walk up the glen (for those not in the know a Glen is Scottish for Valley, and as it is a word specifically for Scottish valleys this means steep sided long valleys. However there is the option to cut the walk in half by turning back at Gilbert's Bridge. I will give links to the walk at the end of this post.
Parking is available for free at the Old Bridge of Tilt in a smallish car park very close to a track which could be used to set off. This place looked very familiar to me and rightly so as it had been the starting point of one of my Duke of Edinburgh Awards Expeditions. I was all set to go up the track which I could vaguely remember. However we were using Arun's AA 50 Walks in Scottish Highlands and Islands which pointed in a completely different direction. The book is very good but the maps in it were a bit lacking and we ended up following the directions slightly wrongly. So after a very false start we arrived at our proper second check point which was Blair Castle (I wish Arun would not take portrait pictures, might take my camera next time):

along with our second wee problem : you have to pay to enter the grounds at the usual extortionate castle rates. We confidently ignored the pay signs and walked on as we were not interested in the castle or its grounds and simply wanted past it to our next checkpoint at Old Blair. I was pretty confident we would have no problems as the Land Reform (Scotland) Act grants access to the countryside and the tiny road to Old Blair goes through the castle grounds. Unfortunately we did not get far as we were immediately approached by an official the moment we passed the entrance point.
Having explained our intentions and looking the part of hill walkers with my OS map and other gear we were allowed through without paying. My advise here to anybody considering this walk is to use the track at the Old Bridge of Tilt Car Park and avoid the castle and Old Blair. We did however get a nice wee walk through the castle grounds.

Old Blair is tiny but the steep road we had to climb immediately after it was not. However we made good time and now that we had got started properly I was beginning to enjoy myself. Having left the road after Old Blair we followed a pleasant track through Blairuachdar Wood which is a managed wood:

Immediately after the first part of the wood there is a Rifle Range which was in use as denoted by the vivid red flag. The warning sign indicates that it is dangerous to travel through the range when it is in use but the track through the range is only closed when long range ammunitions is being used. We were therefore able to walk through without any trouble.
                                                                                       


In fact the track is far enough from the rifle range for the danger to be minimal, there were plenty of signs to keep us right:

The views from the glen are not the best but great enough:

Notice the jacket and the hat and my half open bag. There was a chill wind and several rain showers that morning and the zip gave way on my bag, glad to see Arun did not warn me about my open bad after he'd taken that picture. I lost an apple due to that :(

Shortly after the rifle range we reach Gilbert's Bridge where you have the option to turn back or go through the diamond shaped gate and continue the walk:
The walk is quite clearly marked where it matters but I could not go walking in the highlands without my map and compass.
Further along there is a sort of viewpoint which you can climb up to, this is also well marked with some building remains.




There is a collapsed section on the way up and if raining the path could be quite slippery as confirmed by a dead dear we say near the river bank which looked like it had slipped while running from something.
As you can see by the pictures the weather was not great going up the glen but this cleared up coming back down from Marble Lodge. We did rush back a bit and there are no pictures of the return leg apart from sheep and who want to see those (I personally think they have an evil look about them).

We used the AA book as a guide but I would recommend http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/
The Glen Tilt Walk can be found here.
I like this site because it has printable maps, clear guides and even pictures.
More walks and pictures will be forthcoming, we have already done Bealach na Searmoin and Killicrankie, Pitlochry from which we unfortunately have no pictures and Aberfeldy & Kenmore hill circuit which included the Birks of Aberfeldy which is really picturesque.


]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/06/04/glen-tilt-circuit.html/feed 0 Music: B.o.B ft Hayley Williams – Airplanes http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/04/27/music-b-o-b-ft-hayley-williams-airplanes.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/04/27/music-b-o-b-ft-hayley-williams-airplanes.html#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:09:00 +0000 Selective Apathy... This one's for Steve and Fi. (I remembered you guys liked Paramore).Been a while since I posted some music but then again there hasn't been anything that's really caught my ear. This tune by B.o.B is one of the few. Young guy with great style and delivery reminding me of much more accomplished rappers, combine with that really catchy chorus from Hayley, Airplanes is a winning combo.



Airplanes [Feat. Hayley Williams Of Paramore] (Explicit Album Version)
If you're in GReader you may have to click through to the post to have a listen, Google's Reader Player wasn't working on embed. Don't know if this will be fixed or it has been removed, I'm instead using a hosted version of the same player but it does not seem to work in GReader. I guessed it had to be hosted on Google servers to work with reader, but hosting it on Google sites did not do the trick. Any tips on a player which would work in GReader would be appreciated.


Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information. 


]]> This one's for Steve and Fi. (I remembered you guys liked Paramore).Been a while since I posted some music but then again there hasn't been anything that's really caught my ear. This tune by B.o.B is one of the few. Young guy with great style and delivery reminding me of much more accomplished rappers, combine with that really catchy chorus from Hayley, Airplanes is a winning combo.



