Chaplog tries hard In which an ageing climber comes to terms with life closer to the ground.

My knee was hurting so I could not do what I wanted to do. I would have liked to have gone climbing but Pete was painting his and Haley’s bathroom and Lynne has had thirty years experience of saying NO if I suggest she should hold my ropes in a Stoney Middleton quarry. She says NO in the summer and when it is freezing…. The weather was perfect, a beautiful deep blue sky and no wind. I went for a slow walk, hoping to take some pictures of birds. We had seen in the garden groups of long tailed tits this morning so I was hopeful. I stood around for an hour or so and saw a robin. The photo above was taken as I passed through a farm yard.

We own a car and we used it to go into the Peak District for a walk above the Derwent reservoir. We were surprised by the amount of snow left and evidence of a mini avalanche. We had two ibuprofen tablets for dessert and we are nursing our knees.

I took some photographs.

I have put a few photographs together that I have taken over the snowy period that appears to be coming to an end now. I hope it is also the end of a bad period that has resulted in stolen credit cards, a stolen car, and ice dropped on to us from a motorway bridge that landed on our windscreen.

See the photographs

Lynne and I planned a method of getting to the East Midlands airport last night in light of the coming inclement weather. Lynne carried out the plan by leaving the house at about 5:00am. My part of the plan was to go to work on the train at the normal time. The plan went wrong when I was told by text, as the train pulled into Manchester, that the school was closed. I should not have been involved in the plan at all apart from staying in bed! Young teachers with a day off built snowmen older ones went for a walk.

click on images to see them larger in the post. Click on the image again to see it full size.

We got out of Padfield today, we failed yesterday, and went to the climbing wall and met George and Paul Fleuriot who I have not seen for a number of years. We also went for a walk just before sunset to take some photographs

Towards Padfield Cemetery and Peaknaze moor click on image for a larger version

We travelled down to Shropshire to join the family. We stayed in three separate holiday houses on a farm near Much Wenlock.

We had cold weather and there was snow on the ground throughout the week. Click on the image above to see a larger version.

I took too many photographs!