Angle Tarn Wild Camping Jan 2010

It’s been two weeks since we went but I thought I’d give it a quick mention on my blog.  For this adventure the band of merry men had expanded by one as Alan decided he fancied a night under the stars alongside Paul and I.  We left in the customary darkness in Paul’s Audi and took less time than usual to get all the way across to the Lake District and down to the car park next to Brothers Water.

The air was chilly and there was plenty of snow still all around as the mist left the valley.  We set off towards Hartsop as crazy people jogged the other way dressed in lovely tights and bright hats.  Now I know that I do fell running but if I ever dress up like someone found in the basement in Pulp Fiction then please tell me to stop.

We walked past the car park where we should have started from and then onto the trail that took us up to Hayeswater.  After a quick stop to shed some clothes Sherpa Kemp aka Paul stuck his head down and motored on up the mountain reminiscent of when Michael used to come out.  His mission to push himself harder was going well and Alan and I eventually caught him up at the reservoir ready for the steep bit.  A quick stop for photos and a drink and it was time to go up.

Everyone has different methods for going up steep hills and most people seem to opt for the approach of big steps with big effort to make as much effort as possible.  Paul definitely falls into this category.  I on the other hand go slow and steady which means I can keep a continuous pace for the whole uphill duration.  This is even more important when you are carrying a heavy weight on your back like we were.  Alan seemed to fall between the two styles.

We all reached the top and were situated just to the left of The Knott and regained composure after the hard graft of the ascent.  The route now was an easy one but made that little bit trickier by the deep snow which masked the route and led to many corrections as well as people sinking down little gullies.  This aside our intrepid group managed to skirt our way along the path towards Angle Tarn with a short section in the middle as we passed through a cloud and visibility was down to metres.  This is when it would be easy to lose your way if you didn’t have a compass or GPS.  Or knew where you were going of course!

Once the tarn was in sight the relief was tangible as deep snow with a heavy pack was not an enjoyable combination.  The whole area had the look of the frozen north with white peaks and a think layer of ice across the whole tarn.  We tried throwing some big rocks at the ice but they made no difference as they bounced off.  The ground surrounding the tarn lends itself nicely to camping with a nice little inlet from the east which seems tailor made for camping with its flat spots and great views.

With our spot chosen we got the tents up in good time whilst plenty of people stopped and watched.  We had arrived way too early at around 12.30 and now had a boat load of time to kill.  Alan looked great in his little gimp tent which was just big enough for him and Paul’s new 1 man deal was looking like the muts nuts with its extra lightweight construction.  I however decided to park my trusty old Vango some 20 feet away as I was aware of Paul’s snoring habits.

Food was eaten and the beautiful surrounding was absorbed until the sun finally fell down below the horizon and a group of deer trotted across the far side of the tarn.  With so much time to kill we had a few coffees and stood about chatting whist Bob tried his best to wind Paul up by dropping sticks at his feet continuously.  The Mountain Equipment down tops were top banana against the wind and cold as the temperature was noticeably dropping below zero on its way to around -4 degrees.

Eventually we headed to the sleeping bags and within minutes Paul was snoring his head off and I was wanting to kill him.  After hours the noise not only continued but got even louder and amplified by the total lack of any wind.  I was convinced that if I had slept in the next valley I still would have heard him.  After deliberately waking him up my broken sleep was eventually put behind me as I managed to get a couple of hours before the morning.  How Alan managed to survive being only a few feet away is beyond me.

Morning came and Paul was up bright as a button encouraging us to all get up and get going again.  He had the air of a man who had been sleeping for 14 hours and was in a hurry to get moving to arrive somewhere with no real purpose at the end of it.  On bikes this is known as the quickening.  But here on this stunning morning in the Lakes I felt totally shattered and frank;y capable of murder if he persisted so instead I curled up and had another couple of hours.  When I did get out Paul had his tent half down and his bag nearly packed.  Alan and I needed some shock therapy to wake up with a cup of coffee and an investigation of why a frog had tried to break into Alan’s tent during the night.

With the bags packed we said goodbye to the tarn and headed north towards Ullswater and cut down the pass next to Patterdale and back on ourselves to Hartsop.  The journey down took its toll on peoples knees as the heavy load put that extra strain on.  I’ve never subscribed to the theory that going down can be harder than going up but I can understand when people say it.

