Confused, conned and condemned, by Stevie Contra Haston

looking for fish that are poisoned over fished and suffer acidification of the sea.

Why are there so few fish in the sea? Can we restock the sea? Yes, of course we can! But it's a political decision, some one will loose votes, and therefore money! Can world hunger and population be controlled? Yes of course it can, but lots of people will have to turn veggie and vegan, and again that's not gonna happen, cos it's a voting thing, by Jove! Notice I don't use the Christian god, or the Prophets name. Please don't attack me. Will Malta make use of the one out door thing that it actually has, Rock. Well, maybe it will. The climbing on Malta and Gozo is as good as anywhere, and better than most. Funny, but we don't even have anybody under 20 years old climbing here! A country that is over populated, overweight, and over stressed, not knowing that there is some peace and quite there for some, and it's underneath their feet! Blind, or what?

 out of focus and out of sight.

Climbing has brought lots of money to the island this year, and the climbing community has had practically no help from any one. In Greece, climbing was working to bring money into the country. Contacts in the sport now suggest there's a lot of unpaid bills there, well with out that equipment Kalymnos will fail as a tourist destination. Without climbing, Gozo will just get more and more suffocated with budget tourists in the two peak months!

 The Kalieydescope of dreams.

Jeff came to help me yesterday he's one of the few who help me, we were aghast at how beautiful the rock architecture is, and Jeff knows that there is more. Climbing can surpass diving as a tourist attraction on the islands, it's worth millions, and millions to the island.

Confused?

Are you confused? I am, and I am fed up of buying, or being short of gear, or getting my own gear ruined. I am off to Italy, Germany, Italy, USA, Italy, and back to Gozo to earn a few pennies, so the Gozo one man band is not gonna play any more. Good luck and good night. Neil, pull your finger out! 

Extreme tourism by Stevie ordinary Haston.

A happy tourist.

By extreme tourism I don't mean being in danger, I mean unbearably crowded. What's up with places when you stick twice the population in an infrastructure that can't cope normally? July in popular places , do you know anything worse? Polution, noise, absolutely no F'ing parking!

a bronze celebrating when fishing was done by brave men , not dirty factory ships.

I remember the great old climber Joe Brown having a program on TV called Extreme fishing, or some such nonsense. He climbed down cliffs and fly fished, it was quintessential Joe.  Anyway there are far too many tourists on the beach, and around the island, it's all gone horrible. The island is earning money, but at a great expense to it's own quality of life. Attract climbers walkers, and others in the shoulder months, why don't you?

A 60 meter roped decent to go swimming.

Today we got some clips out of some routes, half of them went in the bin, too corroded. While we were there, we went swimming, and checked out some more cliff. Not bad! Too hot, and humid to climb, but the water was perfect.

Some Amberjack underneath.

Gozo Tourism and climbing are an easy solution to an economy that cries out for visitors other than in summer. It's obvious. Too many holiday places are blighted by happy northerners who are only looking for a few days of virtual holiday. Keep Gozo and Malta real, and the pollution down, attract tourists in the shoulder months.

Training, Coaching, Traveling, Working. By Stevie Haston.

 I went swimming today, it's way too hot to climb. I wanted to climb, but it's really hot and humid, so the next best thing was to explore some cliffs by swimming. I guess two miles of swimming can be classed as a bit of training. 

 I have a very good student at the moment who is reminding me how weak I'ave become, so thanks Neil. One of the reasons I am weak this year is my life has changed, and I haven't caught up with it yet. It's not an excuse, I don't really believe in excuses that much. 
Anyway training keeps your mind in step, it's always a good place to start to get your head into gear. 

 This is my old house in France, it's up for sale, contact me or Laurence  for details, it's in the country, very quiet, but with one cliff 12 mins away, and others 25 to 30 mins away.

 This cliff is 30 mins away from my old house, it got 25, or so 8s, it's got 30 meter roofs, it's got a couple of my big link ups, it's one of the best cliffs in the world, I surely do miss it. It's called Sabart.

I guess this is my new home, Gozo, good climbs, and the sea, big, big roofs, just like my old home in France. Today I discovered (well not really discovered) three caves with some possible high quality climbing in them. I scoped out a mile of cliff, and "I saw lots of fishees, oh yees I did Gollum". Visability was 50 meters, Gozo has the best, or some of the best visibility in the world! I saw a school of Yellow Jack, and one big solitary one. Thousands of little fishees. And I saw a big octopus which my friend played with, and I saw a big Moray eel, and a Locust Lobster in the same hole. I have to do a big training session before I do a plane journey, or three, to work, to keep body and soul together. Good training to you. And I miss France, how can I not. 

You deserve this, by Stevie generous Haston.

I am a prince amoung curmudgeons, a Master Misanthrope, but you deserve this! So have it. Swimming the other day I played with two octopus, or Octopussies ( I know which I prefer), an electric Leopard Ray, and a Cameleon (on land not in the sea), and ignored the rubbish thrown out by the tourist carrying so called pleasure boats. 

 Inigoon Czech Direct. slight topo error. funny, not funny?

