Live donkeys

This weekend Jo and I had planned our annual catch up. It was to be a two day, relaxed spring walk in the Lake District: we'd leave the car at Keswick on Saturday morning, walk over the hills to Honister youth hostel, carrying as little as we could get away with, and saunter back a different way on Sunday. Except British weather happened. All week we watched the forecast get worse, until on Friday the Lakes and surrounding areas had their worst snow of the winter. Thousands of homes without power. Roads blocked. Mayhem and turmoil.

We called the youth hostel on Friday night, found that the roads were still passable - just; decided if we could get there, we would give it a go, and downgraded our plans to a nice valley walk from Keswick to Honister - with crampons and ice axe and clothes to weather the predicted gales and -20 degree windchill. Hmmm. But on Saturday morning it looked like things were getting better, so I set off from Edinburgh bright and early to meet Jo at Penrith train station. It was dry in Edinburgh, if bitterly cold. But the road south had quite a bit of drifting snow, spindrift blowing over drystone walls, even the sheep in the windswept fields looking cold and dispirited, and by Biggar - 30 miles down the road - it had started snowing again. By the time snow ploughs were outnumbering even the white vans on the road, I had a feeling we were being overly optimistic. When I called her, Jo agreed. Disappointing to have to abandon our weekend, but the hills will still be there another day. As Jo said, better to be Shackleton than Scott.

So I drove the slippy road home again, and instead of battling through Borrowdale in a blizzard, went to see 'Robot and Frank' at the Cameo, met friends for coffee and cake, and then other friends for pizza and wine. Shackleton would no doubt have approved.

St Patrick's Day at Ashgill

Ashgill is the care home where Dad's lived for nearly five years. It's a small home in Milton in Glasgow's east end, near Bishopbriggs and Springburn, which cares for the frail elderly and people with dementia. The staff at Ashgill are amazing people. They're always cheerful and positive, and they treat each of the residents as individuals, with all their quirks and likes and dislikes and fads. It's so easy just to see dementia. Ashgill's staff see the person still there behind the illness.

One of their especially nice habits is putting on afternoon tea parties for the residents and their families in order to celebrate just about anything - Mother's Day, the Jubilee, the Olympics, the World Cup, Easter, Christmas, Burns night, you name it. Joanne and Charlene, the  activities organisers, go the whole hog with care and attention to decorate the dining room and arrange things; the cook makes themed cakes; they put on appropriate music; and there's often singing and a wee bit of dancing in between the tables. I made it to their Paddy's day party on Sunday, got there in time to help cut out some paper shamrocks for the tables, found some of Dad's Dubliners CDs, and stayed for the craic. OK, so the music was too loud, and some of the residents - Dad included - can't take part in the whole spirit of the thing and it mostly seems to pass them by. But even Dad seemed to enjoy his Guinness shandy - a bit! - and soda bread, and it was great to see the residents who did, enjoying it; and the few families and friends who came in, and the staff themselves. A cheerful atmosphere in a old folks' home; a pretty good achievement.

STARS in the sky!

I thought my Canadian birthday treats were over, but after taking us on some fantastic backcountry skis for the last few days in the mountains, Domhnall pulled out one more trick. He only quietly went and arranged a ride-along for Jen and me on the STARS helicopter in Edmonton. A helicopter ride! I've only wanted to fly in a helicopter for as long as I can remember...

This helicopter is otherwise known as 'the office' for Domhnall and Lucille - they both work for STARS, an emergency medical transport service that works over Alberta, Canada and a couple of neighbouring states. STARS flies its helicopters, with a nurse (that's Domhnall and Lucille) and a medic on board, to accidents or to pick up critically ill patients too far from a city for an ambulance to reach by road - and the prairies are huge with lots of scattered tiny settlements, so they're kept busy. It's a pretty cool job. Not least when you get to take your family & friends up in a helicopter to take in snowy Edmonton and the surrounding flatlands from the air as the sun's going down. Amazing!

The STARS helicopter just towed out of the hangar

JN enjoying his job! Edmonton spread out below.

Domhnall in his office! Photo (c) Jen Innes

Very happy & excited after landing. Photo (c) Jen Innes

Backcountry birthday

Backcountry skiing takes you right away from chairs and lift passes and busy ski hill lodges selling hot chocolate and cake. Not that these things aren't a whole lot of fun, but there's something really special about being in the silence of a snow-filled wilderness, surrounded by trees and mountains, with noone else for miles around. Years ago Domhnall helped Bridget and Sparky build their very own piece of backcountry heaven, known as Shambala - an A-frame, tarp-covered hut in a valley a few hours ski from the highway - and we spent the night before my birthday there, with a wood fire burning in the stove, snuggled up in warm sleeping bags, with wine and whisky and good food, and the snow falling outside. My 40th year began with porridge for breakfast and a powder run through the beautiful lodgepole pines that cover the slopes of the Kootenay hills. I couldn't have asked for much better. Except perhaps the evening to follow, at Jimmy's back in Rossland, with dinner and singing and whisky and flowers and presents and laughter. Thank you again to Domhnall and Lucille and all the Rossland crowd for the celebrations and friendship. You made turning 40 seem like just the next step in a journey where the uphills might be long and hard, but are always followed eventually by a downhill ride that leaves you smiling all over your face. And with each run you make, the skiing slowly, gradually, gets easier.

 

Everybody loves the sunshine

Sunshine on Red. Life is good :-)

Red Mountain

The last few days has been all about skiing on Red Mountain with the girls and hanging out with the wonderful Rossland crowd. My third visit to this little corner of the Kootenays and it always feels a little bit like coming home. This time we've got our own cabin at the ski village, instead of bunking at Sandra's, but there are just as many evenings spent with old friends – Domhnall's friends, of course, but also mine after all these years. Bridget's birthday dinner, an art show opening, Sparky's band ('The White Crows of the New Apostolic Church') playing at Rafters after a great ski day, dinner at Sandra's. The skiing hasn't been so fantastic this year, mostly really bad visibility, and no Red powder to play on... but it's always fun. Skiing with Lucille and Jen and Bridget and Andrea, mostly playing on Paradise, which always seems to have the best conditions whatever the snow and the weather are doing. Stopping off at Paradise Lodge for coffee and cinnamon rolls. Coming home for lunch and wine. Having a beer at Rafters when the lifts close, cooking up a storm later. Oh, and somewhere in there Lucille taught me to crochet. What more could you want from a holiday?

Jen and Lucille trying to see the slopes

Just so busy on the slopes

Cover girl Sally in Rafters! Allegedly #1 ski bar in North America :-)