tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85399832222328203962024-03-19T05:55:07.086-07:00Do you want a piste of me?I've left England behind for an easy life. Follow another Idiot Abroad.Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-4320352577651102102011-07-18T04:39:00.000-07:002011-07-18T04:39:00.909-07:00She's right again!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">I was all ready to blow out Sicily & southern Italy, shoot over to Sardinia & spend the last couple of weeks chilling out on some beach. But the wife talked me into the opposite. We’ve blown out Sardinia & come down to Sicily. But we’ve got of the main land & are staying the week in Malfa on the small Aeolian island of Salina (did you notice that, Aeolian is jus a ‘u’ short of having all the vowels in 1 word, bit greedy don’t you think). I must say that I’m glad she talked me into it. It is one of the best places I’ve been to in Italy. It’s a tiny island, just 27km in circumference, made up of 2 volcano’s. The 2 cones of the volcano look like a giant pair of boobs & we’re staying right in the cleavage. There are 7 islands in total & all volcanic but its only Stromboli that’s still active & at night we can sit on our veranda looking out over the Med & watch it erupt into the night. It is brilliant.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We’re here for a week & we are just going to enjoy the views, eat, drink & sleep but yesterday we hired a boat for the day & motored round the perimeter & I fucking loved it. We set of at about 10 & spent the whole day exploring the grottos & caves of our little island. We anchored in tiny bays with the vertical walls of the volcano shooting steeply either side so we had the places all to our selves. Diving in from our boat & swimming to shore & just chilling out on the deck in the sun, even the wife (who is an avant scaredy cat when it comes to the sea) managed to jump in a few times. We even see a couple of flying fish as we speed out to sea. They were great, out of the water by about 2 meters & flying along for about 300m before the splashed back in again & it was like they was racing us, they were so close the wife even thought we were going to hit 1.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our boat for the day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or was it this 1?</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">From here we go back to main land Sicily for 3 nights & stay in Catania then we fly back home to the UK for a little while. We haven’t decided what to do while in Catania but lets hope the journey there will be a bit better than getting here!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We left Positano at 10:30am on Saturday & got here at 12:30 the following afternoon. It took 4 buses (2 crashed & 1 cult on fire) a train, a ferry, 2 hydrofoils & a scary taxi ride with a Mafia burger flipper! It surely can’t be any worse than that?<o:p></o:p></div>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-18333032616427992642011-07-15T04:38:00.000-07:002011-07-15T04:38:02.788-07:00I've seen the Future<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">When we left we gave ourselves a budget & when that was spent we would either have to get a job or go home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had spent our budget some time ago but now was the time to make some decisions.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We knew it was pretty unlikely to find a job here in Italy, but we quickly ruled out even looking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just to dam hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only real opportunity open to us is teaching English, that would mean being in a city & we don’t really want to live in a big hot city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we had to decide weather to go back home to England & try to settle down in to some form of normality or carry on traveling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’d all but decided on the former & plans were being made of where to live & what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, out of the blue, an old friend who I hadn’t spoken to in a while called up on Skype. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a good old catch up & we were both slapping each other’s backs about how good each others life was at the moment when he suggested we go over to his place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was on an 8-week break from work &, with the family, had travelled north to help out the in-laws. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant their place in the city was free & we were welcome to stay there for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fate, it seems, choose where we were to go to next, so in a little under 2 weeks we fly of to Stockholm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike Italy, a Swedish summer is bearable & unlike Italy almost everbody speaks English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This should make finding a job a little easier & maybe, just maybe, we can escape reality just a little bit longer.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">But whilst we’re here I want to give a massive thank you to our lovely Swedish friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks Buddy & see you soon.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-41621374976291863582011-07-14T04:38:00.000-07:002011-07-14T04:38:22.288-07:00Positano<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">So then, Positano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told you all about the shit arse journey it takes to get here & I really mean that, but it is worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a lovely little town perched on the side of a mountain along the Amalfi Coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its difficult to explain why its so good, its not a paradise beach like you get in the Maldives, its not an isolated island where you can wander the sea front naked & you could look at all the Photo’s & think ‘yeah its nice but what’s all the fuss about?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its not even as if its vastly different from other places, it has a touch of the Cinque Tere, a bit of Portofino & even splash of a Greek white-washed village to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I suppose its all this that makes it so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All those places are lovely & if you take the best bits & make a seaside town out of them you’ve got Positano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been here before & we loved it & still after another 2 weeks we still love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only downside is the relentless heat & the swarms of American’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The heat really shouldn’t be a surprise, it is the Mediterranean in the heart of summer after all, but fuuuuuck it’s hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we came away my pre flight gripe was the potential heat & how bad I am at copping with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was not wrong, I just can’t cope with it, but neither can anyone else & that must be the reason that business shut in July & August or the ones that don’t, close between 1 & 5 every afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is too hot to even just sit & drink beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to get out of the sun.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We didn’t do a lot in the 2 weeks we were there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the 1<sup>st</sup> week we hoped on a boat & sailed over to Capri (the Island, not the 70’s car).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a day of my life & €150 I’ll never get back!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re all led to believe that Capri is some ultra exclusive holiday mecca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All it is though is a very expensive island with some very expensive shops on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hasn’t even got a beach, not really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only reason people would chose to go on holiday there would be so they could say ‘I am considerably richer than you!’ <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Then the 2<sup>nd</sup> week we spent the day back down the Hellish train line in Pompeii & Sorrento.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Journey was still fraught with filth but Pompeii did live up to the hype.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to bore you too much with the Pompeii shit, it was a Roman port town that got buried under 6m of ash & lava when MT Vesuvius erupted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a huge expanse of ruins & excavations & was in the main pretty interesting but it was disappointing that they’d removed all the ash formed bodies that it is famed to have all round the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">From here we moved onto Sorrento.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not much to say about here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice, it was big & we were glad we didn’t stay here.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Also, during our stay in Positano we had to decide our next course of action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we return to the real world, do we stay here or do we bugger of somewhere else. It was a big dilemma? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWrcs6bJfoCNV4cL-fvAqDE1lZuoJsU7pXTG63kRpdRBI-n8Eky1-eAFZdsAH06ygxlT7DNDXstPnYGmUJ71snxDNbpfiti829bQsNwwUoLOhejQf-nn76S9QgCyV6CbIHi6GGtoVRV8/s1600/DSCF1703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWrcs6bJfoCNV4cL-fvAqDE1lZuoJsU7pXTG63kRpdRBI-n8Eky1-eAFZdsAH06ygxlT7DNDXstPnYGmUJ71snxDNbpfiti829bQsNwwUoLOhejQf-nn76S9QgCyV6CbIHi6GGtoVRV8/s320/DSCF1703.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supposed to add to the photo update but I forgot. <br />
I went there, not what it says on the tin!</td></tr>
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</div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-26833265867458795552011-07-12T01:20:00.000-07:002011-07-12T01:20:11.396-07:00Photo update<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevJtkpMODLfp85sWYDRc2LsPWSYRDBEY2-6bKSltXamKoi61VsgHJKQ3uyQEooxfSb3h97FGnvfyBNLCTJZcS5iYmWppxcJXCcaSPPPhij7QGg5duiEFNbz8KdQ8Mbtcg0HXR8A4cRyQ/s1600/DSCF1602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhevJtkpMODLfp85sWYDRc2LsPWSYRDBEY2-6bKSltXamKoi61VsgHJKQ3uyQEooxfSb3h97FGnvfyBNLCTJZcS5iYmWppxcJXCcaSPPPhij7QGg5duiEFNbz8KdQ8Mbtcg0HXR8A4cRyQ/s320/DSCF1602.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beautiful view in Sestrie Levanti</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjMxCfAuv06lWdhE5D-Ow0E3P8fQLK8eGTcR6PClLtYJJUUIVEK42Kwo1n6ZN5E1teRoNJ-hHPbhfqRUQEN1-ljpt1YDbitdLbtqEShcHLsMzQ7azVwMXj2oHL3cUjZAZ2LXv60eHzP8/s1600/DSCF1644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjMxCfAuv06lWdhE5D-Ow0E3P8fQLK8eGTcR6PClLtYJJUUIVEK42Kwo1n6ZN5E1teRoNJ-hHPbhfqRUQEN1-ljpt1YDbitdLbtqEShcHLsMzQ7azVwMXj2oHL3cUjZAZ2LXv60eHzP8/s320/DSCF1644.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fucking weather, fucking cheap arse Italian umbrella</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxxU2d8B68r-oM4jJSWdfoaajt5_B1X5JF00pnBiIU5Uu32z5l1me1oX-7-gqqKFGZxWfvpfjn1b6TFzxUCQuHgvVOCHvNWp0r6gbVJ5GLsEzK_OirrhS9U1HsysoWfBX-cEGM37PQRE/s1600/DSCF1744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFxxU2d8B68r-oM4jJSWdfoaajt5_B1X5JF00pnBiIU5Uu32z5l1me1oX-7-gqqKFGZxWfvpfjn1b6TFzxUCQuHgvVOCHvNWp0r6gbVJ5GLsEzK_OirrhS9U1HsysoWfBX-cEGM37PQRE/s320/DSCF1744.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Camp statues of Pisa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CPyMPOTn-G46ejIL0lnGT3Hyvg1UdhtVIq2w4oT3QAXUsVATQ-f-Q_HzcgSd8QzMbltQ_X8dzY-4h88P8Z489ADw4NDSYJ-eq-X2ioBcP1zolU1n9nK-btlvXX51ihxrUKrU5t6NlMM/s1600/DSCF1740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0CPyMPOTn-G46ejIL0lnGT3Hyvg1UdhtVIq2w4oT3QAXUsVATQ-f-Q_HzcgSd8QzMbltQ_X8dzY-4h88P8Z489ADw4NDSYJ-eq-X2ioBcP1zolU1n9nK-btlvXX51ihxrUKrU5t6NlMM/s320/DSCF1740.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">& Some wonky tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-suogNI5hbFA3f3fAov2E7pyuSs6cLOfVIJxe33trcx9t1gPhVywayaU51KmVfBYoMXEQFesZnqsApg4-rhrczwFuFFhZkWEdEE0mrO3n1AO0QTcvtuGKNEZ8-zgTI2RXolyjnIjkXMg/s1600/DSCF1777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-suogNI5hbFA3f3fAov2E7pyuSs6cLOfVIJxe33trcx9t1gPhVywayaU51KmVfBYoMXEQFesZnqsApg4-rhrczwFuFFhZkWEdEE0mrO3n1AO0QTcvtuGKNEZ8-zgTI2RXolyjnIjkXMg/s320/DSCF1777.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who's that fucker in my garage</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpgnoJy7oNNK1eF_ZAn_RlNzb2BF4e5j8CvONxk042dzhJBzXhtcj-5Ixv4cXy0Jq6NZRFWZK34q7aognEe0VyN8jR4LY-FyGwSWBE38UllyRZDEcdvvFxobQmdjE6A4KC8wF8uqnCBI/s1600/DSCF1892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpgnoJy7oNNK1eF_ZAn_RlNzb2BF4e5j8CvONxk042dzhJBzXhtcj-5Ixv4cXy0Jq6NZRFWZK34q7aognEe0VyN8jR4LY-FyGwSWBE38UllyRZDEcdvvFxobQmdjE6A4KC8wF8uqnCBI/s320/DSCF1892.JPG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big man, little cock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTBHXu1QS1tymvl2AoQM3OR1C6ACrRJ7j5ModwmaLPrwogs9B04GykSzJqVSHOAbkF6cPltCg13yk1mMIFPqHPIKLBEPdfLvYpRu1yyenp4WTqawlTY7KY6CG5KsekzJY_zzlQiniX_M/s1600/DSCF2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTBHXu1QS1tymvl2AoQM3OR1C6ACrRJ7j5ModwmaLPrwogs9B04GykSzJqVSHOAbkF6cPltCg13yk1mMIFPqHPIKLBEPdfLvYpRu1yyenp4WTqawlTY7KY6CG5KsekzJY_zzlQiniX_M/s320/DSCF2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rome sweet Rome</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jwpf4TSQtLdRgb8NfCo7p1vglJ5jGENcFIYA_Pao-p3JhFHqxFXhq605Rryj0i-r-0oH-5nE5ebmzsqIQ3bFeauiGMjAnnADKgo5EiUDd3eiGgBFt8Amnf4_BBcMX7FXrfqftbXOxRk/s1600/DSCF2046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jwpf4TSQtLdRgb8NfCo7p1vglJ5jGENcFIYA_Pao-p3JhFHqxFXhq605Rryj0i-r-0oH-5nE5ebmzsqIQ3bFeauiGMjAnnADKgo5EiUDd3eiGgBFt8Amnf4_BBcMX7FXrfqftbXOxRk/s320/DSCF2046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Positano</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-44307754167366120322011-07-07T03:48:00.000-07:002011-07-10T09:49:39.664-07:00Things you're not told<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Here’s that quick recap I promised you in the last blog, but if you did bother to read the wife’s, it kind of irrelevant. Hers is much more detailed & descriptive, I get bored with all that so I’ll skip over the details & try to point out the things a guide book, or a wife, forgets to mention.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">I can’t remember the last place I told you about, what with all the fucking weather we had then all the moving about. I cant be bothered to read my other blogs, it was painful enough the 1<sup>st</sup> time so I’ll start with when we left Sestrie Levantie, the place of trains & rains.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We boarded the train & just a few hours later we were in the small city of Pisa. It was a little stroll to our hotel then we was straight out to see the sights, or as we are led to believe, the sight. Pisa is a very small place & we had walked the whole perimeter & criss-crossed the middle by the end of the 1<sup>st</sup> day but it was a very pleasant place to be. It’s a big university town so we were never far from a few decent bars & the food was good. The big surprise was, as well as being the home of a badly engineered tower its is also the birth place of the camp statue (& I don’t mean university rules). 1<sup>st</sup> one I saw I dismissed as my immature mind (I know you all think I’m a deep serious person but yes, I do find farts funny!) the next couple drew a more curious look but then the 4<sup>th</sup> statue I see I couldn’t ignore. It was a big stone carving of a man in a loin cloth adopting the typical ‘I’m a little tea pot’ pose with his hips pushed dramatically to 1 side & a very obvious limp wrist. He had a naked & very busty wench at his knee, which he was ignoring (?) & gazing off into the distance (no doubt where his servant was ploughing the fields & getting all sweaty in the sun. It wouldn’t of looked more camp if the Family Guy crew had drawn him for 1 of Peters cut aways to describe a camp man. It wasn’t just me, even the wife agreed. So there we have it, the camp statues of Pisa.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The next stop was Bologna. This is famed for its amazing food markets & fountain of Neptune with his dozen sirens spraying water from their nipples. What they don’t tell you is that its full of wrong-uns that wouldn’t be out of place in Chatham. