...next year will be the perfect year'
Whatever happened to Dina Carroll? A fellow Cantrabrigian, I can still remember seeing her having driving lessons around Cambridge. There was always an added air of excitement in Sainsbury's, where I worked, when she popped in for a Glade Plug-In and a Wagon Wheel! I think she was last heard of suffering from terrible stage fright?
Anyway, here we are then, 31st December. Traditionally, the end of the year is a time for reflection. Well, that's what we're brought up to believe, but in reality, for most people I've encountered, it tends to be all about fretting over what you're going to do on New Year's Eve! I think I'm yet to meet anyone who actively states that they love the 'big night'. Pubs that are crying out for your custom all year suddenly start charging you a fiver for the right to spend more money in over-crowded bars where it takes twenty minutes to get a drink and there are at least three 'Happy New Year' false alarms. Elsewhere taxi drivers swap their day jobs in favour of running extortion rackets. As a result, up and down the country friends play 'New Year Russian Roulette' refusing to commit to any plans until at the last minute (usually around the 28th December), someone finally cracks and declares that everyone can come to theirs.
Personally, I've never been a fan of New Year's Eve, although I have had some belters (a weekend in Rock conjours up particularly fond memories). No, to me, the passing of another year has really only meant that the festive celebrations are at an end and that I'm another year older! Yet, for once, I'm excited and optimistic about this New Year. Granted, a lot of this is wrapped up in my building giddiness over the Olympics - at this rate, by July they'll have to put me on valium - but most of the excitement is based on the simple fact that 2012 isn't 2011.
In short I can't wait to see the back of this ruddy year. OK, so there have been some high points - the weddings of Kate & Wills and Sophie & Chris most notably - but let's be honest, it's not been a vintage. Compared with the various trials and tribulations I've watched a number of friends and relations go through, mine's probably been fair to middling, but I wouldn't describe it as an easy, plain-sailing sort of year. However, as I gaze back and survey the wreckage like the opening scene from Lost, somehow everyone is still present and correct, still just about smiling, albeit with an array of battle scars and a greater tolerance for alcohol!
When I look back on where I was this time last year, I don't think I'd ever have imagined that this year would have turned out the way it has, but with the new year on the horizon there is lots to look forward to. At the very least 2011 has made me appreciate things I previously took for granted. For starters I have a greater affection for the Royal Family than I ever knew and I've learnt that I genuinely can't be without a Smartphone! Perhaps more importantly, in the maelstrom of the long-term break-up, I managed to qualify for my Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma and get promoted at work, so I'm clearly tougher, more resilient and more practical than I thought. I've also managed to say a sad but fond farewell to the past eleven years devoid (I think) of any anger or bitterness and find myself generally wishing the ex and the 'replacement me' the very best of happiness - so maybe I'm not as far away from the fair, rational and decent person I always try to be as I sometimes think - that said, I do comfort myself with the fact that I regard myself as infinitely superior to the new me on virtually every level (sorry, couldn't resist it). Most of all, however, 2011 has made me appreciate how very fortunate I am to be surrounded by such amazing, warm, considerate, funny and inspiring friends and family who have laughed with me, cried with me and mostly got very, very drunk with me. My biggest fear was being alone, but thanks to you I haven't had to be. You will never know the positive difference you've made and continue to make to my little ol' life.
It only remains for me to say, that if you've had a good year then I am genuinely pleased for you - little bits of your happiness and enthusiasm have rubbed of on the rest of us and made the tough bits that little bit easier. If you've had a stinker of a year, then congratulate yourself for making it through in one piece and comfort yourself with the knowledge that 2012 is going to be amazing. And whatever role you've played in my life this year, know that you're incredibly special, and I wish you and your loved ones the most amazing, enjoyable and stress-free new year.
2012 - BRING IT ON!
Saturday 31 December 2011
Wednesday 28 December 2011
Day 220 (28 December 2011) - It's the Final Countdown...
