Broughton Liesure Centre......

Sunday: My 1st visit to the home of

Real rock holds make this the most authentic climbing experience indoors

Over a thousand boulder problems to be tried

One last go before our muscles give up

Festen....

or "Celebration"; it's translated title, is a dogme 95 film made in Denmark in 1998 by Thomas Vinterberg. Put quite simply this is a stunning film, it is to happy families what Guantanamo Bay is to human rights.
Its everything that European Art-house film making should be- daring, fresh, innovative, and definitely not mainstream.
Think you've got a disfunctional family?- then try this one for size (it might actually make you feel better!). It will stun you, make you laugh, and cringe in similar amounts. Amazing performances shine in this hand-held, naturally lit and sound-recorded masterpiece. I haven't seen it since the first time years ago on TV- it didn't disappoint, in fact, it's hard not to be affected in some way by this movie.

(To enjoy the full impact of this film, I suggest avoiding all reviews- as they almost alway contain major spoilers.)

If you like classic cars.......

then click on the link below. (thanks to Blair- where do you find these gems?!)
Imagine you buy a farm in Portugal, go to enter the barn, cut off a rusted-up padlock, swing the door open, and see this:

(link fixed)

I have a plan...

The plan is to get fit for climbing.

This is how we train:

Dave bouldering on Frodsham- the 1st time I've climbed here for about ten years- happy memories

Phil makes a dynamic move on the wall he built himself, one of the regular Thursday evening sessions open to friends- thanks for making me welcome at your amazing wall :¬)

This is why we train......

Malham Cove, Yorkshire - an amazing crag- a dramatic venue - home to some of the hardest routes in the UK.

Spot the climbers at the base of the black streak.

Ali worked Raindogs, f8a, and I set my sights slightly less ambitiously on Rose Coronary, f7a.
I had a great day, successfully red pointing my route on the 3rd try, and Ali had a good day working Raindogs- particularly impressive was a clean ascent of the final 1/4 on the last go, whilst tired from the days excertions- good effort, and thanks for a great day :¬)

A sun trap- scorching conditions ("too hot" the excuse everyone had at the ready in case of failure ;¬)

A backward glance towards the crag as we leave, last light, climbers on the upper tier as well as the lower.

Fantastic day :¬D

A different perspective.....

Some of Lee's excellent shots:

spot the horizon- virtual white-out conditions Saturday

Maurice and Jester

amazing image

Sarah's boys in their field

These are some shots I took when Lee and I enjoyed a winter walk

amazing ice formations




the summit of our local 15km walk in the snow




We've finished our ginger tea and jaffa cakes, and now Lee looks ready to leave the top of Moel Famau

Ong-Bak

Ong-Bak is a no-nonsense, old-school martial-arts experience. Plot is thin, acting usually on the melodramatic side, with everything geared around action sequences. And what action sequences they are- amazing chase through the streets of Bangkok, and wire-free fighting that'll make your hair stand on end. I want to see more of this stuff- Tony Jaa is remarkable. There is a hint of Thai about this film- with religion and spiritualism more prominent than you'd find in a Hollywood flick of the same genre. Great fun- recommended.

Why the British talk about the weather so much....

Because unlike many countries, which have climate, we actually have weather! Within 4 days. we've gone from sunbathing, to nearly 30cm of snow.

I wanted to show nature reclaiming the works of men. This is in the morning.

This is in the evening, at the time of writing, the rear window is no longer visible.

The morning after..

Water's all frozen- so Fred and Brio eat snow instead (watch the yellow stuff though boys ;¬)

My Gran's back garden this evening.

Last light gives an eerie other-worldly feel to the view.

Apocalypto

"Another chase scene through the jungle?" must have been muttered by the cast of this film a few times. So here's the positive: loads of action throughout. Unfortunately there are more than a few down sides: pretty grim sadistic violence (made me wince a few times- decapitations, disemboweling etc), rather repetitive (jungle chases), just a little unbelievable. All in all, I really wouldn't recommend this one, though it isn't the worst movie I've seen.

Very Lou Reed.....

Just a perfect day :¬) Dinbren, warm enough to climb with shirts off, in February- what more do I need to say?

More good weather ......

Sunset over the Dee in Chester, Tuesday evening

Dawn Wednesday

Dawn Wednesday

Fun in the sun, down at Llanymynech

Self Portrait

Above and below: Gary Gibson- who has climbed more than 3,000 new routes in the UK. That's not a typo, he's probably the most prolific climber in the sports history. A controversial figure, his love of bolts frequently making waves in the traditional climbing environment of the UK. Things are changing though, and many of his sports climbs, and crags, are some of the most popular to be found.

Grid Iron wall is pretty big, 100ft climbs. Today we climbed the 1st route put up at the crag more than 2 decades ago- Grid Iron itself- recently retro bolted (f6c) by the climber of it's first ascent; John Codling.

Low sun on the Quarry.