Taken to school

I got taught a few lessons yesterday during an afternoon in the hills. Firstly I underestimated the importance of checking the weather forecasts carefully. I threw a half-hearted glance at www.yr.no and saw the temperature would be around freezing but I didn't heed the warning about the 50kph wind. This led to some interesting clothing choices that left me at the mercy of -17C wind chill once I got to the top. Secondly I didn't drink enough water or bring enough food to keep my metabolism ticking over. I kept on assuring myself that I'd warm up with a bit of concerted effort along the ridge and a small bag of mixed nuts and fruit but I didn't. I threw on everything piece of clothing I had. I was still cold and resigned myself to cutting my afternoon short. I couldn't concentrate properly on the way down and nearly came a cropper on the hard water ice that covered most of the footpath (I promised myself that I WILL get some Kahtoolas soon). I also didn't take a front door key so when I returned home, earlier than arranged, I was forced to shelter on our balcony, the width of a pane of double glazing away from central heating and hot food, for an hour and a half until M came home from shopping. It was ample to time to sit and reflect on mistakes made and lessons learned whilst huddled around several outdoor candles.