Dreamin' of a white Christmas

Merry Christmas all!

I trust that Santa bought you all the goodies that you deserved (or didn't deserve) and that the holiday time has been action packed with drinking and eating excessively. Having had no fresh snow in Cochrane for a while, we headed out west on Christmas morning and drove slap bang into a snowstorm in Kananaskis (just what we were after). Sliding along on the cross country sticks is a rather theraputic way to spend crimbo morning, greeting the other skiers with a hearty 'Merry Christmas', before digging into the snow to stop for hot chocolate and, er, chocolate! (Brina found the British shop in Calgary and we were treated to real Cadbury's for Christmas).

As you can see, the festive season got a little too much for Brina;

Clearly the snow got to places where it shouldn't mid 'snow angel'.

After a while crusing around the nice fresh snow, we headed home to feast on Turkey and Christmas Pud (not in the same bowl). Boxing day was all very relaxed until it started to snow again (proper Canadian snow - like, shed loads) and we became rather twitchy at the prospect of getting out onto the slopes. So a great day was had today at Sunshine - not the best visibility as it still hasn't stopped snowing 24 hours later, but the trails are in awesome nick! We're off to Fernie tomorrow for a few days and reports are they're ten feet under powder. Hopefully we'll still make it into the states for a jolly, but who needs the bloody Yanks when you've got the wild land of the Canuck on your doorstep.

No doubt the next report will involve some kind of New Years antics too - so, before 2007, we wish you all a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

I'm off to find my wooly hat as the Christmas season has also brought a number 1 buzz cut (a bit shorter than action man's hairdo - anybody unfamiliar with action man needs to research boys' toys of the 1980s) - I almost get reflection of the top of my head nowadays.

Snow Angels at the Ready,

Have a drink for us on New Years,

S&S.

Happy Hangover and Merry Christmas

Hi All,

Postings have been somewhat sparse in the festive run up to Christmas. With traipsing around shopping Malls heaving with people all going in the opposite direction to me, to complete Christmas shopping tasks, and finishing things off at work, time seems to have swung by a little too quickly these past couple of weeks. But at least we've got our tree up!

Also, the customary Christmas hangover has been ticked off the list too! A couple of pints and a wee glass of firewater is all that it takes for me to be writhing around in agony crying that I shall never touch a drop again! (I was actually home by 7.30pm so it can't have been that bad!).

We're eyeing up where to visit over the holidays. At the moment it looks like we're off to BC to ski and board for a few days, and then down into the states to test out what Montana's snow has to offer! (I still get a bit sketchy thinking about passing US customs officials seeing as though we don't have a great history - but I'm sure my new photocopied work visa will get me back into Canada!).

The fun things in the hills are going a plenty - and a brief jaunt to Mt Norquay to board for a few hours is the order of this afternoon (today being Chrimbo eve). Having jettisoned down a couple of rocky double black diamonds on Goats Eye mountain at Sunshine, I've dusted off the old helmet to keep my bonce safe - although without a helmet I look like I have the worlds biggest head anyway, so when I don the lid I resemble something more akin to Neil Armstrong at work for NASA. (One small step... and all that).

We'll update you with pre New Years antics, and in the meantime wish you all a very Merry Christmas (just keep off the firewater).

I've got some Brussel Sprouts to peal and Brinas on with the Triffle.

Don't burn the Turkey,

S&S.

Cracking the Whip

Hi All,
So this image pretty much sums up the past week. The shakles of work and study have gripped me by the knackers (oops, should be singular!) and the beautiful weekend drifted by with me desperately trying to keep up to date with marking and lesson plans whilst finishing off an increasingly lenghty project for a course I keep thinking I've finished (it's done for good this Friday though - so a double whammy of boarding to be had this weekend). Whilst I've been chained to the desk, Brina has been sick in bed (not chained - just to counteract any salivating perverted comments).
At work we're on the back nine with regards to the forthcoming christmas holidays now though (if the truth be told I'm actually already in the clubhouse with my feet up sipping a stiff brandy, as all my lessons at present revolve around videos and dvds - and the kids had better get used to it because that's all they're getting until 2007).
I think it's about time to really finish off my blasted project, I hear the jingling of tea cups coming up the stairs so I'd best log off and pretend that I have in fact been 'studying' up here for the past 2 hours! We hope you are all fit and well, and that you're keeping your fingers crossed for Santa's visit!
Premature Ho Ho Hos
S&S.
p.s. If any of you are driving home from a pub tonight and you see a scouser on a bike, try not to run him over -
it's probably your bike!

Sunshine

Despite the title of this posting, no, this isn't another weather related issue. For those unaware, Sunshine is the ski hill just beyond Banff. (I say hill, rather - three massive mountains). It was our first proper outing to a ski resort this year, and a great start it was! They've had loads of the white stuff, there were fresh tracks to be had just off piste (a la Val d' Isere) and the sky was blue. The wind chill on the chair lifts was about minus 35 however, but this wasn't too much of an issue if all skin was covered; Enter, Darth Maul on skis;

As well as ski-ing for the most part of the day with Darth Maul (above), the brother Vader did make an appearance;

Mt Assinaboine is the Matterhorn like Peak in the background behind Brina in the top photo. It's a classic landmark of the Canadian Rockies and it's pretty impressive to be ski-ing (boarding) with it sat on the horizon (as usual, the photo doesn't do it justice, but it's a bloody massive chunk of rock sitting higher than anything else around).

Brina was testing out her new skis, and they're a lot quicker than the old ones. Much to her delight, I inadvertently took us down a black diamond chute through the trees on the second run of the day. After much coaxing (and talking her out of divorcing me for taking her on such a ****ing stupid run) she glissaded down with ease (better than the oik with a snowboard who took her there!). The old board had a fun day out and found some steeper and deeper stuff when Darth Maul went in for an extra cup of hot chocolate and to warm her frozen tootsies.

We got there at last, the season opener was a good un, and hopefully next weekend will provide more of the same. (It may well even be a bit warmer - the crazy Calgary temps were in the minus 40s last week and they're forecasting plus 16 for this Thursday. I don't know many other places with a temperature range of 50 for the daily highs within two weeks).

The Christmas lights are coming out tonight (all the neighbours have had their outdoor lights up since the end of Halloween and our road is like the Strip in Vegas - only less hookers). I don't think I'll be too Christmassy until work is done - only two and a half weeks to go!!!!!!

Hope the weather isn't too crazy where ever you live,

Deck the Halls,

S&S.