Attendees: Dave Wylie, John Castick, Iain McCallum, Dave Dillon, Dave Shotton, Kate Harvey, Philippa Maye, Jim Symon, Bob Kelly, Colin Maddison, Michelle Harvie, Al Metelko, Mark Garrod.

A productive an enjoyable meet, with the work highlights being:

1. Parking area in front of hut: Worst muddy areas cleaned out a few inches, and 5 tonnes gravel laid in its place. Still more work to do on this, but it should now stop the worst of the prime areas becoming really muddy during rain. Thanks for lots of the party for a lot of physical effort put in.

2. Culvert under track above 2nd gate looked for by Bob and Colin, but to no avail. Plan B being formulated.

3. New keep out signs affixed to 3rd gate (our side – to stop people trespassing onto Sally’s land).

4. New shelving in kitchen given 2 coats of varnish.

5. Guttering repaired near front door.

6. Contractor meeting regarding the septic tank – work plan agreed, and quote awaited.

7. West end soffits / barge boards. This is possibly the longest running job around, with new boards having been lovingly painted and prepared for the last 4-5 years! Having erected the scaffold to the apex (from which we fixed a loose slate), it was decided that actually, the existing boards are in reasonable nick after all, apart from in one area, so that was very neatly replaced by Dave W. Taking them off might well have disturbed slates and given other issues. Work was started on stripping loose paint, sealing the wood, then repainting, by doing the top 4 feet either side of the apex. More to be done, probably easiest via long ladder! Sorry to all those who prepared the new boards.

8. Odd cleaning jobs in the hut undertaken to fill those spare minutes.

Many thanks Iain for tea, coffee, lunch, biscuits and brilliant timing. Coffee when it rained, and lunch when it snowed.

Sunday was rather wet at first, but most people got out for a walk if they didn’t have to head home. M&M enjoyed a lovely yomp along the Moel Eilio ridge in 4 inches of very fresh snow.

As ever, thanks to everyone who attended for your selfless contribution to the club and hut. More bodies needed for next time please.

Those at the AGM will recall that we do not have a Hut Manager for 2013, so it has been decided that meet leaders will need to be found / volunteer for all working party weekends. I am therefore leading the first working party meet of 2013, for which we definitely need all the help we can get. A couple of significant jobs are required for this year, namely the improvement of dormitory ventilation and track drainage, and hopefully with enough support we can make a good start on them in March.

Normal format – hut work on Saturday, and a sunny Sunday is then all yours, with the added bonus of a free night at the hut. All help welcomed whether expert or novice (like myself!).

Please let me know if you are planning on coming to help out. I intend being down at the hut sometime Friday evening.