Details have just been revealed about the 2012 Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon – it starts at Wasdale Head.  This has raised expectations (fear) with Naomi, entering her first ever MM this year. We’ve entered the Kirkfell class - the third most severe below Scafell and Bowfell, and the easiest class that was not already full when we... read more

My Windows Backup has been failing to complete for a while, after churning away for ages. I use it to backup a data drive and make a system image onto a NAS (a 1GB RAID5 Netgear ReadyNAS Duo, which is Linux based). I wasn’t that fussed for a while as I have other backups that are working, but finally this morning I chased the beggar down. It was... read more

My favourite web authoring tool, however… … since an automatic update to Windows Live Essentials the other day, Windows Live Writer has failed to start, giving “Windows Live Writer has stopped working” immediately. Actually I’m not 100% it was working just before that, but I think so. I am of course writing this in Windows Live Writer, so what... read more

First the wind: as a birthday treat for Naomi we did the Mynydd Troed Race today. I don't think I've ever done a race in such foul conditions, with screaming winds and driving rain. Before the start I was a bit miffed that the course was shortened to miss out Mynydd Llangorse - this was my first race after busting the knee and I wanted my... read more

At last we are the “proud” owners of Number 1 Fronwen Terrace, and over the last couple of weekends we have begun the mammoth task of making it habitable for humans. Here’s the kitchen after lifting the lino to reveal the slime and mould… I removed the whole lot, along with most of the skin on my knuckles.  The quarry tile floor is in good... read more

To christen Stewart’s sexy new Ribble, we met in Rhayader for a tour of the lakes (and hills). A glorious day, clear blue skies and about 2 degrees, and luckily most of the roads were free of ice. Simon and Stewart had their special booties, I just got cold feet. I was horrendously unfit and weak, and could barely get up the slightest... read more

At lunchtime today Stewart and I tackled the fearsome Glider Club run. 2 miles of continuous uphill followed by a mile of mixed up and down, then a steep descent back to Talgarth, all on tarmac. Actually today the tarmac was pretty much covered in mud, twigs and rivers. This run re-wrecked my knee in November when I tackled it too soon after the... read more

Number 1 in the charts on  the days we were born… Naomi Lois Helen Robin Crispin read more

Poj roused the Scouts for a walk up Pen y Fan in driving drizzle. Naomi and I went along to make up the numbers of “responsible adults”, and we took Grandma too. And of course Robin and Helen to even things up again. We were able to park at Pont ar Daf despite the Phytophthora ramorum outbreak that has attacked the larches. On the hill, Mackenzie... read more

For posterity, here is the recipe, or rather the list of ingredients – I can’t remember how I made it, but I imagine “bung it all in the big pot, stir and simmer for an hour or so” should cover it. It is possible I fried the solids for a while first - who knows. Shallots (some) Tomatoes (1 tin ?) Onion (one) Garlic (some) Red pepper (one?)... read more