hobbit adventure: scrambling on tryfan

Well after getting up very bright and early, I headed over to wales to hook up with hobbit for a scramble ramble. Hobbit decided we should scramble in the sunshine as temperatures were -7c so we headed over to Tryfan in search of some sun, and we were lucky enough! We headed passed little tryfan and scrambled up the south ridge via the heather traverse. We scrambled in glorious sunshine, did the odd bit of ice skating but took care and we had stunning views on the tryfan's summit. A fantastic day out!

Mountain Leader Training

I have just signed up to do my mountain leader this year. I am going to do a big push for doing lots of fun things and gaining plenty of skills and experiences from being outside...watch this space.

shiny new year ahead for me

Crabs are good organisers, hard working, sentimental and very thoughtful.  Imagination, sensitivity and the nurturing instincts characterise this sign.  You are generally kind, gentle people unless you are hurt and have been emotionally wounded, then you can be vindictive and sharp spoken.  You may forgive easily but you never forget. You are not naturally confrontational, preferring to deal with a situation as diplomatically as possible, probably because you realise that once something has been said, it can never be reversed.  You know better than anyone that the pen is mightier than the sword.

Your feelings are strong and play a prominent part in home and business.

You care profoundly about your home and family and so if anything is amiss you will worry deeply and become mournful.  You crave love and security but in return can offer unconditional love and loyalty.  Your ability to nurture and protect creates a wonderful bond between yourself and those who come into contact with you.  Having great creative skills you often excel in the art world as a designer, fashion, interiors, authors, poets, sculptors, photographers, landscape gardeners etc.

You work excellently with animals because you are able to communicate with them on a psychic level and could excel as a veterinary, groomer or animal whisperer. Cancerians also make extremely good psychotherapists and alternative practitioners because this is the sign of the 'Listener'. 

Invest in a good hard wearing appointments diary because you are going to be in great demand both professionally and socially.  As incurable romantics you thrive on being both the 'adored and the adoring'.  You keep the art of Romance alive because you believe in the power of love.  2011 could be the year you meet the 'love of your life', settle down once and for all and live happily ever after. 

Aim to clear the decks by mid year of any outstanding debts or financial problems that you have to deal with.  Try to be as organised as possible because it looks as though life is going to speed up during the autumn months and it’s important that you don’t hit financial melt down.

If you are beginning to feel claustrophobic in your current abode, 2011 is a great year to seriously think about making a change.  Perhaps taking a good look around at what properties come on the market that are affordable and in your price bracket.  You may even decide to revamp your home or look at building an extension. 

Your skills in the work place will be admired by many and you could find yourself at the helm of a brand new empire surrounded by an excellent team, or choosing to work alone from home because very often you are more productive when working in familiar surroundings. 

You are beginning to understand the Universal Laws of Attraction, realising that whatever you focus on, you will attract towards you.  That includes, people, situations and circumstances.  If you find yourself anxious or confused ask your guardian angel for help and you will be given an answer.  You’ll learn that once you have changed the way you think that everything you see around you will also change....because you are changing the way in which you are seeing things.

There will be times when you get the uncanny impression that there is a guiding hand in your affairs and that the Fates are backing you up.  You know more than most other signs that there is more between heaven and earth than meets the eye.

During 2011 you will be more drawn than ever to spiritual matters and interested in furthering your spiritual development, seeking other like minded people because you want to learn and know more.  Needless material gains will not appeal to you as much as they did previously.  Its quality of life that you are seeking, not so much the 'quantity' bit of it all.

What you thought you wanted in life a year ago you may not find so appealing.  Old hurts and wounds will heal, liberating you emotionally from the torturous imaginary shackles and chains of the past which have held you prisoner in your heart and mind. You can happily look ahead to a bright new beginning and it can only get better and better.  Try to do your usual trick of building a psychic shell around your inner sensitivities otherwise the negative vibes coming from other people are liable to invade your personal space. 

Since the middle of last year your finances have been under more pressure than anticipated and this has caused you a great deal of worry.  However there are signs that you will soon begin to turn a corner indicating that you will be back on track.  You may even be able to open a new savings account that will give you a bit of a safety net in case you need to draw some money out quickly.  If you are seriously interested in a complete career change, 2011 is a brilliant year to realise your ambitions and make a dream come true.  A new business venture could go so well that its positive progress will take your breath away.  You may even be approached by someone to form a working partnership and depending on what this entails, it could be the making of you.  However, do your homework first and listen to your inner voice before delivering your final answer.

