Geraniums

My geraniums are enjoying being outside after a long winter in doors. They are all starting to bloom better. They bloom in the winter but not as well as they do outside.

Helpston circular

Helpston, in Northamptonshire at the time, was the birthplace of the poet John Clare. We started our walk from the John Clare Cottage and museum. Apart from the information about the poet, this is another useful stop on the coffee-shop circuit.




We walked towards the village cross for a few yards, then turned left into the yard of The Blue Bell pub. At the back of the car park there's a stone stile leading on to a footpath which goes behind the village primary school, then across a couple of fields to reach a minor road. We turned left, and walked along the road for a few hundred yards, past another small road, until we came to a footpath leading off to the left. We followed this path east with a hedge on our right, then slightly south until we met yet another small road. Here we turned right, then after a couple of hundred yards we turned right, taking the footpath, not the bridleway. They are very close - the footpath is about three yards beyond the bridleway.




The path goes south west across a field, then south along the edge of a wood, then south-west again, before reaching the Stamford Road. Just opposite this point is The Granary - a farm shop and another one on the coffee-shop circuit. We decided we had plenty of time to indulge ourselves today!

What d'you mean - we've only walked three miles!

we left the Granary, and turned right along the Stamford Road. After about half a mile of road walking, and one crossroads we took a footpath off to the right, along a field boundary, and down towards the edge of a small wood. Shortly after the wood the path turns from southwest to north west then curves round following a field boundary then along the northern edge of some more woodland - Foster's Coppice. After a short distance we turned left (north) along a track which took us back to the Stamford Road.









We turned left along the road for a very short distance, then right along a path, which skirted Hayes Wood, then turned south east to the Stamford Road again, turning north-west just as the path meets the road. We followed the path along the edge of Simon's Wood, and decided we could afford another short break - Maureen's scones, a nearly forgotten treat over the last three weeks, were welcome.




We followed the edge of the wood, which became Oxey Wood. The path ruined slightly north east at the end of the woodland, and led to a wider track running east. We followed this for about half a mile, then turned left past College cottages. This track took us directly to the road into Helpston, very close to the railway crossing. From there it was a straightforward road walk back into the village, past the church, the John Clare monument and the market cross.

St Botolph's church

John Clare monument

Helpston Butter Cross, where markets were held

Ho ho! Just back - I took the washing in, soaked myself, then looked outside - wet stuff from heaven again! Perfect timing.








For a similar walk on 10 October click here. In reverse, with slight variations.

Thunderhead Clouds

We have been having what is called the New Mexico monsoon season. We have had more rain this year than we have had for several years. This is more like we used to have 25 to 30 years ago and more. Which is really good. Nearly every afternoon we watch the thunderhead clouds come across the Sandia Mountains or else come across the desert from the west until they turn dark and we get a bit of rain. Sometimes just a sprinkle, some times up to a half an inch of rain or so, and then sometimes the clouds just go around us and it rains somewhere else.

Velo Vision

About a year ago, I started to notice that I couldn't see things in the distance as well as I used to. I could read and see up close just the same as before, but things far away were losing their clarity. I noticed this most of all while cycling.The landscape was not as sharp as it once was, far-away roadsigns were more difficult to read, faces of people riding toward me were harder to recognise. As someone who's always had perfect eyesight, I had no prior experience with vision loss and it took me a while to acknowledge what was happening. But finally I went to have an eye exam and the loss of "perfect" status in the eyesight department was confirmed. I was given a prescription for glasses that the doctor said I would need mostly "for driving."






I expected shopping for glasses to be a nightmare, for the same reason finding a decent pair of cycling sunglasses had been a nightmare. But I underestimated modern technology and our neightbourhood's offering of optical shops.Picking up friends' glasses in the past, I remember them being heavy. But apparently eyeglasses today can be made extremely lightweight - with high-tech plastic and titanium frames. There is also enormous variety in shapes and sizes. I had no problem finding some that fit my face and weighed next to nothing.






With cycling in mind, I got a pair with plastic frames and photochromic lenses. They cover a good part of my face, and the lenses turn dark in the sun, but clear at night. I have already worn them on a couple of rides and the fit is very comfortable.But wearing corrective lenses will take some getting used to!Everything in the distance now looks unnaturally sharp, or hyper-3-D. My feel for how close or far away objects are is a little disturbed by this, but I am assuming my brain will adjust eventually.






