A brief musical interlude, books and my new challenge...

Hey everyone
I realised it's been a while since I've updated with a song of the day/week to go along with blog posts. Well I won't lie by saying I've bought new music or heard new songs but I'll say that in the past few weeks these songs have been the soundtrack to my life.

I have to say I am STILL loving Kings of Leon album Only By The Night. Love nearly all the songs on it but favourites include Use Somebody, Revelry, I want You, Cold Desert ('I never ever cried when I was feeling down, I've always been scared of the sound') and Be Somebody ('given the chance, I'm gonna be somebody...'). Ace.

Life in Technicolour II is fast becoming a favourite Coldplay song. Life for me this past few months has been in technicolour. The sights, smells, tastes, sounds of Nepal were a vivid and lasting memory that will stay with me forever. I know, I know that was a bit corny but allow me this one time.

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles was a much loved song on the trek and i can't wait to see the final cut of our trek video to see how Peter has managed to shoehorn all of our songs into it.

Those songs have been peppered with a few smatterings of Snow Patrol (A Hundred Million Suns), Bruce 'the boss' Springsteen's Seeger Sessions album, Dizzee Rascals 'Bonkers' (lovin' it!), as well as a few renditions of Bob the Builder and The Wheels on the Bus go round and round courtesy of Ryan and his magical plastic guitar!! Brilliant...

Here's a question: what is the song that would best define the past few months of your life??? Answers on a postcard to me at somewhere close to Stirling (alternatively a wee comment will do).

Now for books. I've been having a bit of a clearout of late. Time to get rid of old rubbish and stuff i don't use and truth be told probably haven't looked at since I bought it. In other words - waste..(I'm ashamed). Anyway there's a pile of books and various other bits accumulated over the years that are going to the car boot sale on Sunday. But i've been getting back into reading lately. If I pick up a book it has to grip me for me to continue reading it. Last book I read and was gripped were the Lance Armstrong books, It's Not About The Bike and Every Second Counts. But I've been given a book by one of my fellow trekkers and so far it's keeping me gripped. It's called Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I'd never heard of it before but she (the author) seems to be writing about me!!! (she's actually writing about herself). I'm going to continue reading and perhaps find some enlightenment.

Today I bought The Man Who Cycled The World by Mark Beaumont - available in all good book shops near you (or even dodgy online ones) now! He's off on another mad-cap crazy ass adventure on his bike. Not sure if it's the same bike? This time he's off Cycling the Americas Starting off in Anchorage, Alaska next week and cycling to Southern Argentina taking in a couple of wee jaunts up some hills called McKinley and Aconcagua!!! Mental... but blooming fantastic too. God speed Mr Beaumont!... be safe.

Anyway if you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know that along with one or two selected others Mark was a huge inspiration to me when he cycled around the world on his pushbike in 2007/2008. Here he was living out a dream and letting us all know that we can do something if we really want to, you just have to go for it. It gave me the kick up the erse that i needed back then. That's why I took up the trek challenge and it is now the reason why I'm currently to-ing and fro-ing between taking up or not taking up a whole new bigger challenge of a wee 'hill-walk' in a foreign land! No decision has been made yet but those pesky two trekkers from London threw me a curve ball last week and hit me with this sooper dooper exciting challenge. Oh you guy's!!! I'm on the swither big time so need some advice? anyone?

I'm off now as I'm currently on Everest Summit Watch. A few teams are near the top, a few are just starting off. http://www.alanarnette.com/alan/everest2009.php

I'll leave you with this insight into my musical taste, iTunes is playing in the background and the song playing just now is 'Come What May' by Ewan Mcgregor and Nicole Kidman singing on Moulin Rouge soundtrack (stop laughing, it's a good song!).

Ange xx