Lovely summer climbing, by Stevie shady Haston.

 the combination of wonderful rock the sea and a nice person…

Been climbing… its like the sign on the old guys fishing shop when it says "gone fishing be back at sunset or tomorrow". Anyway been climbing and free diving, seen a school of tuna, or big fish anyway as its early for Tuna, there were 24 of them, I counted them. I saw a very bid Barracuda two days running cruising along the cliffs, he looks old, you don't get old and big like him without being clever and wary.

 Antonia leading one of three routes in the day, all good but this one is best.

 Happy girl, sore toes from climbing and blisters but smiling..

Its summer time and the North Coast comes into its element,mellow to outrageous sea cliff climbing. Early morning it can be fresh with a sea breeze, some times its too humid without a wind, but its always bliss. 

 typical route 6a, a bit steep underneath…

Saw a turtle and a Barracuda today.

the big one, telephoto,she's 30 meters away.. 

Did one of my favourite routes today Hilwa ta Turk, its 6b+ and about 35 meters of climbing up an out of this world wall, looks crazy hard and is mostly on big holds, everything is sculptured sandstone and you finish on a few layback holds on a huge block.

"Stevie you said it was 5+ after the crux, it felt much harder", "em I lied", well what can I say, there is such a thing as too much information, 5 star route.

See you soon, my friend your stronger, bolder… and your enjoyment of rock makes mine more.

Happy Ramadan bruv, by Stevie Haston.

 some guys sitting under Palm trees, pre Ramadan munching.

Happy Ramadan to my Muslim friends. Tough month for you, its very hot, make sure your drinking water at night. I had a bit of religion today, went to put my mum and dad and Granny in a new place, they now look out over the sea, mind you they were looking out over the sea already. A change is as good as a rest they say, and they are certainly resting after their hard lives now!

 local bus, now a bit of a rarity.

It was odd touching the remains of dead people, it was comforting, if a religion brings you comfort and makes you live in a good way great. Religion and codes of conduct can be good. Lets concentrate on the good.

 our island which is starting to become desert and predicted to be so by 2100 due to Global warming, nobody is taking notice!

Don't you love flowers! 

re interning my mum and dad in one box, and my Granny Sunta -smaller box!

Not a bad day, went climbing, moved some relations and remembered to be part of the big brother and sisterhood that is the world. 

The Puzzle of life, by Stevie puzzled Haston.

 Calm weather, stormy weather, weather!

Global warming is making more storms, and now there is a President in America who says that Global warming doesn't exist! What do you do? Start by complaining.

 Classic Gozo view, a bit different since the rock arch fell down!

There are too many cars on my island, it is a small island, we have sun power we should be electric.

 A book whose title says it all.

Climbing was part of my islands life, it isn't anymore, smoking, eating, watching other people live is the modern way. We are now a catering industry for richer people to have fun!
Where is our fun?

My Jigsaw puzzle, its soooo cool.

My last little birthday present arrived, it was a jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces, it really is great, and I love it. It comes from China! I wish it didn't! There are so many complex things in life, it's all a puzzle.

Please vote Labour in the UK -less puzzles with Labour. In Malta where there is another election, it is a bit more complex as the Labour party have been boiling in a scandal of corruption, if it helps my Maltese friends, I,ll say this, both Parties have similar promises, democracy has failed to make any difference between them, it's just a name thing! People make puzzles out of simple things to confuse people, it's called trying to con people. Malta's people face a difficult choice. The people of the UK face an easy choice, vote for all.    

It's horrible being human by Stevie sometimes more Haston.

 Chris visiting the Underworld.

25 mins yoga, felt hard!

 a remembrance of bad things past?

Some pull ups felt hard!

 Good things present.

Breathing exercises felt hard.

a window in your life is necessary.

Laughing at and hating certain politicians was all too easy.

The Tiranic Barracuda, by Stevie chubby Haston.

It's cool being 60, it's not cool being useless at climbing, and having a bad thumb. Still all that is better than being dead, one must maintain perspective.

 Optimistic hippy mode, vibe, thingy, peace to you all.

Went climbing, I thought it would be a hard day, but it was a bit pathetic, when your egos reach exceeds your ability, its bound to hurt.  

 cool people do cool things even if they are a bit pinko.

The North coast of Gozo has some class climbing but today I couldn't do it justice.

 The local Cop shop! Gozo style.

