Day 169 - Throwing Shapes

shorty

For various reasons, we decided to climb indoors today.

It was a hot day for climbing, and a hotter day for climbing indoors...but we had a really good session. 

I had read a couple of articles this morning about bouldering in Fontainebleau...we're going in September, which has seemed ages away - until today.  Suddenly, we're in June, and it doesn't seem that long until we go.

Almost immediately, I've become really excited about more bouldering adventures in the majestic and beautiful Font!  

As it happened, we were meeting Jezz at a climbing centre equidistant from our respective homes (sort of), and Jezz is coming to Font with us...so it was fun to start making more detailed arrangements.

We hadn't climbed indoors on ropes for some time, so we spent an hour or more top roping to remind ourselves how out of shape we were.

Then after a welcome coffee and cake break, we spent the rest of the session bouldering.  

It was great fun making up problems, inventing challenges for each other, and making excuses for our failings...too short, too tall, too heavy, too inflexible, too tired...

Obviously overall it's much harder to be tall (and thus heavy), but Anna and Jezz like to tell themselves that my height is an advantage, so I try not to burst their bubble too much. 

Don't tell them, ok?  ;-)

In any case, it was all very reminiscent of the Font vibe...chilled, relaxed bouldering, really trying to solve the climbing problems, by turns encouraging and making fun of each other, inventing challenges, and generally getting very tired!

At the end of the session I realised I'd forgotten to take any photo's, as I'd meant to, so Anna suggested I just hop on the wall and throw some shapes. 

Of course, Jezz had to bomb the photo's with a typical pose...

bomber

The lad just can't help himself...

Changing the subject...I had a little play with the good camera in the garden this morning, and got one or two nice pics of Loz...

cause for alarm

...and also her affect on the local wildlife...this great tit is urgently alarm-calling to alert all the other birds that Loz is on the prowl.

THERE'S A CAT!

Many of the local birds alarm call in a similar way, and the robins and blackbirds are very diligent in this regard, as well as most of the tits.  It can be a helpful way of knowing where Loz might be, when she's out hunting...just listen for the alarm calls.

You don't even have to be familiar with the bird or the call in question...the strident urgency is clear in the tone and rhythm of the call.

It would be nice to think that the warmer weather is back to stay, but I think it's going to remain unsettled for a while yet...

Still, it was a nice day today!

B-)