Jacqueline and Isis have caught up with the rest of the family.. On Saturday morning they got up really early (8:30 is really early for some ;P ) and drove to Boroughbridge to join a group from the club for a river trip and 1* assessment. After a mile paddle upstream and a short stop before returning and completing the assessment the were awarded their certificate and driving back home. It was not a first choice thing for Isis to do on a Saturday ( or any other day for that matter) as she doesn't enjoy it at all!

Over the last few weeks I have done a lot of kayaking. It all started about 2 weeks ago when I spent two days coaching at the Cape Breton Paddlefest. It was based in St. Peters, a place I am familiar with having worked there for the last three winters. I was so busy paying attention to my pupils I took no pictures, I have stolen a few from Facebook and if you want to see more there is a Facebook page.

It's official I qualified for my Club Pilots licence last night with 85% . ~This means I am able to get my own glider and fly when I want without the instructor. Quite a harrowing exam - I had to drive down to Pateley Bridge and me and 5 others sat in the back room of a pub (!) to take the exam. There were 6 sections and need to achieve 70% in each section with some questions being an automatic fail if you got them wrong! Finally got back home at 1:00am!

Nicky & I went to a wedding on Saturday. Friends from Te Anau got married in The Church of The Good Shepherd on the shores of lake Tekapo. It's a tiny little church; seats about 60. There are no stained glass windows - when you look at window behind the Altar (main image) you understand why; though the picture from my phone doesn't do it justice.

Douglas entered his first international cross country ski race at the weekend. It was the 'Merino Muster', part of the World Loppet Series. Douglas entered the 21km race. He didn't feel he had gone very well, it was only his second time on skis this year, and he reckoned it took him half the race to remember how to ski properly. So to get third in the U18 men's wasn't a bad effort.

Yesterday I paddled alone from Port Joly to Port Mouton, around a peninsula which part of a national park. I have paddled this route once before with a couple of friends, it needs treating with respect because

Today was a beautiful winter's day in Fiordland. Milford Sound was a great place to be. The visitor pictured was spotted on the fisherman's wharf - had been there for several hours. Leopard seals are second only to Orca's as predators in Antarctic oceans. They are known to be pretty vicious & have been known to attack humans. This one appears to be at the smaller end of the size scale, possible a young male (females are larger), but I was very wary; talking to him all the time so as not to surprise him.

Alex Jerusha, Freya and Gid went on a kayaking weekend to ulswater. Isis an Jacqueline stayed ay home - Isis was working in the day at the library and at night in the local restaurant. We all joined Hambleton Paddlers a while back and have been taking our star grades under the bcu coaching system Set off under a cloudless sky on Friday evening and rocked up at the campsite about an hour later. Pitched two tents next to the rest of the group - there were about 40 of us. First night all sat around chatting turned in about 11. Up at 8:00 hearty breakfast and out on the lake.

This visit to see Beth, Tom and our grandchildren has been a little different.