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Modena is a city that was shut. Marrinello was a town that was shit (even with the beautiful cars surrounding you). So onto Florence! Everybody loves Florence & I can see why but for me it was just far too hot & far too busy to be loved. It was more like that women from accounts, good to look but far too many people have been in & out of her Doumo! We stayed there for a week & it was the only way I could of got round the place. It was so hot we could only manage a few hours a day before we had to retreat to the comfort of our apartment or, as was more likely, an air-conditioned bar. The thing about Florence that nobody tells you is they are sneaky. It is famous for all the Art its acquired, but the sneaky basterds spread it out into all the hundreds of museums in the city so each place has 1 painting you would recognise & the rest is filled with crappy religious art that has been plundered from some tiny church in the middle of nowhere.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">From Florence we moved to Rome. I love Rome, it is an incredible place. So does the wife & she cant see how anybody wouldn’t. I’m not going to do a Venice & tell you you really must go. Rome is a massive, busy working Capital & it was very very hot. No matter how good Rome is you still have to like Massive busy capitals. But Rome is like no other; it is steeped in History & intrigue. Its Architecture is spectacular & the grandeur is monumental, but it’s even more than that. You can kind of feel the hum of the place. When your at the Coliseum, St Peters Basilica, Pantheon or any of the thousand other Fountains, statues or monuments you can imagine how people would of felt when they were new, the awe, the inspiration & the fear. And as many tourists as there are, & there is millions, the place is still dominated by the locals & the locals love a good time. Around every corner is a bar all the squares are filled with restaurants & at Mid-night the place is just as busy as at mid-day. There are very few places I would want to visit again & again & again but on that very short list; probably at the top it would be Rome.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Which brings us to now. I sit here in my little terraced garden next to my lemon tree, looking out on the steep sides of the cliff face that makes up Positano on the Amalfi coast. We liked it so much we decided to spend another week here, but I think you need 2 weeks after the journey from Rome. We’ve done the journey before, we knew what to expect but it is the worst journey we’ve ever had to do. Even worse that the 3 straight days without sleep, shower or even bed it took us to get from Toronto to Fiji, even worse that the death ride we took to get to Istanbul & even worse (I never thought I would say it) than the shear hell & filth that was a tuk-tuk across Bangkok. The train to Naples is no real hardship even if you take the slow cheap train, as we did. You don’t have to see much of actual Naples so that is lucky but from then on its filth, heat, crowds & bad bad bad. You have to get on a local train from Naples to Sorrento. This is like a very old fashioned underground train except its almost entirely over ground. It is slow & boiling hot, you melt into the plastic chairs & you sweat like a fat pig on slaughter day. You are surrounded by the criminals from Naples all trying to part you from you luggage or wallet. Its 50 degrees & your crammed into fat people. Your like this for about 2 hours. Then you have a 40min wait in the scorching Sorrento sun for the bus. By this time there are a far more people than seats so it’s a full out scrum to get on board, if your lucky enough you then have to stand on a packed bus with people trying to squeeze past you to find seats that are already full. Then the bus goes for 20 min in completely the opposite direction you need, does a big circle & goes back the way it came. It makes no stops; no one gets on or off. Then after another hour we arrive in Positano. There are 4 stops but nobody knows which one they need so everybody’s on & of, pushing & squeezing there sweat drenched body’s it is truly disgusting. We made it though & we needed the extra week, we deserve I think after all that! <o:p></o:p></div>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-72424972783492483472011-06-27T03:46:00.001-07:002011-06-27T03:46:43.071-07:00The important things<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">I nearly gave up the blogging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It feels a bit like being in the pub with my mates but I am the only 1 buying the rounds. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then I got to thinking, you don’t miss your rounds there must be a reason & I know that reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be the same reason I wouldn’t bother emailing or commenting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Laziness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just wouldn’t be bothered & you lot are no different & there is nothing wrong with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So after my little sulk I’m back to bore you with some more shit.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Since my last blog we have moved around a lot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going from Setrie Levantie to Pisa, Bologna, Modena, Marrinello, Florence, Tuscan Hills, Rome & now we are in a lovely little apartment in Positano on the Amalfi coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of things have happened but I’m not going into that here, if you’re desperate to know the details go to the wife’s blog <a href="http://www.snowystylista.blogspot.com/">www.snowystylista.blogspot.com</a> I might fill you in a bit later but for now I’m going to, as my good friend reminded me to do, keep it real & tell you about the important things in life.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">BBF, I’ve heard the youth mention this & I have no idea what they are on about but for me it’s for the 3 most important things in this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beer, Boobs & football, so I thought I would share the things I have learned about the Italian versions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I kind of remember doing a similar blog about the time I spent in France so I think I can compare to both the Dirty French & the English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So lets start with where all the great conversations do, with Beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love beer; there is nothing better than getting into the shade after a hard day at the golf, under blistering sun & taking a big few gulps of ice-cold lager.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It surprises me that wine is still drunk so often in these temperatures there is never an exclamations as apt as ‘Ahhhhh that hits the spot’ as a good beer in boiling weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m partial to a drop of the old Vino every now & again but its just not the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hot weather needs beer & over here just lately it’s been hot, very hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not complaining, it beats the rain we’d been having earlier but it does make everyday life just that little bit more difficult & our old friend beer is a necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily the Italians do like a good lager, much better than that French piss water & (unlike the French) they serve it in pints, not those pathetic demi’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They even have Beer bars where they sell there own brew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One we went to in Genoa was full with mostly Lagers (they haven’t quit grasped a good Ale yet) but they were good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had beer shooters, beer cocktails (for the girls & gays) beer tasters, beer in 2ltr jars & bought to your table with its own pump & just straightforward beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest down side of the beer over here is the price, on average its about €5 a pint, they do happy hour (aparativo) but instead of getting cheap drinks you get buffet food & nibbles, as good as this is we know that eating is cheating & what we really want is cheaper booze not garlic & pesto bruschetta.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also the locals are so much better at drinking than the French.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are more like us, they are social, like a chat & a laugh & they go out most nights, unlike us they don’t get shit faced, they are sensible with there drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weird!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">With beer the conversation inevitably gets round to boobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before I came away one of the boys said that the only reason I’m going to Italy is because its full of ‘my types’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I have mentioned before I am happily married (who’s wife reads this) so my type is the wife, but to explain what he meant, it was women with long dark hair & big boobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That had nothing to do with it but there are a lot of dark haired women out here & a lot of them have boobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be just because its warmer out here so everybody wears just a bit less, it could be that they are a very vain nation & show off anything & everything available to them or it could just be that Italy loves boobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think all of the above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the adverts, TV, magazines everything has, almost solely, scantily clad women on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is helped by being led from the top, good old Berlusconi is like a dog on heat drooling over everything, he even found time to Perv up the rescue crew after an earthquake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is even footage of him on Youtube dry humping a police women as she was writing out parking ticket, that is the role model for Italians!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Finally football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Italian football has always been the most difficult for me to watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no denying the skill of the National team but their leagues are filled with cheating, acting, whinging & (even after the massive point deduction scandal) corruption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously you can’t see the corruption so it makes no difference to me but the rest just makes for painful viewing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with everywhere else in Europe the season is over but football is still on all the time it is just as big as at home but without the football shirts being worn all the time.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-13251563536470108762011-06-14T11:39:00.000-07:002011-06-14T11:39:26.940-07:00Are You All Dead?I've been away for a month now & I've put the effort in & blog what I'm up to fairly frequently. To date I have had emails & comments from just 1 person. If your not dead are you reading this? I can only assume your not. If you are let me know whats going on, what your up too or even how much your glad I'm not there. Its not as if any of you do any work when in front of the computer is it. Strange as it is; I do miss you all!Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-3168662700722409112011-06-13T08:03:00.000-07:002011-06-13T08:03:25.959-07:00Fucking, fucking Weather<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">In the haste of my self-indulgent hard done by weather rant I neglected to tell you the worst of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the terrific storms, the torrential rain, the gale force winds that can even ground a ferry on a lake, we had snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have spent 6 months at 3000m in the heart of the French Alps desperate for the stuff but whilst we are staying by 1 of the prettiest lakes in the world & our own private swimming pool, not 100m meters above us it snowed almost every evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I’m no meteorologist & I don’t quite know how these things work but even though it was somewhere between 20-30 degrees every day (even in the rain) we was surrounded by snow capped peaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wasn’t quite the mountains that we were used to seeing but from my extensive engineering & surveying background the lake was about 700m above sea level, our apartment was about 500m above that & within a good pissing distance was snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every fucking night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What the fuck is all that about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Now all this is, for us at least, a bit annoying but let’s get serious about our luck for a moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It rained in a desert for 45min whilst we were there for 45 minutes when it hadn’t rained for 4 YEARS, it rained for a week in a place that boasts an average of 360 days a year of sun, we arrived in Sydney in the heart of the worst forest fires NSW has ever experience – not long after that the rain had put them out, we spent our 1<sup>st</sup> & only week of our camping experience in the middle of a freak cyclone & now? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are about to visit a place that is prone to volcanic activity & is over due an eruption by 14 years!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know in geological terms 14 years is barely a blink of the eye but consider the fact that Vesuvius (of the Pompei killing fame) has been spunking its load into the Nepalese sunset on a constant 30 year cycle, a cycle that has never had its wheels buckled & has plodded along its merry Volcanic path since the Romans invented the gorgonian calendar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being so regular the little fella’s out here have got quite good at dealing with the molten laver that threatens their pasta trees but this additional time is a worry, an extra 50% load on top of the usual money shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine you’re a regular once an hour farter, then imagine going to a crowded cinema with a hot new date & having to hold onto last nights curry, just in case, then on the way out discussing how that little that Cruise fellow must really be a gay you let it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its going kill the people in the immediate vicinity instantly, then it going to set fire to the metal escalators which will then explode sending cogs into the surrounding restaurants which will ignite all the gas sending a gigantic fire ball into the nearby substation which will then have catastrophic power surge magnetising the power station which will suck all the planes out of the sky & the resulting mushroom cloud will be potent enough to go out on dates with its friend from Chernobyl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why we don’t hold in the fart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s just our fat arses; imagine what’s going to happen when it’s a giant mountain! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what’s going to happen when we get down to the Amalfi coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just our luck!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">On the plus side, we have bought an internet key (formally known as a dongal) & it works. We have the web at last!</div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-81339193408703571212011-06-08T04:56:00.000-07:002011-06-07T03:02:37.110-07:00Fucking Weather<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">By now you all know of our luck when it comes to weather. After spending our 1<sup>st</sup> & only season in the worst conditions for 35 years but it continues. Whilst we were in the lakes in rained most nights & we had some spectacular storms. It only really effected us 2 days making us change plans, in the main it was quite pleasant sitting on our massive balcony watching the storms exploding all round the lake getting merrily pissed. It’s getting beyond a joke now. When we checked the weather Friday night for our return to the coast there was an Italian shaped rain cloud over Italy, the only cloud in Europe. It rained the whole way down here. Sunday Rain, Monday rain, Tuesday (today) rain. We did go to Genoa yesterday & managed to stay dry but today was to be spent on beaches & boats. That’s not going to happen. This is, again, unseasonal weather. They think it’s going to continue for the next few days as well. It’s just not cricket. Or perhaps it is!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVs6qfEohUT3t-maxyPjwIoDKadQJFxnCTZFQYqkFLc73Ph0WxHPP2T0NbR5Smj8qdsqKHAfAhzdczHme7oV7cAkymLJqbkTDUnk0MZSOU9BKNwu3utZm7Ex897-I73c6Yiqif56g7TvU/s1600/DSCF1500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVs6qfEohUT3t-maxyPjwIoDKadQJFxnCTZFQYqkFLc73Ph0WxHPP2T0NbR5Smj8qdsqKHAfAhzdczHme7oV7cAkymLJqbkTDUnk0MZSOU9BKNwu3utZm7Ex897-I73c6Yiqif56g7TvU/s320/DSCF1500.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the rain? We couldn't miss it!</td></tr>
