Climbing first and second. By Stevie Haston.

I climb 4 days a week on average, its enough. More would be less, less enjoyment, less time to do some important things. What are the important things, first one is looking after what is left of myself, there isn't much left, no need to show off, a need to be content, a need not to push the envelope but envelope nice things. Indeed pushing the envelope is a strange sounding thing isn't it, you might as well push a pea nut down the road with your nose, as push an envelope!

 my garden has lots of courgettes, and toms, and peppers, onions, salad, the need to rub my toes in the soil and know where my veg is coming from is strong in me

Do I want to climb more? Do I want to die? Do I want to even flirt with danger? I don't want to hurt my little body anymore, I want to walk up 8a like it was a path, but hey ordinariness has shrouded me in its awful cloak. Yes climbing is still fundamentally important, but it's complicated, no money, lack of fitness, motivation is so much easier when you have a big wad of cash to burn.

 My latest climbing pupil is a natural. Training is going well, I expect a breakthrough in cat grades shortly.

 The local religion calls for a public display of your sins and punishment, yes it is a bit medieval, I always fancy doing this but they don't have chains long enough for me. Several years ago, on Easter Sunday I did the biggest roof I had ever done, its a 50 meter pitch through a horizontal roof, motivation was easier then, plus I didn't have a garden, I didn't drink and did my finger boarding religiously. Fitness should be your religion, but so should vegetables, so should swimming in the sea...

 Cant wait for the white turnips, can't wait for my shoulder to take a bit of a heavy set of pull ups, want to do *a again before I die.

 Smiling people after a days climbing, very few things are as good as a great climb or 10, what do you say Paige?