[Nibile]

Okay, read the article, so it's a straight forward mid-life crisis, fair enough. At least you're not buying a motorbike

I bought two in eight months last year... 

[Sasquatch]

Okay, read the article, so it's a straight forward mid-life crisis, fair enough. At least you're not buying a motorbike

I bought two in eight months last year... 

Double Crisis!
 

I'm 37 and looking for a motorbike with a sidecar.  What does that mean? 

[tomtom]

I'm 37 and looking for a motorbike with a sidecar.  What does that mean?

You need to train more...

[lagerstarfish]

that you haven't been able to score enough Ronin Air Pads and need some way of transporting normal pads whilst razzing up and down the last frontier on a motorbike conquering new boulders?

[tomtom]

that you haven't been able to score enough Ronin Air Pads and need some way of transporting normal pads whilst razzing up and down the last frontier on a motorbike conquering new boulders?

I think the mid life crisis solution to that transport dilemma would be a Hummer. Or a 5 series BMW

[Oldmanmatt]

that you haven't been able to score enough Ronin Air Pads and need some way of transporting normal pads whilst razzing up and down the last frontier on a motorbike conquering new boulders?

I think the mid life crisis solution to that transport dilemma would be a Hummer. Or a 5 series BMW

Did that when I was 35...


45 this year, perhaps I need to start B.A.S.E or maybe I should try the Oak...

Or, more likely; find a good secondhand Zimmer frame.

Seriously (and despite the LSI comment on Grimers FB post), bad luck Shark!
Hope it heals quickly and the damage is all superficial.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[danm]

Flaming heck Simon. Best wishes for a full recovery. The blog did make me laugh though. Sorry!

[tomtom]

Hang in there Simon. Remember Gin and Slimline Tonic have less calories than wine...

[moose]

Aye, chin-up Simon, I'm sure you will return to the Oak stronger than ever.  And, whilst it's no compensation, it there might have been an even worse outcome given that were using a shredder that day - burned fingers are better than none!

[haydn jones]

Hope you get back on it soon! Give us a bell if your looking for mid week partners!

[blamo]

I have yet to hear of a case where someone with an injury doesn't come back stronger.  Good luck with it.

[SA Chris]

I have yet to hear of a case where someone with an injury doesn't come back stronger.  Good luck with it.

Jasper!!

[Johnny Brown]

Christopher Reeve.

[cowboyhat]

The answer as always, is more power.

http://tinyurl.com/kvgnpvs

[Oldmanmatt]

  Me.
[emoji30]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[shark]

Pip 1997-2015

I grew up on a hill farm in Devon. Cattle and Sheep. And naturally that meant I grew up with dogs. By dogs I mean border collies. If it ain't a border collie it ain't a dog. Dad's first dog actually lived in the house - Rosie. Family legend has it that she lay under my high chair then would knock my foot with her head so I would drop food. Clever dogs Collies.

It wasn't until I was married that I, or rather we, considered getting a dog. We viewed the prospect as a practice child - not that you should treat a dog like child - by being responsible for the welfare for another living thing and clearing up their shit.

As one of the dogs on my parents farm had an unexpected litter we went down and spent 20 minutes playing with the puppies. They were all cute but one was especially friendly. We picked her and named her Pip.

It was 1997 and I was having a year out climbing so had plenty of free time to train Pip. For me only three commands were important. Walking to heel, sitting when told and returning when called. I believe these should be commands that are deeply ingrained rather than obeyed at whim. That way you should be able to call them back if they start to run after livestock.

As part of her obedience training I used to hit a tennis ball and make her stay sitting until I said "fetch". God she loved fetch. Sometimes you would be sitting there and she would put something pathetic like a piece of straw on your knee to flick so she could fetch it.

Over the next few years the kids came along and we made sure that Pip was aware that her status in the pack was at the bottom. Pack psychology is quite interesting. I once noticed in the living room that Pip was standing astride over Thomas who was then relatively newly born and lying on a blanket. It occurred to me that she was asserting her authority over him in the pack order. To redress things I had Thomas ride around on her back for half an hour. Whether it was because of her friendly demeanour, or this sort of training, but she never made to bite the kids even under extreme provocation (ie having her hair pulled etc).

She was so much part of the fabric of my life that quite often I forgot she was there which, coupled with my forgetfulness, led to a few embarrassing leaving-the-dog-at-the-crag incidents.

Pip loved coming to the crag and usually found someone to play with. I later discovered on the forums that quite a few climbers are strongly anti-dog which has been an eye opener. It seems incredulous that having a reasonably well behaved dog is anything but a positive thing. Dogs and the countryside seem like such a natural combination.

If Pip is known by climbers for anything it is for falling off (ironically) the catwalk at Malham. She was below Raindogs and I think may have been chasing a small pebble that had been inadvertently kicked. She ended up following it on to a small ledge just below the lip of the catwalk in an irreversible position and so made a leap for it. When I ran down to the Beck I expected the worst, but she walked away with only a slight cut on her jaw.

I gather that the average life expectancy for a Collie is about 14. By the age of 17 she was definitely showing her age. Her eyes had gone cloudy and her sight was poor. Her hind quarters had become wasted. Quite often she was incontinent which upset her and a daily nuisance for us. She would frequently get stuck in corners unable to manoeuvre out again. Even the vet broached the issue of the quality of her life. We discussed this with the kids and they eventually all came round to the view that it was time for her to be put down. Of course knowing the right thing to do and doing it are two different things and I deferred the fatal day for a few more weeks.

I climbed at Raven Tor on Monday morning churning the issue over again and when I got home rang the Vet and got an appointment straight away. I was too choked up in reception to speak when another customer started asking me about her.

The injection went in and she went as limp as a rag doll - 18 years of life snuffed out in an instant. I took her home in the car and laid her by the copper beech at the end of the garden and set to digging a hole. Its a pretty spot. That was two days ago.

Obviously it was a gutting experience but her decline has meant we have all come to terms with it over a period of time. She'd been with me over a third of my life. What can you say? she was a good dog and she had a pretty good life.

[tomtom]

Sorry to hear this Shark - I'll miss Pip pottering about at the crag... Good words above. 

[haydn jones]

I wasn't ready for a heart wrencher!

Was expecting an update on the hand/oak.

[Three Nine]

One of the very best dogs there ever was. One week when you were away, and you said only give her her dog food, I fed her a can of corned beef every day.

[lagerstarfish]

sorry to hear that she's gone, Shark

have a manly hug from me

[cheque]

  Sorry to hear this Shark.

[north_country_boy]

Sorry to read this Simon. Lovely dog and as mad as the next collie! She was certainly a welcome visitor to the crag in my eyes.

[Fiend]

Sometimes you would be sitting there and she would put something pathetic like a piece of straw on your knee to flick so she could fetch it.

Met enough dogs who do this, I have to tell them off "what sort of stick do you think this is?!"

RIP Pip, great post Shark - it sounds like the ideal dog-owner life - and great picture. It's even brought out the best in 3-9.

And yeah can we have some particularly grumpy moaning about the Oak next time

[Duma]

Commiserations shark, difficult time for sure. Collies are lovely, the bit about finding any ridiculous thing and presenting it to be thrown reminded me of a mates dog. Hope you're all ok

[Dolly]

Sorry to hear that Shark. She was lovely