Woodhouse Crag

Feel the chill (to share the full experience with me!)

Yes, it was as cold as it looks! I'm really enjoying my early morning blip runs on the moor, but I have to admit that I'm really struggling to keep my hands warm enough when the temperature drops close to freezing. I wear a pair of silk gloves inside a pair of mittens, and that's worked quite well up to now. But this week, within a couple of minutes of removing the mitts, I've lost feeling in my fingers and it's become very difficult to operate the camera. Once that happens there is no recovery until I've run at least a couple of hard miles! It makes these blips even more hard won than they were before. The sacrifices I'm making for you all!!

Through the summer the majority of my blips were taken while out on the bike, but that's changed now so that most are taken while out running on Ilkley Moor. Come the New Year that is likely to change again because I have to start getting serious about the bike training with this massive event coming up in September. The trouble is that once your hands get cold on the bike it is almost impossible to warm them up again. Cycling just doesn't generate the same amount of heat as running. So, does anyone else have this kind of problem? Does anyone have any brilliant ideas?

Thanks for the wonderful reception to yesterday's Winter Pines. I've been very touched by so many great comments. I had taken a number of shots yesterday which I really liked and could have prevaricated for a long time, but I kept getting drawn back to that one for reasons I simply cannot articulate. I'm happy now that I made the right choice. Thank you so much.