Further Reading

This article was in the Daily Telegraph in the UK a week ago talking about Arè in Sweden being voted in the top 10 ski resorts in the world. Has lots of good info about Arè in it. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/7241887/Skiing-Is-re-in-Sweden-one-of-the-worlds-top-10-resorts.html

But What About The Skiing?

If I had written this entry after the 1st day skiing I would have sounded disappointed. But after getting to know the layout and which lift goes to which types of slopes; and getting used to the T-Bar lifts we would both give Sweden and Arè the big thumbs up.

The good things?

Staying on the mountain and being able to ski stright away. No 40 min drives up & down the mountain. No putting on chains in the mud with feeezing fingers.

The lack of crowds. There are very few people on the slopes. The lift lines aren't particularly long and everyone queuing is polite and patient.

No snowboarders! Well there are a few but it's basically 99% skiers. As it should be! :)

In the morning the slopes are pristine. It's like we have been dropped by helicopter onto a remote mountain.

You get the same instructor and same people in your lesson every day. There's a consistency and progression to what you are being taught. You get to build on things. I've progressed more this week than I ever have before. Perhaps it's just things finally coming together but it's been awesome.

(In the southern hemispere you get a different instructor most days and each one has their own techniques and exercises.)

We're doing fun stuff like skiing off piste and going through sections of forest. Speed control is bloody hard in narrow windy tracks with consecutive dips and jumps. I saw Carole somersault out of a forest today. Literally. I guess I should point out that I witnessed this from the ground after flying out of the same forest myself and getting a mouthfull of snow :)

They have little huts with fires where you can thaw out or cook sausages.

And well, it's all different and new.

The bad?

Not too much really. We chose the resort we are in because it is great for kids but it doesn't have any chair lifts. We could catch a free bus into the main area (15 min) or it's possible to ski across there via a few T-Bar lifts but we have a tight schedule:-

9.00 drop Ben at crèche.
9.00 - 10.30 ski
10.30 pick Ben up and get him ready for lesson
11.00 - 12.30 Ben's lesson
12.30 - 1.00 have quick lunch
1.00 drop Ben back at crèche.
1.30 - 3.00 our lesson
3.00 - 4.00 free ski
4.00 pick up Ben from crèche.

So it's easier to ski round our part of the mountain. But we've got used to the layout and schedule and it's been great. Tomorrow we don't have a lesson so in the afternoon we'll catch the bus to the main area and check it out and ski our way back.

The T-Bars took a full day to get used to. They are essentially a big anchor and one person sits on each side of it and it drags you up. You ski along. Extacting yourself is a challenge at first but we got the hang of it. Still strikes me as dangerous tho. You drop this anchor shaped t-bar and it gets dragged along through the drop off area before going up into the air. If anybody dawdled out of the the drop off area or falls they better look out out for flying anchors!

It probably sounds like T-Bars only is a bit lame but they go up a bloody long way. Over a kilometre. And the runs down are great with choices on both sides of the lift.

All in all, skiing in Sweden is awesome.

And I should point out that after a couple of cold days down around -30c it's been much warmer at -17c and -6c.

Night Skiing

Children's Apres Ski Fun

Hej From Sweden (Sverige)

Sweden is freakin cold with a capital C. Was -30 this morning when I went out to ski at 9am. So cold they stopped the chairlifts at the main resort. The T-bars near us kept operating tho.

Yesterday Ben had a bit of a bust up in crèche while riding a round toboggan (like a plastic bin lid). Bashed his mouth & teeth and there was a lot of blood apparently but the passing medi ski-mobile checked him out and there was no real damage.

Our lessons are in a class of 6 and we are the only non Swedish speakers but everyone speaks perfect English so they do the class in English for us and it saves the instructor saying things twice.

Ben went on a disc pull lift for the 1st time today. Pretty scary to watch but after one tumble he got the gist. There are 5 in his class.

Just been to a tour of a huge igloo with lots of rooms and huge icy waterfall nearby topped off with waffles and hot chocolate. It cost us 850 kroner for the 3 of us ($130) but the tour operator made a loss since the taxi cost 500 kroner each way.

Saturday we're going dog sledding on a frozen lake which should be good. They are currently testing a bunch of European cars on the lake. Audis, BMWs, even Lamborginis.

The level on English signage is next to zero which makes some basic things a bit difficult as you can't even guess sometimes. Many of the words are completely different.

