Come the end of the summer of 2011, we were starting to get a lot of reports about the forth coming winter of 2011/12. Meterologists were predicting another severe winter, in fact they thought it would be worse than the last two! Now if you remember our last two winters, we did have some pretty severe snow fall and long periods of minus temperatures meant it stayed for months.
Now if you follow my blog you may have noticed a slight pattern to how I feel about bad weather. For me the worse it it the happier I am. I don’t know why that is, I just seem to love to hear a weather warning has been issued. Of course I’m only talking about snow. I’m not sitting here praying for rain or wind! but when it comes to snow the more the merrier.
Why? I hear you ask, I mean it’s not like I’m going to get the day off school to make snow men or go sledging. I’m not out there making ice slides and having snowball fights with the neighbours!
I can’t really put my finger on it, but I’m guessing I just love how the countryside looks when it’s covered in the white stuff, it creates a whole new world to see. I also love the feeling of discovering virgin snow and knowing I’m the first to a location that day.

For some bizarre reason I seem to enjoy the chaos it creates. I suppose I just like the idea that my Land Rover Discovery will pretty much take me anywhere and will rarely get stuck on a snow covered road.
So Here we are February 2012 And it has been one of the mildest winters for years! We did have a light dusting Around Rothbury in December but I walked up Simon Side (biggish hill near me) that day and it was gone by the time I had made my descent.
So you could imagine how happy I was when weather forecasters on Sunday said the snow is on its way. Yay I thought, a nice cold front coming in from Siberia, that normally brings the snow.
So here we are three days into the “cold snap” and have my prayers been answered? Have they h*ll! Im sitting here at work looking out the window as I type thinking ”it looks like it might snow” but it probably won’t.
I know there is still plenty of time, but before we know it spring will be upon us and my dreams of a winter wonderland will be scuppered for another year.
I think we were just spoilt with the last two winters and I prey for a return, others probably think I’m nuts! and pray it never returns!
What do you think? Do you love it or hate it? leave a comment and let me know.

I don’t watch a lot of television! by the time my day ends and I am sitting down to relax is usually about 9.30 pm. Thats fine, as I never feel deprived of lazing around in front of “the box” .
The problem with living this way is you tend to miss certain newsworthy information, for example last night I just happened to catch the 6.30pm regional news. They were reporting multiple sightings of the Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as “the Northern lights”.

This is a quick video I found from last night. ( not by me)

For those un aware of the phenomenon, it is best described as beautiful curtains of light created when fast electrons from the solar winds hit the rarefied gas of the upper atmosphere.
Now This is pretty rare in my part of the word, apparently it is more common on the tip of North Scotland but that’s nearly 400 miles north of me. So when I saw the news report I was stunned to see beautiful displays in our Northumberland skies, and apparently as far south as North Yorkshire.
Needless to say I was gutted I had not witnessed this for myself. It is one of those life long ambitions to see them. My partner Helen and I have discussed many times the possibility of arranging a trip to Iceland for the sole purpose of seeing the Aurora Borealis!
Never mind, the weather forecaster predicted clear skies for the next night and apparently the Aurora Borealis will be visible for the next few days.
So armed with this information I was on sky watch! I live in a great location in the Northumberland countryside with Pretty much zero light pollution, it’s a stargazers dream.
So I had a great chance of finally witnessing it for myself.
Every Five minutes I would go to the bedroom window for un interrupted views of the north skies, if I were to see them my plan was to run out the back garden gate and up the hill with my camera. From here the view stretches  across the Simonside hills up to the Cheviots and east across the Northumberland coastline. A spectacular photo in the making!
By 11.30pm there hadn’t been any sign of the Aurora Borealis, once again disappointment, but I’m keeping my hopes up as the forecasters are saying it may be visible for a few more nights yet.
Here’s hoping!

P.s here is a link to the report.

