Sheep up for rent to rid the tick

This really follows on from my recent posts relating to lyme disease. Whilst I was up in the Highlands this week I discovered that Lyme disease is becoming more and more prevalent so much so that the local landowners are renting sheep from the local farmers so that they graze on their hillsides. They naturally chew their way though the long grass that is home to ticks. Ridding them of their habitats which naturally means fewer ticks. On this rationale the awareness of this issue is seemingly spreading which is great news. Furthermore people are taking action to attempt to inhibit the spread of them which is even better.

I discovered that there was a chap who started to come down with what he suspected was Lyme disease. When he consulted his doctor he suggested that he suspected he'd contracted Lyme disease, the doctor agreed and prescribed him antibiotics which he duly took. Fortunately for him, the swift action meant that the Lyme disease never got too severe and he nipped it in the bud before the symptoms were too overwhelming. By educating folk this could be the norm eradicating the suffering of those that contract the disease.

Since I started posting on this topic there have been quite a few signatures added to the petition (please click here to view and sign) which is superb and the tally now stands at over 400 signatures.

Smidge - A midge repellent that really works!

I've been north of the border, in the Highlands, for the last week or so with work. I have managed to get out on a couple of meanders through the hills in that time which has been thoroughly enjoyable as life hasn't afforded me the opportunity of late due to other commitments.

This post however is not related to walking per say more to the midges that over populate this locality. I did write a post not so long since about Avon Skin So Soft being a great Midge Repellent, it did transpire however that Avon Skin So Soft isn't actually a repellent, it just serves as a barrier not allowing the midges to penetrate it and bite you as a result. A discussion did ensue about there being no other repellent on the market that deters midges effectively. Until now! A recipe has been developed which is called Smidge. This has been developed particularly with Scottish Midges in mind.

Being that I've been working up here for a while I took the opportunity to give is a test run and the results, I have to say, were remarkable. I was out doing what I was going about my own business being attacked by the midges when my ma appeared with a bottle of Skin So Soft and a bottle of Smidge, professing how much the shopkeeper she procured it from raved about it. So I gave it a whirl. No Midges came near me for the rest of my time outside, this was a far better result than the Skin So Soft when you still get swarmed and they just end up rolling around in the stuff not getting very far. I then went for a walk around a bug infested Lochan the air was thick with midges, and again not an ounce of bother from either midges nor from the mossies. In conclusion then this Smidge formula in my eyes is the future. Awesome! Back o' the net! And whilst I'm sure Avon weren't shouting the fact that their Skin so Soft was the only solution to midges I think they will be a bit upset that a better alternative has been found....... Smidge all the way!

Top Treks in Turkey

I've recently been perusing t'interweb in the hunt of a top trek in Turkey. I'm heading there for some hols in the next year or so for a birthday bash and thought I'd incorporate some top yomping. Thus far I've got it narrowed to the Lycian Way, Mount Ararat, Cappadocia or the Kackar Mountains. The issue I'm having though is that they are all for 8 or 9 days at least. This is a bumper problemo as I'm really keen to find one for around 4 days that takes in some altitude but is scenic at the same time so that the rest of the time can be spent relaxing with the guys I'm going with. Mission impossible? Probably, but I'll keep chipping away at it - plenty of time yet, you never know what I might find.

Blackened toes

Bit of a gruesome post this one, but one I want to note more for date purposes than any other reason. I feel that I can duly expect any day now my nail shall finally leave my left big toe. After receiving stick throughout the summer months from friends who quizzed me on why I chose "sunset purple" to paint on my toes? It is finally on it's last legs (or toe).

This condition is normally suffered as a result of wearing shoes that are too small. The day when my feet suffered were the day that we embarked on the National 3 Peaks Challenge. Due to an existing injury whereby I had a nasty cut on the back of my foot I had to have a dressing on the heel of my left foot. This in turn pushed my foot forward in my shoe leading to the continual bashing of my left big toe. This was nearly 3 months ago and I've managed to hang onto it for this long but no more. Hopefully it's replacement should appear shortly and replace it like for like. Fingers and toes crossed.

Raising the awareness of Lyme Disease

Further to my previous post regarding the avoidance of Tick Bites and the potential contraction of Lyme Disease, Joanne posted a comment regarding the general lack of awareness of Lyme Disease. I had gathered a certain knowledge of this illness whilst I was reading about it but would request that you stop by Joanne's Blog to get a better understanding of the symtoms, the cure and just how difficult it can make life. It is only in this way that we can raise awareness, reduce the chance of contracting it and should we be unfortunate enough to contract it we would be aware of how to treat it.