The Year in
Brief
The year began with Mari and I still frustrated at
not finishing our paragliding training and keeping a
watchful weather eye. Just when things looked like they'd
improved allowing us to fly, along came an outbreak of Foot &
Mouth disease (FMD) which effectively stopped all paragliding
in the UK for most of the year. We did get away to Greece
for some excellent flying for two weeks in May, and again
for another two weeks in September. We've both managed
to now complete our tasks for pilot certification, and are
now both fully qualified paraglider pilots!
Work for Mari and I continued with me at BNP Paribas concentrating on Windows 2000 and XP design work, and for Mari on her photography, with major projects this year including Harry Potter, photography for a Japanese language London Guide book and the conclusion of her studies at the London College of Photography.
We continue to enjoy running around the countryside in the Land Rover - it really has made access to paragliding sites much easier!
On the transport front, the other big news this year was the purchase of a drop dead gorgeous Ducati 996 superbike. I've really enjoyed riding this, and have now completed a course at a Motorcycle Race School, and several track days at Donnington Park and Brands Hatch racing circuits. Yee har!
You'll find all this and more in the pages that follow - so read on!
John cruising along at 6000 feet in the French Alps, November 2001
Our friend Peter runs off down the slope for a near perfect
take off in Greece
Paragliding
Well, as you've just read - paragliding in the UK over
the last year has been pretty much a write off. FMD closed
all sites just as the weather was starting to improve. At
the other end, the crisis abated just as the weather began
to deteriorate again. Still it wasn't all doom and gloom. Mari and I took off
to Greece for two weeks in May and enjoyed
brilliant temperatures, great food and some superb flying.
Thermals were still weak as the spring hadn't really taken a firm grip at this point, but there was certainly enough rising air to keep us both off the ground for quite some time.
We arrived in the advanced stages of completing our pilot training, and as such could only go overseas to fly with our instructors - Greece looked like it might allow us to finish off the few last tasks required to get our rating.
The short version is: it didn't. Mari and I left Greece with four hours of flying in our logs but the one task we couldn't complete was a top landing. The weather had cooperated, it was the topography of the flying sites that prevented us from doing a "top landing" (landing back on top of the hill after flying around for a bit).
click on the wombat to return home...