Another thing that's happening, is that whilethe glasses correct my far-away vision, they do so at the expense of making things blurry up close. On the bike, this means that I can't really see anything that's directly in front of me or at handlebar level (i.e. the cycling computer on my roadbike) unless I take them off or look underneath the lenses. I am still working out how to adapt to this. Meanwhile, it's a relief to see clearly at a distance again.

Tomatoes...Almost Ripe

This cluster of 'Oregon Spring' tomatoes is almost ripe.

In my garden, 'Oregon Spring' has not proven to be a vigorous variety. The plant seems to be slow-growing, and the fruits take forever to ripen.

Next year I will try something else.

Suggestions?

Is winter season over in SWPA?

There's still ice at Upper Meadow.

If you don't mind it being a little detached.

Here's what's left of the Schoolyard climbs.

The warm weather sure has put a hurting on our local ice. The winter season has ended for most local tool swinging folks, but Laura and I have been making the most of the ice still left. The recent below freezing temps and snowfall has helped to prolong our climbing just a bit. We thought all hope was lost, but low and behold we squeezed in a few more days of winter climbing since my last post. We spent a few days at Lower Meadow Run in Ohiopyle. Up until yesterday most of the mixed lines were still climbable. Many of the lines are running with a lot of water. Anger Management was in great condition and offered great dry tooling up to the plastic ice at the finish. We managed to climb Season Finale via the direct ice start in the AM only to see most of it come down by afternoon. Yesterday was the last day we climbed. There may be a little left, but I wouldn't expect much. If you're like us and don't want to hang up the tools just yet, get dry tooling. We've got plenty of great choss climbing around to keep your forearms pumped until next season.

Petzl issues a statement on the New Nomic and Ergos

copy and paste the URL below for full details:



http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/news/products-news-0//12/21/information-griprest-nomic-ergo



As it was pointed out quickly to me this morning Petzl has not issued a recall. Nor is this a safety issue. (in my opinion and Petzl's) But call it what you will, Petzl will fix the faulty tool pommelsin the short term and replace them with a new version once they are available in the fall of .



Bravo to Petzl! for doing the right thing and doing it as quickly as possible. This response is less than a week after seeing the first pair of damaged tools.



Petzl is also setting up a very quick return and repair program (one day turn around in Utah after Jan 1st)for any effected tools. Call your local Petzl rep for the details. The fix is an additional pin through the handle. Petzl will have a team on site at the Ouray Ice Fest adding the pin and extra pommel support to anyone with the newest tools. How cool is that?



What follows is the text of their message.





"Information concerning autumn versions of the NOMIC (ref. U21 2) and ERGO (ref. U22) ice climbing tools :



It has come to our attention that the adjustment system of the GRIPREST (the lower hand rest at the bottom of the handle) on the NOMIC (U21 2) and ERGO (U22) in some cases may not stay fixed in the desired size position.



This issue concerns NOMIC and ERGO ice tools with serial numbers between 10208 and 10329 and all GRIPREST (U21 GR2)

accessory parts. It does not concern the new QUARKs or the older versions of the NOMICs, QUARKs and QUARK ERGOs.



Following conversations with end users and extensive lab testing, we have determined that this problem can occur when an inward force is applied to the GRIPREST, damaging the adjustment teeth at the base of the tool's handle that mesh with the GRIPREST (see photo). Once this damage occurs, users may lose the ability to fix the GRIPREST in the desired size position.



Petzl has developed a solution to reinforce the GRIPREST, which permanently fixes it in the position of your choice (S, M, or L). This procedure will be expedited to reduce any interruption to your climbing season. Because this solution eliminates the ability to adjust the grip's size, we will replace your tools with redesigned versions of the NOMIC or ERGO once they are available in autumn .







Warranty procedure

Anyone with a damaged NOMIC or ERGO or who has concerns about the durability of the GRIPREST adjustment system, is encouraged to contact the Petzl distributor in their country or return the tools to the store from which they were purchased for further information about the warranty procedure. You will be provided with directions on what to do next, as well as an

estimated time to modify your tools and have them returned to you.



We would like to thank the climbers that alerted us to this issue.



We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you,

Paul Petzl (President), Romain Lécot (General Manager) and the entire Petzl team"