My Friend Dave

Had a pretty relaxed (this is becoming repetitive and Something must be Done About it!) weekend. Pottered about Sat morning making orange juice, washing, tidying etc. and went for a short jog (which went well). Then in the avo headed over to Glynn and Jayne who were looking after Jayne’s sisters kids. Dave had been playing with them all day and, for once, looked tired. I was stunned. Mind you, he recovered quickly and about an hour later was trampolining away.

Sunday got up early and went over to Dave’s for breakfast. A fairly leisurely affair and he introduced me to the wonders of a juicing machine. Very cool. We then went off to the Port Hills as Dave had promised to lead me up Hangman – a very exposed and exciting 17 on the prow of Castle Rock. I really enjoyed the climb. It was steep and pretty pumpy towards the top, but great views and a wonderful location.

Then it was back to Dave’s with Michelle who had joined us for a lazy day. Ice cream was eaten, hammocks were got out and Michelle and I settled back to relax. Just as things couldn’t have become much better Dave comes running round the corner singing James Bond music with a water pistol in each hand. Things descended pretty fast from there and it was all out warfare for the next hour. After which Shelly and I went climbing in Albert Terrace before Dave and I went to Glynn and Jayne’s for an excellent dinner. All in all a great day.

So a word about Dave.. he is off to kayak the Grand Canyon in a month or so and after that will end up in Vancouver though whether he plans to stay there I don’t know. I will really miss him. He’s an exceptional human being – ridiculous amounts of energy and enthusiasm for whatever sport he propels himself into at breakneck speed, and also for his friends. He has been a real rock this year which has been greatly appreciated.

So I hope we see him back this way again.. though one imagines that the excitements and adventures of Canada might trap him for a while. There is much quality rock there, and many beautiful rivers.