It was humid, I was fat, gravity was unkind as always.

 A card from a lovely young lady, thx  Lena.

We did seven routes but not the one I really wanted.

 the Titanic Barracuda laughed at me!

I even tried supper boots, nothing helped!

 Scarpa Chimaeras are the best boots I'ave ever had but they can't change a pigs ear into a silk purse!

Alex did some nice climbing but took a slight excursion into orbit when she was careless. Sector Vortex is cruel.

a fat old bloke, admitting defeat, heading to a more amenable sector

It looks like training is back on the menu boys.

60 and feeling frisky, by Stevie over the hill Haston.

 Dwarf Iris, tiny little things the height of my thumb.

Good wishes to every one, not exactly to all people but you might take my meaning. Hope the bad become good and the good give some of their goodness to others.

 Going for a swim under these big blocks.

 Alex.

 at one end of this block we saw two or three bolts, this route fell into the sea!

 Big old me, 60!

 How to burst a wet suit!

 Large fish trap!
Locally made, I week x 3 people.

With Manuel who made this trap, its very skill full job, my Grand dad used to make baskets and curtains but he couldn't make this.


Anyway just a big thank you to the people who read my blog, family, and friends, co workers, climbing buddies and even people I cross swords with. Be good, and if you are a crooked politician resign please!

Selective Amnesia, by Stevie (?) Haston.

It seems increasingly important to have at least a selective memory nowadays. If you climb in a country with only a few good routes, or live in a country with a corrupt government, how you see things, and how you grade, or take pleasure becomes plastic, and variable. Special glasses are now being sold by governments, guidebooks, and marriage brokers/dating agencies!

 slightly out of focus photo, no problem, put your glasses on.

A visiting climber the other day cornered me, and told me my grades were not right! I was a bit hurt, and I explained they were correct as far as I could make them, and I had a bit of experience in this department. Still he wanted to inflate them by at least a grade, I replied "be my guest"-you see, that was easy.
If you go to some places you get holiday grades, here I am afraid you get grades, bog standard, good old French Boux grades, you know, like where they were invented! Fake grades now, what ever next.

 Looking up the 140 meters of Bernadino F.

Grading is hard, it's obviously a bit subjective! On the big cliff the other day, I had some slight anxiety for a few seconds as I started the four abseils, and when I started on lead on the second pitch. Normal fear, changes grades, abnormal fear changes grades abnormally.

 Solly showing no fear and being strong, later that day affected by the sun he slowed down!

In France a great country that I do miss, they had an adjectival grade which was on top of the Tec grade, a bit like the old UK system, I loved it. The top grade was Abdominal, or ABO for short-oh how I loved that grade, I used to seek them out when I was fit, and felt the sap rising. Nowadays I would probably collapse into a catatonic state if I was teleported onto one. Grading climbers as I used to say, might be easier than grading climbs, and is just as applicable.

 the sharp feature above Solly has been climbed, Bernadino goes to the left, and belays about where the rope is!

Kindness should be graded, empathy should have numbers, we should all have them tattooed on our foreheads so we can judge each other a bit easier, what do you think?

 Dustin helping out, he wants to do that route he said, but its a bit too hard I think.

Is love graded? I suppose it might be, by some people. The prostitute lover of a previous Prince of Wales kept a stud book grading her lovers, but sadly that has disappeared, I guess it would, wouldn't it. It was alleged she got off a murder as well, due to having, em, forgive the pun, connections!

flowers should be graded?

The sun was shining a bit too fiercely, but the sensation was deep, the flowers looked very good by the car, the beer tasted extra good, and I slept the sleep of the just. How good was that? 9 out of 10, only joking! 

Executioners Song Fernandez, by Stevie Haston.

Solly's grandad got executed on 18th of July 1938. He was killed, murdered call it what you will on Sollys dads birthday, who was six years old that day! Sollys dad always hated his birthday, because it reminded him obviously of his fathers murder by the Fascists. It was no coincidence that he was killed on his sons birthday, it was just another added bit of nastiness.

 Climbers bitch and moan a lot mostly about nothing.

Anyway some time ago I did a route, and called it Bernardino Fernandez, to commemorate Mr Fernandez, and it was a dare I say, it a very great route. Today Solly the grandson did it, and he was happy-so was I.

 I need a manicure.

Climbers are very shallow kinds of people for the most part nowadays, if we have any character, we hide it in the hills, and cliffs, and mountains, we don't do anything with it. Sometimes people are called on to sacrifice a bit more than a broken nail or two.