Soon we were back at the car and the two boys had a celebratory cigarette before our journey home.  We rushed home for no real reason and when Paul dropped me off I had a nice warm shower, Sunday dinner from Cath and in the evening slept very soundly indeed.

A lovely trip.

Pictures can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=179185&id=569053523&l=d66dcd3896

InProc or SQLServer sessions?

BACK have been developing a lovely e-Commerce website for a retailer and everything has been going swimmingly.  We decided to give a new hosting provider a go, DiscountASP.net.  When the site was first uploaded everything was running nice and smooth but then as time went by the site started to slow down.  Then after maybe 2 weeks the shopping cart function decided to stop working.  When we looking further into the problem and at the error messages and causes the problem seemed to lie with the session state.

Now by default the application uses in process (InProc) sessions which means they are stored in memory and don’t really ask the browser to do too much other than possibly handle a cookie.  Reading a few forums for support we switched the sessions to out of process by adding a SQL schema and handling them that way.  the performance decrease was noticeable but it did work…. eventually.  That was on everything except IE which is quite ironic for a Microsoft programming language.

The only definitive solution proposed by other people hitting this problem (it effects PHP as well) was to ensure that you manually handle sessions using your code and writing info back and forth to the DB.  That’s a pretty hardcore solution.  In the meantime we will switch back to InProc which now seems to run like a dream until it spits its dummy out again.

More updates may well come along later.

Grisedale Wild Camp

What better way to celebrate the arrival of the first weekend in 2010 than to accept my brothers request for a spot of wild camping.  The weather forecasts were all miserable but we had set our course to Grisedale Tarn next to Hellvelyn in the Lake District.  6.45 AM the alarm went off and bleary eyed it was time to slip on some clothes, get a bite to eat and set off for Paul.  The snow was definitely on the ground but not enough to stop people driving.  Paul duely collected we set off across the A69 which was down to one lane unless you were totally committed and prepared to ride the snow in the outside lane.  I was quite happy to stick to the one lane with grip and take my time.

The road snaked down the side of Ullswater to the sleepy down of Glenridding where we parked at the public car park and were duely fleeced by the 12 hours of 1 week option.  Given that we would be out for 24 hours there was no choice but to pay the scandalous £25 fee for a week.  Car secure the back packs were donned and we set off on our mission to camp out in some pretty inhospitable conditions.  The skies were bright but the easterly wind was blowing in some heavy skies.

A meander down a lane in the Lake District quickly turned into a very steep section to breech the hill and then descend into Grisedale itself.  Such a short, sharp ascent got the heart going and Paul was immediately ready for the camping element without getting anywhere near where we needed to be.  The sound of a pack of hounds broke the silence as we started our way up the valley with towering white mountains on either side.  A farmer went about his every day duties whilst ignoring the many people taking advantage of the wintry conditions.

The path started off being easy to follow with only a splattering of snow for covering but soon the way become pretty much covered and we followed Bob who followed the last set of tracks to be paid down before us.  There were signs of the harsh conditions all around with trees stripped naked of their leaves for winter standing like sentinels watching over those who pass.  Streams were frozen and forming the most wonderful icicles that shimmered as the light danced around them.

Bob chased some sheep who became victims in his own games whilst I had to run after him with a huge pack on.  Luckily he got bored with that game and we could then get on with the real purpose of our being here.  Paul and I crossed the bridge that signals the start of the steeper climb to the Climbing Hut where we took five before making the final push up to the tarn.  As we gained in height it was clear that the temperature was dropping, snow was coming and that the winds were picking up.  Furthermore the snow was getting deeper and we regularly plunged our legs into deep pot holes that could leave you waist deep.

Please bare in mind that this is Paul’s second trip out into the hills and his mountain legs are not quite there.  As he toiled with his inner pain he had reached that moment which all outdoor minded people get to.  This point being the desicion whether to stop and take the easy way out or to keep going.  With much pride I was delighted to see him stick to his guns and show some guts to get to the top.  As we approached the top his legs were hurting but he had beaten his inner doubt and gone the distance.