...doodle do dooo, doodle doodle do do' etc/'
Hello! Given that one of the central themes of this blog has been music and it's well know that I'm a music-stat spod, I thought it only right and proper to bring you my own personal Top 10 tunes of 2011.
Now before I get into this, I should point out that whilst I have a broad knowledge and appreciation of music, I am not an expert. Yes, I was handy on the recorder as child, yes, I have been known to play my teeth (where's That's Life when you need it?) and yes, I'm still the best person in a music quiz I know, but Gareth Malone, I am not. I'm putting this caveat in now, because in compiling this list I (and I agonised for minutes over this), I quickly realised that my songs of the year were going to be a world away from those produced by various musos in the industry press - and in many cases my selections would be regarded as utter tripe.
With this in mind, there was a temptation to lob in some more 'acceptable' selections, but then I thought 'sod it - my gaff my rules'. In addition, many of you will have heard me ramble on ad nauseum about my mission to rid the world of bullshit. If you haven't, the theory behind this is as follows:
Here we go:
10. James Blake - Limit to your love
Probably the most obscure track on my list, but a perfect Sunday morning track. James Blake has an amazing voice. Be warned - it contains some big, empty pauses, so you'll think it's finished before it has. Just a shame the rest of the album wasn't as good,
9. Beyonce - Best thing I never had
Ooh, Beyonce, how you've teased me this year! Everything she's released has disappointed me on first hearing, but like ragwort has slowly embedded itself in my brain. I felt sooooo letdown by the album '4' and thought it was rubbish, but having gone back to it recently, now love every single song. My current fave is Love on Top, which nearly made it into the list, but as 'Best Thing I Never Had' is my third most played song of the year, I plumped for this instead. 'I bet it sucks to be you right now'! That said, much as I now love the album, there's nothing in the same league as her classics (Crazy in Love would be in my all time Top 10).
8. Saturdays - Notorious
Apparently The Saturdays have had 12 hits thus far yet I bet most people would struggle to name three. I have to admit that when I heard this song, I had no idea it was The Saturdays, being so different from the typical three-minute bubble-gum pop they'd released previously. However, it is definitely them and it is definitely a choon (particularly when having a wiggle)
7. Ed Sheeran - Lego House
Aah, little Ed. Like a little hobbit he burst upon the scene this year. This is what I love about the download era - someone like Ed Sheeran would not have made it in previous times, being neither cool enough or pretty enough to have been signed. Yet his debut album has sold over a million copies in the UK and he's watched by gazillions on Youtube. That said, I find him a little annoying, but will forgive him for this beautiful song (I wonder if Lego get royalties?)
6. Saturdays - All Fired Up
I admit to being slightly embarrassed. Having one song by The Saturdays in this list is bad enough, but two!? Lordy! Yet it's a thumper of a song and probably one of the most innovative dance tunes of the year - much better than any of the formulaic or recycled stuff most producers are churning out (yes, Monsieur Guetta, I do mean you.)
5. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
Forget Lady Gaga, you want proper bonkers? Then Nicki Minaj is your girl. She looks and raps like someone who's given her carer the slip whilst out at bingo. This song is, however, a belter particularly when she does that weird thing with her voice. As mad as a box of frogs, but I love her for it
4. Adele - Rolling in the Deep
A quick glance at my ITunes account shows that of my 25 Most Played songs of the year, 13 of them are by Adele - this probably mirrors 85% of the UK population this year. Every single song on 21 is a belter (although He Won't Go sits a bit oddly for me in the middle of the album). This is an absolute stonker of a song that demands to be bellowed at the top of your voice. The hours I've sat in the bath with my good friend, Sauvignon, hollering 'we could have had it alllllllllllllll'.
