Hazy Days

Two days until December and the good weather just keeps on coming. It feels to me like the warmest, driest, most settled autumn yet but Sherri tells me the diaries reckon it is pretty much as normal - so much for my memory!
Graham and Dan have a few more days left (a great trip with over a 100 routes 6c-7b), somehow I don't think they are looking forward to winter in the UK that much, especially with the forecast for frost and snow.
We have booked a homeward flight too - though not for about another seven weeks - there is no need rush these things!

Almost a week later and Team Parkes were escorted off the island early this morning (just to make sure they actually leave) and then there were two - 1st time for almost two months - peace descends!

The North Wind Doth Blow.....

There has been a brisk north wind for quite a while now, it rattles the shutters and stirs up the white-horses, but keeps the humidity down too, which is great. We have mostly been climbing 'around the bay' which is much more sheltered and also catches all the sun that is going, which is a bonus. These aren't the soaring crags of Panorama or Spartacus but as ever they have a great series of climbs often on very sharp rock - cos most of them they never get done!
Helen only has one one day left of her holiday, hope the wind drops so she can escape - back to that 'other' island and a very different world.
The forecast looks rather good, I don't think we will be shooting off home any time soon.

Kaly and Sheffield - guess which is which.

November Blue

It is winter, but not as we know it; over a month now since it rained which is a bit odd but very pleasant, especially knowing how UK Novembers usually go.
The Binks/Binney team have been and gone, a great time was had by all. They have been replaced by Team Parkes who are well into "Island Life" and bagging a host of classic routes.
We have settled into the winter routine, climbing, walking, chilling and a bit of work. There is steady progress on Peak Limestone, Costa Blanca and Ariege, it looks like a busy 12 months ahead. We had better make the most of our 'down-time' on Kalymnnos whilst we can!

Everyone's a Winner

It is a month since we arrived, October has come and gone, and finally the place has started to empty out big-style; the good times are just around the corner. It was a beautiful crisp day on Poets yesterday, the crag is nearly always rammed as it is so close the “climbers’ end” of Massouri. The fact that there were less than half a dozen teams there all day is a sign. I did eight routes bringing the tally for the month up to exactly 100 - not too shoddy really. The fact that Colin has almost caught me up in two weeks doesn’t bother me - much!
In the evening I heard that Cote d’Azur rock had won the Outdoor Writer and Photographers’ Guild “Guidebook of the Year” competition, which was great. That is four times I have won it in nine years, I guess that must be some kind of record. Of course Alan James is the one to blame - without his vision I would probably still be producing small scale, low volume guides to remote areas and even more worrying, still be teaching.