Welcome back

24 years after we last went climbing together Mrs IttH announced last night that she fancied giving rock climbing a try!
24 years ago I was a young hotshot climbing things simply because they were ridiculously difficult and most of my peers couldn't get off the ground, fun didn't always get a look in. I was good, heck I was really good - right up until the moment I missed a finger lock showboating on a famously hard route and found myself airborne, stripping gear that should have caught me, watching the ground's crushing embrace race up to meet me. Fallings fine, it's the sudden stop at the end that smarts. I spent two weeks in hospital, longer in a wheelchair. Mrs IttH never tied onto a rope again.

Today we went to the local école d'escalade, a lovely friendly little rock face in a park in the sun. The walk from the car took us all of 20seconds, to our left Grandpa was teaching nipper, to our right a young girl was showing her boyfriend the moves.
I'm not sure which IttH was more nervous, but I'm not 22 any more and C had that concentrating face on so.....24 years later I'm a much better instructor than I am a climber, I no longer care about the grade. I finally understand why the best climber is the one having the most fun.*
2hrs later we left to go look at women specific climbing gear....

Oh & the lizard? There were more lizards in the park today than I've seen in my entire life. At some points we were worried to move our feet for fear of stepping on them. And they all climb better than me.

Alex Lowe's wise words, not mine.