Original A1

A clean sweep so far, although I haven't been out today. As I've mentioned both in a log and on a different post here, I'm finding it a bit of a slog rather than a thrill, but there's something addictive about keeping going despite that. I think this log sums it up well: My link

OK thanks. It confirms that other people have noticed the squirrel, but doesn't really answer why it's appeared. Oh well. It's benign enough. Perhaps I'll ask them when I visit GSHQ.

Who else has noticed the little squirrel at the bottom right of the cache pages when logging? Anyone know the story behind this? It's quite cute, but I'm a little bemused as to why it's there.

I take my hat off to those who want to undertake lengthy streaks. I found it hard enough filling in the days of my calendar (once I'd decided to give it a go, with about 260 already covered; it took me another 18 or so months due to illness preventing me doing it sooner). For me, there is a sense of achievement in having done so, and yet I'm neither unique in this regard, nor as assiduous as those who have gone for the cache-every-day-in-a-year like one of my caching friends who did all 366 last year, plus a few either end (in 2011 and 2013). But his lifestyle is such that he travels a lot for his job and his extracurricular work, so he doesn't necessarily trample the same patch all the time. That said, if someone lived near a series such as the Chiltern 100 and could exercise the restraint not to get every one in a couple of days' worth of caching, they could use those to pick off 109 as part of their streak. Personally, I'm having trouble enough going out every day in August for the 31 days. As I put in a log a couple of days ago, that's completely up to me whether I'm daft enough to keep going and at 23 days, I have to really, but I'd really rather find a cache because I want to rather than feeling obliged to. It's been an interesting exercise, but I feel a bit sad for willing August to be over, because that's willing summer to be over and the nights are already fair drawing in enough as it is...

I remember your name. Welcome back, and lang may yer lum reek, as they say in these parts. Although standards may have lowered a little in terms of cache quality, I suppose one bonus is that you have plenty of drive-bys to find should you feel up to it

Off to check out how many caches Gibraltar has (and accessibility!)...

I love puzzle caches (or "Mystery", as they seem to prefer to call them). Being of limited Mathematical ability (actually, probably better than I think I am!), I struggle with things like base numbers or equations, but the beauty of puzzle caches is that there are so many diverse ones out there. As I logged at the weekend, I did one near Perth which was simple yet effective; it involved homework before leaving, and fieldwork at the solved-at-home co-ords, plus a nice wee wander to find GZ. About 80% of my caching is done alone and there's undoubtedly a real sense of satisfaction in solving a puzzle and making the find, and I definitely prefer to solve them myself. However, I'm not too proud to ask for help if I'm stuck, and because sometimes I cache with others, it would be downright churlish to go on a walk with lots of caches of which some might be puzzles I've not solved myself and not log them too. Last year, I joined forces with another couple of cachers to do the Strelitz series in Perthshire. Whilst both of them are caching buddies, one of them doesn't usually do puzzles (although his stats still contain quite a high number of them - strange that!) and they both openly admitted that they were hoping I'd do most of the solving, which I did - all but 4 of them, which they solved. Their strengths were in loving a long walk with the dogs (which meant that I slowed the pace somewhat!), but that's what teamwork's about - playing to strengths and supporting the weaknesses. There are some who liberally give out answers when only asked to give a hint; there are others who ask for answers without bothering to work things out for themselves. As an owner, I'll tend to offer a clue but don't really want to give the full co-ords outright; although my puzzles and multis have Geochecker, I'll confirm if they're correct, or if a digit is wrong, help there. There's a cache near me which I found without asking anyone for help, without solving the puzzle per se, but by using initiative (and it's not the first I've done that way). I got satisfaction in finding them, but not the same sense of satisfaction as if I'd solved the puzzle - was I cheating? I'm not sure I was, because I was using another method of finding. But it's bounced back on me because that same puzzle has a bonus which is only achieved by the same method and referring to the solution of the original cache. So I don't imagine I'll ever find the bonus, but nor will I be asking for the solution. I see that as my duty to solve it at some point. At the end of the day, it IS like sitting an exam at school; you can cheat, if asking for answers to puzzles is "cheating", but ultimately, the only person you're cheating is you. For me, the primary objective is enjoyment. And I enjoy putting the old grey cells to the test every bit as much as I do in making the find.

Don't know what to recommend; others are wiser in that dept., but in terms or being dropped, why not buy a lanyard (if it doesn't come with one)? Then it hangs round his neck and although it might get the odd bash against a surface if he's climbing, might not suffer as badly as if it were dropped.

Game over - stunning pics!

Did the cache end up in the cowpat??

Ah but then you'd probably need to move to Rum, and I'm not sure you'll find too many caches there!

Well done milvus-milvus! Having just looked up your name, I saw one of you hovering over a cache I was finding on Saturday!

