Firstly, that christmas isn't celebrated here. In my ignorance, I have no knowledge of what sort of acknowledgement the Muslim have for their prophet, but that will no doubt come to light in the coming days when it becomes more topical.
Second, most people are used to the snow and cold at this time of year, but apart from one days snowfall, that will be absent as well. This is where I find myself to be more at home. Warm weather, and blue skies. And even though it is not exactly summer, the sun on my back while climbing certainly gives me a welcome reminder of home at this time of the year, all the way on the other side of the world.
The one thing that will remain the same:
People coming together. I may not believe in what christmas originates from, but do believe in what it brings out in people: Sharing. Not the sharing of gifts, but the sharing of company, conversation, common values. Eating good food, meeting good people, enjoying good times.
Happy holidays.
We are back on the coast enjoying a very rare week of beautiful weather. Clear skies and low temperatures everyday making for excellent climbing conditions. And as the local farmers ‘make hay while the sun shines’ in the most literal sense, we have been trying to making the most of this unpredictable window before the rain returns.
We don't seem to be the only ones enjoying the break before the cold sets in either. There is a constant stir around the crags, with deer grazing the forest floors amid the first falling leaves of autumn, woodpeckers hopping from tree to tree, filling the air with their erratic tapping, down to the caterpillars creeping around doing whatever they do to get ready for winter.
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