Music, food for mood

As much as I dislike trains these days, listening to The Eagles on the journey home today could only make me happy. I always have music that I listen to to cheer myself up and for a long time it has been Simon and Garfunkel, and that still remains. But I've started listening to the Eagles recently and they never fail to make me smile.

I love how music can effect people so much, and how it depends on their mood and the situation. When I'm at the drawing board, for example, sometimes I love some fast, heavy, gritty stuff to get me into the working zone, but yet other times I need to put some classical stuff on to clear my mind. Complete opposites...it's strange. But anyway, I'm lucky in that I do the kind of work where I can listen to music most of the time and still concentrate. It is definately important, I think I'd go crazy without it.

I've got a good few hikes coming up this summer and I reckon we'll have to improvise with some music to keep up morale. The first time I realised that singing helped keep us walking on an expedition was a few years ago on Arran...which involved a rather crude version of 'O Flower of Scotland', which developed from our exhaustion and tedium caused by the relentless rain. I swear it just waits 'til I go hiking and then starts pouring.

I'm really looking forward to m upcoming expeditions, although have some doubts about my fitness. I really need to start training properly, and I will. I had to service the bike today and get it up to scratch so I can get training :) Here goes nothin!