The Blog’s 7 Year Itch?

January
January delivered poor winter weather (especially with our expectations being so high following the bumper snows of 2010 and 2011), so I set about delivering a better blogging experience for the site’s authors and readers with Automatic Excerpt Thumbnails and Adventure Location features. The latest mapping capability being current location tracking (if enabled in your browser) shown left.

Also, don’t forget to check out the growing number of adventure locations recorded on our World Wide Adventure Venues map…

February
However, the snow did make an appearance in February! Of course there was plenty of snow in Bardonecchia, Italy for Rachel & Richard’s ski ski ski…

March
In March Ian was coming to the end of his working trip to Antarctica (he must love the place though, he’s gone back again this year too); Richard & Rachel were in New Zealand; Terry was in Canada; while the rest of us were enjoying fine weather at home…

April
April saw Elsie, Koon, Pete, and Laetitia visit the awesome sport climbing venue of Antalya in Turkey; Terry had stayed in North America; Ian, Anna, Zac, Steve, Brian, and Jo were ski touring in the Vanoise (having already been to Andorra!); Dalma was visiting Dracula in Romania; while Colin was on one of several trips in 2012 to Spain exploring undiscovered caves!

May
Maybe it was the itching of the seventh year of the blog’s existence that made the Governor feel it needed scratching when he tried to ruin our fun. It took several weeks to recover and secure the site after the attack, and I have to admit to nearly giving up and not bothering for fear of a recurrence. Of course in the end I’m glad I bothered!

May also saw Rachel start her secret campaign to become a triathlete swimming outdoors at Bosworth. While Anna’s running team triumphed in Edinburgh.

June
June was the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and she was kind enough to let us all have an extra day off work to enjoy the fantastic weather in Scotland (while she suffered the rain in London!). Bill made a stop on the blog posting about the Queen too, when he and Artemis attended a Buckingham Palace Garden Party. Richard & Rachel enjoyed one of several international fell-running victories in the Republic of Ireland.

June also saw the Olympic Torch, on it’s way to London, pass through Bowness!

July
Following Rachel’s TV news debut, we had perhaps the best ever, and most well attended, Blog Rendezvous meet in Snowdonia. The meet included a classic through trip of Croesor and Rhosydd mines (brilliantly captured on video by Keef).

August
Escaping from the torrential rain that never seemed to end (in what is now recognised as the wettest summer in the UK in over a 100 years) Richard & Rachel went to the Lofoten islands; Terry and Bernie were in the Dolomites; Rebecca & Mina reported from Switzerland; and Astrid, Laetitia, Ian, and Pete were in the French Alps climbing … and painting shutters!

September
I tried out being part of the Kendal Mountain Rescue team in September, and I had a great time playing my small part in the East Cumbria Search Panel exercise near Shap. However, I soon realised that the Kendal team and I weren’t suited to a long term relationship…

October
Anna too had had enough of the crap weather this year and set off to the Canary Islands seeking the sun in October; Paul sneaked a trip to Cornwall; Istvan wrote his first (unaided by Dalma’s translation skills) report from the Monta Rosa group; Terry started learning to fly; while Laetitia and I squeezed in one last rock climbing trip to Chamonix (nearly getting benighted failing to find our way down from l’Enclume at les Fiz).

November
In November I had my first experience of Canadian Canoeing; the Kendal Mountain Festival was as amazing as ever – (perhaps) the worlds biggest “tribal” gathering of outdoorsy people; Elsie visited the spectacular Wadi Rum; and Pete & Laetitia enjoyed a week of hot-rock in El Chorro.

December
Winter seems to have arrived a little early this year and so far the first half of December has seen us skiing on Raise and climbing on Great End! What will the rest of the month provide (other than Xmas)?