Hope is the thing with feathers...

Slow running is something I discovered rather late in life but its been a revelation to me and my youngest son, Jamie. We ran our first marathon at Loch Ness in October 2005. It is a very hilly and testing course but we both completed and enjoyed every minute!

Crossing over from the second to the third millennium co-incided with a major a life change for me. My wife went off with the guy next door, really!

After 26 years married to my childhood sweetheart I was facing up to life on my own. But I soon realised that I was not on my own; my two sons, mum and dad, sister and brother-in-law, and good friends, showed me such love and support.

For a time I was in danger of losing control but at the times of my lowest ebb I began to find the sense of wonder and adventure in me that had lain dormant for some years.

Then I met the lady who was to become my second wife. A lady who had been on a similar journey but a few years ahead of me. As we grew closer we found that we could enjoy life together, exploring the places and emotions we had once thought were gone forever.

Now married for nearly 18 months, Jen and I are charting courses I would never have thought possible only a few short years ago.

The Connor Pass on the Dingle Peninsula is for me one of those special places in the world. On a clear day the views are really breathtaking. My wife brought me here on holiday in September 2004 and we had great weather for four days non-stop.

I am making a start with these first words into the world of blogs. In cyberspace perhaps nobody can hear you scream but they have the choice of reading the words that tumble from your keyboard.

In the 1970's it was fashionable to employ the technique of stream of consciousness writing. At that time I remember reading about how David Bowie took lines from songs, cut them in strips and then rearranged them into a new order. His early albums had some striking and strange lyrics as a result.

My intention is to use this medium to experiment with ways and means for capturing my thoughts, hopes, ideas...