Airplanes [Feat. Hayley Williams Of Paramore] (Explicit Album Version)
If you're in GReader you may have to click through to the post to have a listen, Google's Reader Player wasn't working on embed. Don't know if this will be fixed or it has been removed, I'm instead using a hosted version of the same player but it does not seem to work in GReader. I guessed it had to be hosted on Google servers to work with reader, but hosting it on Google sites did not do the trick. Any tips on a player which would work in GReader would be appreciated.


Please note that the songs posted here are for promotional purposes only. If you do by any means including recording, download them,they become your responsibility, please delete within 24 hours and purchase the material as appropriate. SelectiveApathy.com does not host any media files. Please refer to the site disclaimer for more information. 


]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/04/27/music-b-o-b-ft-hayley-williams-airplanes.html/feed 0 An addict in the womb? http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/04/23/an-addict-in-the-womb.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/04/23/an-addict-in-the-womb.html#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:11:00 +0000 Selective Apathy...
original image from jasonnardi.com

I had wanted to write this post ever since I was called into work early about 6 weeks ago.
I work in a hospital kitchen and I use an entrance which is just along from the maternity block and the all new midwifery unit. This entrance is right by a smoking shelter. I think you can see where I am going with this.
I witnessed one heavily pregnant woman in her hospital gown, who would probably deliver that same day, outside puffing away.

The hospital "prides" itself on being a non-smoking site - no smoking on premises or even the grounds. They even had big signs put up proclaiming this and the moment you proceed towards the main entrance you are assaulted with a monotone, poorly spoken audio broadcast reminding you smoking is not permitted. Yet we have smoking shelters purportedly for outpatients - those who are only visiting the hospital for the day. Hmm. Although I think that having realised the irony, the signs are gone now.

Anyway I walk past this woman, openly staring at the cigarette in her mouth and was given a pretty snide evil stare back, but that was to be expected. At work I got talking about this to one of my full time workmates who showed no surprise and informed me that this was a regular occurrence. "And the hospital does nothing about this?" was my response. A shrug was all the reply I got. At home I asked my mum about this (she's a nurse in the baby unit). She also shrugged - "there's nothing we can do to stop them, we can give advice but they don't have to take it, we even have soon to be mums going out for a fix of a different kind, theres nothing we can do. This city's a bit like that."

I don't try to hide who I am or where I live on this blog so you know where I am, but I had thought the city was getting it's act together, but maybe not quite yet. One of the things I did find was an article in the staff magazine (March 2010):
The article highlights initiatives launched to help pregnant women quit smoking consisting of  promoting the scheme, giving advice and a support group.
I for one do not think its enough, surely there is more that can be done, maybe even a legal injunction. Sure that may be against said pregnant woman's human rights but how about the rights of her child? Your thoughts please.

On the other hand Spring is here and here is an appropriate picture:

I always mean to take a picture of that sign in Spring because of the daffodils and the Marie Curie Cancer Care Logo which also features them, and the name - Field of Hope is at least inspiring. Sorry about the quality, was taken on my phone.



]]>
original image from jasonnardi.com

I had wanted to write this post ever since I was called into work early about 6 weeks ago.
I work in a hospital kitchen and I use an entrance which is just along from the maternity block and the all new midwifery unit. This entrance is right by a smoking shelter. I think you can see where I am going with this.
I witnessed one heavily pregnant woman in her hospital gown, who would probably deliver that same day, outside puffing away.

The hospital "prides" itself on being a non-smoking site - no smoking on premises or even the grounds. They even had big signs put up proclaiming this and the moment you proceed towards the main entrance you are assaulted with a monotone, poorly spoken audio broadcast reminding you smoking is not permitted. Yet we have smoking shelters purportedly for outpatients - those who are only visiting the hospital for the day. Hmm. Although I think that having realised the irony, the signs are gone now.

Anyway I walk past this woman, openly staring at the cigarette in her mouth and was given a pretty snide evil stare back, but that was to be expected. At work I got talking about this to one of my full time workmates who showed no surprise and informed me that this was a regular occurrence. "And the hospital does nothing about this?" was my response. A shrug was all the reply I got. At home I asked my mum about this (she's a nurse in the baby unit). She also shrugged - "there's nothing we can do to stop them, we can give advice but they don't have to take it, we even have soon to be mums going out for a fix of a different kind, theres nothing we can do. This city's a bit like that."

I don't try to hide who I am or where I live on this blog so you know where I am, but I had thought the city was getting it's act together, but maybe not quite yet. One of the things I did find was an article in the staff magazine (March 2010):
The article highlights initiatives launched to help pregnant women quit smoking consisting of  promoting the scheme, giving advice and a support group.
I for one do not think its enough, surely there is more that can be done, maybe even a legal injunction. Sure that may be against said pregnant woman's human rights but how about the rights of her child? Your thoughts please.

