Oberstdorf and Austria, 22 May

The first day of the competition. Lovely to watch so many really good artistic programmes in Bronze Ladies IV and V. 

This took up a lot of the morning, and in the afternoon we were on accreditation duty, which was quite fun. I mostly read and knitted. Then I came away to get supper, and my sore throat, which has been there or thereabouts all day, suddenly ramped up a notch. We watched the Gold Ladies on the live stream while we ate supper, and the SW is about to go back to the rink while I go to bed!

Oberstdorf and Austria, 21 May

To wake on a fine morning and watch the mists lifting from the mountains while the cows walk past, bells clanking.... Oberstdorf!

The Swan Whisperer, who felt energetic, went out for a run, and after breakfast we made our way to the rink as is offered to hold a short service. Only four of us, but that didn't matter - some who would have liked to have come were having practice. After this we stayed at the rink to chat to old friends, make new ones and watch the ice dancers practising.  Then it was lunch time, after which I went to sleep and then read and played video games while the SW indulged in his favourite pastime of walking up and down mountains, strange man! 

When he finally came in there was a quick cup of tea and then we went to join the others at the bar called The Loft, where an Apérol Spritz took away much of our sore throats (we both have them now, and I had earache in the night), and a very good burger was also had.  Then up to the rink again for the welcome party, which was noisy but so many friends...

Wonderful to see people, especially someone from Greece who we had met at the Mountain Cup many years ago. She kindly said I was much thinner than in 2003 - all the same, I know I'm not as slim as I was, say, ten years ago.  Oh well....  But it was a fun evening and I am now enjoying a last cup of tea before bed.

June Holiday: 18 June

The last day at Oberstdorf always has the best skaters.  However, to begin at the beginning, we got up when the "Cow Alarm" went off, and after breakfast we visited the services, gave up our Kurkarten, and left the van all ready to move when we got back (oh, it was hot with the windows having been shut), and went to the rink for the last time.

The morning started with the younger Bronze men's artistic, then all the free dances (why do so many couples insist on keeping the same music all the way through when they take such a penalty for it?), which ranged from dire to fabulous. At least two of the Bronze couples blame me for their participation. Moi?  I'm innocent, innocent I tell you!

After the dances came the Masters Elites men and women, including Olympians. We had friends in the Masters Elite Ladies III, so stayed to watch it, but then came away so missed seeing Fumie Suguri, but we can catch up when we get home.

Back to the van, and first stop was the ReWe supermarket we hadn't been to yet this trip, and then a long drive past Munich to a little town called Landshut, where we are parked up for the night, not sure how legally!  It is a pretty town, and the car park is by the Isar river.

June Holiday, 17 June

The penultimate day of competition started with Silver Ladies IV artistic and Gold Ladies III & IV Free. We watched some of the latter and all of the former, and then it was Bronze I, so I went into town to do a bit of shopping, but just missed a bus so explored the back (quicker) way back to the van for lunch.  After which I had a kip, and then the SW and I went back into town so he could buy me two cheap watches for my birthday present. And back to the rink to watch some masters skating and the Short Dance, which was brilliant. Then it was going to be pairs, so I came away.

June Holiday, 16 June

Today I vaguely woke up with the "alarm clock" of the cows going out to pasture at 07:10, but the next thing I knew it past 08:00 and I was being told that my tea would be about drinkable - which it was!  So got up and had breakfast and decided not to go to the rink just yet, but went shopping in the town to get some knitting cotton so I could make skate cloths if my current cardigan gets to a state where I can't really go on until I have the rest of the wool, which is at home.

Walked back to the rink, stopping en route to buy an ice from the kiosk, which was seriously delicious, and then spent the rest of the day there, watching various friends and then in the evening it was the pattern dances, bronze through to masters, so we sat and critiqued and cheered and ate pizza. Fun, but very tiring, and how the others can go off to the pub now, I do not know!  All I want is my bed....

June Holiday, 15 June

After all the excitements of yesterday, I both wanted and needed a very quiet day. There wasn't much I wanted see at the rink until the evening, so I spent the morning doing a load of washing, which took forever and didn't dry quite properly, shopping, and making a huge ragu for supper.

The Swan Whisperer, meanwhile, had gone out for a long walk with like-minded friends, and reappeared at about 4:00 pm, just as the rain started and the kettle boiled!

After supper, we went to the rink for the evening session, which ranged from Bronze Ladies V (aged 68+, one of whom is in her first - and she swears last - season of skating solo, although she and her husband have danced against us on a couple of occasions) to a couple of ex-Olympians!  And the older ladies got every bit as many cheers and "tossies" (small gifts, mostly sweets or tiny soft toys) as the elites, if not more so!  Adult skating truly rocks!

June Holiday: 14 June

My 63rd birthday, and what better place to spend it than watching friends from all round the world skating, mostly very well indeed.

We were woken by the cows at 07:10, and got up and had breakfast, and then went more-or-less straight to the rink as our friends were skating in the first class of the day. Stayed there until lunch, at which point I took a break to eat and to go round the town, and scored some 4711 shower gel, which I love and is half the price it is in the UK. Will try to get some more before we leave.

Then back the rink where we stayed until dinner time, had a lovely meal in the upstairs restaurant, and back to the van in the rain.

Team GB increased its medal haul again, wonderful! 

June Holiday: 13 June

Why is watching skating so tiring?  I was exhausted by lunch time.....

We got up at a reasonable hour and after breakfast we used the services and I did a bit of shopping.  Then we went up to the rink to watch skating on and off all day. Team GB is doing really well, including wiping the board in one class, and several other gold medals during the day. I won't name names, as I'd be bound to forget someone, but everyone who skated was a winner!