3. Tiesto ft Busta Rhymes - C'mon (catch 'em by surprise)
I've always wanted to be Busta Rhymes. In a world of over-hyped rappers who can barely speak, let alone rap (50 Cent, P-Diddy), Busta Rhymes has always struck me as being both technically brilliant and slightly eccentric. This song, in which he combines with German Techno DJ extraordinaire, Tiesto, is a little work of genius. It's also THE best song to workout to you will hear in a very long while.
2. Maroon 5 ft Christina Aguilera - Moves like Jagger
This was the year's 'grower not a shower'. When it first landed in the charts in August, I'd never heard it and couldn't find anyone else who had. 18 weeks later and it's still knocking around the Top 20 having spent six weeks at number 2. It's 3:21 of sheer joy combining a melody that makes you want to sing along and beat you simply have to wiggle to. Compare and contrast to that witch, Cher Lloyd's, 'Swagger Jagger' which wins my vote as worst song of the year.
1. Adele - Someone Like You
Apparently I've played this song 183 times this year - that's once every other day. Granted, a number of them were packed together in March / April during what I've termed 'my Bridget Jones moments' and usually came as a pair with 'Rolling in the Deep' (sometimes I'd go angry -sad, others I'd go sad - angry, depending on the mood). I first heard Adele perform this song at the end of last year on the Jools Holland show and instantly put it down as an all-time classic. I was also fortunate enough to hear her sing it live at her album launch in a Notting Hill pub in January, where she described how she's come to write the song 'I was basically on my knees', and reduced many members of the audience to tears. It was, however, her unforgettable performance at the Brits that catapulted it to Number One and has gone on to make it the biggest selling single of the year by some margin. The sense of loss coupled with the sense of decency and dignity make it the saddest song I've ever heard, but Adele's amazing delivery and the simplicity of the live version (are you listening, Leona?) make it a thing of absolute beauty. In a year of some corking songs, 'Someone Like You' stood head and shoulders above everything else.
...honourable mentions should go to Emeli Sande - Heaven, Christine Perri - Jar of Hearts and Pitbull - Give me Everything.
Think my selections are abysmal? Have I missed out on your favourite? Then let me know!
Hello! Given that one of the central themes of this blog has been music and it's well know that I'm a music-stat spod, I thought it only right and proper to bring you my own personal Top 10 tunes of 2011.
Now before I get into this, I should point out that whilst I have a broad knowledge and appreciation of music, I am not an expert. Yes, I was handy on the recorder as child, yes, I have been known to play my teeth (where's That's Life when you need it?) and yes, I'm still the best person in a music quiz I know, but Gareth Malone, I am not. I'm putting this caveat in now, because in compiling this list I (and I agonised for minutes over this), I quickly realised that my songs of the year were going to be a world away from those produced by various musos in the industry press - and in many cases my selections would be regarded as utter tripe.
With this in mind, there was a temptation to lob in some more 'acceptable' selections, but then I thought 'sod it - my gaff my rules'. In addition, many of you will have heard me ramble on ad nauseum about my mission to rid the world of bullshit. If you haven't, the theory behind this is as follows:
- Everyone is bumbling through life, making it up as they go along
- Everyone pretends they're not making it up and actually have all aspects of their life under control as part of a long-term grand plan
- Everyone looks at everyone else and thinks 'oh 'eck, everyone around me has everything sorted. It's just me that doesn't, therefore I'm slightly inadequate'
- Everyone feels slightly inadequate
- If everyone was a bit more honest about the first point, we'd all be happier and the world would be a nicer place
Here we go:
10. James Blake - Limit to your love
Probably the most obscure track on my list, but a perfect Sunday morning track. James Blake has an amazing voice. Be warned - it contains some big, empty pauses, so you'll think it's finished before it has. Just a shame the rest of the album wasn't as good,
9. Beyonce - Best thing I never had
Ooh, Beyonce, how you've teased me this year! Everything she's released has disappointed me on first hearing, but like ragwort has slowly embedded itself in my brain. I felt sooooo letdown by the album '4' and thought it was rubbish, but having gone back to it recently, now love every single song. My current fave is Love on Top, which nearly made it into the list, but as 'Best Thing I Never Had' is my third most played song of the year, I plumped for this instead. 'I bet it sucks to be you right now'! That said, much as I now love the album, there's nothing in the same league as her classics (Crazy in Love would be in my all time Top 10).