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</div>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-32228494113020111922011-06-07T02:56:00.000-07:002011-06-07T02:56:34.337-07:00More lakesWe finished our stint at the lakes & the northern end of Italy. From Garda we spent a few days out travelling the sights & our 1<sup>st</sup> destination was Verona. Verona was a weird place, where as in Milan I was pleasantly surprised; here I was a little disappointed. Not to say it was horrible or any thing it just didn’t live up to the expectations. But then where are they from? The city is famous almost entirely from an ancient English Author who wrote a fictional play that just happened to be set there, a place (I’m pretty sure) he never even visited. 1 of the most visited tourist spots is Juliette’s balcony, which is place from the mind of a dead play-write about a person who never existed? The whole place has an air of Disney about it not helped by the thousands of yanks waddling about. It is also the home of the most complete Roman arena in the world which is still used today, not for the joy of killing Christians (mores the pity) but for fat Italians singing stories or in the case when we were there, a little gay pop stars putting on a concert. We didn’t bother with Ricky Martin but we did go in & I suppose even I could see how good a night at the opera might be there, shame it didn’t start till July. Dam it we couldn’t possibly come back!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarv2noaB9VtIw4TsynPIBytFIRIfcORTHIibYwYIuYd0VpHeV9aMPWx5EkNIToHLvtV5O4PgSwZ8asipE2rktEb2UUCHHS3aJa44cRfp28uFaZ4fHK144DJ0Udwg5cey3hiJ9-QU9agw/s1600/DSCF1461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarv2noaB9VtIw4TsynPIBytFIRIfcORTHIibYwYIuYd0VpHeV9aMPWx5EkNIToHLvtV5O4PgSwZ8asipE2rktEb2UUCHHS3aJa44cRfp28uFaZ4fHK144DJ0Udwg5cey3hiJ9-QU9agw/s320/DSCF1461.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where for art thou</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Two years ago, on our 1<sup>st</sup> wedding anniversary, we spent 5 days in Venice. We loved it, it is a spectacular place. As we were so close to it again we couldn’t miss the opportunity to see it again so we popped back for a day trip. It was every bit as amazing. I’m not 1 to tell anybody to visit a place, we’re all different & we all know what we like & where we want to go but if you haven’t already been, GO TO VENICE. There really is no place like it, or even close to it anywhere else in the world. You don’t need me to tell you what its all about, you already know but seeing it as often as we have on TV, even being there before it is still an incredible place. We had done all the sights before & didn’t need to go into any of the palaces or cue for the regular sights; we just spent the day ambling about finding the quieter (no such thing as ‘of the beaten track‘ here) parts. We Kris crossed the labyrinth of streets & canals & must of walked a good few miles but it is well worth it. We would still go back.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPFkqMNsHZzZy3_qEbZZVc_Fv4iIDJVc2SRY2eAsMFQ7xP9_ibJ5n-T3Vvch-fha56Lsm34GmTsXtP2x64B5AMZUT6dv0FssURZ40sDYzSQESNiF4ZPB1AwLJjYQNE4ADWsLIJ8I650s/s1600/DSCF1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPFkqMNsHZzZy3_qEbZZVc_Fv4iIDJVc2SRY2eAsMFQ7xP9_ibJ5n-T3Vvch-fha56Lsm34GmTsXtP2x64B5AMZUT6dv0FssURZ40sDYzSQESNiF4ZPB1AwLJjYQNE4ADWsLIJ8I650s/s320/DSCF1556.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We spent a few more days visiting the lake side towns that surround Garda, got out on the water, took a few thousand more photo’s & drunk lots more booze before we set off for Bergamo. This is an old town right in the middle of the thigh of Italy. It’s more medieval than other places in Italy & totally different from the Milan, Verona et al that we’d been to previously. Built on the top of a big hill it is an ancient collection of streets built behind a 5km wall. You’re probably getting bored with reading it, I’m certainly getting a bit bored with saying it but it was great. We had a bit of scare on the way back though. We were in dire need of fuel & the whole city seemed devoid of petrol. We did just about cough & splutter into the 1<sup>st</sup> & only open garage we see.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTXrCltOJh4mlL89cfMTDtE_soelzS_P-f-WDmvlsl6B6TdMdhAuIGOLghxL2lSBFMO3Ty71d5VUnt1VaNCVoZk9YNHltViYYF7g2TgNM4gb7zI191NV-mlZSZPzjMMQ6B2HOIhW3ibs/s1600/DSCF1600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgTXrCltOJh4mlL89cfMTDtE_soelzS_P-f-WDmvlsl6B6TdMdhAuIGOLghxL2lSBFMO3Ty71d5VUnt1VaNCVoZk9YNHltViYYF7g2TgNM4gb7zI191NV-mlZSZPzjMMQ6B2HOIhW3ibs/s320/DSCF1600.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">On Saturday we drove all the way back to Milan, dropped off our little car, got the bus & then train down to the beach side town of Sesetri Levante. We are back on the med. All the towns surrounding Genoa (top left of Italy) kind of merge into 1 making a massive sprawling town built around a road & a train track. It could be beautiful but its not. Some of the coves & bays are stunning but the town is never ending & it seems all a bit tainted with commercialism. It’s going to happen, I know that, but it’s a bit of a pity. It’s a bit like Italy’s version of the Costa del Sol. We haven’t been to Portofino or Santa Margareta yet & they are the jewels of the crown of this coast so my opinion may yet change. Also from here we’re going to visit the Cinque Terre which is another UNESCO world heritage sight made up of 5 little fishing villages built into the mountains perched over the Med. It’s supposed to be lovely, at the moment we cant see a thing for all the rain!<o:p></o:p></div>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-26855371177482858972011-06-01T03:20:00.000-07:002011-06-01T03:20:00.153-07:00Lakes<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Lets waste another 5 minutes of your life. Where were we, Milan. I must be honest I wasn’t looking forward to Milan. I heard it was congested, busy, full of smog & expensive but I was pleasantly surprised. It was expensive but we’d spent the last 6 months in Val, which is 1 of the dearest places on earth, so it wasn’t shocking, but the rest turned out to be false rumours. For a city, it wasn’t especially congested, it was very clean, quite open & a near on relaxed feel to it. The 1<sup>st</sup> night we got the metro down to the Duomo (Cathedral) & it is a mighty spectacular building, even the wife (who is used to impressive sights) let out an involuntary ‘wow’. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We spent a couple of days doing the sights and enjoying the Milan invention of Apperitevo. They do this in all the bars & its great when you get used to it. You buy an alcoholic drink for a set price (between 7-10 euros) then help yourself to an all you can eat anti-pasti buffet type thing. We had a couple of drinks each & gauged ourselves on Italian food in a funky bar for a total of €30. Blinding. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRC-yOEZGul2gfKY-5zx2Dfvibo4T77-6pANBrOMLX1gPfntJCgGAEXQjQponvWkca1dTwjfobs9f2nt-RQTLGKx7L6OH1OZUfv3Gw16udJXTkyFSD3_r7gB6WB_PLSBEUb7PICifeA0/s1600/DSCF1355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRC-yOEZGul2gfKY-5zx2Dfvibo4T77-6pANBrOMLX1gPfntJCgGAEXQjQponvWkca1dTwjfobs9f2nt-RQTLGKx7L6OH1OZUfv3Gw16udJXTkyFSD3_r7gB6WB_PLSBEUb7PICifeA0/s320/DSCF1355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The fresco of Leonardo Da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ is in Milan. We went but it’s a 2-week waiting list to see it, that’s a cue too much for me so, unfortunately, we missed it. We all know what it looks like though don’t we; Jesus & his whore girlfriend getting pissed with his mates with 1 Judas threatening to slit her throat unless he gets a blowjob! That’s how I see it anyway. Indecently, was Judas named after Sol Campbell? You wouldn’t want to be spending more than a couple of days in Milan though unless you wanted to spend your life savings on expensive shoes (& the wife was sorely tempted) so we got back on the train to the airport to pick up our car. We saved €200 going back out of the city well worth trek round the underground with our luggage. We picked up our Italian 2 seater, a beautiful silver 1.2L Lancia Y. Technically it was a 4 seater but there is no way in this earth that you would fit 4 people in it but it was ideal for the tiny little lanes of our next destination.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The Italian lakes & more precisely, Lake Garda. This is the biggest & most commercial of the lakes & that’s why we choose it. We intended to look for a job here working with all the English & Yank tourist that plague the place. It is simply stunning. There is an element of over development about it but that doesn’t stop it being a picture of lake elegance & beauty. Round every single of the many corners is another postcard vista & I’m truly grateful for the digital era, if I had to develop my camera-film like back in the day I would have sell my good kidney! It’s a shame I can only put a few photo’s on for you but our luck with the Internet continues. We booked a place specifically with Internet access, it turned out that this meant via a mobile O2 dongle, but it doesn’t work so it’s back to the good old Wi-Fi cafes. Cant really complain though, the view is incredible. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our View from the Balcony</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><o:p></o:p></div>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-22169970282359039992011-05-30T03:17:00.000-07:002011-05-30T03:17:00.356-07:00Home & Away<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We left France on the 3<sup>rd</sup> of May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made good time along the French motorways, only being held up by the geniuses of P&O.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1<sup>st</sup> thing we noticed about being back in Blighty (& we continued to notice it) was just how fat most people were. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t get me wrong, nobody would mistake me for a bulimic, but I’m talking about proper fat, the sort of people who can no longer walk but waddle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of Europe just doesn’t do fat like we do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived home the way you should, floating towards the white cliffs of Dover & I would like to say that I was really happy to be home, but I wasn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t wait to see my family & friends & we received an overwhelming amount of generosity but I was depressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not least because after 6 months in the mountains coming down to sea level & the country was in its full spring bloom the hay fever didn’t gradually come over me over weeks but slapped me in the face like wet tar forcing me to take tablets, hay fever tablets always bring out my dark side but I was a bit miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shouldn’t of been though, we were staying in a friends house for free whilst they were on holiday, another friend met us at 11pm to help me unpack & give us a carrier bag full of essential supplies, we was bought lunch, made dinner & got drunk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a couple of days & being the hero I am I stopped with the hay fever drugs & everything became fun again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All be it in a very hectic & rushed way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After meeting up with the family & seeing the progress of the parents new home, collecting our clothes from all corners of the county & repacking from winter to summer it was time to get back into the local pubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wife was out with the girls so most of the men were forced to baby-sitting duties, all but 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had to come out but the poor boy was grey, very hungover from night before it took him just over an hour to finish his 1<sup>st</sup> beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finish it he did though (it was touch & go for a while), he kept it down & we managed a good 12 hour session ending in a row of tequila’s each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t remember who was responsible but I do know it pushed me over the edge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It delayed my sample production for another day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before we left to France in November I got the snip, we’ve never wanted kids & it was the sensible but painful solution but to be given the all clear my fertility needed to be tested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the old saying goes, ‘your either a wanker or a liar’ & I’m no liar but doing on command wasn’t as easy as you’d expect. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s so many rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the actual notes I was given; do not use the withdrawal method, it is not to be passed into the container orally, no lubricant can be used, no trace of soap can be left & the sample must be produce directly into the pot without contamination!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add the fact that it had to be taken to the hospital within an hour of production & the necessary hospital was half an hour away & the sample needed to be kept in a pocket to keep it at body temperature the whole thing took on military planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to produce, pot, bag & deliver during a week day morning with the neighbours builders drilling & shouting out through the open windows, the wife stomping about downstairs packing & all the time the pot sitting there winking at me like Jabba the huts ugly sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time I got close & picked up the little plastic basterd the whole moment was lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is jut no romance these days!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, job done.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We were at home for 2 weeks & we only spent 1 evening in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a feast of food, booze & company. That was all great but the 2 weeks did make us both realise that as much as we have missed the people at home we still don’t want to go back there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took us the 2 weeks to finalise our plans to get away, not booking our accommodation until 3 days before we left, but the day to leave arrived so off we went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was 1 of the worst days travelling we’ve ever had & most of it was down to my own stupidity.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">My parents were driving us to the airport & they arrived half-hour early, which I’m going to blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made excellent time getting to Heathrow T5 in just under an hour so we had a good 3 hours to relax into the airport shops & bars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whilst enjoying a coffee before check in the wife, checking I had every thing, said got your injection, cause I had!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh fuck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you may know I’m a diabetic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not being 1 to over dramatise a situation without insulin I will die & as we intended to be away for a few months I had quite a lot of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was left in the fridge round our friends house, my parents where carrying on to see some friends & the rest of my mates were at work apart from 1 hapless buddy who happened to be on the night shift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went into the airport Boots & they contacted my doctor who was able to give me an emergency prescription for a few douses but I needed the lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke the poor basterd up who then had to drive round Kent to get the keys, pick up the life saving insulin then hot foot it to Heathrow before check-in closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The irony of it is is that back in his single days & previous job (making drugs for a pharmacy company) 1 of his regular chat up lines was that he saved lives for a living!