Wet Monday afternoon

Doom, 7c at Castillon.

Scamp and I have just got back home after our walk up the hill behind our house. It was pretty cold out there - I had to put a fleece over my T shirt and hoodie! However, what I should have put on was a waterproof. From the summit, I could see that it was raining over Roquefort les Pins and, on the way down, it caught us about 15 minutes from home and we got pretty wet. Still, it could have been much worse. Now the fire is roaring away and a very happy, tired dog is sleeping underneath and I've got a mug of Twinings Earl Grey. We're both drying out nicely.

Not-so-Fatman and Robin have been out cragging. They were seen having a merry old time at Castillon last week. On Thursday, N-s-F was chuffed to do a 7c he hadn't done before called Ultimate Mort de Faim, which does all of Starlette then follows tufas and a groove to the top of the crag after 30 metres of very varied climbing. On Saturday, they both hauled themselves up the first part of Mortal Kombat, a tough, powerful 7c+. N-s-F had already done the full version at 8b in 2005 (an event he happily relives most days) but it was the first time for his trusty side kick, Robin. They then moved onto Doom (down graded to hard 7c), the route just to the left of Mortal. (N-s-F did this with "steady" Eddie Martinez way back in 1998, before he moved down here with lovely wife and Merlin.) They both huffed and puffed, with arms that were already feeling tired. Unfortunately, it was too much for the young Robin (who apparently was heard to complain about the age difference as N-s-F reached the belay, after a real fight up the damp tufa in the middle!).


Whilst the boys were out battling with the real thing, Elaine went to Val de Grimpe (a fantastic bouldering wall nearby, opened up by Alex Chabot) and had an equally merry time by all accounts with no problems experienced with her injured finger. We will be doing more of the same at Art'Bloc this Wednesday afternoon (shame Val de Grimpe doesn't open until 6pm!!).

Yesterday was cold and overcast and Liverpool were not up to beating Man Utd. Just when will they be able to knock Fergie and Man U off the perch that used to be Liverppool's?

Oh well, I should drag myself downstairs and do some bouldering in the cave. See ya.