Summer is awful for rock climbing, by Stevie Hot Haston.

 When the Cicadas arrive, and make there awful screeching noise, you know it's too hot to climb! They arrived last week, and so did winds from Africa, the heat and humidity are oppressive. Still you can climb, it's frustrating, and the hard routes are either much harder, or immpossible.

 Pleasent routes with big holds are good but your skin starts to feet burt after 10 mins. Climbing in the shade is mandatory.

Normally I give up climbing at this time of year, and train. This year I might try a bit more. But conveniently I will be working at the summer show in Germany, and at the Grivel factory in Italy for a while. I will however miss the sea.

 Pauls auntie is still making lace. All my aunties and mum used to do this.

If people are interested my health is at the moment great, and I put this down to Yoga, eating well (this was a vegan week) and breathing exercises. The breathing exercises are really hard, and although I have done them lots of times, this is still proving, very, very hard. 

 I see this guy most mornings, he was not happy with me taking his photo.

 conditions in the Underworld were really bad, humidity was so high the camera couldn't auto focus!

I managed to squeeze in a couple more climbs with cousin Paul, and expect him to do well this coming year. He managed to do all the moves on an 8a, in conditions where there seemed as much water in the air as on a misty day in North Wales.

a funny little photo, Phantom Lover takes the steep wall above Paul for 13 clips.

When the Underworld is this wet, you get strong, you get seriously strong, your hands start to develop suckers like octopus. Shame you can't develop another hand, or two. I scoped out a few brilliant hard lines to open. I need more Titanium gear!

Don't forget to come and say hi at the Summer trade show.