At the tarn the wind was howling through the valley and culminating at this point.  The snow was being thrown into our backs at high speed and after an initial scout around it was clear there were no hiding places from the wind and our only choice was to head down the hill from which we came and get out of the snow storm.  Bob’s coat was becoming congealed with snow and he was shivering so if only for his sake I was happy to get somewhere warmer.  Turning back meant going head on into the snow storm which turned out to be very difficult until donning the sunglasses.

Bob blasted down the hill as usual and Paul and I kept a watching brief for potential places to set the tents out.  On the way to our chosen spot Paul’s legs were paying the price for such hard efforts and he went through the snow only to have his calf muscle cramp up and leave him writhing in pain.  This was a bit of a heart stopper as I thought he had broken his leg!   I had a plan to just dragging him out across the snow or leaving him to Bob when he passed out but luckily for him he managed to sort himself out and carry on.

Our chosen spot was decided upon by the fact of Paul propping himself up against a rock with a dejected look and pointing at the bit of flat land in front of him.  The snow had gone just enough to scrape down to the grass (bog) and put the tents up.  Mine first we managed to beat the wind and get it laid out then cover all the pegs with rocks so that they didn’t come out the ground.  Paul’s new Vaude tent went up like a dream and he instantly set about the mission of how it could be improved with a guy rope here and one there.  His inner engineering instincts are always there.  Clearly his sense of sanity was not as he was about to spend the coldest night camping he has ever done.

Bob scouted the area for anything and everything and was constantly on the move as Paul and I got on our Mountain Equipment down jackets ready to fight the elements aided by a hot cup of coffee.  Isn’t it funny how coffee and tea always tastes a lot better when out in the wild?  I’m not sure if this due to the elements being right on you or just a perception due to coldness.  When the sun went down so too did the temperature and the place was quickly into minus figures as the ground hardened and it wasn’t even 6 ‘o’ clock yet!  I decided to get into my ysleeping bag and it wasn’t long before I was nodding off with Bob for company but never quite falling asleep.

Paul and I had a mini burst of activity when we were up and about in the light of the moon as it crept its way across the sky and lit up the tops of the mountains.  The stars were out in force and twinkled away.  After a few hours the clock struck nine and we decided to hit the sack if only to try and get some warmth.  Paul’s new ME sleeping bag was doing the business as my old on clearly wasn’t.  I even had a big furry hot water bottle to contend with who was shivering away trying to get warm in just his own fur.  Snuggled into my bivvy bag we cuddled up as I cursed Paul’s snoring and then proceeded to retaliate with some of my own.  The snoring arms race went on into the night as we both went in and out of sleep.

We awoke again just after 4 AM with the sky lit up by the light of a full moon.  The mountains shimmered around us and the temperature was around -10 as the cold sunk into the valley.  I was very cold in my sleeping bag and so stuck and extra couple of layers on to fight off the chill.  Paul and I then sat and chatted for a couple of hours chewing the cud and putting the world to rights.  I’ve been out in all sorts of wintry conditions but never camped out in the mountains when in these same conditions.  So not only was this a first for Paul but also a first for me.  All the naysayers and harbingers of doom about how dangerous the trip would be are clearly talking out of their bums.  Keep dry, keep warm and don’t wake unnecessary risks and you’ll more than likely be OK.

We plumped for a last lie down and I must have fallen asleep as I awoke around 7.50 in time to get up and see the tops of the mountains shine bright white with the first rays hitting.  The deep freeze had not finished us off but Bob had no qualms about trying to finish off my beans and sausages when I wasn’t looking.  Him eating out of the same bowl was not going to put me off!  Paul tucked into his Wayfarer all day breakfast and we both started packing up in our well and truly frozen boots.  In fact they were literally blocks of ice and my toes went numb whilst taking the tent down.  Paul’s feet were fairing just the same.  The previous nights great idea with the rocks on the tent pegs turned out to be silly in the morning as the stones froze to the ground and had to be dug out.  In fact the stream running past had even frozen and when I went to pick the pegs up they froze to my hand.  We discussed what we thought had been voices in the wind – bizarre but we both thought we could hear womens voices but then when you tried to listen further there wasn’t a sound.