8. Saturdays - Notorious
Apparently The Saturdays have had 12 hits thus far yet I bet most people would struggle to name three. I have to admit that when I heard this song, I had no idea it was The Saturdays, being so different from the typical three-minute bubble-gum pop they'd released previously. However, it is definitely them and it is definitely a choon (particularly when having a wiggle)
7. Ed Sheeran - Lego House
Aah, little Ed. Like a little hobbit he burst upon the scene this year. This is what I love about the download era - someone like Ed Sheeran would not have made it in previous times, being neither cool enough or pretty enough to have been signed. Yet his debut album has sold over a million copies in the UK and he's watched by gazillions on Youtube. That said, I find him a little annoying, but will forgive him for this beautiful song (I wonder if Lego get royalties?)
6. Saturdays - All Fired Up
I admit to being slightly embarrassed. Having one song by The Saturdays in this list is bad enough, but two!? Lordy! Yet it's a thumper of a song and probably one of the most innovative dance tunes of the year - much better than any of the formulaic or recycled stuff most producers are churning out (yes, Monsieur Guetta, I do mean you.)
5. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
Forget Lady Gaga, you want proper bonkers? Then Nicki Minaj is your girl. She looks and raps like someone who's given her carer the slip whilst out at bingo. This song is, however, a belter particularly when she does that weird thing with her voice. As mad as a box of frogs, but I love her for it
4. Adele - Rolling in the Deep
A quick glance at my ITunes account shows that of my 25 Most Played songs of the year, 13 of them are by Adele - this probably mirrors 85% of the UK population this year. Every single song on 21 is a belter (although He Won't Go sits a bit oddly for me in the middle of the album). This is an absolute stonker of a song that demands to be bellowed at the top of your voice. The hours I've sat in the bath with my good friend, Sauvignon, hollering 'we could have had it alllllllllllllll'.
3. Tiesto ft Busta Rhymes - C'mon (catch 'em by surprise)
I've always wanted to be Busta Rhymes. In a world of over-hyped rappers who can barely speak, let alone rap (50 Cent, P-Diddy), Busta Rhymes has always struck me as being both technically brilliant and slightly eccentric. This song, in which he combines with German Techno DJ extraordinaire, Tiesto, is a little work of genius. It's also THE best song to workout to you will hear in a very long while.
2. Maroon 5 ft Christina Aguilera - Moves like Jagger
This was the year's 'grower not a shower'. When it first landed in the charts in August, I'd never heard it and couldn't find anyone else who had. 18 weeks later and it's still knocking around the Top 20 having spent six weeks at number 2. It's 3:21 of sheer joy combining a melody that makes you want to sing along and beat you simply have to wiggle to. Compare and contrast to that witch, Cher Lloyd's, 'Swagger Jagger' which wins my vote as worst song of the year.
1. Adele - Someone Like You
Apparently I've played this song 183 times this year - that's once every other day. Granted, a number of them were packed together in March / April during what I've termed 'my Bridget Jones moments' and usually came as a pair with 'Rolling in the Deep' (sometimes I'd go angry -sad, others I'd go sad - angry, depending on the mood). I first heard Adele perform this song at the end of last year on the Jools Holland show and instantly put it down as an all-time classic. I was also fortunate enough to hear her sing it live at her album launch in a Notting Hill pub in January, where she described how she's come to write the song 'I was basically on my knees', and reduced many members of the audience to tears. It was, however, her unforgettable performance at the Brits that catapulted it to Number One and has gone on to make it the biggest selling single of the year by some margin. The sense of loss coupled with the sense of decency and dignity make it the saddest song I've ever heard, but Adele's amazing delivery and the simplicity of the live version (are you listening, Leona?) make it a thing of absolute beauty. In a year of some corking songs, 'Someone Like You' stood head and shoulders above everything else.