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He made it though & we were on our way.<o:p></o:p></div><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">1<sup>st</sup> Stop Milano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an easy flight & an easy train ride to Central station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was by far the most impressive train station I’ve ever been to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easily beating all the London ones (as great as they are) & even Grand Central Station NY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a short walk to our hotel & that’s when problem 2 started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been moved hotels without prior warning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted we had been upgraded from a 3 to 4 star hotel because of it but it was another 20min walk in the sweltering heat with all our luggage (which in total consisted of 6 bags) to a more remote area back the way we had come by the train station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we all know, the train stations the world over attract the down & outs, vagrants & in this case 50 year old Chinese transsexual hookers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made it to our hotel with both our luggage & arseholes in tack & hit our 3<sup>rd</sup> problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had only booked us in for 2 nights instead of 3!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After what seemed like an ice age since we left Kent we were finally in our room, which, as we have no other address, would be our home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">This blog is becoming<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bit long now & I know some of you need to get back to work(?) so I will tell you all about it later.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-62847054733754441822011-05-26T03:17:00.001-07:002011-05-26T03:17:17.110-07:00The end of an era<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Its been a while since my last post but before I fill you all in I just need to give a massive thanks to my good friend, you know who you are, who yet again put himself out & this time it really was to save a life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is the brunt of most of our jokes (mostly coz he gives as good as he gets, better a lot of the time) but he helped me out of a bad situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its not often us men are very genuine but I can say with all sincerity, <u>Thanks you bender!</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will fill the rest of you in when I get there, now its recap time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The ski season is over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I skied for the 1<sup>st</sup> time in my life & probably the last in May, I did just 1 run on the last day of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The top half was amazing, true spring snow conditions, the mountain all to myself & a seasons worth of experience in my legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If any of you are yet to experience spring snow its like the softest of powder days, you float through it like boarding on sugar, it’s the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bottom half was quite the reverse, the sugar turned to slush, the mounds turned to mud & the dips turned to puddles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a section where I had to speed over some mud, skim a slushy puddle & turn before the snow run out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The run complete I joined the wife in a celebratory beer & reminisce of the season complete.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The last week in Val was spent almost entirely in a state of drunkenness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>& 1 day with top 5 bad hangover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the Monday it was the wife’s birthday, so we packed up a picnic & set of to hunt for the elusive Marmot (which we shall all call the European Beaver from now on).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went deep into the backcountry searching moist crevices & overgrown shrubbery & then there it was, the European Beaver poking out between 2 rocky lips looking all cute & like it needed a tickle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The European Beaver satisfied we went out for, what was supposed to be a nice long meal & a sensible amount of drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1 out of 2 aint bad!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the meal we had to walk home as the buses had stopped running for the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to clear some of the lovely Italian wine from my body so we thought we might as well pop into Café Face & have a nightcap while we’re at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very surreal experience, I’m not sure if it was the staff end of season party or what but there was only about 10 people in there & all of them were behind the bar out of there nut passing round a microphone MC-ing to the music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got told the drinks were on the house & was subsequently thrust 2 very big Bombay Gin’s & tonics (usually about €10 each).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were doing roly-poly’s over the sofa’s, swapping T-shirts & generally acting every bit of drunk they clearly were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were in a different world to them & just couldn’t quite manage it so we carried on our Journey down to V-Spot where we proceeded to quickly leave our world behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day was our wedding anniversary & we intended to go round all the posh hotels & have a cocktail crawl, instead we went up the mountain to the Folie Douse for a very over priced & hungover lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The Wednesday was my works party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with the spirit of the season & the forward planning I came to expect from the job; at 9:45 I was asked if I could help out for the day & could I start at 10!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was 1 of the best working days of my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was paid to burn things & drink beer, 2 of my most favourite things in the whole world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So by 10:30 & 2 pints down we had managed to get a raging fire, we dumped on the coals & the BBQ began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The person I was supposed to be “helping” was swanning round on the pretence of taking photo’s so it was down to me to take all the money from the punters & give them the obligatory stamp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was disgraceful; some of the tramps even wanted me to stamp their thighs & chests!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We soon drunk the place dry of beer so I had to resort to the red wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem with that though was I was drinking it in pints & as fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know what time I made it home only that I didn’t make all the way upright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day though, Oh My.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn’t like death warmed up, I would of dreamed of feeling that good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t think I was going to die or the world was going to end. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world had ended, I had died & gone to hell then that had ended & the devil himself was released of doing evil every again as I was suffering for everybody’s past & future pain all in 1 day! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then what made it 10 times worse?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to go to fucking work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">For the next couple of days I hit the slopes getting in a bit of last minute boarding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It even snowed when I was up on the glacier for the last time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all things must end & soon enough the packing was done, the car was loaded (only half as full for the return leg) & farewells were said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t sad leaving, we were ready to go but I don’t know. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was so much good about it but unfortunately there was as much bad & it’s that, I suppose, that is just shame! <o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-1273410025666689792011-04-22T07:14:00.003-07:002011-04-22T07:14:40.470-07:00The Final Count DownWith 1 week to go it’s looking likely that this will be our 1<sup>st</sup> & last year as a seasonair. There is so much good out here, as I have been banging on about for the past 5 months, but there is also a lot of bad. It comes down to how much you enjoy the actual snow. For me, I love it. I love getting up the hill & challenging myself on the hardest runs in difficult conditions. But in order to do it again next year I would have to work 6 days a week getting up at 5:30am & not finishing till 11 or 12 pm (granted there would be a substantial break in the middle of the day for boarding) during that time I would have to be cleaning others peoples shit, driving the little shits around, taking them out on to the mountain & putting up with there shit & dealing with all the shit that France throws at you, which is a fuck load. I would get paid barely any money & it certainly wouldn’t help me in my future return to real life. I love boarding, but do I love it that much? Next year we’ll be out here but joining the ranks of tourists again. As I sit here typing this over looking the amazing view of the Solaise & Bellvarde Mountains it does make me a bit sad, but (& it’s a big but) the truth is I would never get this view again without spending £320,000, instead we’d be in a tiny little bedroom covered in pine overlooking a car park with some brat of a child stomping its foot demanding Frosties for breakfast from its ignorant over indulging English parents who would be staying in our Chalet.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">So what to do in the last week? The snow is poor & getting worse. I have forced myself out there a couple of times but its borderline torture. The snow is bad here but there is still snow, the other surrounding resorts (including Plagne, Les Arcs & La Rosiere) are all but shut. This means all the punters from those resorts end up here making it incredibly busy on top of the tricky conditions. I just didn’t have the heart to stand in big queues to get to the top of a muddy slushy run, so I gave up after about 2 hours. To get down though (I still refuse to get the cable car) I came down the black run of which I’ve mentioned before, the Face. Its tough in good conditions but it was an ever-changing mix of ice, rocks, grass, slush & massive mounds of a combination of the lot. I can safely say it was the hardest run I’ve ever had to do. I got down it though without a single fall but my legs were on fire by the time I was drinking my celebratory beer at the bottom.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span id="goog_1920731511"></span><span id="goog_1920731512"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Without the snow the only thing left to do is drink. Life is still good. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">With the return to England on the horizon I’ve been thinking of the things I’ve been missing & therefore looking forward to most. Obviously my family. My parents are towards the end of building their dream house on the coast. It wont only be great to see them but it’ll be great to see how the home is getting on & trying to help out with the stresses they are facing. Also, to see my brother & the family. We missed my little nephews 1<sup>st</sup> birthday recently & it’ll be great to see him, hopefully he’ll be walking, then I’ll be able to trip him over! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Getting out & having a few beers with the boys. I’ve meet a few people here but nothing can replace the high level of bollocks we can speak when we’re 5 pints down surrounded by people who you have no reservations at all in calling a c*nt. & that understand how your twisted brain works Bon times. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Food. France is famed for its cuisine but is all very samey here in the Savoyard. I cant wait for a bacon sandwich, a proper curry & a Chinese. More importantly some proper beer. The beer here is either piss water or liquorice tasting 8% sludge. Give me a proper larger or a pint of Guinness & I’ll be a happy boy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Golf. I haven’t played for 6 months now so I’ll be even more rubbish than usual but golf is a great way to get out & talk even more bollocks in the pretence of doing sport. It’ll probably be raining but I’m getting on the course & hacking my way round as many times as I can convince people to come out with me.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">And finally & somewhat surprisingly England. One of the reasons we left was because we were fed up with the way the country is. It might be a mess but it’s our mess & we understand it. France is a difficult country to be in. The language is ridiculous, the lifestyle is backwards & the bureaucracy is quit frankly laughable (or at least it would be if it did make you want to kill yourself then everyone around you). Getting back to a place where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">most</i> people are friendly & polite, where you can buy a drink or a meal or anything when you want, a place where supermarkets don’t close for 2 hours at lunch & a place where (as long as you avoid the students) the majority of people wash.<o:p></o:p></div>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-40121357370660074702011-04-15T07:16:00.000-07:002011-04-15T08:28:59.384-07:00Sun, C and VAT.<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-large;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sorry about the lack of blogs, there is no excuse other than complete laziness. There have been times as I’ve been slouched on the sofa or sunning myself on the balcony when I have been a bit bored & thought I should write you all an update but I just couldn’t be bothered. You see its been scorchio here for the last couple of weeks. It’s been up to 28 degrees in the village. This isn’t just unusual, it has been, up until this season, completely unheard of. You don’t need me to tell you that that sort of temperature is not helping the otherwise average snow conditions. It has melted 40cm in 2 weeks. All the snow in the village has disappeared, the runs into resort have receded to just leave a slushy white stripe in an otherwise brown muddy mountain & even high up the conditions are very poor. I still give credit to the piste bashers for having any runs at all open. Other resorts are down to just 2 or 3 high altitude runs or closed completely, here is still running at about 80%. But what with all this heat & the poor conditions I have only boarded for about 8 hours in the last month & apathy has set in. It’s a bit like when, all those thousands of years ago, we were on school summer holidays. Haven’t really got anything to do but cant be bothered to do it. We have been out & about visiting the nearby villages of Annecy & Chambrey. The Chambrey visit was due to a giant of a friend of ours who managed to slice his finger open in spectacular fashion & we needed to take him to have surgery. Bloody stupid basterd (typical 18 year old, well not quite typical but definitely stupid) he was making his lunch of Saussicon & the work top was dirty, instead of cleaning it like a normal human being he held the meat in his hand like a policeman’s truncheon &, using a serrated steak knife, attempted to saw it horizontally in the air. Saussicon being the toughest of all sausages meant he had to give it some serious force. It was only a matter of time till the inevitable happened & the knife slipped & sliced though his index finger so deep it was only his bone that stopped him slicing the whole thing off. Another 1 of his colleagues brought him some bandages but he still had to get on the public bus with his hand & arm covered in blood &, to stem the flow of blood to his hand, he had to hold it above his head making him look like some sort of ballerina of Death. They gave him 4 stitches but referred him to surgery to repair all the tendon & nerve damage he has caused. But Chambrey was quite nice, a medieval town & we’ve been to Annecy before which is a lovely town right on a big lake. But France being France & their desire to make everything difficult we couldn’t drink when we wanted a drink or eat when we wanted to eat. Tossers. The outcome of it all though is that the big gay bear has to go home on Saturday, he’s really pleased to be going home but we’ll miss him. Good luck big man.