Shuttin' Up Shop

So the mighty COP (above: Calgary Olympic Park) closed down for the winter on Friday last - maybe winter is shutting up shop for this season after all. Driving past the ski jumps and little ski hill on the way to work every day makes me take the city's "ski resort" for granted, but I'll sure miss it, if (when) we depart Calgary. They sure never did build one of these suckers in Warrington, although a relatively local lad "Eddie the Eagle Edwards" made his name here on this ski jump in Calgary, reaching iconic Olympic status for ski jumping wearing bright pink goggles that covered up his double thickness magnifying glass like spectacles and having absolutely no idea what so ever about ski jumping - particularly the landing part! No wonder really when it comes to light that good old Eddie learnt to ski jump in his back yard in Wigan and at the dry ski slope in Rossendale. - Trying to explain to Canadians about dry ski slopes is like trying to tell Eskimos that their igloos need air conditioning. Having wrestled with this concept with one of my grade 8 classes and been subjected to interrogation such as; "how can you make snow dry?", - well it's not really snow, "but if it's dry doesn't it melt?", it's not really snow Johnny, more like nylon, "like my mom's tights?" - well not quite, more like carpet - "so you carpet a mountain to ski down" - something like that Johnny - "Do you have to build the mountain too?" - no, I don't have the tectonic power of mountain building, the mountain is already there - "but Englands flat" - not all of it "You English people are weird" - At which point Johnny talks himself into a detention and leaves me pondering the sanity of us Brits. I know ski-ing is great and all but the thought of a dry ski slope now borders on the absurd. What next, selling sand to the Iraqis?

We've been struggling to get to grips with academia at work this post Spring Break week, but were delighted to see a mere two and a bit months before summer holidays!!!!! (Even Sunshine will have closed by then).

Spring break saw days of good snow in the hills and quality boarding time, although the roads seem to be clearing now for proper bike riding. I've got my first mtb race coming up on the 22nd. Not been on a bike competitively for a good while and am raring to go. Last time I began to get this fit my bollock fell off, lets hope for a significantly different outcome this time around!

Also busy plotting a summer road trip of road trips as bro and sis in law are heading Canadaside in July!

Anyway, for now it's back to the grindstone (well, more like a rather blunt file the way I'm working),

Hoping you're all keeping your tackle in tact,

Big smiles for the sun,

S&S.

p.s. Roll on this;