SKI-er or Sk-ater. We know how to enjoy ourselves

Merrywidow

Poor you Pollypenny - people are sleeping on the floor in Gatwick, some been there for two days. (I live an hour from Gatwick)Early warning. Weather forecast an hour ago says its going to snow again tonight and tomorrow and Sunday it is really going to dump it down. Gatwick has a ginormous backlog after the airport was closed for two days. Will keep you posted.

donny-gal

Poll - if you think it is cold there, be warned I have never been so cold here! Go to Walmart and get some thermals for when you get off the 'plane

Only 5.30pm and -3 in Donny showing -2 near Gatwick!!!
DG

Merrywidow

Its all true!! My gas fire has refused to light since last night and although I had the heating on 27 I still had to dig out some furry thows to wrap around me. Trust me Poll, its cold. Glad I don't live in Holland anymore. Its minus 15 there and have 40 cms of snow in the North - not funny. Will update you after the local news at 6.45pm.

Savvy_Sue

I was wondering if DS1 was going to make it back from his (Alpine) skiing trip as Bristol airport has been operating only intermittently, but have just remembered he flew from Gatwick so is presumably due back there - tomorrow! :rotfl:

sloan

Thanks for the birthday greeting! I am noe officially a pensioner and due to receive my first payment on Monday! Have been living on savings since August! Am ski-ing in a massive way this year! Starting the way I hope to go on... plans so far ... back to Cyprus on Monday, if I can get out of Manchester Airport. Back on March 3rd. Barcelona from March 17th to 24th. Tel Aviv from March 25th until 31st. April 4th ... New York for 3 nights, followed by Las Vegas for 4nights. (both daughters are joining my husband and myself for this bit as part of my 60th birthday celebrations!) Flying down to LA and then cruising for 7 nights down to Mexico. Back to England for 2 days and then back to Cyprus on April 22nd untl June 24th. Summer in Whitby to make use of my new Mazda MX5, my retirement present from husband and daughter. Back to Cyprus on August 17th until October 20th. In between I have to fit in my spa experience (Rescheduled from Christmas because of the weather!), a hot air ballon flight and a microlite flight and my daughter's MA degree ceremony at Durham Uni (conferred by the lovely Bill Bryson) but deferred from January to June.
My feet are hardly going to touch the ground! How great is retirement?

seven-day-weekend

Happy Birthday Sloan and enjoy your pension.

I am 60 on the 27th of this month and receive my pension on 1st February.

Looking forward to it!

MY word, you are SKI-ing aren't you? Enjoy - you'll wonder how you ever had tim to go to work!

sloan

I am definitely making the most of it! My only regret is that I have not managed to get rid of some weight, but this is my goal for the first three months, when the party food is finished! The problem with Cyprus is that we eat very healthily at home, but love our meals out and I tend to dink Efes beer when I am there. However, I am determined to do something about it as it is the only thing that I am not happy about at the moment ... everything else is fantastic!

margaretclare

Savvy_Sue, we've stayed in a Village hotel before, and also Hilton (several times, as English Democrats' conferences tend to be held there, last one was at Brands Hatch. Have always been happy with those. The Britannia Hotel group is very large but seems to have been left behind in an earlier era. I asked for yogurt at breakfast - now I have never stayed in a hotel where there was not yogurt, but there, was looked at as if I was demanding something completely way out and unavailable. 'Oh we don't do yogurt...' As I don't 'do' full English breakfast either, there was a lot on offer that we'd paid for but didn't avail ourselves of.

My stepson, his wife and 2 GDs arrived back from a ski-ing holiday in the French Alps, but the weather hadn't been conducive. Too wet and too little snow!!! Also, his wife has broken her arm very close to the shoulder too high up to be plastered.

Church is cancelled for tomorrow - not going anywhere! On the positive side, am losing weight albeit sloooowly.

sloan

Lucky you with the weight loss! (I know it's not luck really!) I must be determined! On the snow front, DD1, a primary school teacher, had a sledging course cancelled because of too much snow!

margaretclare

Thanks for the kind words. No, it's not luck, it is darned hard work and determination and even then, it's not as quick as I would like. But at least it is happening.

The problem with our church is that there is no parking - we park close by near some flats just at the back of church, but walking from there through the snow and ice can be risky. The stewards have taken the decision that it is too risky both for the preachers and for the church congregation.

DH is busy planning our summer holiday - he has suggested going by overnight ferry from Swansea to Cork and then exploring the south-western corner of Ireland, Cork/Kerry area. We're planning to go in July.

Our next 'away' will be the English Democrats' spring conference in late February at Doncaster. And our 8th wedding anniversary next Tuesday, which will probably be just a meal out locally.