Luck has been kind to me lately I have had a few people distracting me from the mortal coil of tangled shizer that is the spagetti of knotted modern life. Thanks folks, good climbs obviously, weather constantly blue, employment status low, prospects poverty, happiness, and bigger forearms imminent.

 Oce from France on Aro Rambler, a route put up by a French lady called Laurence.

I have seen things this week, a sea with a huge school of fish, with fishermen madly trying to catch them, luckily the fish escaped. I have seen things this week, not quite from the Shoulder of Orion, but from my isolated perch on a small rock in the middle of the Mediterranean. I talked to a priest about cruelty while he was eating meat, it was a pig that had been imprisoned, fed shit, bred for slaughter, and then killed, the priest on the other hand had been bred for the moral high ground. A funny, disturbing, deluded conversation.

 the small local church in my village.

I did my tourist cultural bit the other day, at the Hal Sflieni Hypogeum it's been dated 4000 years bc (or before Christ), or should that now be bce, the modern term of before the common era. It's obviously an important difference, and was a tage apropos as we were looking at a weird temple that had stored 7000 corpses, and certainly didn't worship Christ! The Hypogeum is an amazing place, I recommend visiting it to any one, it makes you think and wonder at the very roots of religion. Why did it all take place on Malta? Perhaps the answer is simple, the local stone is carve-able with sea shells in some places! Perhaps the Maltese need lots of religion?

the Earth goddess,

You have to pay to see the Hypogeum, you can't take photos, and it's probably fully booked up! Go climbing, walk in the countryside, swim in the sea, before it's fully booked up, and you have to visit the summit of your desires on the internet. Oh dear we do that already don't we, welcome to viewing the world thru Orions Smart phone, invented in the year 1000 years bce, "before crooks enslaved us". 

Another training day. by Stevie Haston.

Aid climbing on Trad gear, pounds the biceps and back and core.

I belayed my mate this morning while he led two new routes. I was on belay duty. Hardly anyone belays me, they forget about their belay duty to me, they have convenient memories! Tomorrow I am going to see the Hypogeum, I am on historical duty, or cultural duty. Possibly the oldest underground temple in the world is on the Malta so I will see if it is still there. It might have been hijacked by someone, or for something. I saw it when I was a kid, and there were no safety rails, or viewer interactive mumbo jumbo, just a fat lazy guardian smoking stinking ciggs.

 I am fond of a few people, fond of many more cliffs, and many more routes, and mountains, fond of the sea and colours, animals, flowers. Thank you if you are one of these things.

Curly wirily spinning fire works, a competition of them in fact, fairly pretty, in fact. Not as pretty as the sea, or a well kept vegetable garden, or rocks.

I am fond of this, very fond. 'It my friend' (Italian accent), it's a bit exhausting, but never answers back, what I put in, it pays back. It never cheats me. As alway Mr Crusher from Crusher Boards, ta very much mate. There is a fan in the big room, and a fan in front of it. My board has two big fans, and me. It has a lot-thats a joke, by the by. A few of my projects are holding out. Time to get slowly serious.

Rock Solide Pleasure. by Stevie Haston.

 My partner was burnt by the sun yesterday, hard on a shady cliff! My arms are tired, hard to believe on jugs and ledges. Sleep happy, walking the streets of the fiesta village last night. Half a bottle of wine and "basta", enough, sleep. Then I dream I am in a desperate groove, and my flexibility is not up to it, and I collapse through my own legs, like and umbrella in a gale!

 These great guys were enjoying the cliff too. They fish for fish, to put in soup, and of course to pass the time. They are from three of the Gozo villages that don't have a bay, or inlet to put boats in. They have developed a few interesting ways to fish including traps on long lines, which are then brought up by pulleys.

 The middle section of Fruit Cake Land.

Grooves, how I love grooves, technic, technical, tactic, tactile, feel your way up, make bizarre shapes with your body, and finally when your stumped, and have tried everything, udge. Ah the lost art of Udging.

A very nice day.

I just bolted a great face climb, in an updraft of turbulence. It looks complex, and a bit jumpy, sloppy  and you can imagine lots of indecision.   The great climber Stephan Glowacz wanted me to bolt it, but I think he might enjoy it more than me! We will see, tomorrow is another day, never say never, etc, fall till you can't fall anymore, and then get up. Thats right, get up!

Moody Blues, by Stevie Moody Haston.

You wake up from the small death of sleep to a paleness, a greyer shade of light.  Then it goes pink, quickly the sun, peach coloured, turns into a fierce, bright orange burning ball. So you seek the shade, the north facing cliffs.

Here in the caves, there is a limpid light. A mellow feel to the air, and you don't have to squint, but you are still tempted by the water. Sometimes calm, sometimes storm, there is always some energy.

The team the other day were not fierce warriors but soft folk looking for pleasant climbs, we found them of course. The tougher ones we avoided like the fierce sun.

Oceana (girls name) seconds Airo Rambler, a simply scrumptious 6b+ on rough pockets. Today I equipped two more routes, one will have to wait for the seasonal fluctuations in strength to aline, for verily it is steep. Need to earn some money, pay some bills, train, and have more fun and success.