Proud of my latest web writing project

I am very excited to see the launch of the Glasgow Service with Style website. This has been my biggest copywriting project so far and I'm really proud to be able to show it off on my on-line portfolio. I enjoyed working with all the people involved in this project.

Early next week I'll also be launching my shiny new business website for the Number One Writing Agency. This will showcase the new direction that my journalism writing career has been going over the last couple of years. I'm really enjoying the new challenge of website writing and blogging work. The website will detail exactly what I can offer businesses who are launching or relaunching their websites and who want the copy and words to be as fab as the design.

Friday feels good - even if I'd prefer to be outdoors doing outdoors things rather than indoors at my desk earning a wage!

Fitness article for brides-to-be

Here's one I wrote earlier for the Daily Record. A six week shape-up countdown to your big day.

A guest blog: Mountain rescue funds raiser

I've known Simon Willis for many years as a journalist and latterly as a keen kayaker. He asked me if he could post a blog on my site because he believes the Kintail Mountain Rescue team are worthy of as much support as possible. I agree. Here's what he is blogging about.

A mountain rescue team would like your help

The old headquarters of Kintail Mountain Rescue Team is past rescue itself. The ancient barn and croft in Morvich is, like many a weary walker, struggling to stay upright. Especially in the teeth of a howling gale, ice battering its roof and sides, in the dead of night. Which is, of course, when the MRT need it most.

If you walk Scotland's hills, you might too.

The team are raising money to create a purpose-built centre. A series of fund-raising events are planned. The first is this weekend and you can follow it at KintailCompassChallenge.

Team members cycle from this base, in continuous relay, to the four cardinal points of Scotland.

North: Dunnet Head

East: Peterhead

South: Mull of Galloway

West: Ardnamurchan

They'll pedal 1,200 miles, climb 32,000 feet (yes, that's not a typo!) and pass through many of Scotland's villages and towns.

If you feel you can help them or donate a fiver (or more) to help keep a roof over their heads, then there's a PayPal Donation button on the bottom of their homepage.

* Simon Willis used to have a proper job as a BBC correspondent. He quit to make films and write about his outdoor adventures, and to live in a remote corner of Scotland. With three international awards for his first DVD, it's going pretty well. He blogs eclectically about sea kayaking and life in the Scottish highlands at SimonWillis.net

Nevis Range host the exciting Motorcycle Trials Champs

Fancy a bit of exciting spectating? Nevis range, Fort William, is set to host the UK leg of the SPEA FiM Motorcycle Trial World Championships from June 25 to 27. And the event promises to be a stunning, thrill-a-minute show.

Just recently Red Bull two wheel athletes Dougie Lampkin (12 times motorcycles trials world champ) and Danny MacAskill (the talented YouTube Street trials guy from Skye) joined forces to mark the final countdown to the event.

It's been eight years since Scotland hosted a stage of this prestigious Wold Champs series and spectators will be treated to 60 of the world's best riders from 15 countries. The competition will see riders hoping to gain valuable points towards the 2010 World Pro, World Junior and World Youth titles.

Yorkshireman Dougie Lampkin has dominated the scene for many years and will be leading the UK's bid for a title win.

He said: "This is the biggest event for me this year. Fort William has some of the best trials terrain on the planet. Nevis Range is an incredible venue for this event and confirms why the region is regarded as the Outdoor Capital of the UK."

To book your place alongside an expected 8000-strong crowd check out the official website

The ultimate extreme pursuit on "death road"

There will always be some people looking for that ultimate adrenaline rush. Whether it's the thrill of sky diving, free climbing, back country snowboarding, bridge jumping, burn bashing or whatever, you can be sure that there will be a group of daredevils taking a sport to the extreme.

Reading the latest exploits of cyclists on the so called "world's most dangerous road" in Bolivia just shows how far some will go to get that extreme madcap tick. Eighteeen people have now died cycling this truly bonkers descent on a road that is barely rideable and when it is it's life-threateningly steep, with ridiculous hairpin bends, and has ludicrous drop offs (600m cliffs) to avoid. It is difficult to understand the allure of such a risky rite of passage but we all have our individual aspirations.

The mind boggles! But then again I do take my life in my own hands every time I cycle Glasgow's busy and pot-hole knackered roads. I've seen my life flash before me more times than I recall.

Snap happy: A shiny new camera for my birthday!

Birthdays in your 40s aren't so bad when you get to celebrate them like this!

* A weekend at the fabulous hotel The Lovat in Fort Augustus

* Divine dinners at The Lovat, too

* Lots of nice wine and whisky at The Lovat, as well

* A gorgeously scenic, 70-mile cycle right around Loch Ness

* A trip to the romantic and fascinating Urquhart Castle

* A hugely informative photography workshop with NevisPix

* A challenging run up the Munro Geal Charn (Monadh Liath)

* And last, but by no means least, the wonderful company of my boyfriend, the G-Force.

And thanks to The G-Force I now have a shiny new camera (to replace the last one that suddenly died during a hill walk last month).

In this blog I reveal some of the weekend in pics:

Finally we reach the top of the hill on the

east side of Loch Ness. Huge slog but great views

Urquhart Castle, on the west bank of Loch Ness

A scenic picture taken on a NevisPix workshop

Another scenic picture taken on a NevisPix workshop

Me (in the distance!) atop Munro Geal Charn (Not so sure the G-Force

was paying so much attention in the photography workshop!)

The G-Force clearly very pleased to be on the Munro top, too!

(Quite pleased with my pic taking skills!)

"Brick" an' that

It's funny to hear what other triathlon friends think is the origins of the word "brick", as in "brick session"...

... as in training on the bike and then doing a run..

... as in this is what you'll need to be able to do to become great at triathlons.

The Flying Triathlete thought the term "brick" came about because the sessions are layered on top of each other like building block or bricks. Nice idea.

The Mighty Vickster simply imagined that "brick" meant "well hard". The MV commented: "Well it's really hard going from the bike ride to the run so I thought 'brick' was just another way of saying 'brick hard'!" I love this idea, too.

Another thought is that most people will be "bricking it" as they come off the bike and on to the run section of a triathlon. As in: "I was bricking it that my legs would turn to jelly!"

In fact, it seems that the term "brick" comes from the person who first coined the phrase for the consecutive training sessions, one Dr Matt Brick. The duathlete was an advocator of the bike-run, run-bike training sessions that all "brick hard" duathletes and triathletes have come to loathe.

Reckon I should be out doing another "brick" session this evening as the Peebles Triathlon begins to loom. Let's hope it stops raining and the wind dies down! May is a bit chilly...