House Warming

This Saturday we hosted a barbeque for the Brunch Bunch – the whole gang was able to make it so we had a grand total of 12 adults, 4 kids and 2 more on the way! Smeeta and I spent the morning preparing food and were just about ready when people started arriving at lunchtime. The weather was mostly bright but with occasional dark clouds but thankfully no rain.
The food was well-received: spicey chicken, veg kebabs with cod wrapped in Parma ham, asparagus, tuna nicoise salad.
We all had a good time and big thanks to all the gang for coming along.

Snowdon Conquered!

Well – we were utterly soaked, cold and exhausted. But we made it to the summit of Snowdon 🙂
Alien, Charlotte, Smeeta and I had started up the Crib Goch route just after 11am and were approaching the steepening rubbley approach to the ridge when the weather closed in and rain came down. Not being able to clearly make out the route and with the rough rocks becoming slippery we beat a retreat back to the start of the Pyg Track, which is much better marked and takes a less dramatic route.
It does however go on and on… snaking gradually upward untill turning sharply up on the final approach. At which point THE HEAVENS OPENED. Within minutes we were soaked – the path turned to a muddy stream rushing past as we forged on with gritted teeth.
And finally we huddled round the summit stone, slapped our hands down in unison and scuttled off to shelter in the lovely new cafe. Alien treated us to coffees and hot chocolates amidst a mass if elated fellow hikers. Job done.

The rain cleared for the descent and there great views from either side of the ridge before we tracked back down Mount Snowdon. My legs were turning to jelly with every step – going downhill is harder than up. It seemed to take forever, particularly the last hour, stumbling from one stone to the next. And finally – barely ten minutes from the end – my right boot disintegrated: the sole attached just at the toe and flapping like an heavy-duty flip-flop with each alternate step.
We cracked open the bubbly – which had also made the trip in my back-pack – and made our recovery plans: showers, beer and curry! Much appreciated…

Garden update

Check out those huge Lettuce! We’ve had some rain and now it’s been swelteringly hot for a few days and the vegetable patch has been postively bursting – Rocket, Swiss Chard, Spinach & Beans all coming on well. And we have more lettuce than we could ever eat!
The garden is also in flower – the pale blue Clematis is my current favourite…