Happy Birthday Ambir!

Today is our gorgeous girlie Ambir's birthday. I still remember my very difficult pregnancy while I carried her and my very easy delivery when I finally gave birth. She was the most striking newborn and baby that I think I've ever seen. So much so people would stop me in public and ask me if I had considered putting her in modeling. She still is gorgeous so clearly her good looks are going to last.



I wish you were here with us, Bambi, but I'm glad you and Daniel are celebrating the day together. If I had thought ahead, I could have had a birthday cake for you when you and Daniel were just here. I guess we will have to make up for it next time. Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love you so much!

Bonita

My quarter horse mare, Bonita decided to have a running play day. Here are some photos of her.

Burrough Hill - Somerby - Burrough-on-the-Hill - Burrough Hill

With Harry, on a fine sunny day with a brisk wind. Around 6.5 miles. Very similar to this walk from July 31 . A lovely walk, with great views, and plenty of ups and downs.












Pippa from the Fox and Hounds
After lunch at the Fox and Hounds at Knossington - cheese and chutney baguette, with posh chips and a well-dressed salad - we parked at Burrough Hill car park



and walked up to the hill fort with its trig point



and toposcope at 680 feet.



We identified some of the places, but it was certainly not clear enough to see Lincoln Cathedral!




The view to the north-west
For the walk we left the fort on the north side - more or less opposite the toposcope, and followed the yellow posts which lead down a grassy track through gorse. This is marked as a permissive path, and is part of the Dalby Hills path. It swings right to go through a wood.



The wood was a bit muddy in places. We turned off the path when we came to a gap in the wood, and made our way up the hill - the official route continues across the gap and turns right later. It was not difficult to rejoin it.




Looking back down the gap in the woods



Little Dalby hall with church spire beyond the trees
At this point you join the Leicestershire Round footpath which leads uphill, with some steps at the highest point. There were buzzards circling above the woods.



Last time we did this walk in July , the way was not so clear - possibly because of crops and the fact that some sections were overgrown. We had no problem following the route to Somerby. (This is the section where my garmin was switched off, unfortunately!)




Somerby







ridge and furrow?
After crossing a footbridge and several fields, you come to a narrow alley between houses and out to Somerby's main street.









Turn right and walk through Somerby. Just after Field Road is a footpath on the left of the main road. This leads across a large field. Aim for the left hand side of the wood ahead, and you should reach a point where you eventually see the next way-marker. Go through the gate and walk alongside the dips and hollows of the old gravel pits.













The path swings left round these , then bends sharply to the right. There is a gated area, where we saw a farmer collecting sheep - for dipping or shearing, last time we did the walk.

At this point I shall quote from the book which introduced me to walking in this area - Heather MacDermid - Foxton Locks to Rutland Water





From the

'enclosure of gates. Burrough church spire is straight ahead of you.Walk downhill with the hedge and isolated trees still on your right.

Cross a grassy track which leads to the ruins of a little brick house on your left and go over the fence ahead of you.Continue down the steep hill, moving slightly away from the hedge on your right. In the bottom left corner of the field there is a flimsy plank bridge over the stream. You need to cross a rather boggy path of grass to reach it. Make your way up the hill passing to the left an isolated telegraph pole to reach the top left corner of the field. A stile here, close to a telegraph pole, leads into a narrow jitty between houses. Emerge on the main road in Burrough at the footpath sign.'

Burrough Church tower and spire.





There is a path from the back of Burrough churchyard, but make sure you take the one to the right. For most of the way Burrough Hill with its toposcope is visible to the right. After crossing several fields in a direction just west of north, you reach a wider path (part of the Leicestershire Round). Turn right - due east, and follow the path below the hill fort. It is possible to reach the top by heading up the steep slope, and from there make your way back to the car park.








and a couple of other animals on the way back to the car park -

Brown-eyed Susans

A friend of mine from Birmingham Southern College is trying to identify some of the wildflowers that are planted at the Southern Environmental Center's Ecoscape.

She sent me these pictures to consider. I think it's Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba). I told her I'd put the photos on the blog to see if any of my more knowledgeable plant friends had any better ideas.

Here's a close-up of the bloom:


And here's a view of the whole plant:

If you look closely at the base you can see the triloba part.

Compare here, here, and here.

You can take a virtual tour of the Ecoscape, or browse the Alabama meadow wildflowers.

We had a frost last night so this might be the last flowers here for a while!

Scarpa's Phantom Ultra lwt boot...again.

The Phantom Ultra, on uber classic, Canadian WI5, Carlsberg.