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Val D’Isere is a very big and internationally renown ski resort & as such quite a few celebrity’s come through town during the season. I’ve already mentioned a few I met including Heston Blumenthal, Holy from Red Dwarf, Timmy Mallett & Nicky Clarke. These are people who I have actually met (even the wife had her photo taken with Timmy) & made laugh with my amazing sense of humour?. But since then I’ve got a couple more to add to my list & we even move out of the Z lister’s. Whilst at work the other weekend 1 of the girls got a call from her husband & was told that a major movie star was in town & in the tourist information office, none of us believed him but as I was in a bit of a lull at work I thought I ought to check it out so I legged it the 150m to the tourist info office. It was empty. When I came out though I notice the shop next door was unusually busy so I thought I may as well, whilst I’m here, check it out. As I marched a military pace (so as not to miss too much working time you understand) I rounded the corner and quite literally bumped into Arnnie. Yep the superstar & governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger was in town. He looked great (all be it a bit old nowadays), massive barrel chest & an old beaten classic top-gun leather jacket on. What was surprising was that he was about the same height as me. I thought he was going to be at least 7 foot. Anyway after a quick chat, a few beers discussing the various wars we’ve been in & a wrestle I had to get back to work. But the celebrity spotting hadn’t finished for the day. As I banged on about before, for my work we go to the best Chalets in resort & fit up the clients for ski’s & boots. The poshest of the lot is a place called the Eagles Nest. We got the heads up that a very famous Lady would be staying there but we wasn’t to make it common knowledge around town. Even I had heard of this women, but as it turns out, not recognise. There I was fitting about 6 well-behaved children (very rare for expensive chalets) and a few adults, I’m on to the very last person. Everybody else had been fitted with no problems what so ever but we didn’t have the right boots for this final lady. She was very polite & gracious about it and it wasn’t a major problem but bloody typical it was her. The celebrity that we were told to keep as happy as possible & not disturb her anymore than was strictly necessary. “Can I just take your name please, you know, for security purposes” “oh yes” she replies, “its Stella. Stella McCartney”. The daughter of 1 of the most famous men that’s ever lived & the super successful fashion designer who I knew to be staying there but still didn’t recognise. Anyway, we returned with the correct boots, sorted out her skis & left her to get on with her holiday. Before this season started the most famous person I’d seen was Anton DuBeck from Strictly Come Dancing. Now I’d met 2 megastars on the same day. They didn’t give me any money though. Tight arse’s. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then reality came & bought me down with a crashing bump. I had a few text messages from my brother saying he’s about to have all his stuff repossessed unless I sort out my VAT bill. After 5 months of lounging around & messing about in the snow with the biggest stress being what cocktails to get in 2-4-1 happy hour this was all a bit of a pisser. So I rushed to open my emails to be confronted with an £11 grand bill that needed to be paid within 7 days. FUUUUCK. I had a flap, stressed around town a bit, shit myself then called the VAT office. HM Customs & revenue, if a call centre wants to know how to improve their service they should call them. Tax & VAT is wank, we all know that but that’s why I think they are so good, sort of camaraderie in the ranks and all that. Granted they had fucked up & sent some very scary letters to my brother, but & this is the all-important thing, it was sorted out instantly & efficiently. I am very rubbish with my tax & VAT returns & they have to talk me through them like some sort deranged ape so its probably to do with my uselessness that started of the problems but to receive a letter telling you your about to have all your things removed because someone else might not of paid a bill must be very scary. Sorry Big brov, Sis in Law & Baby Nephew. It turned out I had paid & they had neglected to remove me from the records when my company shut down. A very bad few hours that though.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And finally. The end of the dream. After all those heroics, nail-biting performances & luck we are no longer going to win the Champions League. I’m not disappointed, we over achieved, we did better than all the pundits thought we could & got further than Arsenal. Well done mighty Spurs. All you need to do now is win all the remaining prem games so we can do it again next season.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div></span>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-47842157277865664102011-03-21T07:52:00.000-07:002011-03-21T07:52:49.171-07:00Back to basics<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">After the 1 & only comment I had on the last post I have reread some of my previous blogs & I think they have been too serious by far & we need to get back to talking about what makes us happy, that is Beer, boobs, Boarding & insulting the French. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">1<sup>st</sup> of all lets cover the ever beautiful, medicinal & fun inducing qualities of Booze. Like back at home I try & have a mid week drink then a few over the weekend. As I work the weekend I tend to have a few on Thursday/Friday. But unlike at home I do have a beer with lunch or dinner almost everyday. The past week was fairly typical. Beer with lunch everyday then Tuesday night the wife & I polished off a couple of bottles of wine & few Gins. I have been lucky lately & avoided hangovers, not this time though, a nagging head-of-doom all day. I’m blaming the French wine, they cant even do that right. Then Thursday night (St Patrick’s Day) we went out for a few. Started of in the Lodge bar (our local) where we meet some of the wife’s colleague’s & a few of their clients (a bunch of lads with a very sad man trying to chat up the wife’s mate who is about 60 & looks it). We then meet up with a few of my mates & hit the drink properly, as with at home everybody came back to ours & we polished off 2 bottles of Gin as well as the beer. It was a very drunken & funny night that eventually ended at 4am (unfortunately no roads were closed during the evening). I woke up about 11 & MY GOD what was going on with my head. It was like the Val D’Isere bell tower had relocated inside it & the monks were trying to recapture there lost your & recreating some punk classics in there. Dam. We were heading over to Tignes to watch the X-games but I found out I had to go into work instead. I didn’t want to do either; all I wanted to do is hide under a table with a crash helmet on & rock gently till the inevitable death came along. But no, I missed the X-Games & had to go into work, not only that I was on my own for the 1<sup>st</sup> time & I also had to drive the van! It was the longest 2 hours of my life but I made it & I only run a few tourists over so that’s ok.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">On next to the Boobs. It was not the boobs that made this though. On Sunday evenings, as part of my ski technician profession, we go round to the best Chalet’s in Val. As mentioned before these are in excess of €35,000 per week & as we all know the rich managed to afford shallow girls who just so happen to have some redeeming features. It doesn’t happen very often but last week we arrived at 1 of the better 1’s. All the people were supper friendly & it was quit a pleasant fitting. During the middle of it the people who had there own equipment came down to the boot room to unpack their ski gear. This 1 particular women was very difficult to miss but being the professionals that we are we carried on without too much drooling. She was stunning & in very tight see through clothing, she had just bought new ski boots (or her boyfriend had just treated her to) & she wanted me to fit them to her skis & could I check her boyfriends for him. A little while later the boyfriend turned up. My boss likened him to ‘an aging hippy’. Which I think is a fair assessment of him. An old man with long bleached hair covered in fake tan with numerous beads, necklaces & cross draped round his neck below an open shirt with 3 or 4 too many buttons un done. As we drove away we both exuberantly lamented the wonders of this young bit of stuff & expressed our confusion of how the aged hippy come to be with her. The following day we found out that the aged hippy was Nicky Clarke, the multi award winning celebrity hairdresser & she was his new girl friend, 22 years younger. In the words of Mrs Merton ‘I wonder what she see’s in the multi millionaire Nicky Clarke’.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We’re here to board so I ought to mention what’s been going there. I have more or less given up with the board park, I’m too old & too rubbish so I’ve been sticking to slopes & doing little tricks off the sides. I’m pretty confident on any slope know & even blasted down the Face (a black run which is the steepest down hill run on the world cup circuit) the other day. Pissed it. But just 2 runs later, on a simple Blue run I had my biggest fall of the season so far. I was just doing some gentle carving but & high speed after just shooting out the end of a wide gully. I don’t know how I did it but I caught a front edge which flipped me forward onto my knees & face then tumbled for about 100m head over hills & spinning in all directions bashing ever single bone & muscle on my useless boarding body. I managed to find my feet before the fall came to an end & made it down without any serious damage but I am still in pain. It feels like I been stonewashed in a giant washing machine.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">& Finally it comes to insulting the French. I’ve all ready mentioned the X-games. They came to Tignes from Wed to Friday last week & in the words of Ron Burgundy in ski terms ‘there kind of a big deal’. We drove over on Wednesday afternoon so we could watch the final (finishes after the last lift to Val). It was the Slope Style final 1<sup>st</sup>. The French in there infinite wisdom wouldn’t let spectators up the edges of the course so you had to watch from the very bottom. But the French being French still weren’t completely satisfied with the view so they built a huge jump directly in front of the spectators so that it was the only thing of the course you could see, but as the course was running slower than usual none of the competitors had enough speed to even get up this let alone do any tricks of it. The only thing we could see of this were the riders slowly limping over the side & down into the interviewing area. Ridiculous, only in France. <o:p></o:p><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span id="goog_1896001271"></span><span id="goog_1896001272"></span></div>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-13831831062682230152011-03-13T01:28:00.000-08:002011-03-13T01:28:14.569-08:00We Keep Marching On<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">What a night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There I was on my own in a full pub with the walls covered in TV’s all showing football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cant tell a lie, I was more than a little nervous, defending has not been our forte this season & with AC Milan on full attack & us throwing in last ditch tackles, blocks & line clearance’s from early in the 1<sup>st</sup> half I couldn’t see my nerves easing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a big group of blokes standing next to me & they were brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were Scoucer's so didn’t really care who won but they where cheering & chanting along with the Spurs Faithfull & even started the slow drawn out ‘Oh when the Spurs, Go marching in’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all got pissed, I abused the Arse (lets make it clear, the arse & <u>not</u> their arse) & they abused the red side of Manchester.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s what football is all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having a laugh & supporting your team, getting drunk & good-humoured banter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There a few sets of fans that this is easier than others & I have found the world over that the Liverpool set to be fun, knowledgeable & fair (sorry Man U mates but I cant Lie) there is always the aresholes out there in all groups of supporters but I’ve been lucky enough to have never met them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why do I say all this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard a good friend of mine got bottled, glassed & kicked unconscious by a group of blokes putting him in hospital for the night & in his own local as well after the Liverpool Chelski game & it wasn’t done by the Liverpool fans!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was completely unprovoked & started with a bottle over the back of his head when he had his back turned at the end of the game, even more confusing is that he is a true blue himself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s the point?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Anyway, we were probably 2<sup>nd</sup> best last night but the important thing, the Olive munching mummy’s boys couldn’t score & we’re through to the next round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a wonderful thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next match is only against Barcelona & who the fuck are they, should be easy.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">OK enough football & back to my other favourite subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s getting closer & closer to the end of the season (only 8 weeks) so we need to be sorting out our summer plans & what to do next winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up until a few weeks ago the summer meant 6 months round the world going to California, Cook Islands, New Zealand (for a couple of months & work), Sydney, China & then meet up with our friends around the Middle East before coming home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This plan has been set in our minds for a while now & an integral part of it was being able to work in NZ to help with the funding & to keep our minds in check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is, we’re too old to get a normal working holiday Visa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only company that offers this Visa for the over 30’s, Bunac, are piss takers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to buy the visa from them you have to buy their working holiday pack which is £500 & all you get for that is access to there support network(?) & a lonely planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we have eye’s & a brain (the wife has anyway) finding a job would be just like anywhere else in the world which makes it the most expensive lonely planet in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would only want to work 6-8 weeks & with the exchange rate we would of had to earn $3000 (NZ) just to brake even.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just not worth it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this is a major spanner in works & with our minds all ready on a world trip the re planning is somewhat difficult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are going to do a tour round Europe with a rough route of South-West France, Barcelona (knocked out the CL but the mighty Yid Army), South France, all through Italy & Sicily & back through who knows where.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are loads of problems to sort out, work, language barrier, August holidays, cost & final route being just some of the mountain of issues we need to sort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a good problem to have really but The Wife loves to plan everything & I like to just drift along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s always been like this & its fine, she loves a list & I don’t worry about much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This though needs much more planning than our round the world trip would & has forced me to think about things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t something I’m used to & it’s making my tiny brain hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Couple this with the fact that we’re not 100% sure whether we’re going to come back to the mountains next winter its put a little strain over the last week or so.