Eastwood sprouts

The bad weather finally arrived in the North this morning then... Almost perfect scheduling in weather terms - a few light showers, but for the most part - pretty much climbable both days. Friday night we went to the pub with my laptop to look for birthday venues for her 30th (june).

Arranged to meet with the Captain of Crush himself, Dr Pinch - the remarkable Mr Robinson, at Calver cafe early on Saturday morning. Roy's regime has changed my outlook such that when Ed suggested the tor I genuinely wasn't keen! Perhaps this is the first year I can say that I think I finally 'get' the grit. I've always enjoyed the climbing, but I have always considered it a day off. Its not training after all! This year I've discovered the joy of exploring new areas, and actually doing problems, rather than always going somewhere to try something really really hard and always coming away empty handed, and I think the taking one step back has meant I have strode forwards already, because its changed my outlook - I approach things used to success and expect that I will do them, rather than always starting them with doubt in my mind.

Enough piffle - to Eastwood. A crag summed up by my assertion that had I done that traverse last time - I don't think I would've gone back. There's nothing wrong with the place - indeed, the rock quality is awesome, but when you have so much of the rest of the peak to explore - languishing in one slightly esoteric spot is like only eating the sprouts from xmas dinner. Its a good one to keep in the back pocket for rainy days. Did corpse crack a bunch of times to get started (lovely) and then got stuck in to the trav. First go was awesome, I felt great - everything went perfectly, until the last walking your feet round bit which left me hanging in the roof unable to stab to the footholds. Worked a new method that involved turning round in the roof and finishing the traverse upside down with a bicycle clamp. It then took me another load of fluffed goes to actually string it all together, which became a battle against my rapidly ailing stamina - the goes seemed to be getting worse, I was making more mistakes rather than elimanating them... realised this was what was happening and took 10 minutes off, and the next go was THE go and it went down.

Dr Pinch climbed gingerly, nursing a bad finger (which is still buddy taped), and managed to find a fully hideous sequence that looks great fun through the complex middle bit. He didn't put it together before we ran out of time - so I've moved on the neccessity to go back to him! Drove back to calver, dropped him off (did you go anywhere else Ed?) and blazed home to go ring shopping. Ring shopping is quite exciting but also terrifying. You can spend as much (and more) than you have. But, considering she will have to wear it forever after, its worth getting something you like. Although it felt dead exciting the previous weekend when it all happened, this felt dead exciting too. We went out on Saturday night, for tea with friends, then all to the pub, and finally - the girls on to town to go to Tonya's night at Penelopes. I stopped in the pub until 1230 (when I had long since stopped making sense) and then ran home in the rain. She didnt get home until 0830!

Got up at 0930 and felt shit. Drank alka seltzer and planned a lazy day cleaning the car, house, etc. Follicle and Dylan were adamant I was going out with them however and I got press ganged to the plantation. Met Ed, Pippa and Becky on way up and showed pippa some problems whilst waiting for Team FoleyFletch to arrive. Suprisingly felt like I was moving alright when I got going, but the tendency was to sit on my pad for ages between climbs. When I did this the hangover came back, as long as I kept moving it remained at bay. Got shown the Boston Mess which is at least 8b. I cannot generate any motion off that start hold at all. Moved down to the Business bloc, which I find singularly unexciting. I thought I wanted to do jerrys trav, but it just doesn't float my boat. Did a problem called * H top? hmm. Think this forms the top of Danny's problem. Very hard to climb into a position where you can do the thing I did I think. Then did Rose and the self employed business man, which really I should have flashed, but tried to do a really stupid move to start. Left the crag when the monster phoned and went home to do normal stuff.