Editor's note:

The Scarpa Phantom Ultra is by far my favorite lwt mtn boot. It isn't perfect but climbs well, is warm enough and best of all, fits my feet exceptionally well. I've commented on this boot many times in the past here at Cold Thistle. And like Dave I am looking to climb in the new Rebels Ultras asap to make a side by side comparison.



Our British contributor in Chamonix, Dave Searle,offers his review. Hope you enjoy!






Dave chipping away in hisUltras, highon the Colton/Brooks, N. Face of le Droites.



Scarpa Phantom Ultra Review

By Dave Searle




I’ve had my pair of Scarpa Phantom Ultra’s
for about a year and a half now and they are overdue a resole. They defiantly got “finished off” on my
latest trip out to the Kangchenjunga region of Nepal this past autumn where the
endless moraine bashing on the Yalung glacier saw the rubber on the toe wearing
back to the plastic which also started to get rounded off leaving me very
little in the way of a toe welt to strap my poons to. Gutted. Lesson learnt for sure (resole them sooner
rather than later) but this is besides the point and only a small part of the
story my Ultras have to tell.



Drytooling an M10 at the Zoo




These are without a doubt the most
versatile mountain boots I have ever owned.
I was originally on the market for a new summer alpine boot to replace
my Scarpa Charmoz. I ummmed and arrrrred
over the baffling array of different boots on the market before settling on the
Ultras. Why did I choose them over a
Charmoz or Trango for my summer boot I hear you say. Quite simply it all came down to weight. I stuck my size (42) on the scales and they
only came up 200g per pair heavier than a non gaitered, B2 summer boot. Now why would I buy a boot which I couldn’t
take mixed or ice climbing or even dry tooling just because they were 200g
lighter. It’s a no brainer really. I haven’t regretted my decision once and they
have served me very well over the past 18 or so months. Only 18 months I hear you say. Yeah probably not ideal but hear me out. For a start they aren’t finished yet and I’m
pretty sure with a descent resole job they would last me another hard
year. I’m also not the friendliest
person to my boots and believe me when I tell you these have seem some
action. I’ve used them on countless
drytooling sessions, toe hooking and wandering around at the base of my local
crag on sharp dusty rocks. I’ve used
them of the 1000m north face of the Droites in autumn where I was impressed
with their warmth (just about warm enough for this I might add, which isn’t too
bad considering I would ordinarily be using a pair of 6000s at this time of
year) and their support for climbing long ice fields. I’ve used them on the Chamonix Uber classic
the Frendo spur where they climbed rock extremely well and were light enough
for a speedy ascent. I’ve used them for
countless short ice and mixed routes in the massif and in Scotland where they
performed exceptionally well due to their nimbleness, dexterity and
support.









They are comfy on the walk in
due to the small amount off flex you get from the sole unit and remained comfy
after wearing them for an entire month whilst at 4800m and above on the Yalung
glacier in Nepal. All in all these boots
have impressed at all turns and have kept my feet comfortable through all kinds
of weather and conditions.



Dave's well worn Ultras







Now for the down sides, and yes there has
to be some to authenticate a write up of a piece of gear otherwise you can be
sure that the wool is being pulled over your eyes by someone on the
payroll. Might I also add that I was not
given these boots, I went into a shop in Chamonix, none the less, and slapped
down 370euros of my hard earned cash on these.






Typical Chamonix choss @ M7 while sportingworn out Ultras.



First off I must admit I’m not a great fan
of the lacing system that is provided.
The laces are pretty slick so anything short of a reef knot and you can
be sure your boots will come undone over the course of a few hours, which is
slightly frustrating. I’ve also been
slightly let down by the waterproofness on a couple of occasions, mostly in
Scotland where it is pretty wet, to say the very least. I’ve taken to waterproofing them with some
silicone based proofing gel which works well, for a route or two but it would
be nice for them to stand up to wetness a bit better. Some friends of mine have also hinted that
the lack of ankle support in these boots isn’t a good thing but I hold a
different feeling on this, horses for courses I guess.

(editors note: I too have been really impressed with the ankle support and flexible mid solethis boot offers compared to more than a few that look similar and should be better performers,but don't climb as well. Or offer the comfort of the Ultra)

All in all I have been very happy with my Ultra’s. I’d recommend them to anyone looking for all
round mountaineering boot that covers you for most things in the Alps apart
from when it’s genuinely cold or if you get cold feet easily. They really are one boot does it all from
running up north faces to climbing M10 at your local crag or jittering your way
up your latest super thin mixed project.
What for me next? I’d like to
have a whirl on the new Rebels Ultras which look super nice. If it came down to it
though I’d defiantly settle for another pair of Ultra’s or perhaps just a
resole on my current ones.

