Author Archives: BarryH

Falling down

Posted on December 16, 2010 by BarryH

Third day skiing on Wednesday but this time at a different resort, Lake Louise rather than Sunshine Village where we skied the first two days. It was also the third night of very disturbed sleep.  I go to bed and … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Winter | 1 Comment

Screaming legs

Posted on December 15, 2010 by BarryH

Before Monday the last time I skied was in Switzerland in 1991.  A lot has changed since then.  Skis have changed shape. Boots technology has changed.  Clothing has improved.  And my body has aged nearly 20 years. Needless to say … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Winter | 2 Comments

The longest day

Posted on December 14, 2010 by BarryH

The ‘cold snap’ as the media has been calling the low temperatures and snow of the last three weeks, went into an intermission over the weekend. Temperatures rose to the giddy heights of +5oC in the middle of the day. … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Winter | Leave a comment

A Winter’s Tale

Posted on December 8, 2010 by BarryH

The winter weather continues.  I’m trying to take advantage of the icy cold to go out walking as much as I can to re-acclimatise my body from Greece (40oC) to Canada (-40oC). But there are hidden problems. The snow in South … Continue reading →

Posted in Winter | 1 Comment

Tripping on Speed

Posted on December 3, 2010 by BarryH

Busy day on Wednesday.  Got up at 06.15 to take Ruth and Tim to Heathrow for their flight to Canada for the winter.  Apprehensive about getting the car out of the garage and up the drive, I had cleared the … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Reflections, Winter | Leave a comment

Images of an early winter

Posted on November 27, 2010 by BarryH

I said in my last post that Autumn was accelerating towards Winter.  Little did I realise the speed of the transition.  Woke up Friday morning to hard frost but clear blue sky with just a few lenticular clouds acting like a prism … Continue reading →

Posted in Winter | 2 Comments

Acceleration, speed, time

Posted on November 25, 2010 by BarryH

I learned soon after I began paragliding that the body feels acceleration but not speed.  Fly into a good thermal and there is a sudden upsurge as your body goes up and your stomach seems to lags behind.  An intake … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, extreme gardening, Reflections, Winter | 1 Comment

Room at the top but none on the bus

Posted on November 18, 2010 by BarryH

The attic is now cleared.  I never thought I would be able to say that.  So I’ll say it again.  The attic is now cleared. Unfortunately there were no Chinese vases. The small amount which remains is largely sentimental stuff … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Reflections | Leave a comment

Incentives and distractions (2)

Posted on November 14, 2010 by BarryH

Having got the bit between my teeth with the loft-clearance I knuckled down to it for the rest of the week (I do love mixed metaphors) and by the end of Friday had about 90% finished.  And I had bought … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn | Leave a comment

Chocolate teapots

Posted on November 10, 2010 by BarryH

Having spent part of Monday and a good part of a cold and wet Tuesday sorting out the loft to be able to tackle the problem of catching the mouse I was well pleased when I got back from my … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Reflections | 1 Comment