...honourable mentions should go to Emeli Sande - Heaven, Christine Perri - Jar of Hearts and Pitbull - Give me Everything.
Think my selections are abysmal? Have I missed out on your favourite? Then let me know!
Friday 16 December 2011
Day 206 (14 December 2011) - Diggi Loo, Diggi Ley...
...life is goin' my way, when I'm walking in my golden boots'
Now, don't worry, I haven't gone all 'Gok Wan' and purchased some golden footwear - although I do have a fine selection of colourful trainers. No, for those that don't remember, Diggi Loo, Diggi Ley was the winning song from the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest, sang by Swedish brothers 'Herrey's'. Look here they are...
...and to think, some people actually want the 80s back?!
When we last spoke (I know, it's been too long again), I was seeking 'a chitty' for three of my challenges, the first of which I detailed in the last post. I'm pleased to say that nobody cried 'foul' so I'm taking that as acceptance of my sidestep. The point of this particular ramble (amazingly, they do all have a point) is to seek your approval for a similar avoidance of Challenge 4 - Attend the Biathlon World Cup in Antholz (Ellen).
For the uninitated, biathlon is simply the greatest sport ever invented! It has few links to triathlon and absolutely nothing to do with Michael Barrymore. It is, instead, a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting. Essentially, you ski your nuts off (cross-country skiing is regarded as the most complete physical work out of any sport) and then, when you're body is shaking with fatigue, you have to shoot five targets, the size of a golf ball, from 50 metres. For each shot missed, you ski a penalty loop before heading out to do it all over again. It's a combination of athleticism, skill, mental strength and sheer excitement.
Now I know what you're thinking; 'Biathlon isn't that big in Putney' and you'd be right (although you can rollerski in Richmond Park), 'so how did you get into this, Craig - do tell' The answer is simple - drink. I discovered the sport, by chance, whilst nursing bad hangovers on Saturday mornings for it is a staple event on Eurosport. Within weeks I was hooked and within months Jam & I found ourselves up an Italian Alp in Antholz, Italy, enjoying the World Championships. Whilst we'd expected the spectacle of the sport to be good, there were a number of unexpected joys we discovered during this first trip:
1. Biathlon fans love the British - not something you can say in most sports, but then we tend to be competitive in most. In biathlon we are the perennial plucky losers. Our team, made up of hardy army types, lack the training, experience and equipment of the world's best biathlon nations (Norway, Germany, Russia, France and Sweden). As a result we can normally be found at the back of the field, battling the Serbians and the Lithuanians (miles behind the Estonians, Koreans and Bulgarians) - but, such is the physicality of the sport that our boys and girls still do us proud.
2. The cameraderie - biathlon fans are totally bonkers, but soooo friendly. Of course, everyone is rooting for their national team, but banners bearing phrases such as 'Biathlon Fans love all Biathletes' are common. Standing on a concrete step for three hours at minus six isn't particularly pleasant, so shot glasses are passed round, food shared and huddling is encouraged. Combine this with point one and we are generally treated like celebrities - people actually want to have their photo taken with us simply for being British?!
3.The drink - outside of the actual races, attending a biathlon is like being at the Oktoberfest. The moment the last biathlete has crossed the finish line (normally one of ours), everyone decamps to giant beer tents, where dodgy German bands attempt ambitious covers of classics whilst everyone dances on tables and benches. Meanwhile every waves their national flag like loons. This goes on for several hours before en masse, everyone heads to the nearest town / village for more beer.