It was a delight to get moving and get some blood pumping and as they did so the blood did return to the toes and we both had the chill blane pains before resuming normal service.  My old and trusty boots made their last journey as the hooks snapped off and I wandered back to the car with loose boots (blocks of ice) and trying to stay upright.  The weight of the backpacks wasn’t really a problem and after going over the final ascent we were back into Glenridding and into the car, even stopping to watch a big fox tootle about the fields on the way.  A quick intake of food and fluid and we were ready to hit the road.  Paul tried to get some shut-eye on the way back and Bob was out cold on the back seat.

In reflection the trip was perfect winter camp.  The walk was not long but due to the elements it took more effort than usual.  Paul’s inner drive to get to the tarn in the face of his own physical pain and environmental conditions was commendable.  His thirst for wild camping has been increased and his realisation that smoking is doing him no favours can only be a bonus and gives hope to our family that he will try to give up.  Bob loved it as usual and probably wishes every day could be the same.  All in all a great trip!

Frozen TV Star

The night before was a toasty meal with friends round at Gary’s place.  The fire was roaring and the conversation flowing whilst drinks were merrily drank.  Who would have thought that the next day Mark and I would be dicing through the snow battling against a snow storm to get to the Rendevouz cafe down Whitley Bay.  The occasion?  To throw ourselves into the North Sea courtesy of the Panama Swimming Club.

This crack-pot idea has long been something I have seen on the news and missed out on.  This year I remembered and recruited Mark and Gary for the mission.  Gary looked at the snow and cried off but Mark and I turned up and were the only people in sight with an hour to go.  As time went by the crowds arrived and the participants increased.  Three guys dressed up in thongs were the star attraction but Mark and I had our own mission to consider.

Film crews and photographers were among the crowds so I hope they appreciated the “Man of Steel” underwear given to me by Allison’s sister Debbie.  Why my sister in law bought me some Superman pants nobody seems to know but such is life.  I donned a pair of shorts and….. that’s it.  Meanwhile Mark was dressed like Rocky with the full robe and looking like he was ready for a fight.

After some preliminary hanging around the regulars came out and the journey to the icy sea began.  Stroll down between the watchers and then drop your towel and in we go.  We had a plan of attack and stuck to it religiously with a few tempting steps and then head first dive into the first wave.  The water was desperately cold and peoples feet went numb within seconds as the body drew blood into the core to keep essential organs working.

Mark made a point of going out further than anyone else but even he couldn’t stay in that long.  We had fulfilled the mission of total submersion and completed the mission.  It was time to get out and feel strangely warm whilst looking at everyone around you standing there in full coats to guard themselves against the snow and winter chill.  What chill?

Changed back into normal clothes I stepped outside only to be greeted by a BBC correspondent asking questions about the experience which later appeared on the news.  I’ll be speaking to my agent about the next TV appearance and to delay the book signing.

At the end of the day the plunge into the sea is the ultimate hangover cure and an event that was on the to-do list of things to do before I die.  Do it again?  Hmmmmm.  Will wait til next year before deciding on that one.

Robin Wood Adventure

I had the fortune of once again being invited to be a member of staff for the year 6 trip to Robin Wood near Alston.  This is an outdoor adventure place specifically for 11 year olds and I couldn’t agree more with its aims.  Children are forced to push themselves beyond their own boundaries into their “stretch zone”.  Last year I had a group of kids of which about half were really pushing themselves and I had to deal with tears.  This year my group had none of that and they all took to each session with gusto.  They were however the loudest group of kids I’ve had so far as they were all trying to be the class clown but in a nice natured kind of way.  Three days of excessive food consumption and standing out in the cold was great fun and it was delightful to witness the transformation of children into a group with good teamwork.  This may have been the last year of my participation with the bambino to consider next year.

In The Hills

It was with some surprise when brother Paul rang me to see if I fancied heading out into the hills in December  to do a spot of wild camping.  Paul has a long history of camping but more associated with the means to drink rather than for the love of the outdoors.  This time he was serious and the date was set.

First up was the all important stop at the petrol station for Paul to top up on smokes before the big off.  This may be a healthy activity but bad habits would continue.  Maybe the walk would make him see the light with what his body was trying to tell him.

