Photo Gallery 2010

Kings Langley, Hertfordshire 6th March

Chess Valley Walk, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire 17th April

Yorkshire Weekend 30th April - 4th May

Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire 15th May

New Forest, Hampshire 12th June

POETRY

The Climber
I cling by fingers, toes and hope, Above, an ever steepening slope, Below me crags and hills of ease, But my challenge lies above the trees.
Years have past since first peace I found, Above and beyond man's busy round. Now aged and grey, with muscles sore, Height's drug I crave, more and more, Where yards and pounds once combined, Now inches and ounces strength I find, Where hours would fly and peaks appear, Now, one by one, the slopes I clear.
Half way there, I'm weary now, Could this climb be my final bow, My fingers numb all strength has gone, Lord help me please, I must go on. Cold of body, spirits low, Does death await me, far below. Strength of will and hope are gone, Yet fear of losing spurs me on, Snow's crystal rind, a ledge at last, Respite, for courage ebbing fast, No other refuge looms in sight, No warmth or cheer, this winter night.
Confrontation, strength of will, Are not enough. I need more still. Help me through this icy hell, Make this another tale to tell, Of daring, triumph, spirit found, To nieces, nephews, gathered round. Now fleeting, floating, numbing dreams, Sensation felt, disjointed themes, A night of short narcotic sights, A dark, divided Hell of nights.
I drift to grasp a warm embrace, Another time, another place. The sun at last, a warming sky, A day to face, to live, to die, Beside me now, as thought of mist, A spirit lives, a secret tryst, A guide who whispers words of hope, Our bond, tightspun, as any rope. A toe hold hidden, helps me on, My spirit lifts, despair is gone, Beside me, urging wisps of care, Finds fissures small, In rocks so bare. The ghosts of climbers pass, my friends, I reach for the peak, my journey ends

Photo Gallery 2010

15 Feb 2010

'Our treasure chest, filled with great memories to last a life time'