Outdoor show 2009. Trying to convince Mr & Mrs Caravan in matching Regatta fleeces that a new type of climbing wall is a good idea. Rather frustrating. Still, it’s over now and I can spend my weekends charging around on the hills again instead of trying to construct bits of wall.

Despite being blatantly doomed from the start - trying to persuade non-climbers about climbing walls and people with no kids about children’s sleep systems is a bit of a non-starter - it was actually fun in a weird sort of way. Didn’t get as many nutters as last year, but did get the Dragon’s Den people who seemed a bit surprised that we weren’t all massively eager to be on the telly. (Don’t think they liked it when I replied “I don’t have a telly, what’s dragon’s den?” ::o)

I’m going to write the design stuff up properly and stick it on t’interweb. But I’m going to play in the hills first. So ner.

Anyone sufficiently bored to have read all of this ceaseless mound of electronic drivel may remember this one:

http://blog.rockfax.com/love-and-hate/2008/02/28/harder-work-than-work/

Alpkit did indeed run a reprise of the competition, I was stupid enough to enter again and this year I am in the final. Twice.

I now have less than a month to build two good-quality exhibits to take to the NEC.

This blog may be rather short of outdoor-related stuff for a while - spare time isn’t going to happen until after the show. But if you need me, I’ll be the one sitting in the middle of a huge pile of wood and resin gibbering gently and fondling my power tools.

Last day of the meet, people absolutely raring to go, still nothing in climbable condition. Eventually decide to do some unpronouncable Corbett. Slog up onto the ridge . . . and here comes the snow!

So we ambled along the ridge up to the top in intermittent snow showers. Much hilarity when Mike and Lesley seemed to have stopped for some reason and weren’t catching us up . . . and then when they *did* catch us up the first words were “What, you’ve never seen someone using a shewee before?” Topped out to some rather decorative snow and an intermittent (very good) view.

There will be photos*.

And now, of course, just when we all have to go home, the snow starts again and there’s alf a chance of things coming back into nick. Sod’s Law.

 (*Of the view. Not Lesley having a pee.)