<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtocyCtAlzHs7hQ2sweK4MDlv4BTrGa9QXKzbbk_e6ucMb-1GMYT1aDbDjCl6ZcwZ-yhyphenhyphenTEJJ1lwMI_HJAjbKhTI-YzxWGCZ_LGafh3gpHEZVRSpaXAsXmkQRXtTWeUsqavuBdCU8V9z4/s1600/IMG_0210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtocyCtAlzHs7hQ2sweK4MDlv4BTrGa9QXKzbbk_e6ucMb-1GMYT1aDbDjCl6ZcwZ-yhyphenhyphenTEJJ1lwMI_HJAjbKhTI-YzxWGCZ_LGafh3gpHEZVRSpaXAsXmkQRXtTWeUsqavuBdCU8V9z4/s320/IMG_0210.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spending Summer in Italy. Its tough life<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH99HhyjdMhbVyLU8HveIxN1c2Y2SvKvlojhj0nFRnwxUnoaCJZvg136jVp5t6J9d6uMq-ma4psl21Stut2KKXJCgoylHR1_J6OfJ7on9n1Uj5p-DRUQDFIwgqro0m_NXSVQS8WlpgQlY/s1600/IMGP0611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH99HhyjdMhbVyLU8HveIxN1c2Y2SvKvlojhj0nFRnwxUnoaCJZvg136jVp5t6J9d6uMq-ma4psl21Stut2KKXJCgoylHR1_J6OfJ7on9n1Uj5p-DRUQDFIwgqro0m_NXSVQS8WlpgQlY/s320/IMGP0611.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big puddles though</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Why wouldn’t we come back next winter after how great it’s been (so I’ve been telling you all)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything I have said in previous blogs is true, it is wonderful here & we have loved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me more than the wife maybe, but that’s hardly surprising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You might not notice it when you’re on holiday & it’s not been completely obvious to me until recently but it is such a bloke place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your whole world evolves around sport & beer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You spend the day boarding or skiing, you then spend the night drinking beer (its cheapest) talking about it or going to watch football or talking about football.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those of you who know the wife will know that this is just not her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the other girls here are blokey tomboys so there isn’t any getting away from it for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its not just that either, we’re both older than the workers here & don’t share much in common with them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old time seasonairs are no better, they’re all a bit manic & not something we aspire to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s also the remoteness of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know in the grand scheme of things we’re not far from anywhere but we’re not close to anything either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a ski resort Val is quite big but as a town it’s tiny, & as mentioned before we’re in a little bubble not knowing what’s going on in the real world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our life is skiing & as much as I love it, too much of a good thing and all that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t ski then what do you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Passing the time for a day is ok, for a week even but what then?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We haven’t had to work either & like in a Vanilla Skye the other night (a waste of 2 hours of my life that I will never get back) you can’t enjoy the sweet without a bit of bitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming back is definitely not ruled out, Like I said above it has been great, we just need to find a job that will suit us both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are looking into working in a chalet for the season. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with all jobs it has it’s down sides but with more to our life than drinking beer & boarding it should give us more perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(What the hell am I say, more to life than drinking & boarding, I must be going mental). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway I’m of for a board then a beer.<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu92yDVhtS7tXnrutWJHfVR4D8irVj-mj6l6uI4CNBLDEtgnFSCFHXTotAccclicmsibpN131Yv7K76kNCpqL4VUEbmLWvrwnWVlwRA7u2SQ5oNfhFPK00Bfe8mIRDLxJfh_mh2oQiAE/s1600/DSCF1093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDu92yDVhtS7tXnrutWJHfVR4D8irVj-mj6l6uI4CNBLDEtgnFSCFHXTotAccclicmsibpN131Yv7K76kNCpqL4VUEbmLWvrwnWVlwRA7u2SQ5oNfhFPK00Bfe8mIRDLxJfh_mh2oQiAE/s320/DSCF1093.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Through the eye of the Needle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdjo3-uELrUiXUnCLTrHJDqHjPmLyODu89diSW3K9TYPDnJYptFjklGXjqYUdMRvYRF2jPliQ0s-9DmrNdT1xAryJPJWCw6WbQD5UnMVUSFHGrLZKkgb_zx4S4x6GpZaQfmi9xSIh7zY/s1600/DSCF1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdjo3-uELrUiXUnCLTrHJDqHjPmLyODu89diSW3K9TYPDnJYptFjklGXjqYUdMRvYRF2jPliQ0s-9DmrNdT1xAryJPJWCw6WbQD5UnMVUSFHGrLZKkgb_zx4S4x6GpZaQfmi9xSIh7zY/s320/DSCF1079.JPG" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big melt has started</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-8597074143034678832011-03-02T05:29:00.000-08:002011-03-02T05:29:15.445-08:00Our Little Gift to Val D’Isère<div style="text-align: justify;">You may have noticed there has a distinct lack of blogs from me over the last few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is mostly down to laziness but also because of the absence of news worthy activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems we have settled into the life in the mountains & although it’s not your every day routine its routine none the less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its not that we’re enjoying it any less its just the things that were novel & exciting to start off with are now constant & satisfying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still get out & board, we still get drunk, we still eat far too much<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>& there is still a lack of snow. Couple this with the fact that its been half term week for European schools & the slopes are heaving with irritating kids all full English & horrible Parisians we decided to have a little break from the mountains, in fact a break from France altogether so we have just popped over to Italy for the last few days & spent our time chilling out in Turin.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">As I have banged on enough in previous blogs we are currently experiencing somewhat of a snow drought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hadn’t snowed with since early Jan & since then we’ve had warm weather that has contributed to 1 of the worst snow records in the last 30 years & the snow depth is actually only 25% of the average amount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Snow was desperately needed so when we booked our holiday we had a bit of laugh about the fact that at least if we go away then it will snow in Val.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure enough that’s what happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As all you skiers out there know skiing when its actually snowing is tough & not all together enjoyable suffering from white out conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best time to ski is to get up on the 1<sup>st</sup> lift of the day & make fresh tracks in the fluffy powder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It snowed continuous from Sunday morning to Monday night, we had to leave for Turin on Tuesday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we missed out, our bad weather curse continues but at least the slopes of Val have been refreshed<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">So Turin then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a start it was great to just get away from the little bubble of mountain life, away from the scuzzy people, the whinging kids, the smelly French & the downright horrible Parisians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally if the French are the most hated people the world over then it’s the happy people from Paris who are to blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everybody hates them, even the French hate the Parisians, even the Parisians themselves hate each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know that Paris itself is full of art, culture, history & all that bollocks but how is it possible to enjoy it sounded by these people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a recent travel magazine there was an article titled ‘Paris, the Dead centre of Europe’ because even the people that live there can’t even be bothered to go out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I digress, Turin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just over a 3 hour drive through the alp’s, I’d like to say the scenery was amazing but as almost the entire drive is through tunnels it would be a lie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily we borrowed a friend’s sat-nav because, as with city, it was chaos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made it though & had a thoroughly lovely time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Italy is amazing wherever you go, the food, the drink the people & Turin is no exception even though the French influence (as its so close to the boarder) makes for some difficulties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having a coffee isn’t as easy as it should be & going out for a few drinks in the evening is a little unusual as all the bars do ‘Aperitevo’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a set price for a drink & includes buffet style antipasti.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All very nice but expensive if you’re not hungry.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Just as well they don't do it in Val, as it is I'm so heavy that whilst dropping the kids off at the pool this morning the toilet seat shattered, it was a right pain in the.........</div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-66493138370182955582011-02-06T12:24:00.000-08:002011-02-06T12:24:18.319-08:00Gays on Trays<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">There is a healthy rivalry between snowboarders & skiers not like that between Man U & Liverpool or Tottenham & the Arse, more like that between Rugby fans & football fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each think their sport is better, each moan about the other being feeble, gay or boring & if there is any sort of incident then each blame the other, in fact the only thing they have in common is they all hate snowbladers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been a snowboarder for the last 15 years or, as the skiers like to call us, gays on trays, as opposed to them who are dicks with sticks, proofs with poles or cunts on ski’s. But due to the worsening conditions & its easier to do ice on 2 edges than 1 I have decided to rekindle my 1<sup>st</sup> love of the mountain & try out the planks again.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-z0G4Y4-PRZ2DNtdXO6wkp6kph3_b8c3QnCFnz8aEmfVw-bapV6e_X_pxsOWq9iWMDvBOONbkn2GV86teepEnqm_gJyggIBAZJd8Z5PGZAN0NQD-aICQgTPYDlvjpELoKzvpILjSpYY/s1600/DSCF1346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-z0G4Y4-PRZ2DNtdXO6wkp6kph3_b8c3QnCFnz8aEmfVw-bapV6e_X_pxsOWq9iWMDvBOONbkn2GV86teepEnqm_gJyggIBAZJd8Z5PGZAN0NQD-aICQgTPYDlvjpELoKzvpILjSpYY/s320/DSCF1346.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its not just me that looks this bigger dick on ski's</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The wife (who is an accomplished skier) was looking forward to me clipping in to skies again, mostly so she could laugh at me falling on my head & generally looking more the tit than I normally do & it was with a fair amount of trepidation that I hit the slopes again yesterday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this negativity comes from the fact that the 1<sup>st</sup> time me & the girlfriend (as she was known back then) did a ski holiday together some 12 years ago & after I had already converted to the board a few years before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a big group of us & the majority of them skied, some of them were very good & got a ski guide for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided that I would put some ski’s on & join them, it had only been 3 years after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not good, or rather I was not good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fell over back words on the flat getting onto the lift, I fell over on the 1<sup>st</sup> gentle blue we did & this continued throughout the day, me falling over on varying degrees of slope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the group had great fun at my expense & I finished the day in pain & suffering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hadn’t skied since. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all this in mind & the small group of friends & colleagues knowing I was going to ski & wanting to enjoy the fun of me falling on my arse, repeatedly, I gingerly headed for the gentlest of nursery slopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had practiced say ‘yah’ & ‘darling’ a lot, put on some drab sensible clothing so was ready to mingle with the ski-set. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><!--StartFragment--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">I have just completed my 2<sup>nd</sup> day & much to the wife’s disappointment I am in relatively decent order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other than burning thighs where I have to use the wrong muscles I’m not even injured (yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve got 1 more day to go).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve managed proper turns & haven’t had to resort to the dreaded snowplough once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the 1<sup>st</sup> time I’ve used these new fan dangled carver skies (they’ve only been popular for the last 12 years!), incidentally its because of snowboarding that ski technology improved so rapidly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve carved my way down the Val D’isere green & blue runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have just completed the most difficult red run in the world (just ask the Brother, the Brothers wife & Shapla).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without being too big headed, which isn’t easy for me, I didn’t just get down it in survival mode, I actually skied it & fast as well (for a novice at least). <o:p></o:p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPF6IH5p-G70rVxYjlms_mvaBb28VlAb5PXmej0BI1E-_b5NBRV5XanKeOb3in0Lq5Qv1GLsSLvMUhPZgsl5BNLcL-TB98aFwy5JT7hhxWUoVYPdVq8nakzcYOYZgpBJykd2GN54gJXM/s1600/DSCF1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPF6IH5p-G70rVxYjlms_mvaBb28VlAb5PXmej0BI1E-_b5NBRV5XanKeOb3in0Lq5Qv1GLsSLvMUhPZgsl5BNLcL-TB98aFwy5JT7hhxWUoVYPdVq8nakzcYOYZgpBJykd2GN54gJXM/s320/DSCF1327.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">So I am now in a position, as a snowboarder that ski’s to give an impartial, thorough appraisal of the differences between boarding & skiing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can confirm that all is as we all suspected, all skiers are twats (except the wife who sometimes reads this). (I am reading this!!! He doesn't realise I’ve put this in though. E xx) I’m joking of course? I still think that as an amateur, which we all are, there is much more fun to be had on a board but that is offset by the fact that you spend so much time on your arse faffing about with your rear leg binding (even more if you’re a shapla), the snowboard really comes into its own in powder or fluffy snow but, as previously mentioned, we haven’t had much of that & its much easier to do ice on ski’s but for me, for now, I’m sticking to the board & all you winging ski toffs out there, until you can board you can keep you plummy, droning nonsense to yourselves. <o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment--> <br />
