Engaged....

It's been a while since my last post, but there's a good reason for that: I've just got engaged and have spent the last two weeks fretting about where/how/and when to do it.

She said 'yes'. Which is good. But now I'm bracing myself for the reality that every spare penny I have will now go into some sort of wedding fund. I guess that trip to the Himalayas will have to wait....and so will the new motorbike. Ah well, it's nice to see her happy.

Eventually popped the question in north Wales, near the lovely village Beddgelert, which is famous because of a dog (look it up on the internet...) Walked to the shores of Llyn Dinas, up onto the mountain to a disused copper mine, then down into the gorgeous Cwm Bychan. There's a little waterfall in the valley so got down on one knee there. The weather was baking. We sunbathed. I had a swim in the river to celebrate. It was, in fact, perfect. Couldn't have been more relaxed. It's an odd feeling, having done it. But you're filled with a certain smugness for a good couple of days.

It was a tough weekend, if truth be told. I'd worked two weeks straight and I could feel my body shutting down before we'd even set off to Wales. By the time we got to our accommodation - an awesome tipi near Carno - I was already coming down with flu. The Saturday morning was like waking up with the mother of all hangovers even though I'd only had two beers, then had to drag myself up and somehow turn my rotten mood into the best day of my girlfriend's life. Felt like utter warmed-up, two-day old shite, but think I convinced her otherwise.

Anyway, now that's over I can concentrate on climbing again. So I'll hopefully be out again this week, just as soon as I've shaken off my man-ebola-plague-swine-flu. Urrghhh.