what an extreme weekend. saturday was a magical mystery tour (and then some) for cole and ryan to commemorate our 31st’s. peta and shelley had been uber-scheming for this secretive mission and neither of us had a scooby what was in store. after an hour and a halfs drive we arrived in grandtully near pitlochry, perthshire, but even when we arrived at an adventure centre on the wild banks of the river tay we still had no idea what was about to unfold. even when we were told we were about to go canyoning – in fact, even when we were on the minibus to struan, clad in wetsuit, helmet and life jacket – we didn’t know what was afoot!
canyoning, it transpires, “is a sport popular in several countries. It involves travelling down creeks or streams within a canyon by a variety of means including walking, scrambling, climbing, abseiling, swimming…It requires skills in navigation, ropework, climbing, avoiding hypothermia etc” (source: wikipedia).
For the record, and with the benefit of hindsight, I exhibit none of these skills whatsoever! However, we both had a thoroughly fantastic time!peta, shelley and gethin stayed safely on dry land whilst cole and ryan abseiled forty or so feet down into the canyon of the river garry, as suitable a location as any for testing ones skills in avoiding hypothermia! before we knew it we were swimming, sliding and scrambling through the cold eddys of the river, skeeting down rock faces and jumping off cliffs – although i lacked the courage (or rather had the common sense not) to jump the higher jumps of thirty or forty feet (calling it quits at fifteen feet). thanks peta and also shelley for your collective conniving. it was a fantastic birthday present and undoubtedly one that i’ll always remember.
afterwards we headed back to lithgay and stocked up on some fish and chips (and some yummy onion rings), capping off a marvellous day before ryan and shelley awayed back to edinburgh.
on sunday, cole – aching some from his previous day’s adventure – went into tasmanian dervish mode to prepare for the arrival of moomin and gramps (moomin staying for a few days to look after gethin), tidying the house and preparing a mighty feast of tadpoles in the hole with roasted veg (and a french onion soup starter). well, we are all pooped from a weekends extreme adventuring and some hearty eating to boot. will try to get some snaps from ryan for you all to marvel at our grand day out!
This here blog is in honour of the esteemed Gethin William Albert Henley Esq, 5162 days old, who was born on 3rd April 2006 at 18:04 weighing a healthy 9lb 11½oz.
Daddy Cole is enjoying a career as a web developer whilst mummy Peta is juggling working part-time with being an all-round top mum
Comments:
Pat said on Wednesday, 18th October 2006
I always love checking up on the three henleys, but what's this? That's my baby in the cold, cold water!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, well done Cole and Ryan, for your courage (now I see where the 007 comes from), and the brilliant series of comic photos - well, us non participants were laughing anyway! Shades of Harold Lloyd (I'm not old enough to remember him, but I've seen the repeats! My story and I'm sticking to it!)The gethstar has two worthy satellites. I salute you all!