Take a hat

When the warm wind doth blow Angertal cross- country The Fohn wind got up overnight. It’s pronounced a bit like Inspector Clouseau says ‘phone’. As it’s a warm wind from the South, the Fohn is about as welcome here as the proverbial fart is in a spacesuit. The temperature on the balcony at 8am was 10 Celsius! So we headed for Angertal today for a bit of cross-country. TW lead the way around the loop but she is still sending me down first on the steep sections. It was quite busy today, by cross-country standards anyway. I was passed a few times but hey, it’s not a race, and they had probably been watching too much of the Olympics. Really enjoyed it, only two falls. Very pretty through the trees, sheltered from the wind and away from the hustle and bustle of the ski runs. Afterwards, we had a spot of Sunday lunch in the Waldgasthof which just happens to be conveniently located near the end of the loop on run back into the Angertal ski centre. Spaghetti and a beer hit the right spot.

The previous days snow and rain clouds were replaced by brilliant blue skies. New snow above the middle station meant an early start and I was at the Hohe Scharte chairlift at 9am ready for the first ride up to 2300m. A couple of people beat me to a seat but the slopes were still dressed in fine corduroy for my run down. Saturday is changeover day so not too many tourists on the slopes and it’s the day the Austrians come out to play. A few queues at key lifts but there was always an alternative lift that was quiet. The last run home to the village at 15:30 was a bit heavy but then the piste had been baking in the sun all day. Lots of smiley faces – one of those magic ski days. Above the clouds in Bad Hofgastein On the buses in Gastein Well, the wind has blown away and so it’s back on the slopes for me today.  It was overcast in the village but it’s just brilliant when you go up in the cable car and break through the cloud into a very different world. Blu

As part of a fiendish plan to learn new skills I took up swimming last summer but have not really been in the water regularly enough to improve. So decided get out of the snow and rain and dip into the local municipal pool in Maidenhead. This is definitely a new and challenging experience for me. Monday at 12:00 is supposed to be a good time. There is a ladies only session in the morning and when that finishes the theory is that the pool is empty. In practice of course it was still full. The free swimming area was full of mums with children and all the lanes were in use. So, nothing else for it but to share a lane! Lanes are graded for fast and slow swimming. No problem deciding which lane I should dip into – the slow lane. But that’s where the problem really starts. Can you believe that people have to swim up and down the same lane, it’s like being in a contraflow with no cones. Of course, the ladies in the slow lane only have to wiggle a toe and they shoot down the other end. T

Christened 'the boy' by a friendly pub landlady, because he only drank halves, the Norwegian is about to reach 60.  We had a little celebration and could not help offering some advice and encouragement. Things you need to do at 60 ...... Claim your winter fuel allowance for 2010/11 Get your bus pass Use National Express – half price travel Sign up for ‘Aid – Call’ Get a free eye test Move to Scotland or Wales and get free dental check-up Free chiropody Buy a senior railcard? £26 gets 33% off. Take advantage of free swimming Get free prescription drugs Claim English Heritage discount Claim National Trust discount Take more exercise - you will die healthier Try cross-country skiing – but start with a small country! The Good News is..... Kidnappers are not going to be very interested in you. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first. No one expects you to run into a burning building. People will call at 9 PM and ask, 'D

A sudden unexpected downpour so ended up rather wet. But, every cloud has a silver lining or perhaps a rainbow. The River Thames near Hambledon Lock. The weir just upstream from Hurley Lock looking towards Harleyford

Out on the mountain bike today. Having done my chores in the garden, TW let me out. Headed into the Chilterns where the traffic is always light and, thankfully, so was the rain today. Today's route starts in Marlow and heads gradually uphill towards Frieth, along the Frieth Rd believe it or not. Turning left up a quiet road before Frieth you might have to do without the company of cars for a while. Meander past farms and isolated houses before shooting down into the pretty village of Hambledon. The pub there is the Stag and Huntsman. Take a left when you hit a busier road that heads towards the river. Cross the Marlow to Henley Road and then the river by traversing the weir and lock gates then turn left. Follow the river bank until you get to a small lane where you turn right and you then pass, or visit, The Flower Pot Inn. Continue on up the hill for about 50m then take a left turn.  Follow the footpath and eventually you'll reach Hurley where there are two more pubs. The