Chris's new boots

What better way to spend a wet and windy Saturday in January than to head out for Dartmoor with three friends from Church, plus a dog of course. Chris, who had just bought new boots that needed dirtying, together with Lee and his dog Sparky, and Colin to make up the quartet all piled into my yellow van to trundle up to Princetown. We parked in a windy, wet and misty scene, donned waterproofs and set out, visiting Nuns Cross, Eylesbarrow Tin Mine, Combshead Tor, Down Tor, and a couple of crosses standing to declare us a Christian country on the stark moorland. The wetness, bad a first, eventually gave way to grey skies, and Burrator Reservoir became visible. Good walking (9+ km), good company and a few calories burned to boot - oh yes, and Chris's boots christened.

Window seat storage

As a pause in boat building was enforced, Lynn seized upon the opportunity to keep my woodworking skill honed and set me to build some window-seat storage units. Fortunately, our neighbours were having an extension built and the builders, friends of mine, were delighted to pass all their scrap and waste wood over the fence for me to burn. Some of course, was too good to burn and became the frame for the seat.

First Ten Tors walk in 2012

After an intricate plan to strategically position vehicles around Dartmoor, we were all set up for a good lengthy walk across the North Moors. After a short rest at Great Mis Tor, the next leg to Lynch Tor brought us up against a barrier - a stream, swollen by recent rain. After some investigation, it was deemed unsafe to cross, so a change of plan saw the walk ended sooner than expected. Whilst vehicles were retrieved, the teams had fun learning how to erect and use an emergency bivvie.

Julia's Cake - yum!

Julia decided she would make a cake this weekend. There was a moment mid-icing that proved a fine subject for a photograph. The cake was very tasty.