Swedish people are very polite and also quietly spoken. They aren't into all the latest trendiest snow clothes..it's not a fashion contest like it tends to be in other places.

We were warned that the cost of things was quite horrendous but we've found it reasonable enough. Had a huge pizza for 120 kroner which is about $18.50. Hot chocolate & a danish for about $5.20. Beer costs $7 or $8 a bottle in a bar or restaurant but I can buy a 6 pack of 500ml cans for between $12 &$14at the supermarket.

Hejdå & tack tack for reading this far :)

Hulla Baloo

Went to the West Ham vs. Hull game yesterday and it was another win and another clean sheet with a slashing 3-0 performance.

After the Blackburn game a few weeks back I was kicking myself for not having got my act together to organise Ben's photo be put in the matchday programme for his birthday.

So that night I sent off a photo and a request to get it printed in the Hull or Bolton programmes as Ben would be at both those games as well.

I hadn't heard back from them so I assumed they hadn't been able to do it. The photo I had sent was just a quick snap taken with my iPhone anyway and may not have had enough pixels to be print quality. .

As soon as we got out of the tube station I grabbed a programme and flicked straight to the fan's photos pages. "it's not in" I said to Carole. She looked over my shoulder and said "there it is" and sure enough I'd missed it in my rush.

We didn't show Ben until we were in and seated in the Sir Trevor Brooking Upper stand. He was wrapped (sp?) when he saw himself. It made all of our days.

Hull really are a very average football side and are surely destined to be relegated (like they should have been last year). But who cares how bad they are since those rip roaring hammers got to have a bit of an East End knees up and put 3 past them.

The pubs were all too packed to take a 4yo into so we caught the underground back to where we are staying in Houndslow not far from Heathrow. Another cheap feed at the Jolly Wagoner and it was off to bed before our early morning start to go to Sweden.

Taking a Toll

The toll on the M6 is £4.70. Thanks for coming.

There's a no toll M6 but you get caught in traffic around Birmingham.

At least here they have toll booths. In Brisbane it's bad luck for visitors and tourists. You have to know enough to write the phone number down and phone up to pay the toll afterwards. What a joke.

We're down in London again for a couple of nights. Tonight is the big Eastenders live episode where you can bet at the bookies on who killed Archie Mitchell. Was tempted to put my work punters club bet on Jack Brannon or Tracy the barmaid but Boxy gets the hump when someone bets on ladies tennis so he'd burst a blood vessel if I did.

Tomorrow it's off to West Ham vs Hull for the 3 of us. Hopefully I'll be able to stick it to Squeaky Clean the same way I did to Brummie Damian Roe.

Then on Sunday morning it's the 4.45am shuttle to Heathrow and a flight to Sweden to go skiing. Don't think I'll have mobile service so updates will have to wait until we get back a week later.

J is for Jolly Wagoner

A-Z Pubs & Beers 2010 (UK)

The beers A-Z is much easier with heaps of choices in most pubs

Beers

A B C D F G H J K L M O R S T W X

Amber Ale (Shepherd Neame brewers - Kentish Ale)
Boddingtons
Carling Black Label (lager)
Carlsberg (lager)
Deuchars IPA (brewed by Caledonian)
Flowers Original Ale (Betley)
Gertie Sweet Traditional Ale (Betley)
Heinekin lager
John Smiths Bitter
Kronenburg 1664 (Ilford)
Lancaster Bomber (Thwaites - London Angel & Crown)
Master Brew (Shepherd Neame brewers - Kentish Ale)
Old Leg Over (Daleside, Yorkshire Ale, Alford)
Ruddles Bitter (Barking)
Spring Heeled Jack (Ilford, London)
Sussex Best Bitter (Kent)
Tetley's Smooth Flow
Wagoner's Ale (brewed in Lincolnshire by Tom Woods)
Worthingtons Creamflow (Crewe)
XB Best Bitter (Skendlyby)

The Pub A-Z is not going quite so flash. Sometimes there's been no option than to double up letters. I've got a pub crawl in Nantwich in a few weeks so should plug a few gaps then.

