Further Rambling

[MadDog]

If every day of this coming flying season turns out to be like yesterday, than I for one will be a happy man.
To carry on driving from the cloudy, rainy east to very little changing in the west can be very disheartening, and when the stop at the top of Hartside yesterday proved to be in the usual pea soup, then the gloom on the outside of the van was matched by the gloom on the inside the van.
The troops in the back…Colin and me, listened to the Generals in the front discussing the plan of attack…
Then word came back….to our dismay, but no more than what we had expected…
Jenkin Hill….full battle order, no prisoners to be taken…fix bayonets and stand at the step….

If I should die, think only this of me
That there’s some corner of Jenkin Hill
That is for ever England, There shall be.
In that rich earth, a richer dust concealed
And all that!

When we got to Jenkin it was still in cloud at about the top heather line…but who cared…
And why were we the only ones there…did someone know something that we didn’t know?....
Where were the Lakes lads? Surely they couldn’t all be still in their pits?
Had the Generals took the wrong decision?
On with the heavy kit, and off we set up that yellow brick road to take off, which looks so welcoming and easy from the bottom but just saps it all out of you…I much prefer my walking to be at ninety degrees to the road….not sixty degrees, but the pain didn’t last too long, cos Brian. Bless him, was soon on hand to take my glider from me and do the business all the way to take off….Thanks again Brian!
How quickly the pain of the hump up is forgotten, when you eventually get to the flying part….and how unforgettable the flying part becomes when you get to scratch your way up past the Little Man, and then Skiddaw proper…..Fabulous flying for all of us NHPC lads….we get so starved of getting high in our neck of the woods, so the pure, unadulterated pleasure of flying the high Lakes district sites is a great bonus to us….so many thanks to you Cumbrian club lads for putting up with us
And with that, I suppose I don’t really have much more to say…Except only to share my thought about yesterday with people who appreciate where I’m coming from, and I’ve just noticed that Gary has said it all before me….so now you have it from both the organ grinder and the monkey as well!
And here are two pictures from yesterday….
East meets West…Two Aces….Brian Doub, and Colin Keightley discussing tactics.
And just clear of cloud looking towards Keswick

[gary stenhouse]

how great the day was with johns positive thoughts, it will never clear and we wont be flying today. why he has put his faith with the generals and his ever obliging drive james.

also great to see helen eddie brian and liam all showing the level of enthusiasm to fly.


cheers gary