After a smooth journey we arrived around 1pm with very overcast skies but no rain.  We put on wet weather gear and hit the road heading on our journey which would take us 500m in height into the Cheviots over about 5 miles.  The first stage is a flat section of single lane road before turning into a track heading steadily up hill.  Bob was having no issues bombing around from place to place – I wonder if he knows he was born in this area?

It wasn’t long before Paul was looking longingly at a tractor chugging its way up the hill when we were using leg power alone.  Walking up it without the packs would obviously have been a lot easier.  Soon we reached the top of that little ascent and hit the signpost which is a crossroads with the Clennel Street path leading back down to Alwinton.

Desolate hills loomed large around us as civilisation was left far behind.  This is the last place of great wilderness in England with only Dartmoor to rival it.  We scaled higher and slipped by Uswayford with the farm nestling neatly between its own bunch of trees.  Paul looked longingly at the thought of living out here in the hills but only if he’d won the lottery.  The following three quarters of a mile was nice and tricky following a single lane path with an ample drop down into the river should you slip.  A quick hop over a burgeoning stream, climb up the other side and then skirt along the side of the forest until you pick up the Salters Road.

The last time I was on this “road” was many years ago with Wilson and believe me it looked nothing like a bloody road!  Hats off to the Forestry Commission for chopping down lots of trees and sticking loads of hard rock down to make this an actual walkable path rather than the mud bath it was before.  We picked up the trail and soon we were very quickly at our destination.  The river was full and the roar of the waterfall was impressive set in such a quiet valley.  In the distance looming large was the Cheviot itself all covered in snow which gives you an impression of how cold it could potentially be.

With our destination of Davidsons Lynn achieved it was 3pm and we needed to get our tents up.  Paul has got a new Vango 2 pole deal which looks the business and we would find out if that was the case with this maiden voyage.  We quickly got this up and my tent while Bob was trying his best to find as many sticks as possible to put down and play with.  Paul was saying that his dogs would be out for the count and snoring their heads of now but that was never going to be the case with Bob.  I’m not sure if a 5 mile walk really registers on his tiredness scale.

Tents up and it was getting dark already.  The downside of camping in winter is the fact that the nights are very, very long.  The little candle lantern was lit alongside the diode lantern and Paul hit the Bombay pot noodle and a tin of all day breakfast.  Fuelled up we got into the tents and continued chatting whilst having a few sips of rum.  For two people who are light on sleeping most nights this would turn into a 13 hour night and we were quite grateful for the backpack laden walk to get here.

Paul let it be known that he had abandoned his roll mat and so he slept directly on the floor which was freezing cold.  I had my old sleeping bad inside a bivvy bag as I knew Bob would be in and he would be soaking everything in sight.  Bob was shivering away as the temperature dropped and once he was dry enough I got sick of him dropping himself next to me every 15 minutes to get comfortable and just shoved him inside the bivvy so we could share body heat.  What a great move as he didn’t move until the morning and was the cosiest little hound around.

Morning came, necks creaked and backs flexed once more as the early chill in the air made life good.  The dog searched the area for anything interesting whilst Paul and I considered getting up to make coffees and eat some food.  Why does coffee taste so much better in the cold?  Bellies full we packed the gear away and decided to take the Salters Road all the way down to Uswayford again and then retraced our way back.  The weather had been kind to us thus far with a torrential downpour at night but only light drizzles during walking.  This changed on the way back with a moderate soaking which was the Cheviots way of saying that it could have had you if it wanted.

Back down to car level and the relief was evident as Paul had achieved his first wild camping exercise in many years and had done so with ease.  Yes with a few aches here and there and he was impressed by the strange effect taking off a heavy backpack can have on you after so long with it on.  The land of the far horizons had proven to be a wonderfully wild place where you can get away from it all.  Problems seem small in comparison to mountains which have loomed large for millions of years whilst clouds roll by thick and heavy above.  A great experience and has given Paul the appetite to get out there and do some more.  But where next?

