In the middle of my run of night shifts, Nick Watkins persuades me that a quick route on the Organ Pipes after work and before sleep is a good idea...mental note: there is no such thing as a "quick route" up there! It was a beautiful day today, and we thought we'd be off the crag and I'd be in bed by 1pm for a sleep before coming back for another dose of nightshift. The route has two brilliant pitches, with a grade of 18 (probably Fairhead E2 5b) and one scrappy topout pitch. We had the old guide book, which failed to mention the bolted abseils from the top of the second pitch. Instead, we spent 3 hours thrashing around in spiky impenetrable bush, eventually finding a couple of bolts to ab off...then after two long abseils, they ran out! We abbed off a precarious block, and Nick trundled a big loose block down the line, which chopped one of his ropes in three bits! I finally crawled into my scratcher at 4pm after a fab moules frites lunch - thanks Gill!!! And here, for your viewing pleasure, is a panorama from the top of Mount Wellington: it has to be one of the best views from any crag anywhere!

Been on nights this week...life grinds to a halt a bit, but Gill never does! - She did the Point to Pinnacle run yesterday - 22km from the city to the summit of Mount Wellington. Gill, being Gill, didn't just get the bus back to the city for the post-race celebration like all the other competitors - she ran down the mountain again, doing a near-marathon distance in total, and then cycled home! She bought herself a house this week on Mount Wellie with a view of the Organ Pipes from the front room. And beat me in Scrabble about five times in a row. We have a few days off together coming up and are going to do a big walk somewhere, perhaps five days in the Western Arthurs. Can't wait!

 

It has been a great weekend - climbing beautiful sea cliff granite at Freycinet, followed by Ireland smashing the Wallabies, then a nice long road ride with lots of long climbs today. I am loving life here, but still have an odd pang of homesickness:

 

It is hard to be away sometimes - it would have been nice to be with family this week because of Uncle Willie's death. My thoughts are casting a line across the Moneycarragh River these last few days - good memories. I am thinking of you all, especially Auntie Monica and the whole McKibbin clan.

 

Have tacked on a few photos from earlier this year taken by John - thanks lad - for no particular reason except that I was looking at them on CD tonight. Bloody hell, I have lost weight since France! There is also one from Freycinet on the weekend of Andrew just starting a classic 19 (E1/E2 5c) on Alchemy Wall.

Monday morning, back to work, and I have a cold! Damn Paediatric cases...they just spread URTIs!!! Great weekend though. Walk/ran up and down Cathedral Rock and Hartz Peak (views from Hartz below - Federation Peak is the big jagged one, with Blade ridge and the Northeast Face prominent on the right of the ridge - project for last week in Nov maybe, if weather permits...others are the Western Arthurs, etc...) with a nice dinner with good people in Franklin's Melaka, and a night sleeping out in between, followed by watching "An Inconvenient Truth." See it. It's important. Then check out www.climatecrisis.net

Just found these old photos from 2001, the last time I was as scrawny as I am now, when I did the first ascent of this neat little variation on Bushmills E1 5b (Aus 18). Called it Frisky Whiskey, and gave it E3 6a (about Aus 22) at the time. In retrospect, it was more like E2 6a (about Aus 21). Never did hear if anyone else has led it since...probably not, but it is a pity, as it has good climbing! Not as good as Tasmanian Devil E2 6a (Aus 21/22) that I did this summer, which I really hope gets a repeat, but fun none the less...

So I have been at work for a week or so now...time to muse a bit on that! Great, friendly people here, feel at home very early in the piece, and have met lots of like minds (scary, I know). Work has reminded me quickly why I love Emergency medicine, and also why it drives me nuts! On balance, it is good to be back, and am getting into the systems here (a little Jurassic, but constantly improving I think). Sort of in-between Irish A+E's and Charlie's ED in many ways.

 

I am loving Tassie so far, and see no reason that will change! A paycheque helps too

1. I actually did it

2. I didn't kill myself, despite a couple of close calls at high speed

3. I even enjoyed it

4. Most surprising of all, I finished it!

And now, my bum hurts...

My favourite is Gill kissing an incontinent Shingleback Stumpy Lizard. Pure Outback Oz!!!

It reminds me a bit of a favourite Counting Crows lyric: "If you've never looked off into the distance, then your life is a shame..."

 

 

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep and cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.