Home is.......... where exactly?

Welcome back

Welcome home

Time spent in Sheffield is always very pleasant, days on the grit with good friends and all the comforts of my 'stuff' around me. Despite that it feels less and less like home the more time we spend away - which is hardly surprising I guess. Kalymnos and Ariège have become the latest "homes from home", and so seven months after we slipped away in the early morning light we were back for some more island life. As if to emphasis the welcome, Mike Kardoulis was waiting for us on the harbour front in Pothia with our our little blue hire car and Babis left a small 'something' in our apartment. It is great to be back!

Autumn's a Coming

The Blanca trip was a job that needed doing and it was satisfying to get it sorted in the time-frame we had allotted. It was unpleasantly hot for much of the time (30C+) and shockingly busy, though Sherri managed to rustle up some superb places to stop, all with air-conditioning which made it bearable.
We used to love Spain, but there is no doubt our tastes have changed over the years, I think it is called 'getting old'; peace and quiet have climbed up to the top of the list of 'must haves'.
The Ariège guide is handed over and has recieved positive comments from 'the team', it should be out by the end of the year. The Blanca will be hot on its heels, so that will be three books published in 12 months. I figure I deserve a bit of 'me-time' so Kalymnos beckons!

Back to the Blanca

Leaving Ariège always feels like a bit of a wrench - but there is work to do - so hay-ho, we are heading southwards!
We started with a couple of nights at Castelldefels close to Barcelona - busy, busy, busy. Then it was south again, just over four hours to Finestrat, where we spent five excellent days at La Plantacion hotel. Highlights included a late evening visit to Sella to photo the Wildside and a full day trip down to Leyva. The hire car we collected in Barcelona (a nearly new Renault Fluence) began to die on the long hills up to Guadalest, by the time we got home in the evening the clutch was completely cooked - we had to push it part of the way as its hill-climbing power was reduced to zero. Sixt did well though, a tow-truck arrived within the hour to remove the dead Renault and close to midnight a replacement (Opel Insignia) arrived on a flat-bed.
Friday we moved to Calpe and were astonished how busy the place was - our hotel of choice was full so Sherri did a bit of snooping and got us a smart bungalow close to the beach.

So - back to where it all began - 25 years ago! Full circle I guess.

Ariège - another Reprise?

The journey back was OK apart from the grim dealings with Goldcar in Barcelona - a 'never-again', especially queueing for 1hr 10 mins in 33C heat to sort the paper work out - appalling!
Once on the road things were better and a steady drive though the Pyrenees saw us back at Chez Arran in time for an evening beer.
With only a week we have had to crack-on but four days in, the important jobs are done. It has been about as warm as expected, thought 35C two days ago was a bit of a shock. We headed up to Soulcem (photo left) at 6000' where it was a lot more equable.
Back to Spain next, Barcelona to swap cars (not looking forward to that) then on to the Costa Blanca for a 10 day flier to collect the last bits of info for that book too.

Then it is away for autumn in Kalymnos for a bit of downtime and some climbing.

We have booked back into Chez Arran from mid-December for three months - who said we like the area?

South ->

It has been pleasant enough being home, jobs got done, routes got ticked and some quality socialising with old friends. The summer has been quite mixed, but that has suited me with work and play going on pretty well in equal measure.
We have been home almost seven weeks and both feel the need to head off. A week in Ariège and a couple on the Blanca should do for starters. It has been desperately hot down in Spain but it looks like it might just be set to cool down fairly dramatically - good luck or good planning?

High Summer

Summer is always a tricky time, Europe is hot and crowded, the UK is just plain crowded! Scandinavia is doubtless the best bet, but without a direct ferry nowadays it is a long haul via Denmark and the whole journey can end up cripplingly expensive, especially if you end up head to the far north.
Five weeks we have been back in the UK and I realised today, out in the Peak, that is just about long enough!
It has been great getting out with the 'team' several days a week, and I have made huge progress with the Ariège guide, but we are both getting itchy feet. A flight to Barcelona is booked for two week hence - off we go again!

Rigth: Big Bro and Little Weed

I have been submitting some of my shots the the Alamy Photo-library, the ones from the DSLRs all passed muster and the ones from all my various compacts were rejected. A visit to Harrison Photo-video was in order and I am now the proud owner of a Sony NEX-7, a compact camera with a huge sensor - lets see how it goes!

Thumb Twiddling Time

We have had some great days out with the team in the Peak ticking old classics, picking the decent days and avoiding the weekend crowds!
It is about seven weeks before we head off to Kalymnos for the autumn - so - what to do?
Mooted plans included Arctic Norway, Ireland, Ariège and the Costa Blanca. Time (and the weather) will tell.