 

You don’t get anything for nothing nowadays. True or False?
As you probably guessed by now, I am a keen runner and have been for some years now, however the thought of heading out alone on those long cold winter nights with nothing to keep me occupied but the patter of rain as it relentlessly strikes the face is enough for me to hang up my shorts and retire to the sofa. I was once told that running is one of the loneliest sports one could wish be partake in and to be honest, I happen to agree; this is one of the reason I decided to join Claremont Road Runners based at Northumbria university in Newcastle upon Tyne. I first started running in an attempt to increase my physical fitness, but the drive behind running took a somewhat unexpected turn.

Maintaining some level of fitness is relatively easy, increase that level is when things become a little tougher; especially for those brave enough to enter the world of competitive running, by the term competitive I’m not referring to presenting one’s self as an Olympian you understand. Regional races throughout British summer time saturates the diaries of those wishing to compete at an intermediate level, this in my opinion is the perfect opportunity to train harder and focus the mind on a specific objective such that PB’s become a regular occurrences. During my time as a club runner I’m continually taken aback from the wealth of knowledge and advice which is passed on from those who can only be described as sporting veterans, being a novice in this game it is important to welcome advice and embrace the challenges that are presented to me in the form of club handicaps and training sessions. This level of personalized coaching comes at no cost, in most fitness disciplines, personal coaching at this level comes at a significant premium.

Competing is an effective way of measuring ones progression and comparing oneself against other runners in the region. This is a motivational exercise in itself, and if you’re as competitive as i am you’ll soon find yourself striving to beat personal course records and the time of those whom you are familiar with. Of course most races cost money and these fees can soon mount up when you’re as keen as I am at competing. Having said this, Park Run is one such race that is held weekly (typically on a Saturday morning) and is entirely free. What is offered here is a 5km course set out throughout the country in local parks such as that of Exhibition Park in Newcastle upon Tyne; the course is professionally laid out and overseen by race marshals, pacers, and first aid personal. Each runner is asked to register online and download a barcode which contains the person details of each runner such that age, name, gender and club can be recorded. The course timing is achieved by scanner each individual barcode at the finish line as well as an addition chip which contains the finishing time of each runner. My understanding of the ranking may not be entirely accurate but this is how I understand it to work.
Your results come in two parts, firstly you are ranked with respect to the other runners on the day in accordance with you finishing position and time and secondly, you are ranked against other runners throughout the region which fall into your age category of the same gender, the score/ranking system is given as a percentage, one hundred percent being the fastest time recorded over the duration which Park Run has operated over; therefore the higher the percentage, the better the runner.

The exciting thing about Park Run is that it has been operational of some time now and still continues to break attendance records on a weekly basis, this unique training facility is free and all that asked in return is that you marshal 3 times over a 12 month period i.e. stand and hold open the gate. So, I only need ask one question…………………… You don’t get anything for nothing nowadays, true or false?

 

Guest Post By

Mark Horner

The North Face -Parka jackets; big bucks!! but are they worth it?

I first tried on The North Face Mcmurdo Parka jacket a few years ago whilst in one of the many outdoor shops near where I live. I really wanted something super warm, really well made and it had looked the part too! I was sold, I loved it. It fit nice and snug felt really comfy and no one can deny, they look great. OK I thought I’m going to have this! where’s the price tag? Craaaaaaaap!!! £275. Now I don’t mind paying a bit extra for Quality but I just couldn’t part with £275 for a jacket I will use 3 months of the year, so I walked out the store disappointed.

Every time I went into an outdoor shop I would go and have a look at The North Face parka jacket and ponder weather or not I should buy it, but I never did.

Instead I went through three of our harshest winters to date, with a sub standard hand me down coat, wrapping myself up in fleeces,  scarves, a wooly hat and a fur flying hat just to try and keep warm. Upon returning from work in the dark winter nights, I would dread taking the dog out when it was wet windy and below zero degrees.

This year was going to be different! No way I’m going to do that again, I have had my heart set on The North Face Mcmurdo for years and I decided to get one whatever the cost!

