Ski season STARTS in Australia (and NZ too)

I would sacrifice my left nut to go skiing again this year!!

<quiet sob>

Oh Mr Stillwater, I so much do FEEL for not
being able to do something you love so dearly.
Since the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (or aging)
I have not hiked NOR biked Cades Cove in TN in
the Great Smoky Mtn Park, except for the very
short - or paved ( well maintained ) paths. And I
could not complete a "real" one even if I tried. I
DID try about 3 years ago, when I was camping
all by my lonesome in Cades Cove. (it did not
go well) On Sat & Wed mornings - the campers
get COMPLETE & TOTAL ACCESS TO THE COVE.
No cars, jeeps, suv's, motorcycles etc etc are
permitted AT ALL until after 11AM. It SURE smells
way way better. Nowadays, I generally confine
myself to doing a great deal of photography in the
park. So many beautiful spots and too little time.
Hopefully in your case, the snow will be waiting for
you as soon as you are able to go skiing again.

I have never been in snow! WaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaH!

it is amazing, no? Those areas suffered terribly in the bushfires in January - now covered in lovely snow!

For those of you who long fondly for snow, the following is something i posted on February 18, this year:

"The winter of your discontent?

"It started snowing here on Friday evening. Saturday afternoon, the maintenance man came in just to clean the sidewalks. After he went by with the snow-blower, i took a broom and swept the snow off my stoop, and then went out to the jeep, and swept the snow from around Ol' Bessie. I got in, started her up, and let her run for awhile, to warm up the oil, and to melt the snow from the roof (i'd cleaned off the rest). Overnight, more snow arrived. Sunday afternoon, i swept the stoop, and the sidewalk to the parking lot (no snow-blower on Sunday), and then cleaned off and cranked up Ol' Bessie, and let her run for awhile. Monday morning, early (but not bright, before dawn, actually), i went out to Bessie, and cleaned her up, and the maintenance man being nearby, he ran the snow-blower around her. I then cranked her up and let her run, while i went in to shower and dress. I came out to find about four feet of packed snow in front of the jeep. The contract snowplow man was nowhere in sight. I found the maintenance man, who said he'd get me a shovel (i live in an apartment, and don't keep one myself). My employer and more than half the employees were marooned, being in counties with a "level 3" alert, meaning emergency vehicles only on the road. I waited. The maintenance man did not show. I called the office, and was told she'd page him with my number. I waited-no one called. I walked to the office, but no one answered my knock, and it was dark. I walked to the resident manager's apartment-no one answered my knock. I walked all around the complex, and found no maintenance man. We'd gotten half the snow now on the ground overnight from Sunday. Finally, i went out with a dust pan and dug out the jeep. It took me about forty minutes to drive to the shop (normally, this is a 13 minute drive). I checked the voice mail, and printed some checks which would need to be sent today, then drove home again.

"When i got there, i found a neighbor in trouble. She lives in the building across the parking lot, and usually parks next to Bessie. Apparently, she cleaned off the driver's door, and part of the windshield, and then tried to drive away. She pulled out through the space where Bessie had been parked, but apparently lost it, and ended up on the opposite side of the parking lot, diagonally in a parking space, and just missed ramming the piled-up, packed snow left there by the plow (which would have crushed the plastic bumper on her little rice-burner). So, i helped her clean off her car (we'd gotten 12-14" by then, and you could measure it by the snow on top of her car). Then, using a flimsy snow shovel she had, i cleared that parking space for her, and she thanked me profusely and pulled into the space.

"This morning, i went out and cleaned off Bessie, and cranked her up, then went inside to shower and dress. An ominous sign-the neighbor lady had pulled back into her customary spot, driving over the piled up snow, since she couldn't pull through Bessie's spot this time. When i came out, she was there by her car, almost in tears. She hadn't been able to back out and when i advised she try to "rock it," she quickly buried it more deeply-so i stopped her (automatics are such useless transmissions in these situations). So, i got her flimsy shovel, and, being careful not to snap the handle, i dug her out once more. When i gave her back the shovel, i advised her to park either there, or in the other spot i?'d cleared, because i was not going to dig her out again. Naturally, i was late getting to the shop. My arthritis was just killing me last night, and i?'m sure it will again tonight."



The only thing worse than not getting what you want . . . is getting what you want.

I really do like your new "signature line"
Setanta ... that particular one is one of my
REAL favorites. As for SNOW - the only thing
that it is really ANY good for - is to ski on, or
to look at, or drive a snowmobile on.
DLOWAN, since I've lived in Florida I've not
seen hardly a drop of snow. Although it DID
actually snow here about 12 years ago and
then freeze, and the bridge was so iced over
that no one ON the island could get off, and
no one who was OFF the island could get back
on. We actually took a pleasure trip to VERMONT
(of all places) in the dead of winter, to be sure
to see plenty of snow AND to check off one of
my "things to do before I die" list. I so much
wanted a moonlight ride in a horse drawn sleigh,
with heavy blankets to cover us up and keep us
warm & the merry sound of the bells on the
horses and mugs of warm cider.
IT SNOWED EVERY SINGLE DAY WE WERE THERE!
I had forgotten about the daily use of those little
windshield scrapers for the ice and snow. It has
been 20 years since I lived in PA and we never
got one-tenth of the snow that Vermont gets.
Snowshoes became a necessity if you wanted to
get around, otherwise if you stepped in a snowbank,
you would sink up to your waist. During that week,
I got so many memorable snow memories (not to
mention the way that the inside of your nostrils freeze
the moment you step out the door)..I think I got
enough memories for at least another 20 years.

Thankfully the winter season here is pretty brief - then we can get back to some sensible living!
And we never get snow in Sydney! A good thing, too! Roll on summer - or at least spring!

G'day Still - a bit nippy this a.m. Fine and clear, though!