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The weekend
I'll not stuff up anyones pages.
It was a good weekend. I went out for my meal before I left on Friday, and started off to Derbyshire at about 9.45 pm. I was slightly worried as the newly "fixed" wheel had been put on the car, and there was quite ferocious sleet falling in Liverpool. As I got onto the motorway my fears subsided, the sleet turned to rain, and then the rain slowed and I thought that the worst of the weather was over. I hadn't allowed for the fact that Manchester is in the middle of a valley, and snow in Manchester is pretty rare.
I'd been driving (and making good progress) for about an hour when I hit the first sign of the problems to come. There was snow on the sides of the roads as I left Stockport and entered Derbyshire. As I drove further into the county the rain started again, then the sleet and by the time I had passed onto the roads on the Peaks the snow was falling hard. At this time it was 11.30 at night, and I was in the middle of the country. There seemed to be no other traffic on the roads at all, and I was all alone, in what I can only describe as a blizzard. I edged my way along at 5 miles an hour, looking for any signs that I was going in at least the right direction as the snow had covered all the roadsigns. Then *poof* the snow suddenly stopped about 3 miles from the hut I was heading for and I saw the roadsign for the B-road I knew I needed. All in all it took me 2 1/2 hours, so it only added about 45 mins to the journey.
More suprisingly, I was one of the first people to get to the hut! Another car-full had broken down about 20 miles away and was being rescued. Two other groups of people had given up in the snow and stopped at a Pub in a major town a few miles away. Another three groups of people had simply rung and said "No show from us until tomorrow". The people I cared about were there though. Gail, who had left to go to Newcastle over three years ago, and who gave me one of the best nights out I have ever had. Elaine, who quit her job as a technician four years ago after the end of an abusive relationship and now is happy in Leeds in a good job and a better relationship. Corrine, who had arranged to weekend to celebrate her birthday and serves as social secretary. Lee and Kirsty, who did their degrees at the same time as me in Leeds and then moved to work in Liverpool for four years. They now work in Wales and have the most succesful relationship of anyone I know. Dan, who is one of the funniest men I know, and now works in Hampshire somewhere and is *really* succesful in his work.
The beer flowed as everyone gathered. Stupid games where played, more beer was drunk. Dan and myself did a fantastic impression of the women's curling team, more beer was drunkPeople caught up with news, more beer flowed. Elaine and I swapped stories of our love lives, more beer flowed. Some people went to bed, more beer flowed. Before I knew it it was 6 am in the morning, at that point we decided to not go to bed at all (and I had drunk half a bottle of whiskey).
Of course, it all caught up with me on the Saturday. While others ventured out to visit local places of interest, and Rob went out to try and get his car fixed, I went to bed for an hour (I volunteered to mind the hut). This carried on a long tradition for these weekends, for the past 7 years I have been on a climbing weekend about once a year and never climbed a single hill!
Saturday night we managed to find a most fantastic pub, with a most fantastic menu. I indulged my love for roast beef, something I never cook for myself because it is such hard work for one, and Caroline doesn't like it. The table was groaning under the weight of so much food, as the lads chose the mixed grill and most of the girls went for pasta. A couple of the stragglers turned up, including one girl who sets my teeth on edge (she is very much of the "Oh, I'm so stupid I'm a girl" persuasion"). I only managed to stay up until 12 on the Saturday, and it was early to bed for me.
Sunday I drove home through the melting snow and the floods, tired but happy and looking forward to the next time we do it. Apparently it will be at Lee and Kirsty's in Wales.
I just need 6 months to recover.
It was a good weekend. I went out for my meal before I left on Friday, and started off to Derbyshire at about 9.45 pm. I was slightly worried as the newly "fixed" wheel had been put on the car, and there was quite ferocious sleet falling in Liverpool. As I got onto the motorway my fears subsided, the sleet turned to rain, and then the rain slowed and I thought that the worst of the weather was over. I hadn't allowed for the fact that Manchester is in the middle of a valley, and snow in Manchester is pretty rare.
I'd been driving (and making good progress) for about an hour when I hit the first sign of the problems to come. There was snow on the sides of the roads as I left Stockport and entered Derbyshire. As I drove further into the county the rain started again, then the sleet and by the time I had passed onto the roads on the Peaks the snow was falling hard. At this time it was 11.30 at night, and I was in the middle of the country. There seemed to be no other traffic on the roads at all, and I was all alone, in what I can only describe as a blizzard. I edged my way along at 5 miles an hour, looking for any signs that I was going in at least the right direction as the snow had covered all the roadsigns. Then *poof* the snow suddenly stopped about 3 miles from the hut I was heading for and I saw the roadsign for the B-road I knew I needed. All in all it took me 2 1/2 hours, so it only added about 45 mins to the journey.
More suprisingly, I was one of the first people to get to the hut! Another car-full had broken down about 20 miles away and was being rescued. Two other groups of people had given up in the snow and stopped at a Pub in a major town a few miles away. Another three groups of people had simply rung and said "No show from us until tomorrow". The people I cared about were there though. Gail, who had left to go to Newcastle over three years ago, and who gave me one of the best nights out I have ever had. Elaine, who quit her job as a technician four years ago after the end of an abusive relationship and now is happy in Leeds in a good job and a better relationship. Corrine, who had arranged to weekend to celebrate her birthday and serves as social secretary. Lee and Kirsty, who did their degrees at the same time as me in Leeds and then moved to work in Liverpool for four years. They now work in Wales and have the most succesful relationship of anyone I know. Dan, who is one of the funniest men I know, and now works in Hampshire somewhere and is *really* succesful in his work.
The beer flowed as everyone gathered. Stupid games where played, more beer was drunk. Dan and myself did a fantastic impression of the women's curling team, more beer was drunkPeople caught up with news, more beer flowed. Elaine and I swapped stories of our love lives, more beer flowed. Some people went to bed, more beer flowed. Before I knew it it was 6 am in the morning, at that point we decided to not go to bed at all (and I had drunk half a bottle of whiskey).
Of course, it all caught up with me on the Saturday. While others ventured out to visit local places of interest, and Rob went out to try and get his car fixed, I went to bed for an hour (I volunteered to mind the hut). This carried on a long tradition for these weekends, for the past 7 years I have been on a climbing weekend about once a year and never climbed a single hill!
Saturday night we managed to find a most fantastic pub, with a most fantastic menu. I indulged my love for roast beef, something I never cook for myself because it is such hard work for one, and Caroline doesn't like it. The table was groaning under the weight of so much food, as the lads chose the mixed grill and most of the girls went for pasta. A couple of the stragglers turned up, including one girl who sets my teeth on edge (she is very much of the "Oh, I'm so stupid I'm a girl" persuasion"). I only managed to stay up until 12 on the Saturday, and it was early to bed for me.
Sunday I drove home through the melting snow and the floods, tired but happy and looking forward to the next time we do it. Apparently it will be at Lee and Kirsty's in Wales.
I just need 6 months to recover.