My first job this morning was going to be more steam inhaling, but we had no electricity. We called the emergency number (you have to listen to about two minutes of terms and conditions, info, etc. so great emergency line!) and they told us the power would be off until 4.30pm – they were cutting down trees, and we should have been notified. Might as well go out flying then…

We got a message from Pete Cook telling us it was still claggy at Corndon, so we took our time over our cafe breakfast. Once we headed up, the cloud was breaking and the wind seemed perfect. The walk up took me about twice as long as usual, with me wheezing my way up the little slope to the top of the hill.

The usual suspects soon assembled with Martin, Mick and Ian arriving, soon followed by the Barney bus full of DSC and Pennine pilots. We did the usual Corndon thing – someone launched, got up a little, everyone else launched, everyone got low, some top landed, some slope landed and slogged it back up. We did all get into a good thermal (well, it seemed like that at the time), but it petered out/we couldn’t work it and the only one to go with it was Mick, who took it over the back and went XC.

I landed on top, but running the glider forward to launch caused such a prolonged and painful coughing fit – which caused me to vomit – that I decided the day would have to be really, really good for me to make the effort to go XC. Everyone carried on trying and at one point Helen, Mark and Phil all went down and had to slog it back up the hill. Phil and Helen’s effort was rewarded when they hooked the only really decent thermal of the day and went with it. Helen got to Kerry and Phil further. The rest tried and tried, but the drift was too much for the weak thermals. I flew again, but only to land near the car.

We rushed off to try to get to archery on time to be able to see Tom the coach, so he could help me set up my new bow properly. The string is too long and I am using the wrong arrows and I have a list of other adjustments I need to make. There’s always something…

See photos of today.

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