March reflection
Looking back at March 2026.
Saddling up
As the weather flirted between rain and sun, I kept trying to build momentum on the bike in April.
It feels like it’ll be a while before I’m comfortably doing longer sessions, but I’m keeping them shorter, and finding them enjoyable. I don’t have any races planned, or any bike tours. I’m simply riding when I feel like riding, for how long I feel like riding for. Pace and power are currently way down the priority list, and finding a nice cup of tea and a bit o’ carrot cake are at the top of it.
Radar
Sticking with cycling, I was gifted a Garmin Varia Radar for my birthday - it’s a very fancy rear light and although I was skeptical of it, I actually really enjoyed using it.
It’s not a substitute for staying alert and checking behind you before pulling out, but it does show me on my navigation device if there are cars behind me, and a rough indicator how many and how far. This gives me extra confidence, especially when transitioning from cycle path to road.
FC Union Berlin vs St Pauli
I’ve been paying 10 EUR per month to FC Union Berlin since April 2023, for the opportunity to apply for tickets to the games.
I’ve been a few times, but it had been a while. The organic process for going is as follows:
- Become a member for 10 EUR per month
- Join a lottery for each game when tickets are announced
- If you win the lottery, you can buy a ticket
- If you don’t, you miss out, unless you want to take your chances on the infuriating second-hand ticket market
This month, a friend and colleague of mine got his hands on two tickets for the game against St. Pauli, and kindly sold one to me.
Despite the 1-1 draw, it was great to be back in this iconic stadium, watching football and eating sausage.
Fun fact: I actually missed the Union goal because I was waiting in line for an AF beer. They served Jever Fun. Unfortunately, it’s the worst AF I’ve tried so far.
Visiting the Isle of Arran
As manifested in my 2026 plan, it was finally time to visit another Scottish Isle.
In late April, I found myself on my way to my hometown of Dundee for a brief couple of days. Just enough time to visit family and borrow a car. We then hopped in said car and drove to the port of Ardrossan, ready to set sail to Brodick on the Isle of Arran.
Despite the at-first-glance complex instructions on how to get to our accommodation (postcodes are no use there), we arrived without issue and both fell in love with Arran almost immediately. Lamlash in particular.
Our Airbnb, named Ragnar’s Rest, was incredible. It was cosy, every room had a stunning view, the log burner was brilliant, the hosts were great and, let’s face it, the name is pretty damn cool. If you walked out of the driveway for 10 seconds, you were met with a view that just stopped you. The rare, beautiful weather helped, but being close to the beach and the water, looking over to the Holy Isle, and breathing in fresh air was magical. Exactly what we had hoped for.
Finding our feet
As a consequence of me not dragging us to every pub on the island, we gravitated towards other activities. For this trip, we found ourselves taking the camera, going for walks, and embracing “touristy things”, particularly while we had great weather. We even visited a… cheese shop.
Even though we didn’t spend too long on the island, there was no shortage of stunning views and interesting things to photograph.
I think this trip may warrant a post of its own, so I’ll stop rambling for now.
TLDR: Loved it. Might want to live there.
Reading
This month I finished “A Litter of Bones” by J.D. Kirk - a Scottish crime novel set in the Highlands. I had started reading a random book in this series on holiday and immediately stopped so I can start from the beginning, and I’m glad I did.
The dry Scottish humour lands for me, and the way the dialogue is written means I can hear it all and see it all in my head. I’ll definitely be continuing with this series.
All in all, we are 4 for 4 - 4 books in 4 months!
Wrap up
A great month, with a great trip home - I’ll be spending the beginning of May in England for a couple of weeks, visiting friends and helping to build a summer house - let’s see how that works out!