Pictures can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4065947&l=3a2bf7c851&id=569053523

Employer of the Year 2009

 

BACKman

Well can you believe it.  BACK Consulting Limited were named Employer of the Year 2009 at a prestigious event in Northumberland County Hall fighting off 300 other businesses.  The awards ceremony was to celebrate the achievements of adult learners, staff and employers throughout the year.  Being placed in top spot was testament to the great working environment the BACK office has and the quality of the staff.  Unbeknown to us it was a former employee who put our name forward and gave a rousing rendition of why BACK are so highly valued.

We are delighted to have received this award and will continue to support the efforts of all Northumberland County Council efforts as usual.  A great night all round.

Read the BACK news article here.

 

XML Based Content Management Systems?

If you look at traditional CMS designs they tend to be database driven to store objects.  BACK Consulting has built many such websites and they have a purpose and a place in the world.  Recently we have developed a few CMS sites for clients using XML as the data store and applying XSL with XHTML to produce the same effect.  All of this is done using ASP.NET and C# and still using the same controls for wriritng content that would be used for the database driven sites.  In fact from the outside you notice no difference.

Removing the need for a database also removes the cost.  The hosting cost in an obvious one but if you are using something like MS SQL Server to store data this also needs to be rented.  In terms of speed I see no real difference but we are about to conduct some load testing on that front.  Multiple editors may not be a good idea for example.

The XML files are easily shared across multiple technology platforms thus proving the fundamental usefulness of the format.  We have a Flash based map reading an XML file, processing user input and then outputting parameters which are caught in the POST of a form and used.  In this case they are saved into the very same XML file if the transaction is completed.  Neat.

If you are having to build a CMS site for a client then “NatWest….. there is another way”.  And it’s worth considering.

Is The Tide Turning?

Having lots of regular contact with other businesses in the region there seems an ever increasing sense of optimism about the future of the economy in the region and the country as a whole.  Christmas is coming and retail is gearing up for its most important time of the year whilst service based businesses tend to go quiet around this time.  Regardless of this there seems to be a surge of work going on at the moment which will keep companies going through the holiday slump.

Business analysts will not commit to any long term recovery forecasts for fear of being caught out but it does seem, on the ground level at least, that the sun is beginning to peep round the edge of dark clouds at last.  A lot of people pointed a finger at the media for making the recession as bad as it was/is and even worsening the effect by talking ourselves into not spending and general economic panic.  I hope that the same media outlet channels are just as quick to point out the good things that are happening like new stores opening, 1000’s of people signing up for training, contracts being won and so forth.  Unfortunately these stories don’t hit the imagination like a bad one but businesses can see through the smoke an mirrors.

The question on most peoples minds is: what happens to the country when all the fiscal stimuli come to an end?  VAT rises back to previous levels, quantitative easing stops, banks are no longer given the tax payers money and the national debt needs to be serviced or at the very least reduced.  There is an automatic assumption that inflation will take hold and this can only be a bad thing for everyone, especially those who have a home and paying a mortgage.  The property market was at the root of all the problems as a major contributor alongside risky bank decisions and the housing market can play a very strong role in getting us all out of the downturn.

Businesses in the North East of England at least have been very pro-active in coming together to help each other and really make a framework for innovation and self promotion.  The BACKFlip events were dreamt up to generate our own business and driven by force of will by Director Andrew Charlton.  Other such events have been organised by the likes of Network North, 4Networking, etc. as well as companies coming together to make events such as the business event toolkit which is sold out.  Speak to networking specialists like Marc Gordon of Network North and you will be very impressed with the appetite for making things happen.

Keep the positive attitude and we can all get out of it.

Big G 2009

 

Big G

 

 

It’s been some time since I last actually wrote on my blog as the ritual of doing it was put aside due to levels of work.  Now that is a good problem to have I have to say.  On the weekend just passed it was the annual Big G which is the silly name given to a group of friends who have been off to Stonethwaite near Keswick for the last 14 years.  The idea is not to go out hiking or indeed do anything outdoor related beyond the act of actually camping.  Instead it is to spend time with friends who you really see as a group.  And to get blind drunk on the Friday night!