It was during our second visit to Antholz where Piggy, Jam and I were fortunate enough to meet biathlon afficianados Ellen, Cathrine, Ingrid and Annika, four wonderful Norwegian friends, who volunteer in Antholz every year and who, we've since found out, are the organising committee of the Norwegian leg of the biathlon tour. Ellen, who's a nurse, expressed concern as to the well-being of Piggy, who was so drunk he could barely stand. At one point he wandered off suddenly. When I finally caught up with him, I asked him why he'd disappeared. 'It was too stuffy in there, I needed to get outside for some air' he replied. It was at that point we realised how much trouble he was in, as we had actually been outside - at minus four - the entire time! The train and bus journey to the stadium the following day, is one we'll never forget :-)
Our Norwegian friends bowled us over with their generosity. As well as being generally lovely, they got us into the 'plush' beer cabin, gave us a lift from the stadium, invited us to dinner, gave us Norwegian biathlon hats, gave me a biathlon annual (and you know how much I love a stat) and even secured us a meeting with the British Eurosport commentators. Here's a shot of us with Mike 'the legend' Dixon, commentator and Britain's best ever biathlete:
...and one of us with the girls
So it was with a heavy heart that I had to turn down this challenge and reject a return trip to Antholz. The reason, once again, was financial - Challenge 28 -Buy a flat in Putney, ain't cheap you know (more to come on that soon, I hope). In addition, this year has made me realise that my wonderful friends and family are the bedrock of my existence and with my brother having moved to Sweden, I figured a visit to see him and his gorgeous family was very much in order.
However, I don't want you to think that I take these challenges lightly and throw them away at a whim - everyone is considered carefully. Therefore, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and divert my annual biathlon trip to the Swedish round of the World Cup tour. Thus last weekend by big bro and I travelled up to the town of Ostersund (I'm reliably informed it's halfway up Sweden, but as far as I'm concerned it's practically the North Pole). And what a wonderful time we had -we saw some great racing, met some new members of the British Biathlon team (all members of the army -one ski'd for the first time three weeks previously?!) and drank our own bodyweight in beer - oh and the British girl came last! Andrew learnt a valuable lesson that Swedish people at the bar don't queue - when he suggested to a young girl that she had pushed in ahead of him, she responded by giving him a swift elbow to the eye socket resulting in a beautiful black eye. The good news is that my bro is now a biathlon convert and is looking forward to a trip to Antholz in 2013.
Ladies - I missed you, but I haven't yet written off Challenge 3 - Attend the Biathlon World Cup in Oslo (Ingrid), which is scheduled for February, although it, like everything else in my life at the moment, is 'flat dependent'.
Right, off to watch some more biathlon.
Now, don't worry, I haven't gone all 'Gok Wan' and purchased some golden footwear - although I do have a fine selection of colourful trainers. No, for those that don't remember, Diggi Loo, Diggi Ley was the winning song from the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest, sang by Swedish brothers 'Herrey's'. Look here they are...
...and to think, some people actually want the 80s back?!
When we last spoke (I know, it's been too long again), I was seeking 'a chitty' for three of my challenges, the first of which I detailed in the last post. I'm pleased to say that nobody cried 'foul' so I'm taking that as acceptance of my sidestep. The point of this particular ramble (amazingly, they do all have a point) is to seek your approval for a similar avoidance of Challenge 4 - Attend the Biathlon World Cup in Antholz (Ellen).
For the uninitated, biathlon is simply the greatest sport ever invented! It has few links to triathlon and absolutely nothing to do with Michael Barrymore. It is, instead, a combination of cross-country skiing and shooting. Essentially, you ski your nuts off (cross-country skiing is regarded as the most complete physical work out of any sport) and then, when you're body is shaking with fatigue, you have to shoot five targets, the size of a golf ball, from 50 metres. For each shot missed, you ski a penalty loop before heading out to do it all over again. It's a combination of athleticism, skill, mental strength and sheer excitement.
