Weather

The weather sucks in this country. Sucks rocks through straw. I blame Carol. Rain forecast for the whole of the UK, bar north western Scotland, and possibly west Wales for Sunday. Could chance Pembroke I guess, but it's a long way to go for what may amount to half a day of rock. Looks like it's Bristol Wall this weekend. Went there last night, in fact, as did the rest of the Westcountry climbing community. Working the latest incarnation of the numbered traverse on the 20 degree woody. Fifty moves long stamina fest, with an estimated grade of about 7b. Have it down to two overlapping sections. No real stopper moves this time around. There's a proper-hard version there too, same length, and not even the strong boys got beyond the first 28 moves.

In my iPod today, some political activism courtesy of the Asian Dub Foundation. Their '95 debut 'Facts and Fictions' is still as relevant today as it was then. It really is a kick-ass album.

More suspects held

A further nine arrests this morning in connection to the London bombings. Also, a carefully choreographed political theatre is in process to prepare for a 'groundbreaking' statement from the IRA. This will hopefully mean a complete withdrawal from all violent activities and a total decommission of all its weaponry. No doubt, this won't be enough for Rev Ian Paisly, but still, for the rest of NI it will hopefully mean a kick starting of the stalled peace process and a return to power sharing.

Ran two laps around the downs last night in a torrential downpour. Quite slow, 54 mins, but felt as if I could have carried on for another lap which is encouraging. Going down the wall tonight as it looks set to rain for the rest of the day.

[GPS plot of Downs run courtesy of Angus]

Arrests

Four people were detained in Brimingham this morning, one of which is suspected to be one of the failed bombers from the other day. He had to be tasered, as he was 'resisting arrest' apparently. He's been brought down to London for questioning, wheras the other three remain in Birmingham at present.

Paul and I had a good evening at Wintour's Leap, on 'Flyover' (E3 5b, 6a). Final pitch was sustained, but eminently doable - I had to grab a thread (post crux, annoyingly) after misreading the sequence and not having enough left in the tank to reverse and regroup. Gear was mainly pegs and threads (two of which were in-situ - thanks Tim!) and I'd put the grade at E2 5a, 5c - it was certainly a lot easier than 'Firefly'.

Weather's forecast to be shite for the rest of the week, probably including the weekend.

Tuesday

Run went OK last night, but my foot is stiff today. Good to see A & K last night, even if we had to defer '24' due to a technical fault. No worries - gives us another excuse to crack open a bottle of red at a later stage. Kate's apparently doing 7 mile runs in ~48 minutes which would mean an amazing improvement on her previous half marathon time if she keeps it up.

Paul and I are hopefully heading for Wintour's tonight for an epic excursion, weather permitting. Looking dull, but apparently should hold, according to the Beeb. Rest of the week predicted to be a wash-out, sadly. Unsure about the weekend, Pembroke or the Peak, hopefully.

Mathias has settled in in the ambassador's residence in Guatemala City. He's been living in all sorts of countries in the back and beyond, but even he, street-wise as he is, appears to be feeling a bit uneasy in GC, ranking as the murder capital of the world.

Had an email off Chris last night - he's visiting his folks in Hereford mid-week, and might pop down to Bristol for a visit. On his bike (nutter).

Work

The guy who was shot in the tube five times in the head by the police was innocent. Worst possible scenario unfolded. The marksman's job on the front line is not an enviable one, having to make such decisions on a split-second basis. I'm sure that The Sun regrets its distasteful headline 'One down, three to go'.

Anyway, got two routes in at Portland on Saturday before the rain rolled in. The weather cleared enough for the party to go ahead in its planned format, and everybody was happy. Lots of food and cake was had.

More running tonight. My left ankle is really giving me grief. After that we're off to Angus' and Kate's for some food + finishing off the last series of '24'.

Friday

The new bombs in London appears to have been of the same type like the previous set that caused such havoc two weeks ago. Fortunately, none of them actually detonated. Hopefully, this should mean plenty of forensics available. The world is changing. People are twitchy. The BBC are reporting that an 'asian' man was pursued by plain clothes police, thrown to the floor and shot 5 times at point blank just now. Let's just hope that it was justified.

On a more mundane note, the Ashes series have started. Must admit that as a foreigner on these shores, cricket remained a curious mystery for many years. However, a game that lasts for five days, taking daily tea breaks and sporting a rule set so complex as to eclipse even Mornington Crescent is quintessentially British, and winning the Ashes at Lords would be seen as the sporting achievement of a generation here. Perhaps the most amusing bit is the boxing-style slagging off of the opponent side in the press. The Aussies really have perfected the art of bullying, but it contrasts so brutally with the docile nature of the game. However, this time around it's the Aussies that are old and fat and England sporting a set of young, hungry players wanting badly to win. Maybe this is the year when the Ashes return to Lords' hallowed turf? So, what are the 11 ways to be out in cricket? Bowled, run-out, caught behind, LBW... answers on a post card, please.

Didn't make it outside last night, despite the fine weather. Did a brief bouldering and campussing session down the wall with Henk and Sarah, and met Bruno and Jen down there. Feeling undeservedly strong at the moment, but hurting like hell today, having not done any indoor training for yonks. Heading down Dorset way tonight for the Porter bash. Weather permitting, we'll sneak in some Portland or Swanage action tomorrow. Quite keen on some DWS, as I've never tried this. Bruno and Jen may head down that way, too, as it's likely the only dry part of the country if the forecasts hit pay dirt. They actually made it to Carreg-y-Barcud the other weekend, and dispatched the classics, including my top-of-wishlist 'Kitten Claws' and 'Sinecure'. Must get down there before leaving in October!

