The usual suspects

Great weekend- caught up with my brother and family at my parents house Saturday night (missed the bike ride earlier due to work :¬( Friends of my brothers were over too on a mass biking expedition. Not everyone's bikes made it round the trails intact.....

(on the balcony I helped construct at my folks, my brother Erik is bottom right- Hello Erik!)

A good boozy social night was enjoyed by all, terminating in watching a cool Japanese chop 'em up called Zatoichi- great fun.

Rather than kip the night in a stuffy room, I went for the open-air option, and slept on the lawn in the back garden under the stars. Really refreshing- woke up well rested with no hangover, despite my usual mass consumption of booze..

Sunday saw me teaming back up with Lee, I would've gone biking with my brother, but I've done so little climbing in the last couple of weeks, I felt that was my priority.
Good decision.

That looks hot to me, does it look hot to you? About 30 degrees today with really high humidity, thunderstorms about 10 miles away.

I worked "These Foolish things"- climbing it almost on-sight; so chuffed, as that is THE hardest thing that I've tried to climb- 7a+!!! My fitness let me down 3m from the top of the 30m climb: my right hand had nothing left at all (couldn't have held a spoon, let alone my body weight), so I'll be back to keep trying until I get the power I need :¬)

Rare shots of me, on These Foolish Things

Lee on California Highway Patrol

I headed back for a siesta (night before had finally caught up :¬),

and then teamed back up with Lee for an hour long blast up the local hill Moel Famau on the mountain bikes- feeling great!

Now it's time to kick back with a nice glass of white, and maybe watch my gran's new DVD: Dogville. :¬)