Crafting Contentment amidst Caca

 It's actually been a pretty ok year. On paper it looks utter dog shit of course.

Having to move house, stress at work, serious family illness and the day to day struggles of neurodiverse kids have meant the minor snatches of adventure have been gold dust. Both in value and scarcity. 

To top it all off a niggling wrist flared up and then POp another pulley injury. Quite possibly the cortisol contributed.

So how's it been ok? Well I've found treasure in the small things, prior to temporarily disabling myself it was easy days bouldering with friends, daft mini adventures with the kids. Post injury it's the planning...

Next year I turn 50. I'm a little fed up with the last two years of injury, and have decided to do something about it.

All my life I've saught adventure, when the going got hard I specifically excersised to overcome the chosen objective, but there wasn't a culture training as we know it. 

Consequently I'm ashamed to admit there's many gaps in my climbing game, and it's quite possible that as I'm no longer "just climbing lots" I'm cashing cheques I can't write ( flip I'm showing my age). 

First I asked a physio to hold me accountable with bi monthly check ups.

Secondly I goal set; to get back to 7B and hopefully beyond by my birthday.

This means infiltrating my life with a culture of training. Not sure what that looks like yet.

Thirdly, as I can't climb yet, I need to have alternative adventures!

Cue digging Binky the Wonder Boat out of storage..

The target was Craig y llam, the site of my first ill fated coasteering session, and source of a massive niggle of unfinished business. I'm sure there's some projects waiting for me.

First thing I learnt was I've forgotten how to row. It may not have helped that the electric pump didn't quite have the guts to get it totally rigid, so the oar holes were flapping a bit.

It took quite a lot of whirligig type buffoonery to get round the fishing rock and to the cliff proper.

Some signs of DWS potential 

Ahoy! An offwidth memory from 14 years ago 

All I have to do now is work out how to pull on. Water seems deep enough and walls are all at least vertical. The chimney extends to an unknown depth within the cliff.

I didn't want to risk popping Binky trying to row to the back. It just occurred to me that I could have swum in, but I had nothing to moor to in any case.

Basically I need to visit in the company of fellow adventurers. Unfortunately being a very birdy cliff, this probably means next autumn.

At least I'll be a 7B boulderer by then.

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