Stoat - Where?

I’ve decided that snowboarding isn’t the most painful thing in the world, just the most tiring. A great thing about living where I do is that the mountains are only a couple of hours away, so I was able to go up to Meiho in the north of Gifu Prefecture today with a couple of teachers for another go at it. It was a true Japanese-style “one day trip”, waking up at 4:45am in order to get up there early!

This time I was actually quite a bit better and I could go for (relatively) long periods of time without falling over. The only slight downside was that my legs got really tired, really quickly. I had previously supposed that my legs didn’t hurt because I used to play hockey, but now I realise it’s just because I was doing it wrong. I didn’t notice the pain in my legs the first time as I was mostly on my arse, and in any case too busy nursing my upper body.

Anyway, it was another great day. I even managed to go down some intermediate runs without incident so I was feeling pretty proud, though one look at the pros helped me keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds, even if only metaphorically. I’m really hoping I’ll get the chance to get some more in sooner rather than later.

I was really upset to find out that my Uncle George passed away suddenly this week. He was a very kind and gentle person and I remember staying at his house when I was younger, eating toast soldiers and dippy egg for breakfast. I hadn’t seen him for a while as he worked out in China, meaning that ironically I was closer to him here than at home. I’m really sorry I won’t be able to chat to him again. I really want to pass on my best wishes and condolences to Aunty Di, Alan, Paul and Anthony, as well as my mum and the rest of the family back home. Rest in peace.