Mid Winter Update

Well a couple of months have elapsed since the pre Christmas cardiac and relationship dramas so I figure an update is overdue.

Whilst Sarah seems determined that we should remain apart my recovery from the skilled intervention of the Morriston cardiac team has been steady and sustained. I have lost 10 kg and reduced my serum cholesterol from 7.5 to 2.5 largely through a healthy but varied diet that whilst it lacks the goodies I used to enjoy has been surprisingly acceptable. Whilst both my GP and Cardiac Rehab nurse advised me to ease off on the exercise a little the surgical follow up was reassuring although there remains a strong indication of coronary artery disease in two other pipes so future issues and interventions cannot be ruled out. However I am giving myself the best chances and am inspired to make the most of the new and unexpected opportunities offered so am filling up the 2012 diary steadily.

A week in Sheffield with a long standing friend combined stout walks on the Derbyshire tops with the cultural delights of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Hepworth Wakefield. This was followed by a memorable weekend in Shropshire to celebrate my brother's 50th birthday - bopping till 4 am and more laughter than I can remember in ages.

A memorable winter's day climbing Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons was followed by a 3am drive to Bristol for a flight to Salobrena in southern Spain where 3 of us were royally hosted by a mutual friend in his comfy villa. The sights and sounds of an admittedly familiar foreign country combined with warm sunny days whilst Britain shivered convinced me that the sooner I am back on the road in Europe and beyond the better. We picked several carrier bags of fresh oranges and returned all too soon to a frozen Bristol airport.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be back to Pembrokeshire for meds, completing a multi-day walk in the Lake District and heading to Bristol for a long weekend before some bothy training days in mid Wales in early March.

A few weeks in Devon may precede a couple of months in Scotland as I have the annual walking week around Easter - this year we stay on Skye - followed by work parties south of Ullapool and near Cape Wrath.

Beyond that I am leaving things flexible for the summer but will post regularly.

Having replaced the mislaid camera a new set of pics appear here and the slide show looks at our location a year ago - Tasmania.