For many varied and complex reasons I’ve haven’t been able to get out to play SOTA for 2 months. Well until today. WX forecast, not too much wind, blue skies, above freezing, sounds too good to miss.
I haven’t been out for 2 months so I didn’t expect to be hill fit at all. But I was pleased to get up Scald Law GM/SS-125 in 52mins including stopping and talking to a nice couple slightly older than me. It was cool and windier than expected. And it was also occasionally misty. It was blowing in and through so I was alternately in full on sunshine then in thin mist.
Nothing new in the radio equipment but 2 months not using the KX2 meant I stared at it occasionally wondering which button to press! I was trying out my new call. Amazingly everyone seemed to realiseGM4LLD is MM0FMF 
I started on 15m CW, lots of EU chasers. Then I saw a spot for Rod M0JLA on 40m, a quick BAND, twiddle, ATU brrrrrt-click and I worked him first shout. Assuming that was his QMX it sounded good and punchy. Now as Alf Garnett would say “You loud mouthed Scouse git”… i.e I have a loud and punchy voice and I have met Rod and he was a quiet, nicely well spoken, slightly elderly gentleman and that explained why he never had punchy audio on the air. But he sounded good on his QMX… I may need to buy one. (Must not buy more radios, must not buy…). Then a good run of 40m SSB stations including a few who have no understanding of radio procedure and the fact YOU LET THE ACTIVE QSO FINISH BEFORE CALLING AND CALLING. Especially if you can’t hear me too well. Grrrrr! 
Then a few 2m FM and finishing off with 20m CW until 1h15m at 2C and a bit damp was enough for me to pull the plug.
Now I’d seen Alex GM5ALX and Fraser MM0EFI were out but promptly forgot to keep an eye on SOTAwatch and so missed them, drat. I heard Iain MM3WJZ on 2m FM and could raise him and couldn’t hear Archie GM4KNU, I was on the South side to keep out of the wind and he was NW of me, so a lump of Scald Law in the way. Would have been completes and nice chases.
I was pleased with my legs after no proper exercise. Though I do notice Old Father Time playing silly games now I am a little older in that I got home, had a shower, sat down to watch the lunchtime news on catchup and seemed to drop into the land of nod for 25mins till Mrs. LLD came and woke me. That never used to happen.
Anyway, it felt amazingly wonderful to be able to get out and climb a hill again.
EDIT: Oh, I forgot, as I was looking North into the mist and the sun was South I suddenly saw and enormous, hugely enormous Glory and Brockenspectre. It fizzled away before I could reach the camera. What’s the odds, you see a Brockenspectre on a hill and then the very next hill you climb is the same hill and you see another Brockenspectre? I should buy a lottery ticket!