 

Big G 2

 

 

The trip across was nice and smooth as I picked up Colin and GT then headed across.  The little drops of rain started pouring the second we turned off the M6 at Penrith and started along the A66 to Keswick.  Grieves had phoned to say there was a change of location as the usual terrible campsite was “in the process of closing”.  What does “in the process of closing” mean?  Is it open or is it not?  Or do they now recognise that we have no interests beyond having a laugh for the weekend and don’t quite cut it with the serious faced Lake District clique?

 

Big G 3

 

 

As we arrived at the new site just moments from the old one we were greeted by heavy rain and a car park removed from the camping field meaning things had to be transported by foot to our chosen spot.  Flannery and GG picked a good spot that was slightly raised which meant any heavy rainfall would slip off somewhere else and we wouldn’t end up sleeping in a pool.  We managed to get my tent up in the pouring rain and at this point I realised my waterproof ski bottoms were nothing of the sort.  At least the tent was up.

 

Chickey

 

 

Soon after Paul and Neil arrived and his Kyham tent was up like a shot with a table placed in the middle and chairs quickly assembled ready for the beginning of the Friday night madness.  It is called Friday night madness as this is the one occasions when everyone is released from responsibilities and influences and glibly get into the spirit of just cracking jokes and enjoying ourselves.  Beers and ciders were neatly flowing and then Captain Ahab whipped out the bottles of Sours and two bottles of champagne, Neil contributed a lime vodka, GG and Flan a bottle of Baileys whilst I chucked in Archers and the remains of a bottle of whiskey and vodka.

 

GG

 

 

No doubt to everyone’s horror the whole lot was consumed in one night which did result in people falling over, toppling of chairs and laughing so hard your stomach muscles hurt – but not knowing why you were laughing!  Being the only people on the entire site sitting in a tent in the middle of a storm there was no-one to hear the shouting that we tried to pass off as good singing to all time classics like Big River, 2Pac and more.  It was beautiful.

 

BK

 

 

One by one the people fell from grace and headed to their beds or just fell over.  Colin got dragged out of his sleeping bag half asleep but managed to retain the upper hand in semi-conciousness.  Neil had a great poker face but then fell to pieces at the final hurdle and was out for the night.  Ahab had the giggles.  Gary was talking to Huey.  Flan was trying to sleep in a puddle with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on.  Refusing to move I managed to stick a blanket over him and a sleeping bag whilst Colin kept a watching brief.  As for me I ended up walking the perimiter of the site in search of a water point which I did eventually find.  Got soaked in the process as the winds picked up and the rain lashed down.

 

Ahab

 

 

The next morning the rans briefly stopped and then started again as no-one was moving until at least 10am when I made a shuffle across to the tent with GG, Col and Flan in it.  It wasn’t a pretty site as the tent looked like it had been hit by a missile.  Some fried egg and bacon sandwiches with coffee managed to breathe some life into the situation and the crew roused.  Eventually the rain stopped and people went to seek out the lovely toilets with their silk toilet paper.  This kind of luxury is unheard of in the Stonethwaite experience even though the toilets are still pretty basic.

Into Keswick for the day on Saturday and everyone was on the cokes.  Gary looked like he was having some kind of physical shut down whilst Neil had managed to survive his first Keswick night but looked terrible.  Three pints on arrival sorted him out.  Big steaks all round apart from Mark and Colin who chose to pop into Greggs and the chippy respectively to fill their stomachs.  After watching the football and rugby it was time to head back to the site and get stuck in.  Except this time get stuck is was defined as drinking coffee and hot chocolate whilst the weather outside was dry and very calm.  Mark wanted to head to a hotel on the Saturday night but realised that the night was not going to be bad and so decided to stay.  He then got up in the morning and negotiated a fantastic £3.50 a night deal with the site owner.

Up at the very crack of dawn as someone (don’t know who) must have been very keen to get away.  We were in Keswick by 8am ready to meet up with our old adversary to eat full breakfasts.  The usually miserable owner of the cafe caught everyone of guard by being eminently reasonable and even saying hello.  And so the drive home represented another year of the annual trip.  This is the only event that has managed to stand the test of time as the FlanBazz is occasionally observed as is the GT birthday day/night out.  It is brilliant to still have the same friends that I had when at school and to see them in a no stress or pressure environment just really enjoying themselves.

Roll on next year.  But not in a storm.

 

Flan