Wednesday 5 January - I'm going skiing!!!

Yet more organising, sorting, coordinating.

Got sim sorted, but still no phone as need to wait 24 hours before its active.  Soooo frustrating.

Arranged purchase of euro's (not bad exchange rate in the circumstances - 1.165 - thank you CornhillFX) but need to go back to bank tomorrow to transfer the money as no-one available to effect the payment today!  Apparently it can't be done over the phone and I need to be present whilst it happens.  How dumb is that??????  Come on Santander, its only a chaps payment for goodness sakes!  So it looks like I'm back in town AGAIN tomorrow.  That's every day this week spent in town trying to sort money transfers and phone glitches.   At least the Post Office came up trumps and had my little package of euro spending money all ready for me.  Nice one.  Thank you post office, at least one institution seems to work.

But, hey, at least all these frustrations are taking my mind off what we are actually doing.

Great result with ski boots!  Having a ski resort (1) (albeit small) just up the road is proving far too much for KP who's determined to get me out of my comfort zone and into his.  Thinks he's found a sport in which I'm prepared to have a go (I certainly won't play golf) and in which he can beat me.  As our little trip to Abruzzo is inevitably going to involve me strapping silly wooden planks to my feet and hurtling myself down a mountain (would far rather be climbing up it), no doubt straight over the edge or head first into a snow drift, it seems a good idea to get some boots.

I have the wrong sort of feet

So a little trip out to Edge to Edge at Gatwick found me in the store almost breaking my ankle trying to fit my ridiculously deep and wide (fat?) feet into ridiculously rigid and unmoveable boots.  Mutter, mutter, mumble groan.  Petulant pout.  Don't want to do this anyway.  Give me my little rock shoes any day.  What's so good about skiing anyway?  Its cold, its wet, and you have to wear far too many clothes.

KP.  Ever patient

But the clever man stuck with it, kept smiling and found me some sexy little Rossignol Soft Light ski boots.   Ex-hire, but only used once.  Perfect condition.  And only £19!!!!!  Wow!  Not only that,  but they fit.  Snug as snug can be.  Heat moulded to my fat little feet.  Just get me out on those blades!!!!!  Eat your heart out KP, I'm coming after you!

Sexy boots or what?!

Full of the euphoria of finding my boots I channelled my excitement and energy into a little evening dash round the streets in the dark and the rain.  Great one.  Fastest yet after coming back from injury.  A neat little 7km in 31 mins.  Getting there :-)

The evening was nicely rounded off with a creative leftovers concoction involving chicken pieces, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto, peppers and a garlic mash.  Scrum.  Even better when washed down with our final Xmas bottle of a rather nice red (medicinal of course, to help the broken sleep patterns).

Night night.


 Notes:
(1)  Passo Lanciano

Passo Lanciano Piste Map