A B C D H J Y

Angel & Crown (London Soho, Shaftsbury Ave)
Barking Dog (Barking. East London)
The Blacksmith Arms (Lincolnshire)
Chapter Arms (Chatham Hatch, Kent)
Crewe Hero (Crewe Station)
The County (Ilford, London)
Duke of Edinburgh (Upton Park. East London)
Hand & Trumpet (Betley)
Half Moon (Alford Lincs)
Jolly Wagoner (Houndslow)
Ye Olde Vaults (Nantwich, Cheshire)
Woodside

And Hodge, Watkins etc can keep their moaning about "the" to themselves.

H is for Hand & Trumpet

Up To Nowt

Yesterday we went for a drive around the surrounding areas. Found a geocache near Spilsby, wandered along the beach front at Sutton on Sea and had tea at the Half Moon in Alford.

Today we've not been up to too much. Relaxing around the cottage watching the rabbits dart from burrow to burrow. We're now having a meal at the Blacksmith's Arms. I get no mobile service at the cottage but the publican let's me use his wifi.

View from the cottage window..look closely for snow flakes

One of the hireable chalets at Sutton Sea - similar to Brighton beach boxes

Butlins at Skegness in Lincolnshire

How to describe Butlins? It's a sort of all inclusive holiday resort particularly popular with families. There are shows and entertainment and amusement arcades and pubs and clubs and pools and water slides and go carts and activities and cinemas bowling alleys and you name it, they've got it.

In our 3 days there we did all of those things. We saw Brainiac on stage, Abba, Elvis & Queen tribute shows, Barney & Dora shows, puppet shows, watched Avatar at the cinema. We swam in the heated pools, walked on the beach (Carole even had a paddle), watched the 6 Nations rugby in the pub, rolled in at 2am one night.

Some people seem to think Butlins is a bit of a joke. I just saw lots of families having a great time.

Vale Dick Francis

Passed away today aged 89. Former jockey to the Queen and the author of many many excellent horse racing novels

R&R

We are spending a few quiet days in a nice little cottage in Lincolnshire. Just arrived and it's now snowing away outside. The fire is crackling away. And we'll wander up the pub for tea later.

Cheap As Chips

Sports Direct & Lillywhites would have to be the cheapest brand names sports clothing shops in the world.

Carole got a good quality pair of Karimore hiking boots for £30 and could have bought a ski jacket and pants for £45

2 Nil To The Cockney Boys

Caught the train down to London on my own to go to the Birmingham game last night. Kick off at 7.45pm so too late for Ben who stayed in Cheshire with Carole.

The Crewe train station had a pub on the platform. Only in England. Didn't stop me having one though.

Just under 2 hours on the train and rolled into London Euston at 3pm.

Had a wander round Soho and the Theatre District. Must say it is very liberating to be on your own in London. No 4yo. No 'museum hating' wife. Do whatever you want. It may be the 1st time I've been on my own in London.

Quick pint in the Angel & Crown on Shaftsbury Ave ("A" tick). Wander round the National Portrait Gallery.

Started to snow so quick dash into McDonalds to put on my long johns (too much information?) then on the underground to Upton Park.

Tea at the renowned Ken's Cafe on Green St (only West Ham fans would have heard of it :)

Seat was in the 2nd row of the West Lower but in the wedge part right beside the rowdy Trevor Brooking Lower.

I always get a tear in my eye when they sing Bubbles before kick off and the music stops and its just the crowd.

Great atmosphere and Zola went with an attacking formation. 4-4-2 but with Diamanti wide left it was effectively 3 up front.

When Diamanti curled in the free kick just before the half time whistle the crowd went mental..I was swamped by people from behind hugging me and lifting me up in the air! Diamanti raced over to celebrate with Zola and a bunch of other players piled on top. Awesome.

Scored a 2nd goal to make sure of the points and it was an East End knees up with everyone going home happy (for a change).

From Stamford Bridge to Upton Park, Stick Ya Blue Flag Up Ya A*se

Got the Chelsea tickets. Seems there weren't 3000 people wanting to pay £48/ticket to see us get flogged.

(The title of the post is from an insulting song chanted at Chelsea)

Martin Mere

Went to Martin Mere which is a wildlife conservation park..mainly birds. Pretty impressive with several hides overlooking a large lake. Literally thousands of Whooper Swans (pronounced hooper) that migrate from Iceland. Ben enjoyed it. He also loved the playground though.

Tea from the fisho down the road. Cod, chips, mushy peas and dabs (potato scallops).