Some of you may also decide to sell up lock, stock and barrel with a view to emigrating to a warmer climate or somewhere that offers you the kind of lifestyle that will appeal to both you and your family.  Nothing is impossible so keep your options open as you never know what lies around the next corner.  This is not a year to look a gift horse in the mouth.  Make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.

by Linda Lancashire

FILMS: P2yche

Last october I went to see Leo Houlding at Buxton, he had only just returned from el capitan from nailing the prophet with his climbing buddy jason pickles. Leo showed snippets of shots and film footage from when he was out there, all good teasers for the new film produced by alastair lee

check out the AWESOME trailer here

READING: The hard years / joe brown

Joe, 80, who was born in Ardwick, became one of the world’s leading climbers in the 1950s and 1960s after pioneering climbs of Snowdonia, the Peak District and the Himalayas.

online dating

well i have taken the plunge and added myself to a couple of online dating sites, as encouraged by linda Lancashire. I have never ever done this before, so all new for me, but I thought i would sign up and see if i could meet any nice dishy chaps to hang out with for climbing and mountaineering fun... watch this space folks

my beautiful beach

over christmas i had plenty of time to myself, to breath, think, reflect and heal.... most of it was spent at my beautiful beach, thought i would share with you some of my favourite snaps I've recently taken

RECIPE: beans with aubergine and parmesan crust

Serves 4

haricot or black-eyed beans 450g
bay leaves 2
aubergines 2 medium
olive oil 
onions 2
garlic 3 cloves
rosemary 3 stems
dried oregano 1 tbsp
tomatoes, chopped 2 x 400g cans

For the crust:
white bread, not too crusty 125g
garlic 1 clove
grated parmesan 30g
lemon 1
rosemary 2 or 3 sprigs
dried oregano 1 tsp
olive oil 3 tbsp

Put the beans into a deep bowl, cover with cold water and leave overnight. In the morning, drain, tip into a large saucepan and cover with at least 2 litres of water.

Bring the water to the boil then skim off the froth that rises to the surface. Lower the heat to a jolly simmer, add the bay leaves and partially cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 45 minutes until almost tender. They should give a little when squeezed. Drain and set aside.

Cut the aubergines in half lengthways then cut each half into about 8 thick slices. In a separate pan, warm 4 tbsp of olive oil. Fry the aubergines, in two or three batches, till pale gold on both sides and soft in the middle then remove and drain on kitchen paper. Add more oil and lower the heat as necessary for each batch. The pieces of aubergine must be soft and tender.

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Add to the empty pan with a tbsp or two of olive oil. Leave over a moderate heat until they have softened. Peel and thinly slice the garlic, add to the onions with the needles from the rosemary stems, finely chopped, and the oregano and leave to soften. The onions shouldn't colour.

Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil, then stir in the cooked and drained beans and the aubergines. Fill an empty tomato can with water and add to the pan. Once the mixture has returned to the boil, turn off the heat. Cover the dish and transfer to the oven for 45 minutes.

Make the crust by reducing the bread to coarse crumbs in a food processor. Add the garlic, peeled and crushed, then the parmesan cheese. Season with black pepper and a little salt. Finely grate the lemon zest, and add it to the crumbs. Remove the rosemary needles from their stems and chop them finely. Stir into the crumbs with the dried oregano.

Pour the olive oil into the breadcrumbs and toss gently – you want them to be lightly moist. Remove the bean dish from the oven, spoon the crumbs on top and replace, uncovered, in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is crisp.

i am back for the shiny new year

I know I have been away for oddles of days and months, got a bit distracted....fell in love and yet again my heart was broken. This time it was really broken and it has taken sometime for it to be put together again, but thanks to amazing friends and family I am back and all raring to go again

RAB Mini Mountain marathon

3 hours, Hayfield High Peak, 09/01/2011

This bright idea was one of hobbits, she thought it would help us with training, fitness and help with navigating,  so as usually I agreed, always up for a challenge! This was our first dabble at this type of event, hobbit has done several half and full blown marathons and I have done the odd couple half marathons but this upped the game as it was running up hill - my favorite... honest, hobbit will vouch for me too! Anyway we rocked up and we weren't too sure of the drill, but we soon got familiar with what was required, we re registered, got handed with a dibber (a swanky scanning device) and we were off, 2 little hobbits on a mission to collect as many points as we could within the 3hrs... it felt like a scene out of cannon ball run but obviously without the cars... everyone in their running tights were off, and in totally different directions. Well I am pleased to say hobbit and I did a cracking good job considering it was our first!... bonus, we didn't loose points nor came last - so winners all round in my books! Well done hobbit, 10/10 for effort.... bring on the next...this time we are having a full blown bad boy mountain marathon, non of this mini malarky business for us :-)

Crib Goch adventure

It was a very early start, 2 days into the new year, Nick, hobbit and I headed over to Snowdon for an adventure to do Crib Goch in winter conditions, last time I did it was in glorious sunshine, with no clouds in sight. We got all kitted out at the Penypass car park and headed up the Pyg track. We headed up the East ridge, it was all very slippy and great care was taken. Part way up we decided to step into our crampons as the ice had got a lot thicker. I was very happy to be back in my crampons, scrambling on rock - the last time I had done this was for my 30th in Switzerland. It all came back to me and I really enjoyed wearing them. But once at the foot of Crib Goch we decided to pack away the crampons as there was a lot less ice and we slowly worked our way across the ridge. It was a very quiet crossing from the group, the first for us... we were all concentrating intently. Once at the summit of Garnedd Ugain we had our lunch and ummed and ahhed about going on to do the Snowdon summit or just head down. - we decided to head down as there was a mass of people swarming on the summit. We headed down the Pyg track making quick tracks on the slippy slopes. The amount of walkers without crampons was astounding they were slip sliding everywhere!! We headed onto the miners track back to the car... an awesome day out, a great way to celebrate the new year in, lets hope for many more.