<!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-8158543813164017392011-01-31T02:57:00.000-08:002011-01-31T02:57:48.917-08:00Save the Cheerleader, save the world<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">It’s getting a bit boring I know, but there has been little change to the weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another week goes by without any snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve had a small dusting today (Sunday) but nothing that will affect the piste conditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, we really should be thankful, the snow that is here is in good condition, the piste bashers have been doing a sterling job & most of the higher runs are a pleasure to ride & even some of the runs into resort aren’t to bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In contrast most other European resorts are suffering, the rest of France especially.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Les Arc, Deux Alps & Le Plagne are going to have to close the majority of their runs & only Val Thorens of the 3 Valley’s is coping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(this is what we hear from the companies we work for who have business in the other resorts).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can we blame global warming?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read an article about 2 years ago that the Alps is warming so quickly that all but the very highest peaks are going to be without snow within 20 years?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also know that the mountain pass, the Col de Iseran that they clear of snow during June to give a quick access to Milan has been gradually reducing over the last 10 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the 90’s they were clearing an average depth of around 9.5m where as lately it’s only been an average of 5.7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know that some years are better/worse than others but it cant just be coincidence can it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So next time your thinking of jumping in the car to go 1 mile to pick up some porn from the newsagents, walk.<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1yGHpEqWIKIJX86ri23Ms5qUUdzbmmUuZoPaXm23UFFH2BKw8Itn7zqH1oy9uBxkLKIj7ZUWKLd4IjXU6IImzwINXie4m5LXCJvusrRtVfLVKY0aMWPLT0QW-RbYQ-MDBRTDTMz0JAs/s1600/DSCF1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1yGHpEqWIKIJX86ri23Ms5qUUdzbmmUuZoPaXm23UFFH2BKw8Itn7zqH1oy9uBxkLKIj7ZUWKLd4IjXU6IImzwINXie4m5LXCJvusrRtVfLVKY0aMWPLT0QW-RbYQ-MDBRTDTMz0JAs/s320/DSCF1327.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where's all the snow gone?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">We had a cracking week though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The family have been over to visit & it was great. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spent most days boarding & most nights boozing, not much different from normal, we just had to pay for less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as with the Shapla’s, the wife managed to get out of skiing the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time she managed to put her back out doing the washing, you would of thought women could cope!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also meant that I have had to go to work 2 days a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least I would of done had my day not been cancelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But still, it could of happened last week & it is definitely happing this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2 days on the trot, it’s scandalous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also we’ve had a bit of celebrity spotting going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I met Heston Blumenthal in the bar the other night, the rude basterd didn’t recognise me but had the good grace to humour my drunken rambling anyway & even better than him I met the bloke who was the Red Dwarf computer head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t for the life of me remember his name, can anyone help?<o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimktUUjwHSvoPeEfeHh3XbkBVpqWMUhjcJ0Bq954C5_gr-qB-e8xt6JdyUQPtSJWbAp5mvYfxcx2Z0QRFVKz3KeVpexTRG4xtl-h0z6-Z2rFO7d20YwitaqM2gnNsezzLYvthCJkJIh3s/s1600/DSCF1314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimktUUjwHSvoPeEfeHh3XbkBVpqWMUhjcJ0Bq954C5_gr-qB-e8xt6JdyUQPtSJWbAp5mvYfxcx2Z0QRFVKz3KeVpexTRG4xtl-h0z6-Z2rFO7d20YwitaqM2gnNsezzLYvthCJkJIh3s/s320/DSCF1314.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freaks<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Any who, I’ve got to go to work now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be walking though & I don't really care for cheerleaders.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">By the way, does anyone know how to make the Title Photo smaller? I cant just reduce it in any form of normal way.</div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-28332486943634922042011-01-19T03:59:00.000-08:002011-01-19T03:59:50.188-08:00Just our luck<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">I’m not 1 to point the finger of blame but for this I will make an exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are now in dire need of more snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hasn’t snowed properly now for over a month & over the last week the temperature has been up to +12 at the mid station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whose fault is this, well I can only assume that it’s the sister in Law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time we’ve skied with her the snow has been, well, non-existent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not saying that she does it on purpose, she loves the mountains as much as the rest of us, but a fact is a fact, she’s due out here on Saturday & the snow is getting worse, I make that a 100% record of bad snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, you better be growing that snow beard young lady!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8q3IbU91ensYPQwbUXq13u7oPZkEp6cSv9Id9rmY0xS1Cm7uXFdeuxe8jOnvv1jWSkNZ_LUrStZA0LaDS5P28FiYpEfedWqGTnjgw7UYYQHoc9r645nwBkjOzg4V8P-iXL2kgHGdsL4/s1600/DSCF1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8q3IbU91ensYPQwbUXq13u7oPZkEp6cSv9Id9rmY0xS1Cm7uXFdeuxe8jOnvv1jWSkNZ_LUrStZA0LaDS5P28FiYpEfedWqGTnjgw7UYYQHoc9r645nwBkjOzg4V8P-iXL2kgHGdsL4/s320/DSCF1288.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its just like day 2 on the Glen!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">I’m not going to let her take all the blame though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me & the wife have a fairly poor record of weather everywhere we’ve been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It rains where ever we go, like in the middle of a desert or on a tropical island that boast 360 days of sunshine <u>every</u> year, we were there for a week & it rained every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its cold when it should be hot, we’ve got caught in a cyclone when we were in Oz, killer heat waves in Greece, floods in Thailand, -30 in Stockholm & now we’re in one of the highest resorts in the world that usually has skiing till mid August, the 1 time we need precipitation & cold but its fucking hot & sunny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still the out-laws fault though.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">The forecast is that the temperatures are due to drop & we will get more snow Thursday/Friday, but the weather forecast here is nowhere near as accurate as at home & they never get it right so what chance do we have?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">In other news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have both been trying, rather unsuccessfully, to get rid of poxy colds for last month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just not shifting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in a drastic effort to get rid of it I decided to lay of the booze for a week, try & be a bit healthy, give the body something that it wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This alcohol freeze lasted precisely 8 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It started Sunday morning, as I had to work in the afternoon, however, work was cancelled & Spurs v Man U were on in the pub & as we all know it is actually illegal to go to the pub & not drink booze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a side note (& as I text my Man U mate about) is it just me or has the red side of Manchester been watching videos of George Graham’s Arsenal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Defend, defend, defend & the occasional break away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spurs wont win the league & I’d much rather it be the Green & Gold’s than Chelski or the Goons but dam they’re dull, it says it all when their best player is a 100 year old welsh man that has a yoga DVD closely followed by his feisty ginger buddy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, as I didn’t last it through Sunday without a beer the week had gone so I thought I may as well have a couple yesterday & then a few over lunch today then the family is out to see us so I cant see this health kick starting till mid March.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, beer’s is hops & hops are vegetables so what harm can it do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bit of further reading, Google Norm’s Buffalo theory of why beer is good for you. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">I've also finally got some photos on. See post below.</div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-12703975150085776992011-01-19T03:56:00.000-08:002011-01-19T04:03:43.859-08:00PhotosI've not been too good with letting you see whats been happening, so here's a little visual update.<br />
<br />
If noticed other people putting captions to there photos, captions that are stating the bleeding odvious (ie a fuck of great mountain captioned 'Mountain') I dont want to do this so a bit of informative local history will be provided!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QkqnEYrWPBjExkbc4tj8bqgktkhYDQlxbewfQY316r0CLxIW7hGu6eBl899BBBm0XZDzpAbB1l-oagc-Yx8elRP8XrlYHJ5jSHiRWquV9Q0PwcInfl8GMvN07S0PrYMz9iVNn6zpB50/s1600/DSCF1171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QkqnEYrWPBjExkbc4tj8bqgktkhYDQlxbewfQY316r0CLxIW7hGu6eBl899BBBm0XZDzpAbB1l-oagc-Yx8elRP8XrlYHJ5jSHiRWquV9Q0PwcInfl8GMvN07S0PrYMz9iVNn6zpB50/s320/DSCF1171.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A drunked got on the dogs back & pissed into the boys mouth. It was yellow for weeks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9wsDVKpKVaAJsV6TUpJ8NfhQ1TBytKFwj5FsxlglzvOmAgGzOAbAFCIij0JMphBd3SKIAJGyO8iVKGDOu408RLVWmqQZK6PtYyeLE_iiur9vw5mJ3QKa_Xn958cHy-fXrJEvHh4t2kQ/s1600/DSCF1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9wsDVKpKVaAJsV6TUpJ8NfhQ1TBytKFwj5FsxlglzvOmAgGzOAbAFCIij0JMphBd3SKIAJGyO8iVKGDOu408RLVWmqQZK6PtYyeLE_iiur9vw5mJ3QKa_Xn958cHy-fXrJEvHh4t2kQ/s320/DSCF1213.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The local of choice & NYE drunken night</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDto2Xygi9VnJMtKaslH2CJqx_unRWuC8boK8goAjTwoLSZdvquLwPV3pvgwvBpABKMuklmh3MlEIzRRz0tKAuHwz3Ax-ZqScPjYKA7ez_1Hrua4gF7NzmINE_vVK0xdQGKJxsyGlRnGo/s1600/DSCF1102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDto2Xygi9VnJMtKaslH2CJqx_unRWuC8boK8goAjTwoLSZdvquLwPV3pvgwvBpABKMuklmh3MlEIzRRz0tKAuHwz3Ax-ZqScPjYKA7ez_1Hrua4gF7NzmINE_vVK0xdQGKJxsyGlRnGo/s320/DSCF1102.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They light up the black run at night so the snow dolphins know where to go.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGs85Rarnh0tzOs8__H6JVas_3poLoQMUO5d7G6FaYktJvzmHMsEuFbOThqo2I2c-WiCs9bhCOyxTt_LL-4MPlpI4iTCB9A6yYHwDBjKRIMCqSbH6reV6LIm3Pa5TzkIaKG2YhUewZF4M/s1600/DSCF1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGs85Rarnh0tzOs8__H6JVas_3poLoQMUO5d7G6FaYktJvzmHMsEuFbOThqo2I2c-WiCs9bhCOyxTt_LL-4MPlpI4iTCB9A6yYHwDBjKRIMCqSbH6reV6LIm3Pa5TzkIaKG2YhUewZF4M/s320/DSCF1117.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water & wine, we all know what gets the most attention</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfZNjAFWgLGsEEe_6wFcxJfg_gmu1Z4SGmQhssbOjCl28HYEwhf6DmkS0ID2F_PZxn2ATAfwRaEW3NDVoqap-DkduQR4NQ_Bdbr-r8gL4Hc3ivNPYXtvKokb1Y3TNCjRfN1m70QbT3ls/s1600/DSCF1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfZNjAFWgLGsEEe_6wFcxJfg_gmu1Z4SGmQhssbOjCl28HYEwhf6DmkS0ID2F_PZxn2ATAfwRaEW3NDVoqap-DkduQR4NQ_Bdbr-r8gL4Hc3ivNPYXtvKokb1Y3TNCjRfN1m70QbT3ls/s320/DSCF1118.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer & water. They are the same I think.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1QBJVJrZSiy6WFPJsCzNWvbIilnzVKDM2GSIJDYv8ewDumIA6Fqp-A2_ctXWxj1zlIfsly5rmRq-H0SaR1N6qmXvrSXx8QsxqEmfUFMnTwDddPepoOxFvc0s7a5XwZWyISAJ6CfdUc0/s1600/DSCF1129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil1QBJVJrZSiy6WFPJsCzNWvbIilnzVKDM2GSIJDYv8ewDumIA6Fqp-A2_ctXWxj1zlIfsly5rmRq-H0SaR1N6qmXvrSXx8QsxqEmfUFMnTwDddPepoOxFvc0s7a5XwZWyISAJ6CfdUc0/s320/DSCF1129.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mountain.<br />
(sorry, couldn't resist)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvznOb8MKx37IEC8_YltV9RNnUifRPOnPyYdNLAnncVn6ClKLSOSU7t9FnI6Q6VziEnFNQjzgHKU_8gbyfudTzJixZcMmGtksbE7jVWXrnE9DBEAqwn2xr23GVV_l7BYSlSarAyX7th0U/s1600/DSCF1229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvznOb8MKx37IEC8_YltV9RNnUifRPOnPyYdNLAnncVn6ClKLSOSU7t9FnI6Q6VziEnFNQjzgHKU_8gbyfudTzJixZcMmGtksbE7jVWXrnE9DBEAqwn2xr23GVV_l7BYSlSarAyX7th0U/s320/DSCF1229.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve in the village. <br />
Thats not real snow, they clear all that away & replace it with Talc, it takes a better photo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKeVYzWjBZ51zpCu6SgjGWV9k5i6bmNWT3LwLKawY_tLiG-grzUTrudLde0agdQz3LkELCqtnnsN75bC8NcB-SpuYSGXPrHCAQq6zeKPAnoINUCjhpWS9q1-fV3rGfAfiPgU9wY5FA34/s1600/DSCF1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKeVYzWjBZ51zpCu6SgjGWV9k5i6bmNWT3LwLKawY_tLiG-grzUTrudLde0agdQz3LkELCqtnnsN75bC8NcB-SpuYSGXPrHCAQq6zeKPAnoINUCjhpWS9q1-fV3rGfAfiPgU9wY5FA34/s320/DSCF1231.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lazy French. When they close the high street to cars they all hire horses & if anyone trys to stop them they hit them with there mallets.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnaoV0IFX_HcPFaU29byRX2P3d5UfnDEw125pCiLzsbcGOvrGzNwqGp8jJL1wNj51WpOPIKcNqE5EMzKzew1gJEf7C9ZcaXRLr5X2Nh_CFJO3IYtPyMPXz01v13U0kf-P4KTTaR0juZk/s1600/DSCF1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnaoV0IFX_HcPFaU29byRX2P3d5UfnDEw125pCiLzsbcGOvrGzNwqGp8jJL1wNj51WpOPIKcNqE5EMzKzew1gJEf7C9ZcaXRLr5X2Nh_CFJO3IYtPyMPXz01v13U0kf-P4KTTaR0juZk/s320/DSCF1245.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep in the back country travelling at 150mph, its amazing the wife captured me with the camera really</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaDhqCsjeA0gYltnn4JjhGpmb4Oj7_JZ_m3uYIxUNuCczL73aUqJkJSkGZ6Pittlr2QeKwD3_vtusTIABYpXeutt6s1kPvfWBUQnd15jZXaSUem6XwLVd0kH-XacPtALV8U8mskFz7xs/s1600/DSCF1269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaDhqCsjeA0gYltnn4JjhGpmb4Oj7_JZ_m3uYIxUNuCczL73aUqJkJSkGZ6Pittlr2QeKwD3_vtusTIABYpXeutt6s1kPvfWBUQnd15jZXaSUem6XwLVd0kH-XacPtALV8U8mskFz7xs/s320/DSCF1269.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whats that coming over the hill.<br />
