The sore throat I've had for three days felt a little better this morning and I'm now at the runny nose stage instead, but it makes a change and I didn't let it put me off going to the climbing wall, I just took plenty of tissues!

I'm slowly resigning myself to the fact that I won't be climbing outside so regularly during the winter - although cold gritstone is said to be super grippy but maybe that's because your hand is frozen to the rock - and will have to embrace climbing indoors, even though I don't enjoy it nearly so much. I don't push myself really hard as I'm not prepared to risk hurting my shoulder again, I just use it as a way of retaining strength, particularly in my fingers.

Last winter I didn't get to climb outside from October to March but I don't intend to wait that long this year, and if we get a settled period with a bit of sun I'll find a free partner and drag them kicking and screaming encourage them into the Peak District with me.

The extra is a little known corner of The Climbing Unit ;-)