 The gear for the route, it's 4 rope lengths. 140 meters but on a engaging cliff.

We went for a swim at the bottom of the cliff, cold water concentrated the mind for the route, its fairly serious, with some dodgy rock that needs delicate handling. 

 the sea is ultramarine, its another life.

Life is very tough for some people, and very serious, that's why years ago, I decided to grab a few handfuls of paradise before I died. Hopefully I have also added to other peoples lives a bit with some lovely routes. The sacrifice that some people made years ago, and still do today is beyond me, I don't have the commitment. I am indeed a fair-weather politician.

 Solly abseiling down in a semi religious way.

The route is 5a, 5a+, 6c,6a, and it's a bit engaged, and it'
s a bit hard. I got roasted in the sun while Solly made a pigs arse out of a silk purse, on the last pitch. No complaints-there were beers on top-thanks to Alex and Dustin.

 Solly on the 6c pitch-it might be 6b+ but is scary!

The rock in some places is like frozen salted snow. But the climbing is really wonderful, and it takes a big well shaped buttress.

 I was on this belay for a while!

One day many people will do this route, it's the best multi pitch in the Maltese Islands, with the approach by boat it's even better-a great day.

throttling it.

This is what I think of the Uk, and USA government, without the complicity of these governments, the Fascists wouldn't have got in power in Spain, and they would not have stayed in power as long. The simple story of Spain is that Franco got in, but he was let in. Germany used Spain to kill and train its budding Airforce, while Russia put in forces on the other side, does this sound all too familiar. There were also volunteer forces including the famous International Brigade I even have known a few of there grandsons. Anyway, because of the fear of the dreaded Communist Franco was allowed to get in and allowed to stay in! There is a mirror of this going on now in the East with Turkey, and Israel. But you came here I suppose to look at climbing photos, well you can look, you can ignore my words!

Titanic Barracuda By Stevie small fish Haston.

Making routes is sometimes tougher than actually climbing them,  people don't know how tough, they don't care, they just do routes, and think they magically appear. There is talk of an App to Malta climbing being done by a guy who hasn't got his hands dirty, if this happens I will be very cross, as it is cheating the guys who did all the hard work. If this guy includes Gozo where he has done zero work, I will be titanically pissed off !

 a belay for equipping!

A few years ago an App was done for Maltese climbing by some Spanish lads, I asked them not to include Gozo, and they complied with my wishes, as they had done nothing there! At the moment there are at least 200 new routes on Gozo that will get into the next guide, they can't get into an App as I am the only one who has the info. These include new routes, old routes, and recordings of Fishermens, and salvage mens routes,  probably closer to 250 routes extra. There's a lot of work been done as well as path cleaning, and maintenance, some of which was done by me, but also by Jeff and Simon from Malta. Anyway, I don't like being ripped off, OK! 

 Solly finding he has fore arms made of wood, in sector Vortex, a new sector with, 4 new stellar routes that haven't been recorded.

The new guide book should be very good especially for Gozo.

 Young Dustin, doing a few warm ups before his route!

I am still hurting from a broken thumb, and a few other minor things, and a bit too fat, but feel my old energy coming back. I soloed a new grade 6a today, it's funny, but I have been soloing 6a now for almost my whole climbing journey. It is a pleasant surprise to be soloing 6a routes at 60-I feel happy about that. 6a is 5.10 for you guys in Trump Land.

 a slightly overhanging route, I had a puke due to spinning around while jumping today, first time its happened.

My friend Solly did one of the unrecorded routes today, it was a snaking groove on lovely marble like rock, he was stoked, but it's Trad protection and even that is not very good, it's a hard lead. One day it should be a clip up, so other people can enjoy it.

 the rock is real pretty, this is a different shade, its hard to know whats going on down there, you lose touch with everything.

Two beers down the gullet, I feel happy, but tired, lots of german climbers here, no english, whats up guys?  

this will be one of the best routes on Gozo, it will feel a bit like a french route, but with that added zest.

While Solly was climbing there was a huge ball of Barracuda behind him swirling around, it was very spectacular. I wanted to get in among them, swimming in a big vortex of Barras is an incredible experience. These Barras looked very big though, first time I have seen big Barras this big Balling. It looked a bit scary. Anyway guys hope your all fit, and being good and having fun.