Day 76 – Llandudno – 4th Aug – 0 nm
It is windy, but dry and
fairly warm. A cold and wet day would make the decision easier to make. I gaze
out of the window, watching the trees bow to the wind. I'm tired.
We worked hard to get
close to home before the weather arrived, but now we are here we have to beware
that we don’t get too comfortable. At the same time we mustn't take things for
granted.
The water here is
familiar - the flows, the eddies, the shallows and the windy gaps, the chop and
the smooth. This is our home territory, but still we must take it seriously. The
fat lass has entered the dressing room, but she’s not quite got to warming up
her voice yet. There’s still plenty of opportunity to cock it all up. Plenty.
The Team Manager writes
in her diary:
‘From here to the end I will have a little voice in my head “Be careful,
very careful”. You only finish once you cross the line, until then the sea is
as dangerous as ever. Concentration and care are needed.’
For me it’s a daily
struggle between confidence and complacency, I just need to hold it all
together until the final beach.
To move on from Llandudno we need to round the
exposed cliffs of the Great Orme and then make a short crossing to Puffin
Island, before reaching the shelter of the Menai Straits. On paper, and in
comparison, it’s not that much of a trip, but then it doesn't take much of one.
Because I know this one well I'm even more cautious than usual. It’s no time
for complacency, you can still be humbled close to home. I don't want to be another summit descending casualty.
And so I look out of the
window once again, still the trees are bending in the wind. Reluctantly I make
the call, it’s a no-go today.
But there’s still plenty
to do.
We arrived home last
evening to find a small mountain of mail behind the door, it was 70 odd days
since we last turned the key. The mail is roughly sorted and piled onto the
kitchen table where it is given a damn good ignoring.
For me the daily matters
that the stack of envelopes signify don’t even register, just pointless froth. Life
seems to go on well enough without them, indeed it seems to contain enough
stress and drama without, so why bother? Ignore once again.
Opportunistic laundry is
done and kit sorted and checked. It’s a luxury to have a bit of space, and a
table, to plan on. I make hay and soon maps and charts are strewn wildly. Get ahead while we can.
Team Manager wanders
around, surveying the changes to our domain. The grass in the back garden has
grown somewhat, I warn of tigers as she ventures out to take a look.
But today it’s not a
home, it’s just another accommodation, one of so many. As soon as the weather
moves through we’ll be off once again.
Yet again.