So rather than trudge around the shops, I went into online research mode. After a lot of searching I discovered these guys Simply Hike .

£50 cheaper than most places, plus I got a voucher giving another 10% off! Now I think there was one place that did it a bit cheaper but Simply Hike offered a 28 day no quibble returns and exchange policy free of charge. If you do a lot of internet shopping like I do that is GOLD!

So I entered my card details and 3 days later it arrived. Yay I’m so happy, sods law we are now experiencing the mildest winter for decades!

Anyway One of the things I noticed when researching The North Face jackets, was the distinct lack of honest REAL user reviews and opinions.

So I thought I would do a review myself and here it is.

Oh and please excuse my modeling! I’m not 20 anymore and probably just woke up. Well that’s my story and I’m sticking with it!

First off I am going to say this isn’t going to be a technical review of sizes materials used or anything like that.You can get all that at The North Face official website here . What I am gonna do is tell you in a bit more detail what I think of it.

OK just to give you an idea how big the jacket is I am 5’9″ medium to large build (read a bit overweight). The jacket is a male medium and in olive green. Now I’m a 43-44ich chest and thought I should go for a large but the medium is a perfect fit for me.

Here’s a front view unzipped. As you can see it’s a mid length jacket, my only negative here and the only negative overall  is I find it slightly hard to reach the zipper without having to curl over a bit. Nothing  major but worth telling you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

looking at it from behind not much to say looks OK. (notice Bailey getting in on the photo!)

 

 

 

Quick look with jacket held open. ( oh no I haven’t even removed the tag)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the zip is up its very comfy and you can instantly tell how well padded it is. looks very smart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now with hands in lower pockets. The pockets are huge and very comfy for my arms when inserted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands now in upper pockets, again good size pockets and still quite a comfortable position for my arms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is with the zip all the way up. it covers your mouth and really keeps the wind out. I don’t even bother wearing a scarf now as its super warm like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now with hood up, it is in full Artic mode now, no wind or cold gets in in fact you feel like you are in your own world like this as you know it’s freezing outside but you just cant feel it!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how it looks from behind with the hood up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK hood now has the “fur” removed. very easy to do just heavy duty popper clips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is how it looks with no fur and the hood up. ( I much prefer keeping fur on I think it looks nicer that way)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hood up, no fur, zipped up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK so now I have removed the hood all together. Again super easy to do a few poppers and a zip. Removing the hood makes it look like a different jacket, nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the back without the hood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK lets have a look at some of the details.

Here you can see The North Face logo on the left upper chest. can you see how well padded the collar is? lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A better look at the internal padding (super warm and comfy) you can also see the internal zip pocket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nice elasticated net pocket on the bottom left (inside)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And another internal elasticated pocket (upper right chest)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The large external lower pockets have strong Velcro fastenings. These are nice deep pockets!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also have the side zip pockets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a better view of the bottom pockets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another handy little Velcro pocket on the upper left arm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see here the heavy duty zip and poppers used  all over the jacket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice heavy duty zip and fastener.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sleeves have this adjustable Velcro tightnener. You can also see the other Hyvent logo on the left sleeve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last North face logo is on the back right shoulder. You can also see the zip fastener for the hood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fur strip removed, notice the six poppers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the hood without the fur. You can see the short zip and some of the poppers that connect it to the jacket. All are under a flap which keeps the wind out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, these are the push / squeeze draw strings for adjusting the waist in if you need to. Again these are tucked away under flaps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that’s it, I hope I have given you a little bit better look at The North Face Mcmurdo parka jacket.

I have to say I totally love this jacket and would highly recommend it to anyone, yea it’s a little pricey, but believe me you definitely get what you pay for with this jacket. I only wish I had bitten the bullet all those years ago when I first tried it on.

So I give it 10/10. A suburb super warm winter jacket.

Don’t forget to have a look at Simply Hike where I got mine, it’s a fab website for outdoor clothes and equipment.

So what do you think?  leave your comments below and tell me your experience with this jacket do you love it? hate it? please let me know.

current cheapest on the net Hurry limited stock!