Boulevard Palms

Mexican fan palms, Washingtonia robusta, line a street in Santa Barbara.

Mystery Photo #6

This is the fifth post in a series of unidentified photographs from the Charles Wiseman Family Bible. See this post for background information. Click on the "Mystery Photo" label at the bottom of the post to see all of the photographs in this series.
Paper on card stock 2 ½ x 3 ¾. Photographer unknown. As always, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.

Thoughts on the Retrovelo Paul

I have been intrigued with the Leipzig-based Retrovelo since having discovered some photos of their bicycles online this past spring. Something about them suggested both quality and fun, with more than a touch of aesthetic fetishism. (I agree completely with Clever Cycles' suggestion that the colours "evoke lumberjacks and German shepherds and underwear")

Having recently learned that Retrovelo is sold in Vienna, it occurred to me that my velo-friend Anna - who has been considering a new bike for some time - might like to try one. Well, after test-riding this white Retrovelo Paul, Anna is seriously considering ordering the lady's version (Paula) and you can help her choose the colour here!

As for me, I did not test-ride one, as the frames in stock were too large for me. But I did sit on it inside the store and pedaled it for a distance of a couple of yards. I also spent a great deal of time ogling, touching, and photographing the bike, and have thus formed a few impressions which I outline here for those interested.

Seeing Paul in person, the impression of quality that I had gotten from the photos was, for the most part, confirmed. The bicycles are beautifully designed and seem to be very well constructed, with great attention to detail. You can read more about the gorgeous colour choices, the Schwalbe Fat Frank tires, and other aspects, on Retrovelo's website. The saddle is a Brooks B67, available in black or brown.

Retrovelo has the nicest lugs I have seen on a modern utility bike. I admit they are nicer than my Pashley's (which are a bit more plain). No headbadge though; just a sticker.

The seat cluster. Those who dislike the bolted rear triangle will especially appreciate this.

One of my favourite features in the Retrovelo is this triple plated fork. I think it's just beautiful and makes this bicycle stand out from others.

Chainguard with logo.

Proprietary bell - another nice touch. (That's me and Anna in the reflection.)

Awesome rear rack. This is my favourite rear rack design for a utility bicycle, seen on many older Dutch bikes and also on Velorbis. If anyone knows where I can buy such a rack just on its own, please let me know.

And here is the only part of the bike I am not crazy about: the stem and handlebar set-up. I would prefer a classic quill stem, and do not like that welded vertical tip of the stem joint that sticks out. I am also not wild about the very wide cruiser-style handlebars and would prefer the more elegant North Roads here. I know that the stem and handlebars are intentional design elements on the part of Retrovelo that are meant to evoke early mountain bikes - but what can I say, the look just does not appeal to me. If I were to get the Retrovelo, I would switch out the stem and bars to a classic quill and North Roads.

Judging by Anna's comments, the Retrovelo is everything it promises in terms of performance: a true beauty with the utility of a Dutch bicycle, the shock absorption of a first generation mountain bike, and the maneuverability of a sporty roadster. The fast Schwalbe Fat Franks make it a pleasure to ride over cobblestones. The dynamo-powered front and rear lights are super convenient. The hub gearing (3 or 7 speed Shimano hub) and brakes are practical and low-maintenance for all-weather city cycling. On the downside, the chain is not fully enclosed and the bicycle does not come with dressguards (though the latter can be easily retrofitted). Also, to my surprise, the bike was as heavy to lift as my Pashley (I had been under the impression that it would be lighter).

I am truly curious now to see (and hopefully ride!) the lady's version of these bicycles. Selfishly, I am hoping that Anna orders and receives her Paula by the next time I am in Vienna and permits me to ride it. Don't forget to help her choose the colour!

Fashion Friday

At the request of Lotus, over at Red Phoenix Style, I've included some shots of what's hot at the crag right now.Here's Sister Matt bringing vinyl snake skin to the sport. Surely a first, and so practical, windproof, dust resistant and looks so good.Here's Oli channelinga Caribbean Pirate

And his fabulous shabby, pirate, rasta details.

Massive lats never go out of style, don't you think?Antoine sported his and twin chalk bagsas he crushed "Separation Anxiety" 28Always the corporate whore, I wore the Red Chili logo shirt in sky blue.