Forgot that it was the day tickets went on sale to members for Chelsea away. Now I have to queue up on the phone with the public at 10p/min :(

Bolton

Watched Dan keep a clean sheet in Nantwich Town's 7-0 defeat of Crewe..more points than Chris's rugby!

Drove up to Bolton to stay with friends Louie & Dorrie in their cottage. Ben loves all the rooms and exploring. Tried to find a geocache in a nearby valley but it hadn't been found since August and we gave up. Louie and I hoofed back up the muddy hill but the girls and Ben went the long flat way. I was getting a bit nervous as it got dark..made a couple of phone calls to make sure they were ok and that we were waiting in the right place. They eventually traipsed out of the darkness beside Kevin Davis's "cottage" (the Bolton striker, smarmy git).

Nice stew for tea.

More Ticks

Spent Friday in grave yards doing family tree research for Carole. Lunch at the Hand & Trumpet (H tick) where I had Flowers Original Ale & Gerties Sweet Traditional Ale (F tick , G tick).

Did a tour of the small Woodlands micro brewery (http://www.woodlandsbrewery.co.uk/) where I had a pint of Old Leaf (O tick).

Left Ben with Joanne & Trev who took him to the park and to watch Big Chris play rugby for the Nomads against Crewe and Nantwich (3 - 3) yes it was Rugby not football despite the scoreline.

We headed up to Burnley' ground Turf Moor, another tick on football grounds life list. The Northern Hammers hosted a bit of a party and nosh up at someone's house before the game. Drinks were provided and they put them outside on a concrete slab in the back yard on the ground to keep cold lol...Hodge would approve although he wouldn't care if it was winter on not.

Atmosphere at away games is always much better than home games as you get all the fanatical supporters in one small area. Was really buzzing. Unfortunately we weren't at the races for the first half hour and our England rep centre back had a clanger to gift them a goal.

Went down further thanks to a peach of a curling free kick. In the last 20 mins we were awesome (needed to play like that for the full 90m) hit the bar and post scored a good goal and were unlucky not to get at least something out of the game. But we need points not excuses or it's gonna be relegation to the fizzy pop for us :(

Thought Mido looked like he will be a good signing from the get go. McCarthy will take several games to get match fit. Didn't see enough of Ilan to judge although he took his goal well and looked like he might be useful.

Gotta get 3 points Wed night against Birmingham.

Y, Y, Y Delilah

Just in enjoying a pint of bitter in a Y pub - Ye Olde Vaults in Nantwich.

Been surprised at how Carole has embraced my A-Z challenge. It's all good!

The M1 connected to the M6

Spent up in the sales at the West Ham club shops. £9.99 for official home and away shirts. The club had 21,000 shirts stockpiled and they are due to be changed next season.

They have a really nice range of Bobby Moore Foundation (http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/bobbymoorefund/) gear with 10% going to cancer research.

Then it was on to the M11 -> M25 -> M1 -> M6 -> A500 to Nantwich in Cheshire where Carole's relatives live. No change out of 3 hours drive. No matter what speed I do I get passed by all & sundry. Ben slept for a lot of it but the last bit got a bit tedious with "we'll never get there" and "are we close now" every few miles from the back seat :)

Canterbury Tales

Had a look around Canterbury and the catherdral. It's massive. Saw the tomb of Edward the Black Prince.

Drove back to London for what should have been the West Ham Wolves game but as I said in an earlier post it was postponed due to Wolves fa cup replay the same night. Accomo was pre paid non refundable or changeable so may as well use it.

Driving north to Nantwich in Cheshire today.

The iPhone is coming in handy for route planning and directions..just using the built in google maps directions function which allos you to specify by road or foot.

Howfield Manor

Into The Countryside

Picked up a hire car and drove to a small village near Canterbury in Kent called Chathem Hatch. Staying in a 12th century manor house. Have to stoop my head about a foot to get through the door of our room.

Nice pub lunch in a small pub called the Chapter Arms (most of the surrounding lands are owned by the church). Publican was into his sports..spoke proper posh but that might be a Kent thing. Tried a couple of Kentish Ales from the oldest brewer in the UK, Shepherd Neame (http://www.shepherd-neame.co.uk/). Keeping an A-Z list of pubs and beers for the trip. Will post details when there's a few more entries.

Did a quick geocache (see www.geocaching.com to find out more about what it is).

Full English next morning. Off to Canterbury today to have a look around.

Chapter Arms Pub, Chatham Hatch, Kent