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Take a look out your window, what do you see? buildings?traffic? but look further beyond all that, past the urban sprawl, what do you see know? yep thats right. Fields, hills forests, all the damp green cold muddy stuff, perfect for walking, fishing, climbing, cycling and picnics! so get your water proofs on people, and welcome to the great outdoors.
I love the great outdoors, I can’t wait to get out in it. Fresh air and sunshine, spongy mountain turf underfoot, the hope of spotting a bird of prey overhead….
But hang on a minute, I haven’t really thought this through, I live in Britain, What I actually get is RAIN!!, midgys’, barbered wire and angry land owners! more rain and mud, lots and lots of mud.
So whats in it for us? every year millions of us head for the British countryside, we spent a fortune on gear and clothing just to get damp and eat tinned soup. What is it in our make-up that makes us do this? why do we really want to “get back to nature” as the saying goes.
I think we started to realize the idea of hauling ourselves up a mountain is actually good for us both mentally and physically, the fact that there is also the opportunity to see a fantastic view certainly helped. To me It’s the view from the top that matters, but we have never really been able to shake of the fact that doing this is “good for us”, that sleeping in a field, using S.A.S survival techniques, trudging down an muddy hillside in the fog is somehow going to make us stronger happier, better.
So why are we out there? in the countryside? we could be warm and comfy and well fed, with a nice cold beer in our hands and a nice warm bed beckoning.
We could be…
Indoors!
No rain, no mud, no drops running from our noses as we make our decent off the wet hillside. But we know we would be missing something, something we crave, desire even!
Yes it can be cold, wet and muddy, but it’s worth it isn’t it? So get out there, ride a bike, climb a hill abseil down a cliff. Because only then will you see the magnificence of our countryside and and lay claim to be really “at one with nature” in “the great outdoors”

Nite watches, are they any good?

If you are anything like I am, you’ll find it difficult to walk past a good watch retailer without being drawn in. For me, the Omegas and Tags are simply beautiful, but impractical for everyday use. Being a competitive runner and an engineer, I demand a lot from a watch without wanting to sacrifice quality.
When I began researching watches the usual big players such as Casio, Citizen and Timex claimed that their time pieces offered great looks and the ability to handling/endure the demands of everyday life, but for me I was searching for something a little more special and a little less common.

My search lead me to a company called Nite watches who make a very pleasant looking watch called the  MX10 series . This particular time piece is in fact military issue, used by the SAS I understand. The watch has been purposely design to endure extreme conditions, so if  Nite watches  are good enough for the military it’s certainly good enough for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The watch looks pretty understated with its matt black facia surround, however with its universal strap arrangement it can be worn with a suit or casual wear and always looks the part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What got my initial attention was that Nite watches  time pieces offer something most watch manufactures don’t, the dials and points (hands) glow considerably brighter than that of any other watch currently available that I am aware of. The watch face is so bright it emits a deep blue and orange glow using GTLS technology which has something to do with electrons and Tritium gas; this for me is ideal on those dark nights when I am out running.

This photo was taken in the kitchen in total darkness, you can see how well it illuminates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Nite watches

I have owned the watch for approximately 6 months or so and have lost count the number to time I have subjected it to mechanical stresses (that’s scraps and drops to you and I), so far the watch appears to be bullet proof as it remains unscratched and hasn’t missed a beat. I don’t know a lot about watches but I do own several other branded time pieces includes Tags ‘Formula One’ series and Garmins 405 GPS device; I’ve lost count the number of times both the Tag are Garmin have been forwarded back to the manufacture for faults including flaking paint and alarm malfunctioning, however, with the NITE MX10 no such problems have been encountered thus far.
My only negative is that my variant of the MX series doesn’t include a date indicator which can be inconvenient at times, having said this, NITE do offer the very same watch which incorporates a date function.

Here is A quick look at how it looks on my wrist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review by guest poster

Mark Horner

 

 

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