Thanks Stuart (edit: & Phil), appreciated. But you're also right; with all respect and remembrance for the departed, one has to focus on the living as well. Even if you're just a bee.

I am looking out of my office window watching a pod of dolphins jumping all over the place. This makes me very happy.

'That is indeed cheery Dave

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Jun 16, 2023 1:04 pm Very nice! Especially the ice cream. May I have one please?

Absolutely Reg, sounds like you deserve it.

Yesterday ended much like last Friday, drinking whisky in the fading light at 2000ft having climbed high enough to escape the midges - and boy were they in evidence if one was foolish enough to stop for a second. Only this time I had to fight my way through plantation forestry to get round an area clear felled by Arwen, and across swathe of tussocks. Just made it in time for sunset.

It's a double edged sword ... tomorrow, we're heading north to attend a wedding but on the bright side, my brother's coming dog sitting which means he'll be on hand to help me lift out my Z1 engine on Sunday ... a job which can be done solo but it's not pleasant. Every cloud an' all that.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 9:26 am attend a wedding ..... but on the bright side......

right with you there. Even worse if it's your own wedding .

Quite a small affair too Reg, so more social interaction and obviously faining interest. Least at a large gathering you can disappear without anyone really noticing

Very cheery for me - two weeks off work starting now
Other than the NYM300 and an associated parental visit, nothing specific planned but will do some walking, pedaling and paddling, all being well. A few beers may also feature along the way

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 12:04 pm Quite a small affair too Reg

Blimey hasn't he told her about that yet? Could be slightly awkward at the "does anyone know of any lawful impediment", or whatever it is, bit.

Managed to get a new tyre up tubeless after three hours of trying. I can now ride my bike through the night...

"Extreme tourism: ‘If it was safe, that’s not an adventure’". (w/ref Titanic story)

Newspaper headline. Discuss. Reg's simplistic thoughts: "what a stupid thing to say". On all of my 'adventures' I've made decisions about keeping myself safe every few seconds.

Probably worth a topic of its own.

To inject a couple more random thoughts...

I'd challenge anyone to clearly define the words 'safe' and 'dangerous' . And even that statement assumes that 'safe' is the opposite to 'dangerous'.

You could define 'adventure' as simply 'putting yourself in a new or unfamiliar situation'. Doesn't mean it's not 'safe'.

Kipping out doors in a bivvy bag is adventurous enough for me while the most dangerous aspect of it in the UK is being asked to move on by an disgruntled land owner

It depends on what the danger is - take climbing. It has a number of risks which you mitigate through nous and skill, backed up by safety gear. The first two you are in control of and the safety gear is a back up. Obviously if a rope snaps on a bad fall your stuffed, but nous will reduce the chances of this happening - but the rope is the backup, not what stands between life and death.

Then look at bungee jumping - no skill or nous and you are entirely reliant on the equipment. If it fails, you're screwed.

To my mind an adventure is when there are risks but you are ultimately able to manage them yourself, you're not rolling a dice and hoping it comes up 6. Same with a few other 'dangerous' activities I've participated in over the years. The danger has always been mine to control, by and large, and that's very different to doing something which is of a more binary nature i.e. your fine if the equipment is fine and stuffed if it fails....

RIP wrote: ↑Mon Jun 26, 2023 8:56 am
Newspaper headline

I found the problem for you Reg

My take (here we go) has always been that 'adventure' contains an element of risk. Now, risk doesn't imply that you're going to be eaten by Polar Bear or fall into an active volcano. No, it simply implies that there will be an element of the unknown involved and might be something as simple as chancing an unknown track.

I feel that adventure can only exist when the outcome isn't certain ... but that doesn't mean dangerous.

Ironically, that makes me think about plotting a route on Komoot, even though you've planned your route precisely, you never know how much you'll have to adapt when you get there.

Of course, I knew the replies above would appear, and the Boners they'd appear from . Love This Place.

RIP wrote: ↑Mon Jun 26, 2023 9:15 am To inject a couple more random thoughts...

I'd challenge anyone to clearly define the words 'safe' and 'dangerous' . And even that statement assumes that 'safe' is the opposite to 'dangerous'.

You could define 'adventure' as simply 'putting yourself in a new or unfamiliar situation'. Doesn't mean it's not 'safe'.

Yes.

This news is nearly a week old now, but thought I'd save it for CF. I also went to a wedding last weekend: my own. I'll wager it was a smaller event than Stu's too. We decided earlier this year, after something like 12 years together, that we wanted to get married, and this is how we wanted to do it: on the beach, just the two of us and the dog. We told only our family and told everyone else we were busy every weekend in June* to give us a chance of good weather. After some frustrating obstacles (illness, weather, work), last Saturday we found our weather window, headed to the beach, got dressed up, exchanged some vows and rings I made from a dead bough from the apple in our garden, messed around taking photos, drank some wine, grilled some veg and slept on the beach.

We were blessed with the most incredible weather, breezy but warm, and an almost cloudless evening. It wasn't even my idea to spend our wedding night in bivvy bags, honest!









To bring things back down to earth, no longer having to keep the weekends free, I was hoping for a last minute NYM300 entry, but annoyingly, a neck/shoulder injury than I think originated from the BB200 2021, and flared up worse than ever last week has put paid to that.

I'd thought I might go out for a hill run instead, and my wife ( ) has been wanting to try some hill running to rediscover her running mojo. I jokingly mentioned it's the Chevy Chase tomorrow, a 20 mile fell race in the Cheviots, and now it looks like we're going to do that. I can count on one hand the number of runs I've done this year. What could go wrong?

* I was granted an exception for the Cairngorms Loop group finish, on the basis it was already planned

Congratulations

Congratulations Dave ... my idea of a wedding

Ah, that's great! Congratulations! Looks like a lovely day/night on the beach.

Congratulations Dave, a fine way to get hitched. Best get a double bivvy bag looked out Good luck with the run

Wow, great way to do a wedding, congrats!