This where all the world's Yeti's originate from!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHy_cfhLvlCg88hESwTNLJRhjHU15jcQ2vW9q45QViYNDs7tfvwAaqasWjLHioX2fVB7LsDHExHI2mTPdaJf-i4hqAMBvFtXxb89_RvqR3P1nAAfgVO_PpkIyp4BNb3Wss6Z9VYq2HKD8/s1600/DSCF1280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHy_cfhLvlCg88hESwTNLJRhjHU15jcQ2vW9q45QViYNDs7tfvwAaqasWjLHioX2fVB7LsDHExHI2mTPdaJf-i4hqAMBvFtXxb89_RvqR3P1nAAfgVO_PpkIyp4BNb3Wss6Z9VYq2HKD8/s320/DSCF1280.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thats the infamous Piste M. Rumour has it that not a single person has ever got down it alive?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LQKRVmjZZqXBlREwHPlePRjWUrEoAaJr6dnblC3PoFleHFOj4FmedNjvZxe5PckmNcqrxaPsIvjAplJxAOr7OsABWtWxLgEF8ROErRs2pbval0sCkTv8SuvzmWg7Jhgj7NZXkfE6pS0/s1600/DSCF1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LQKRVmjZZqXBlREwHPlePRjWUrEoAaJr6dnblC3PoFleHFOj4FmedNjvZxe5PckmNcqrxaPsIvjAplJxAOr7OsABWtWxLgEF8ROErRs2pbval0sCkTv8SuvzmWg7Jhgj7NZXkfE6pS0/s320/DSCF1290.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found a panoramic setting on the camera </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-37862912394570646932011-01-12T07:08:00.000-08:002011-01-12T07:08:32.791-08:00I love snow<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Isn’t snow brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As mentioned before the pistes have deteriorated recently & the whole resort is in dire need of a heavy dump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the snow gods must of read my blog coz last night we had a splash of powder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a quick blast around in it this morning & although not the 60cm we need it has made a big difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then now, as I look out on the mountain vista, we have flakes the size of snowballs coming down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve had about 5cm in the last hour & its still coming down, let it last all afternoon & night & it’ll set the hill up for some wicked conditions & even make the off-pisting enjoyable.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHQF5BrqEjVM39jDSCYoLCzsN8J-iab9TkY4fmcSwzoLpnhaUZfOqDRTZAxuP98FTCR2VK3hxqYCOJcfDGt-5Uu8OqBsz7T5fxkvRcgHMg6pTty4IGUPEcc3B1nm81GwLdIcz8LFZ19o/s1600/DSCF1159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHQF5BrqEjVM39jDSCYoLCzsN8J-iab9TkY4fmcSwzoLpnhaUZfOqDRTZAxuP98FTCR2VK3hxqYCOJcfDGt-5Uu8OqBsz7T5fxkvRcgHMg6pTty4IGUPEcc3B1nm81GwLdIcz8LFZ19o/s320/DSCF1159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">After the family Shapla left us on Saturday I’ve given myself a bit of time off the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>6 days solid boarding is just a bit wearing for an aged boarder line alcoholic (we more or less last week anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why is acceptable to be having a shot of Rum in your drink at 10am just because your cold?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, the wife is still house bound due to her dodgy chest…….too many jokes too rubbish at typing…….. and it’s just a bit boring on your own.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">A bit of good news I had the other day though, the company I’m working for has confirmed I’m to have regular work with them for the rest of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although, as we all know, work is shit, doesn’t matter what you do or where you do it any normal person would rather not bother but beer doesn’t buy itself now does it (sometimes last week though it felt like it though, good work Shaps).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hours are long & tiring (sometimes I have to do up to 15hrs a week!! Did you hear, 15hrs a f*cking week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not every week mind, just the busy ones, but still).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But they are a good company & it is a good job for nosing around expensive Chalets & laughing at the mega rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The down side of it though, as we are in other peoples Chalets & working with the public, the rich & fussy public at that, I cant swear or take the piss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you know these are the 2 things that I’m a natural at & find it impossible to keep my mouth shut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve managed it so far with only 1 minor incident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had just fitted a family for their ski boots & was setting up their ski’s, all the customers were upstairs sitting round the fire Ra Ra Ra’ing about the kind of bollocks that ski people bore us all with, or so we thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Me & the boss were chatting away, when they called down “Lizzie, come & join us for Champoo darling” (twats) & to our great surprise 1 of the daughters was in the bedroom next to where we was working with her door open & could clearly hear all the cheap innuendo & poor jokes spilling from my mouth, luckily she was too engrossed in facebook or porn or what ever teenage girls look at these days so probably didn’t register but must be more careful.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">Tonight is the start of the snow Polo so we’re going to watch the equestrian show before all the matches later in the week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then tomorrow (Wednesday) is the weekly après party in the Doudone so I fully expect to be overly pissed & making up for all the tongue biting & politeness.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">B*llocks,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tw+t,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sh*t,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>F*ck,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C+nt,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>W*nker.<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-11005453091903604022011-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:002011-01-08T08:17:38.437-08:00A long catch up<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Due to recent complications & the distinct lack of posts, this blog is going to be a long 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, make sure the boss is out, you’ve got a cup of tea & your phone is on silent (I’m assuming you’re reading this at work, why would you waste your own time?).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The reason for the lack of emails, blogs, Skye & general e-contact is the on going saga of our internet problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As my many previous gripes have said we’ve had to buy 2 Wi-Fi dongles at a considerable cost, neither worked & the shops wouldn’t take them back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that they now appear to have corrupt the internal modem on my laptop so we couldn’t access the internet at all, anywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few computer wiz’s had a go but to no avail, I’m sure 1 of you supper brains could work it out but it’s far beyond us mountain dwellers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I sit here typing away on the only solution left open to us, a new laptop & as lovely as it is it is an expense our rather tight budget could do without.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who do I blame, those pesky French of course.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Enough about that, back to real the business of what’s been happening here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last time I blogged I think it was raining out side, its been a bit of mixed bag since but the last proper snow we had was Christmas Day when a dump of 30cm came down but from then on its been bright sun & getting gradually warmer, this is all well & good but it also means the snow is getting worse by the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking out of the window now it is still blue skies & a crisp mountains skyline but it is also ice & slush on most of the lower runs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Snow is now a necessity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send all your snow this way please, then you can get to work on time & I can fanny about on my board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s weather dealt with, next.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like a Christmas card out here but it never felt much like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christmas across most of Europe is celebrated on the 24<sup>th</sup> & is a much simpler affair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no mad rush in the super markets, presents are very few so shopping is not really done & there is no annoying f*cking Christmas songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t had to endure Slade’s last Christmas, Mariah c*nting Carey singing about who she wants for Christmas & the Pouges on auto repeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been delightful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did the French thing so we had our Christmas dinner on the 24<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wife cooked a slap up 4-course meal & after a few drinks in town we came back & gorged ourselves on copious amounts of food & drink & very nice it was too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the big day itself whilst you we’re all ripping open hundreds of expensive & pointless presents we had 1 between us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right, just 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t even get each other anything (mostly because we had just spent a small fortune on a new laptop).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wife’s lovely uncle had sent us out with a big box & when we opened it, to our pleasure, it contained a selection of spicy food stuff, corn based treats & chocolate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We intended to spend most of the day boarding but as it was snowing really hard we did 1 run, had a hot chocolate then came down & spent some quality time on the sofa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we had the busiest work day of the year to come on Boxing Day we didn’t even have any booze, (rock & roll).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIC7KTDsKVR9njiQre8wBsEuETlyoLKccVfG3ewIhKM6C0eDrCyiT13m2R86aLPk3jF9S5hYMxj2mMZrYAv7iCaxDboZQSwu13MgUX4N1VaQt0N7zjxt_PBeNZ2Xvh6S965eV-aV3dE8/s1600/DSCF1159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIC7KTDsKVR9njiQre8wBsEuETlyoLKccVfG3ewIhKM6C0eDrCyiT13m2R86aLPk3jF9S5hYMxj2mMZrYAv7iCaxDboZQSwu13MgUX4N1VaQt0N7zjxt_PBeNZ2Xvh6S965eV-aV3dE8/s320/DSCF1159.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">That brings me neatly on to the next subject, work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wife & I have been happily working away together every weekend cleaning apartments on change over-day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has been relatively easy work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But my skill & enthusiasm in the cleaning department got round the resort & I got offered, & accepted, a job working for Oxygen Ski School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next to ESF (who until very recently did not allow non-French people to work for them & dominate the French Ski-school market) they are the biggest ski-school & equipment hire in Val.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They haven’t quit noticed my extensive skills as a snowboard instructor yet so I am working alongside another English fella as ski/boot technician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not just that either, I am on there high end Chalet fitting service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means we go round all the best Chalets in the resort (which are up to €30,000 a week) & fit them for boots & ski’s without their rich little ase’s having to venture into the cold. It seems a perfectly natural course of events to me, start cleaning, promoted to ski technician!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have got to hear some amazing names of spoilt rich kids as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1<sup>st</sup> one was called Italy, we’ve had a Ned, Dash (after the Incredible’s), Cosmo, Rupert & countless Tilly’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they’re just the English 1’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve managed to keep a straight face so far but I cant see it lasting<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My boarding is improving gradually as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can now do icy reds without too much hassle (& limited falls) but I did manage to have my worst fall recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just off piste going down a relatively tame red run when I see a small mound of snow which would make an ideal kicker to do a little jump off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turned towards it, straightened up & gunned it, but instead of my board going up & over the it it went straight into it, got caught up in deep snow (possibly hit a rock but I couldn’t be sure) & sent me into a forward summersault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wife said I initially landed on my feet but the pain in my head & neck suggested otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I rolled down the mountain before coming to a crumpled halt waste deep in my own mini avalanche.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily the snow was quite deep & I only landed on my head, so no lasting damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I got a round of applause from a fellow random boarder so it must have been a good 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not the only 1 falling over though, the wife managed quite a spectacular fall the other day sending her poles & skies in all directions bruising her ribs & confidence in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All ok now though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4y30asP8mAEJlmrt4Ssj-IPSixrTpHe4DX84iSuVWetLbSNKkc79ETtwHY71NAob3ZhIdJbqF0rEXeLgON4AogpYxGheneuF6-pN9ZyC6IOU3GC1DoHu5GbrLTlYR9ynvLRLD5FFMtJs/s1600/DSCF1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4y30asP8mAEJlmrt4Ssj-IPSixrTpHe4DX84iSuVWetLbSNKkc79ETtwHY71NAob3ZhIdJbqF0rEXeLgON4AogpYxGheneuF6-pN9ZyC6IOU3GC1DoHu5GbrLTlYR9ynvLRLD5FFMtJs/s320/DSCF1220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floating down the mountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It’s not been the falling that has sent us to the medical centre though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its been the Sesonaires cough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve both had the obligatory cold all over Christmas but I caught a nasty chest infection off one of the lads I was working with, being a man though I shrugged it off & carried on but the poor wife was so bad she couldn’t breath so we paid a little visit to the infamous Dr Al who soon put pay to skiing & drinking for a couple of weeks, well, for her anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We managed to get New Year’s Eve out the way before we got struck down with the worst of the lurgies & it was a cracker. We went to our Favourite little bar called The Lodge for drinks & dinner in the restaurant upstairs but it started off with an afternoon boarding with a mate (the wife was feeling a bit ill so she needed a rest before the drinking) & the compulsory post ski drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lovely sunny day so we had pint up the mountain on a packed out sun deck before going back to a bar called The Chalet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I told the wife I only had 3 pints (didn’t want to spoil the evening) but the wallet suggested I had at least double, its not like me to lie to the wife about how much I had to drink?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I was half cut (I know on only 3 pints, who’d of thought it) it was a very quick turn around on the bath & changing then straight out to The Lodge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The meal was ok but the drinking went on to around 4am & it was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They do NYE much more than Christmas & it was just 1 big party everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The downside, as there inevitably is, was the hangover the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed to get away with it with little more than a morning headache & afternoon beer sweats, the wife though, dam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll say no more, we’ve all been there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was lucky I got away with it, as I had to drive the tricky mountain roads in the dark for 40mins to pick up our friends who were visiting Val for a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That week has just gone & it was great to see them both & to have a fellow boarder & drinker with me all week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The body now needs a few days to clear the beer from the system but a blinding week was had.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">And I’ll finish with a top tip from my own personal experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you happen have a bit of dodgy food that stops you being more 5m away from a toilet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve had to sit on the thrown 10 times in an hour, if the passing of solids are but a distant memory but now its not just liquid that’s exploding out its like battery acid, if every wipe of the triple ply feels like an angle grinder & all thought of wiping fills you with dread & all you want is a nice soothing clean, then don’t, & please take it from me, don’t what ever you do mistake baby wipes for Flash bleach toilet wipes!! <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy New Year All.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Kevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8539983222232820396.post-64492295923573743762011-01-06T07:43:00.000-08:002011-01-06T07:43:36.449-08:00I'm BackHello all. We have a new computer after the last 1 was corrupt by the useless french dongles. We still dont have internet at home but at least we can get on line in wifi spots.<br />
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I will do a proper blog soon and update you all on our Christmas & new Year's activities.<br />
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Happy New Year AllKevhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15376354143150063087noreply@blogger.com1