There's also the Cateran Trail up in Perthshire. I haven't checked lately, but am not sure that anyone's completed the new series up there yet. Beautiful countryside and you're walking in the footsteps of history. Alternatively, there's Dr Solly's Chiltern Hundred (3 rings) around the Chesham area. That would definitely keep you busy for a while, although I believe there are some superhuman people who've walked all 109 in a day!

Thanks Mrs B. That's what I tried last night. I've just done the same thing to edit as you recommend, but as with last night, it told me I wasn't allowed to post that extension on the board. I'm obviously signed in, otherwise I wouldn't be able to type this, so I don't know what else I can do to make it speak to my computer/me. It really shouldn't be this complicated, but that's why I've not entered this competition before.

No, it was a different shot (this one isn't as good)...

Thank you, I! Let's see if this works: http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/54a3845c-1163-41f7-92f5-d606a7573b93.jpg http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/3d8c2d67-a422-42ee-acf7-c15d61efedf4.jpg I'm not sure whether the second one here was the one I wanted to post (not sure whether I loaded it onto the log page at all), and it leaves me baffled as to what I'm doing wrong when I tried to link them from my own website.

These two were taken when doing "East Lothian Quartet - Aberlady Bay" (GC4Z93P4) My link, part of Firth of Forth's excellent series. Aberlady Bay is well-known for its impressive sunsets and this day proved no exception. Hopefully the links work as I've not tried this before. Edit: well it says "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this board". Any idea why not?!!

My own "Give us a hand" GC2A6K8 It's been muggled about 5 times, so I'm in the throes of moving it slightly, but the theme remains the same. Sadly, it's now lost its rather fun original clue, but you can't win them all.

Well done both. I wonder how many of your collective 60,000+ overlap with each other...

Ironically I've just come here from surfing through someone's FB account, although I don't really "do" FB. My brother set me up an account in order for me to play online Scrabble with him across the pond, but it didn't work. He remains my only friend (cue the violins) and through that account I can periodically see what he's up to. If he wants to know what I'm up to or vice versa, we have no end of means of other communication to use in order to do so. As do my real life, non-cyber friends... I don't use FB beyond that primarily because I don't trust myself not to put something that someone might read whom I wouldn't know was doing so/want to read about it. Yes, I'm aware there are various privacy measures, but I don't trust myself to remember to apply them at the appropriate moment, so I'd rather not take myself down that path, in the same way that I don't have a credit card because I don't trust myself not to forget something I'd purchased a few weeks earlier and get into financial difficulties. Like most folk, perhaps I wouldn't, but I'd rather not put it to the test. Another downside as I see it to FB is that if you're friends with one, you're friends with all, i.e., I have various spheres of my life such as caching, photography, music, etc. Whilst it's perfectly possible to overlap friends from all three categories, I wouldn't particularly want to. There may be a way round it, but I'm not aware of it, other than creating three different accounts. So any Geochatter can come to me 2nd or 3rd hand. No doubt I'm missing out on all sorts of interesting chat, but I imagine I'm also missing out on an awful lot of fluff which surrounds it! Keep up? Nah - I like life in the (comparatively) slow lane.

And another thing: When I type "specific" with one c in the middle, go to re-read my post, see it has two, go to edit and see it has just the one, why is it mucking around with me. I want specifics here (that's with one c in the middle and one near the end). (Still ranting...)

Can someone PLEASE do something about these wretched maps! I'm trying to go out caching and when I try to hover the cursor on an icon, assuming it's even showing, half the time it won't let me know what the cache is. I've: 1) zoomed in 2) zoomed out 3) shifted the map a little 4) relocated altogether and slid back to where I'm trying to hunt 5) opened a new page Sometimes I get them and then higher up on the screen they don't show. Sometimes the icons don't work at all. It's driving me nuts. I'm trying to be quite specific on what I find as I'm nearing a milestone and want to target a speccific cache for it. Rant over; sentiments remain.

The Cowal Peninsula (where Tighnabruaich is), is a beautiful part of the world, and September's a great time to go. There have though been quite a number of problems with landslips on the "Rest and be Thankful" road (A82) - at least 5 in the last few years. Bear in mind therefore that another way over is to drive along the M8 towards Gourock (it ceases being Motorway around Langbank, but just follow the signs) and take a ferry there to Hunter's Quay near Dunoon. You can then approach via the east side of the Cowal Peninsula, although be warned that there are lots of single-track roads which give you plenty of time to slow down and admire the scenery. You could spend all your time just caching on the Peninsula, although to find some excellent caches, it would be worth driving to Colintraive and over to Bute for the day. Bute was the late Billy Twigger's best hunting ground, and his caches are good enough for Groundspeak to have specially kept live (and adopted by others) after his untimely death. Have a great time.

There's some new caches out today. In case you haven't seen them, I won't spoil the fun, but for those who have solved them and logged, or tried to, a number have already been locked before anyone has FTFed them, and I've found a couple of my logged finds have been deleted with no explanation. Given they've come from the very top, surely this isn't in the spirit of the game?

Just read about it: My link