Where did that week go?

So another week slips by without much notice being taken of what happens in those dull days from Monday to Friday. Friday evening saw a beverage or two make for some wobbly sideways walking - not a good comination when the wife then proceeds to instruct you that it's time for Christmas shopping in the Mall. Desperately fighting a Guiness fuelled giddy drunken head, the best I could do was to put all of my efforts into pedestrian avoidance - more than once did I whack into somebody's shopping bag with my errant, Bambi like, alcoholic legs (looks of annoyance were welcome - the look of terror from an old biddy thinking I was a mugger about to take off with her purse, was a little more embarassing). Needless to say shopping was not overly productive, although I was informed in the morning that I'd purchased a new pair of jeans and a couple of shirts - as well as Brina's christmas present (I did? I asked myself, frantically trying to recall what the hell I'd bought her and more importantly, where the heck I'd now put it!!!). At least the weekend was a little more rememerable than the week.

Brina and I headed out to Banff on Saturday to ski the Spray River Loop, a nice little shuffle on the skis for a couple of hours through fresh, crisp snow. It was still rather chilly (we saw a warm day today however, high of minus 5 and it really was a welcome relief - felt almost tropical), although we didn't hit the trail until midday when the sun was dropping behind the western peaks. There weren't many people out, and some thoughtful soul had parked a picnic bench at the midway point of the trail in an ideal spot for hot tea and hobnobs!Even the air looks blue in the photo above (can't believe the river behind isn't all iced up though - seeing as though Jumping Pound Creek in Cochrane hasn't melted for two weeks and has been a resident ice rink for the local kids every night).

The ski loop was rather picturesque as it came out right at the Banff Springs - although the golf course which you ski over doesn't look too playable in December.

Ooops - I inadvertently added two piccies of that above, and still I have not figured out how to remove photos from a post once they've been added!

The final shot here is from Banff Ave. They've been digging it up all summer to put drains and the like in, and nothing has changed drastically - albeit the sidewalk (yikes, that sounds like American talk, I meant to say "footpath" or "pavement") is a little wider. I look forward to the day the entire street becomes pedestrianised.

So that was Saturday. Sunday was left open for a day in the back country with Bradley USA. Fortunately it was decided that avalanche conditions were far less than favourable (ridiculously unstable to be frank) and a day on the windtrainer was called for. An avalanche killed two guys in the place where we'd talked about heading to on the weekend - Note: It's only dicking around in the snow on a board, there's always next time, and I think we'll be hanging on for "super safe" conditions to be issued before we get too carried away. Grim note to end on...
Anyway, hoping to twist the finale of this post onto a more positive theme, I wish you all much happiness in the days leading up to Santa's delivery day. I'd best be off to search around and see if I can find what I supposedly bought Brina for Christmas.
Big pre Christmas bear hugs to you all,
S&S.