Text from Stealth this morning telling me that his knee is bad after yesterday and that he can't walk let alone climb.. I phoned him back asking him to come out and belay me at the Quarry. He agreed.

An hour later another text from him. "Check yr email". It seemed that he'd managed to contact a young woman on an Internet Rock-Climbing forum and invited her along as well. "S'ok", I thought.

An hour passed. Another text. "Check yr email... She's of her loop man!"

I checked and logged onto the forum. Indeed this woman did seem "keen". Stating she was 27 years old, she enquired of Stealth whether we were, "as phit as phuck". Stealth hadn't replied and was obviously a bit perturbed. She had promised to turn up at the Quarry.

Matt was coming too. At the quarry there was no sign of the woman. I geared up and started up the 6a+. I got to the second bolt in agony. The infection in my toe was just too much. You need precise footwork at the quarry and my right foot seemed to have a mind of its own in trying to avoid painful pressure. I'd place it in one place and the foot would turn and end up 6 incehes to the right. Not good. I stuck in two draws and lowered off. Matt went up to recover my draws and finish the route.

Just then over the rim of the quarry wandered the woman. Both Matt and Stealth's glances betrayed a keen interest in her. Matt started up. Woman introduced herself to me. "Hi, I'm Fran".

It seems Fran has climbed before, in fact she has climbed at the Quarry before. "That climb is, 'Don't Jizz on My Sofa' isn't it", she said earnestly. I nodded, obviously not shy then!

She wasn't staying for a climb but promised to turn up on Wednesday evening. Off she went.

Matt was tired from a hectic weekend and an MR exercise, Stealth and I were injured and we all threw in the towel. Joiners was 10 minutes away.

On the walk back I remarked that there seemed lots of young women coming into the club recently. "Good thing", said Stealth. Matt agreed. "The more the better". "SWMC", said Matt, "that stands for Sensuous Women Meet Chaps".

And we hadn't even arrived at the pub...