Been some time since I last updated my blog ... so apologies to anyone who reads this!
Allot of things have happened since ... first of all Ive done all my first year exams! And got my grades to get to Canada I might add!! Spend the days before my exams revising in the garden at home, having BBQ’s with Kathryn, Mike etc, and in the library with various people eating magic stars and buttons (mainly Lindsey, Jojo and Mark).Had 'Bonners Weekend' as the last club trip of the year where we all meet Sir Chris Bonnington and go climbing for a weekend and go for a meal with him! Most people went up on the friday, but me Amy, Mark and Struggles went up on the Saturday morning because of exams. Lee out sensi who we had run into on the Pioneeres bar-crawl gave us a lift. got to the hut abouit lunch time and were greeted by Lindsey. Spent the afternoon bouldering on Bowderstone, doing bits of revision and exploring and playing around on ropeswings down by the river. Went out for the meal that night, the night ended with me and Roz chasing after Chris shouting 'Sign my kapkin!!!' He's a great guy ... and an 'Excellent' Mountineer as Jojo put it. we all ended up sleeping on one section my the bunk beds that night in a 'Mass Spoonage' as Amy put it ... was rather funny. Went climbing with Maxi, Mark, Sadi and Amy the next day where a did a few leads. the protection was so crap i basically soloed a HS!!! back to the hut for lunch and met up with Struggles anf Jake, went down to the quarry after and i climbed a 6C+ sport route which no one else could do!!! really proud of that. Got back, packed up and headed back to rainy Lancaster.
After the last exam me and Struggles finished at the same time ... I got outside and he picked me up and spun me round ... well ... getting used to it now lol. Me and Amy did our Karate grading on the Wednesday and I got my Yellow and Amy got her Green belt.
Had a few fun nights out with fellow climbers too. Went to the Carlton after the Pioneers bar crawl ... which consisted of everyone dressing up like ‘climbers of the past’ either tweed or 80’s lycra mainly. Had a go at some bouldering round Cartmel then headed to the Carlton ... drank allot of champagne and ended up stripping off with Ros and proceeding to encourage everyone else to follow suite (we had bikini tops on) was a great night with Amy, Ros, Claire, Mark, Struggles, Jonny, Ed, Bed and many other people we bumped into! Me, Struggles, Mark and Gary went bouldering the day after ... we were all pretty shattered and spent more time lying around on the mats than bouldering really. Went out on the Wednesday after to Toast with some friends from ES. Had the ‘informal formal’ as the last climber’s party of the year. Went out for a meal in town first and tried not to cry when Ros made her toast at the end. Then headed for Cuba! Again ... great night dancing to live bands, playing cards for drinks and ending with Gary streaking through County screaming ‘SESSION!!!’ ... which he’s been saying for weeks at grad bar for our pre exam day nightly drinks. Spend many a night at Amy’s drinking Scrumpy =] on the Friday it was Friday Fury! So we went round the bars collecting drink and badges before heading back to Amy’s for ... Scrumpy!!! And we also tried on Moulan Rouge outfits for Cartmel Extrav!!!
Took part in an Outdoor First Aid course offered by Bowland Mountain Rescue on the thursday and friday ... we all did quite well considering we were all out on the wednesday and thursday night! we spent most of thursday rolling around on the floor in Fylde lecture theatre, and friday, rolling around out on the fields attending to eachothers rediculous situations we 'got our selves into'. Was a great course, we learnt loads and had a laugh ... mostly at how if Mark tryed to do first aid on you ... you'd probably be worse off at the end of it. Me, Amy, Mark, Struggles, Roz, Andy, Craig, Ben and the others all enjoyed it ... I think were going to try and arrange 'First Aid Bar Crawls' for the future!!