Ouch

More running last night, didn't go so well. Body's still aching from the previous run and climbing, and for the first time for ages I can really feel my left ankle that was badly broken a couple of years back. Nevermind. Sarah got herself some new running shoes (Brooks), from Easy Runner. They really are good to deal with. Plan is to get out on some rock tonight, but we'll see. Late night last night trying to book accomodation for Fiji. We'll go for the Beachcomber resort on the strength of friends' advice plus the fact that the diving outfit on the island is extremely well respected. Transfer times are short, and prices reasonable. You can stay in cheaper places, but after seven weeks of free camping in the states I'm sure a wee bit of comfort will not go amiss.

[13:45] BBC is reporting more tube 'incidents'. Picked up by Sky aswell. Let's hope for the best.

BFD

Last night's antics saw me and Sarah top out on 'Big Fly Direct' (E1 5a, 5a, 5a) in the fading light. A nice route with a big feel to it. Three quite contrasting pitches; never technically desperate, but occasionally slightly run-out. The only thing that distracted was the huge loose block at the second belay. A TV-sized block that wobbles if you breathe too hard. The fall line goes straight down the pitch, too.

The route and grade made me think about the weird nature of the UK trad scale. This route felt correctly graded, yet it's the same grade as 'Three Pebble Slab' at Froggat. The routes couldn't have been more different. Maybe short, bold grit routes are better served by a bouldering grade?

Anyway, more running around the Downs tonight.

Tuesday

Did two laps of the Downs last night; a smidgen under 7 miles. 52 minutes -- not exactly race pace, but at least an indicator that a half marathon in October is not entirely out of the question. Steve, the collegue opposite my desk, has promised that he'll stop smoking if I finish in the top 10. If he carries on placing bets like that, he won't exactly die homeless and broke, as they say.. Sarah was feeling a bit off colour with a dodgy gut so the margin between us was less than normal. The Downs circuit is much friendlier and flatter than our normal Horfield 10k loop, so maybe we'll stick to that for a while, at least until the weather becomes slightly less hot and sticky. We might even be able to entice Angus out. Apparently he's enjoying his new toy, the Garmin Forerunner runner's GPS. Similar to mine but with added heart rate monitor.

Sarah's sorting out Oz visas today, and I'll try to cancel my gym membership for the trip. Hoping to get out to the Crag of Dreams tonight for a cheeky after-work rock session. Sarah still can't see the greatness of the place, and would rather go to the Gorge (!). I do remember needing several trips to understand Wintour's back in the day though. Bristol really is a great place to be based for climbing. Ok, so we don't exactly have Stanage on our doorstep, but plenty of great stuff within 45 minutes drive. Hopefully we'll manage to squeeze in some convenience routes down at Portland this weekend before Daddy Porter's 60th party. Weather's looking so-so for the weekend though.

Back

Back in the UK after a week in Sweden. A scorcher, and no climbing bar a few half-hearted campus sessions. The coming week is looking to be hot and sticky, too. Good to see everybody again, and I'm happy we're keeping up the tradition of meeting up this week every year. Zoe's growing up to be a strong-willed little lady. Talloren really is the place to be on a summer's evening. It's been great being off work for a week. Now back into the daily grind again. Only two months to go! Judging from the AHut reports, Paul and Martin had a good time on the hallowed rock of Clogwyn D'ur Arddu.

Wintour's

Back at Wintour's Leap last night. A bit surreal given the unfolding events in the capital. Did Mosquito Bite (E1 4c, 5b) which was nice. Had a beer later with Paul who lives near by. He's off to Cloggy this weekend the lucky bugger. Weather looks set to be favourable, too. We're off to Sweden tomorrow morning for a week of doing not very much with the extended family. No climbing, but at least there's a campus board where we're heading :)

SimonA reported on the 'wormers' mailing list that he'd been in contact with all London wormers and that they are OK. Fortunately, Chris and Nana were out of the city for Nana's sister's wedding in Cornwall. Nana works right in the thick of it. 37 confirmed dead, expected to rise. UK has long experience with bombs in its cities, and will no doubt bounce back, undeterred. However, one cannot help but think that a new, frightening era has dawned if it is true that suicide bombers are operating on UK soil.

London

London is rocked by multiple blasts on the tube and on buses. Details are hazy, but lots of people appear to have died. The world is a rotten place. My heart goes out to anyone affected.

Peak Weekend

Went to the Peak District over the weekend, despite conflicting weather reports. Turned out to be great in the end -- it was raining on the way up, but Saturday dawned dry, albeit slightly overcast and dull. We had Millstone Edge virtually to ourselves. Did a few of the Embankment cracks and the glorious Bond Street. What a great route it is! Disappointed at having to take some tension on Embankment 3 at the crux. Went to Bamford for the first time on the Sunday and pottered around on easy stuff near the Salmon slab. Sarah is doing well on her leading, seems to have found her confidence. Witnessed some comedy stuff on Curving Crack that a surprising number of people appeared to struggle on.