Now I know what you're thinking; 'Biathlon isn't that big in Putney' and you'd be right (although you can rollerski in Richmond Park), 'so how did you get into this, Craig - do tell' The answer is simple - drink. I discovered the sport, by chance, whilst nursing bad hangovers on Saturday mornings for it is a staple event on Eurosport. Within weeks I was hooked and within months Jam & I found ourselves up an Italian Alp in Antholz, Italy, enjoying the World Championships. Whilst we'd expected the spectacle of the sport to be good, there were a number of unexpected joys we discovered during this first trip:
1. Biathlon fans love the British - not something you can say in most sports, but then we tend to be competitive in most. In biathlon we are the perennial plucky losers. Our team, made up of hardy army types, lack the training, experience and equipment of the world's best biathlon nations (Norway, Germany, Russia, France and Sweden). As a result we can normally be found at the back of the field, battling the Serbians and the Lithuanians (miles behind the Estonians, Koreans and Bulgarians) - but, such is the physicality of the sport that our boys and girls still do us proud.
2. The cameraderie - biathlon fans are totally bonkers, but soooo friendly. Of course, everyone is rooting for their national team, but banners bearing phrases such as 'Biathlon Fans love all Biathletes' are common. Standing on a concrete step for three hours at minus six isn't particularly pleasant, so shot glasses are passed round, food shared and huddling is encouraged. Combine this with point one and we are generally treated like celebrities - people actually want to have their photo taken with us simply for being British?!
3.The drink - outside of the actual races, attending a biathlon is like being at the Oktoberfest. The moment the last biathlete has crossed the finish line (normally one of ours), everyone decamps to giant beer tents, where dodgy German bands attempt ambitious covers of classics whilst everyone dances on tables and benches. Meanwhile every waves their national flag like loons. This goes on for several hours before en masse, everyone heads to the nearest town / village for more beer.
It was during our second visit to Antholz where Piggy, Jam and I were fortunate enough to meet biathlon afficianados Ellen, Cathrine, Ingrid and Annika, four wonderful Norwegian friends, who volunteer in Antholz every year and who, we've since found out, are the organising committee of the Norwegian leg of the biathlon tour. Ellen, who's a nurse, expressed concern as to the well-being of Piggy, who was so drunk he could barely stand. At one point he wandered off suddenly. When I finally caught up with him, I asked him why he'd disappeared. 'It was too stuffy in there, I needed to get outside for some air' he replied. It was at that point we realised how much trouble he was in, as we had actually been outside - at minus four - the entire time! The train and bus journey to the stadium the following day, is one we'll never forget :-)
Our Norwegian friends bowled us over with their generosity. As well as being generally lovely, they got us into the 'plush' beer cabin, gave us a lift from the stadium, invited us to dinner, gave us Norwegian biathlon hats, gave me a biathlon annual (and you know how much I love a stat) and even secured us a meeting with the British Eurosport commentators. Here's a shot of us with Mike 'the legend' Dixon, commentator and Britain's best ever biathlete:
However, I don't want you to think that I take these challenges lightly and throw them away at a whim - everyone is considered carefully. Therefore, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and divert my annual biathlon trip to the Swedish round of the World Cup tour. Thus last weekend by big bro and I travelled up to the town of Ostersund (I'm reliably informed it's halfway up Sweden, but as far as I'm concerned it's practically the North Pole). And what a wonderful time we had -we saw some great racing, met some new members of the British Biathlon team (all members of the army -one ski'd for the first time three weeks previously?!) and drank our own bodyweight in beer - oh and the British girl came last! Andrew learnt a valuable lesson that Swedish people at the bar don't queue - when he suggested to a young girl that she had pushed in ahead of him, she responded by giving him a swift elbow to the eye socket resulting in a beautiful black eye. The good news is that my bro is now a biathlon convert and is looking forward to a trip to Antholz in 2013.
Ladies - I missed you, but I haven't yet written off Challenge 3 - Attend the Biathlon World Cup in Oslo (Ingrid), which is scheduled for February, although it, like everything else in my life at the moment, is 'flat dependent'.
Right, off to watch some more biathlon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)