Got round to Struggles’ at about 10ish on Saturday morning for our adventure in Buttermere!!! Got the bus into Lancaster ... bought Yorkies and got on the bus to Keswick ... was a three hour trip which we slept for most of really. In Keswick Struggles stocked up on loaves of bread and cheese from Booths, while i went to Needle sports for gas, didn’t have room for the Whisky though lol. Got on the Borrowdale rambler and got into Buttermere an hour later. The journey was made fun by a stow-away cat on the bus which kept meowing!!! Payd for three nights at the campsite and put up then tent then collapsed for a bit. Went down to the pub for tea and had a narrow escape of not getting out of Buttermere as Struggles nearly payed for the meals with our only money left to get the bus out ... until my card came to the rescue. Had some good food and got all excited about all the climbing we were planning to do!! We even saw one of our old lectures at the bar!! Walked back along the lake and found a fallen tree where we sat for a while absorbing Buttermere and the surrounding hills =]
Got up at about 8 the next day, and walked up to the bottom of grey crag. We did a 5 multi-pitch, a 2 and a 3! Each taking over the lead for the next pitch ... my belay building and gear placements were rocky at first, but i soon got the hang of it (climbs .............................) we got down a good few hours later and had fun cooking tea on my little stove and eating proved difficult as Struggles didn’t have a fork. Washed up, planned a walk for the next day and got to bed early. Up at 8 again and headed for ......... the mist came in ... or rather we got into the mist and, very embarrassingly got a bit lost. Decided to head down Ennerdale, past blacksail youth hostle where ive stayed before, it’s the most remote in the country. Stopped off for lunch, an explore, and a mug of hot juice. Set off up to Haystacks and did the ridge along high crag, high style and along to Red pike, sharing the carrying of the rucksack. We practically ran off Red Pike, and stopped off at the tarn for a feet cooling session. The pub was closed when we got back much to our distress, to we got an ice cream and headed back to the tent to find we were the only people there! Had a sort of ‘bath’ in the huge sink at the farm and washed my hair before cooking tea and heading down to the lake again. Up at 8 again to pack up, and walked down the lake to the bus stop in intense uncomfortable heat. Sat around for the bus then began the journey home. 
Tuesday night was Furness Extrav!!! Mexican style!!! ARRRIIIBAAA!!! Borrowed Antony's sombrero and went round to meet Amy, Lindsey, Jojo and Josh for pre party Scrumpy as per usual. Was a great night with far too many tequila shots and nachos all over Amy shoes which i tried to clean up while she kept walking around. Partied the night away with Amy, Jojo, Lindsey, Gary, Struggles, Josh, Toby, Sam, Katie and soooo many other people I’m going to miss so much (already am!) the night ended with Struggles walking me home ... was rather funny. 
Spoke to Amy the next morning; she had woken up with a mustash, a sombrero, a gun and other random items. Spent most of the day packing up and i might have gone to the bouldering wall with a few people later ... i think. Went shopping for Cartmel Extrav Moulan Rouge at some point meeting up with Jake first to discuss our Wasdale adventure. Saw Struggles in town still drunk from the night before. Bought a dress and some ridiculous shoes each from reef. Went round to Amy’s on the Thursday night at 7 to get ready and we took soooo many pictures. Went over to see Struggles and say bye to him and Gary. Jake came round later and we set off down to South-west to Cartmel after bumping into Maxi. Had a dance and a few drinks then qued up for pancakes with everyone and had a round of Gin like old ladies from Jojo’s famous ‘Handbag Gin’. At about 2am we started so say some goodbyes for the last time = [and me and Amy headed to Sultans for curly fry’s and cookies. Ended up in Struggles’ flat at 3am with Amy shouting ‘Struggles come and say bye!!!’ left a bit later and back to Amy for post party Scrumpy and to film us dancing to Lady Marmalade. Walked round campus to mine at 4.30 in the light.
Met up with Mum the next morning (still a bit unsteady on my feet) for a drink and lunch and a mosey round Lancaster before the year was up. Went to the beer festival at Grad bar later and ended up getting roped into Friday Fury somehow ... got back to Amy’s again to drink Scrumpy again! Up the next morning to go to Wasdale with Mark and Amy!!!
Wasdale was amazing! Packed up the car, drove through Lancaster, ended up stopping off to buy more Gin!!! Had fun on the windy (almost vertical) roads into Wasdale, and laughed at the satnav which had direction turrets! (Right, right, turn right, ri, ri, right, right, right!!!) Put up the tent and went to the Wasdale head for a pint of Wasd-ale!!! Ahahah, and a meal before having a laugh and drinking Gin in the tent, planning with to do the next day and making friends with the Irish man next door to us who lent Mark some loo roll! Went up Great Gable, Green Gable and Kirkfell the next day where somewhere Amy lost her sunglasses. Stopped off at a waterfall and pool on the way back and went for a swim to cool down before heading back to the pub for tea. The Wasdale Head has such a great atmosphere, we chatted to various people and marled at some of the exhibition photographs on the walls. Went up Yewbarrow the next day as we only had half a day as Mark needed to be back to go to Spain! Talked rubbish most of the day and had a quick boulder on a glacial erratic lol. Went for a quick dip in crummock water (the deepest lake in the Lakes!) to finish off with then had a rave on the way back in the car again, said our goodbyes at Lancaster, and parted ways. Spent the next day packing up and gave Amy my left over food. Mum and Dad picked my up that night ... was a sad day really.
In conclusion, it’s been a fantastic year, made some great friends, going to miss people and going bouldering so much next year in Canada ... third year will be awesome!!! xxxxxxxxx
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