Saturday – too hot and very sunny. Melting the precious snow.
Lazy day off skiing today. Wendy and I have volunteered with the NAC to help set up for the NAC’s Red, White and Snow gala dinner up at the Montage Hotel at Deer Valley. Spend the morning helping out; setting trees up; tables and chairs; hoisting trees up onto the balcony while Wendy helps layout the items for the auction. Dinner costs $4,000 for a table of 10, so do the maths. Then there’s the charity auction as well. Of course the Montage is a really plush hotel, cheapest room for a night is $1,150 plus taxes no doubt and tips of course. Costs more than we pay for 2 weeks in our superb home from home. It’s not called Deer Valley for nothing.
In the afternoon we have a bike ride to the supermarket – oh the excitement, oh how we live.
Then we get to have afternoon tea – one has to have standards – sat on our deck in the brilliant sunshine. It was warmer out than in. I can see in summer we’re going to really enjoy this deck.
Of course no American home would be complete without a barbecue, and yes we have one. It’s a sizeable gas one, so we checked it out. It works! Just needs a good clean as it looks like the previous people must have barbed every day for a year and never bothered clearing away any of the debris. Nice job for Wendy.
Why is it that when I want to renew my tax disc I have to provide either the 16 digit reference number shown on your renewal 
reminder, or the 11 digit reference number from your Registration Certificate (also known as the Logbook) and your vehicle registration mark (number plate)?
Isn’t the reg no unique enough for you?
Why when I want to make an vehicle online enquiry you need the make as well as the Reg No?
Isn’t the reg no unique enough for you?
Are they frightened someone will pay my tax disc for me?
Sunday – a sunny blue bird day.
Meet Randy at 09:00 and have a great mornings skiing.
Hal was going to join us but it looks like he forgot that the clocks went forward so he didn’t make it.
Wendy, Carol and Angela all go down to Salt Lake to see Disney on Ice. Wendy really enjoyed it. I passed as did Hal, apparently he fell asleep through it last year, and as I fell asleep through Toy Story 3 I thought I’d better pass.
Of course no afternoon out would be complete without a merchandising opportunity with a trip to Costco.
Spent the afternoon researching HTML5 and CSS3. Learning these two and then creating some web pages in them is my next project. I’ve decided to put my Physics on a back burner and try and keep my IT skills up to date for now. Who knows perhaps I could go and help out at the BBC iPlayer department. Certainly even an illiterate 5 year old could do better than that bunch of apologists for IT professionals.
Bought an Ultra Tough Ultrasteel Adjustable from Walmart, all for less than $2. Comes complete with a warning that “This Wrench contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm”. Fortunately this would appear not to be a problem in the other 49 states, as it miraculously must change it’s molecular structure to be less harmful, or is not “known” about. Now I know that the US is the land of litigation warnings that hot coffee can burn; that you should not put your dog in a microwave oven. But come on this warning has to be as stupid as the steel is tough.
Perhaps to be on the safe side I’d better hang the wrench 50 feet away from the house and hope that it doesn’t kill the tree, which probably has a preservation order on it.
Monday – cloudy, cold and very windy. With the promise of snow later in the day – let us pray.
Up and skiing for 09:00. Fancied a “bit of black” – am I allowed to say that – today and for the first time since we’ve been here Widow Maker, a black diamond, has been groomed. Wendy can put away the insurance policy, I survived. Very pleasant, as was Dynamite. “A black diamond a day keeps the fear at bay.” But, I still ski with more style on a blue or double blue.
Have a great morning skiing and the snows pretty good. By 10:30 I’ve filled me ski boots and had some great runs. And yes my boots are still hanging in their but need the tender loving care of some Araldite. I do so hope they’ll survive. After 20 comfy years they’ve served me well and I’m really attached to them.
Then I’m on volunteer duty at the NAC. Looks like my skiing’s that bad they put me in a 4 Track zimmer frame – a frame that has two skis already on, you can stand up in it with your ski’s on while, like a zimmer frame, while Jim, the instructor, has you tethered and takes you down the mountain – greens only as it’s too unstable on blues or blacks. See pictures. It’s part of a sign off process for Jim. My role is to play a 64 year old who used to ski; had a medical problem 5 years ago that made my legs weak; not been able to ski since; needs a zimmer frame to walk with. Jim’s being tested by Don, the education programme manager, to see if he’s ok to be let loose on teaching with a 4 track.
Good couple of hours. Certainly different. Don’t know whether Jim passed or not.
Weight loss is going well, as is the drinking. Down to my lowest weight for at least 10 years. 13St albs, in proper units of measure. That’s 19 lbs lost since November.
Wendy’s finished yet another knitting master piece. This time it’s a bobble hat, with extra big bobble as requested, for Jasper – see picture.
Iranian TV shows a disgusting cartoon video (just to show that I harbour no bias a copy can be seen here) of Jews being gassed in the Holocost and even taking an inhaler of ZycloneB, the gas used in the gas chambers.Well it seems that the religion of peace doesn’t mind cartoons of Jews:
Yet, even a simple cartoon of Mo causes riots, burning, fatwas and killing in the name of that pernicious religion.
And to top it all, the islamic World ( yes I won’t even grace the word islam or muslim with a capital letter) now is banning the new film Noah. It seems that the film had been banned for reasons of religious intolerance. The film conflicts with all religions. Out of respect for these religious sentiments, we are banning the film.
The sunni muslim institute Al-Azhar issued a statement condemning the movie, saying it should be banned. It rejects the screening of any production that characterises allah’s prophets and messengers and the companions of the Mo [the religious character Muhammad].
Well that’s good enough recommendation for me. I’ll be sure not to miss the Noah film.
Tuesday – Sunny and cold with 6” powder snow overnight. As it should be.
Volunteer for the NAC at Deer Valley. Why is it when I volunteer it’s a powder alert day?
Talk about a complete body workout. It’s a really tough session as the young girl we’re supporting has very little use in her legs and we have to help her to walk and manoeuvre her on skis. Lots of snow ploughing and pulling her along on skis. At one stage she get’s that tired that we have to call the ski patrol to sledge her down to the bottom of the mountain. By 12:00 I’m knackered too. However manage a great afternoons skiing at Deer Valley.
Hal, Carol and Angela come round and we set up baby gates and cots ready for Jaspers arrival.
Here he goes again:
THE hate preacher Anjem Choudary and his followers could face prosecution under anti-
terrorism laws after appearing to promote al-Qaeda-linked groups on a busy London high street while demanding the creation of an Islamic state.
Extremists drove up and down the road in a white van emblazoned with a logo synonymous with jihadists in Syria. They also handed out badges featuring the symbol to children.
Haven’t we had enough of this joker who has 4 children, sponges off the state he despises and wants to see overthrown. When will someone grow some gonads and chuck him out the country to somewhere that has the Sharia law he so pines for. I’m all for human rights etc but this scrot is just trying to chop off the right hand and left foot of the all the infidels that feed him. France have had the guts to ban him. Lets use the democracy that he so despises and pass a “common sense” law, kicking him out.