On the other hand Spring is here and here is an appropriate picture:

I always mean to take a picture of that sign in Spring because of the daffodils and the Marie Curie Cancer Care Logo which also features them, and the name - Field of Hope is at least inspiring. Sorry about the quality, was taken on my phone.



]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/04/23/an-addict-in-the-womb.html/feed 0 Jam Session 2.0 – A Virtual Jam Session http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/02/02/jam-session-2-0-a-virtual-jam-session.html http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/02/02/jam-session-2-0-a-virtual-jam-session.html#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:35:00 +0000 Selective Apathy... I was completely blown away when I heard Jam Session 2.0 with these very talented artists:

Emcee: Dumbfoundead
www.youtube.com/dumbfoundead  www.twitter.com/dumbfoundead

Singer: Esna Yoon www.youtube.com/esnathesinger

Emcee: Herbal T (Portugese/Spanish/English)
www.youtube.com/waxandherbalt www.twitter.com/herbaltisgreat

MPC (Drum Machine): CAV3
www.myspace.com/CAV3MUSIC www.twitter.com/CAV3

Guitar: Tio
www.myspace.com/tioproductions twitter.com/tiomusic

Scratches: DJ Zo
twitter.com/zomanno www.myspace.com/zomanno

Piano: Lukas (YoungPianoTV)
www.youtube.com/YoungPianoTV twitter.com/ThisIzLukas

Bass: Chris Hong www.myspace.com/hangukhellking

I love the combination of Piano and Guitar most but the whole thing works so well.
What is even more amazing is "8 people with 5 instruments from 4 Continents speaking 3 languages for 1 song.Brian at CAIN MOSNI thought of a cool concept and coordinated a virtual "jam session" with musicians from all over the world!"

From this I understand they were jamming together in their separate abodes virtually or online, that is this was created "live" and not merged and edited.

The song can be downloaded for free from Dumfoundead's website, which I have already done.

Personal Mini Update
As usual I'm apologizing for not blogging. I had started several posts including one on Women smoking on NHS premises while in NHS care, which I did not complete and then lost track of. Uni's started again, pretty intense this term. I am also getting a motorbike, one of my dreams, been wanting one since I could legally ride one (that was 6 years ago). Motorcycling is a different culture here than in Mauritius. Here your friends see it as way cool or totally dangerous and try to talk you out of it. So it wasn't surprising my friends did not actually believe I was getting a bike after all these years. Anyway I should soon be taking the delivery of a silver Yamaha YBR 125. Yes only a 125 which I am going to ride on a provisional license until I do my test in the summer (I'm doing my Compulsory Basic Training tomorrow). Very excited... and in big debt, but worth it.



]]> I was completely blown away when I heard Jam Session 2.0 with these very talented artists:

Emcee: Dumbfoundead
www.youtube.com/dumbfoundead  www.twitter.com/dumbfoundead

Singer: Esna Yoon www.youtube.com/esnathesinger

Emcee: Herbal T (Portugese/Spanish/English)
www.youtube.com/waxandherbalt www.twitter.com/herbaltisgreat

MPC (Drum Machine): CAV3
www.myspace.com/CAV3MUSIC www.twitter.com/CAV3

Guitar: Tio
www.myspace.com/tioproductions twitter.com/tiomusic

Scratches: DJ Zo
twitter.com/zomanno www.myspace.com/zomanno

Piano: Lukas (YoungPianoTV)
www.youtube.com/YoungPianoTV twitter.com/ThisIzLukas

Bass: Chris Hong www.myspace.com/hangukhellking

I love the combination of Piano and Guitar most but the whole thing works so well.
What is even more amazing is "8 people with 5 instruments from 4 Continents speaking 3 languages for 1 song.Brian at CAIN MOSNI thought of a cool concept and coordinated a virtual "jam session" with musicians from all over the world!"

From this I understand they were jamming together in their separate abodes virtually or online, that is this was created "live" and not merged and edited.

The song can be downloaded for free from Dumfoundead's website, which I have already done.

Personal Mini Update
As usual I'm apologizing for not blogging. I had started several posts including one on Women smoking on NHS premises while in NHS care, which I did not complete and then lost track of. Uni's started again, pretty intense this term. I am also getting a motorbike, one of my dreams, been wanting one since I could legally ride one (that was 6 years ago). Motorcycling is a different culture here than in Mauritius. Here your friends see it as way cool or totally dangerous and try to talk you out of it. So it wasn't surprising my friends did not actually believe I was getting a bike after all these years. Anyway I should soon be taking the delivery of a silver Yamaha YBR 125. Yes only a 125 which I am going to ride on a provisional license until I do my test in the summer (I'm doing my Compulsory Basic Training tomorrow). Very excited... and in big debt, but worth it.



]]> http://www.mauritiusblogtracker.com/2010/02/02/jam-session-2-0-a-virtual-jam-session.html/feed 0