I did have to miss some skaters, though, as I got very tired so went back to the van to sleep for an hour. As the bus had been coming when I left the rink I took it for the one stop back to the camp site, and then thought that, just for fun, I'd catch it back again - it is a one-way circular route, so of course I had to sit on it right out to the first Park'n'ride car park, and then back again! Great fun.

We also missed the last two classes of the day to go back to the van and eat, and I an going to bed now!

June Holiday, 12 June

Woke up far too early to a lovely view of the Alps. The bread man comes at 8:00, so we bought rolls to have with breakfast.  Then it was to the rink, as I had volunteered to take a short service of worship - they very kindly found us a room where we could do that, and 7 of us gathered.

After the service, we hung around for a bit greeting friends, then went back to the van for an early lunch and a rest.  Then we wandered into town and met up with some Queen's/Streatham skaters and had Kaffee und Kuchen with them.  Then back again to the van - I waited and caught the bus - and I sorted out a bag for tomorrow while the Swan Whisperer went for a walk.

The Team GB dinner was at 18:30, followed by the welcome party downstairs. I couldn't hear a word of the actual welcome, but there was a very good band which played and encouraged the skaters to do a conga line.... all good fun.  We came away after a bit, and over to the main block to use the WiFi, which is free, but the signal doesn't stretch to where we are parked, and I am almost out of data.

April Holiday, Day 4

Today was Sunday. I woke up shortly after 7, not having slept terribly well - the Swan Whisperer was a bit restless, which kept me awake, plus he didn't put enough water into his hot-water-bottle, which went cold, so he demanded the use of mine, which I, kindly, let him have and then regretted it!

Anyway, it was a glorious morning, although cold.  Blue skies, birds singing, gloriously hot shower, orange juice, eggs and toast for breakfast - what more could one want?

Ice skating, of course, and today was the final day of the competition, with the artistic programmes, always fun to watch, including a splendid Popeye and a dress that lit up like a Christmas tree!  There was a break for lunch in the middle, so we treated ourselves to a sandwich and chips in the bar, and then came back to the van to eat that nice French compôte with cream on top.  And I had a short rest before watching the final skaters.

We decided not to stay for the show, but slipped away and drove cross-country to Bourges. I even drove for a couple of miles, although it was not much fun and I don't think I had my seat quite right. Not comfortable!  But the roads were very quiet, so not too nerve-racking.

Bourges provides a very nice aire for campers, near the town centre, with free services, what more could you want?  We had a cup of tea and some fruit cake, and then the SW went out for a walk.  It was raining, so I declined to join him but sat and read and knitted - and dozed, if I am honest - until he came back, whereupon it was time to get supper, which included asparagus, as I'd bought some from a little greengrocer-cum-florist beside the rink, and also more strawberries.  And wine, of course. The main course was kidneys in Madeira sauce, which we both love, with rice, carrots and cabbage. And very good it all was, too!

April Holiday, day 3

Woke up shortly before my alarm went off at 08:00 this morning, and after breakfast we made our way to the rink. Lovely to see old friends there, and gratifying to be told we are missed on the circuit.  "Maybe your stamina will come back," said one friend, hopefully, and while I hope it does, I really can't see myself putting in the hours I need to maintain my level of mediocrity again.  Still, we shall see.

Anyway, we saw some good performances and some mediocre ones, skaters that have improved since last time, and ones that have not....  There was a long lunch break, during which we went shopping and ate in the motor home.

The rink was very cold, and I was glad I had a rug with me. We came away before the podiums, and came back to the camp site. The SW went for a walk, and I curled up on the bed with a book, and dozed off!  Woke up when he came in, and eventually got my act together enough to cook a bacon,, mushroom, tomato and chili sauce for pasta, which was followed by strawberries and fromage blanc. I am longing for asparagus, but it is the white stuff, and still quite expensive. Oh well, we may yet find some....

May holiday days 7 and 8: Bulles de Troyes

Yesterday morning, after breakfast, we went for a walk round the town, enjoying the sights and the half-timbered buildings.

Then we went back to the hotel to change into skating kit and have practice ice before a late lunch. After a short rest, it was time to get ready to go to the free champagne tasting, but the minibus was full so we got the address from the driver and went off with a carload of friends.  The satnav found the place very easily, but being France, it was a matter of "hurry up and wait".  However, we were let in at last and told all about how they make champagne, and finally we got to taste the delicious fluid.  However, after two samples, I had had enough, and the noise was getting to me, so I went and sat in the car and fell so sound asleep I was confused when I woke!  Meanwhile the draw was going on, and the SW drew us to skate last, which was great.

We went back to Troyes with our very tired friends, who had driven from Guildford that day, and ate a fairly quick meal with them in the local Hippopotamus, before a quiet evening.

This morning, after breakfast it was time to get ready for our competition, which went very well. I haven't been able to stress about it at all, and although we made a couple of silly mistakes, on the whole we skated well and were delighted with our Bronze medals. The rest of the day was spent watching our friends skate, and cheering on Team GB.

 

And then off to the gala dinner, which was delicious, but finished late!  And so to bed, with a whole day left before we head home.

May Holiday Day 6: And so to Troyes

We had to leave the hotel by 11:00, and the Ibis in Troyes wouldn't have wanted us before noon, so we didn't hurry, and, once we had packed, just read for a bit until it was time to go. A last trip to the supermarket, and a fill of petrol, and we were off, driving cross-country and avoiding the motorway.  The journey didn't take long, and the satnav delivered us to the hotel with no problems.

First order of the day was lunch, then I had a nap and the SW went out to see what he could see. Then he came back and we had a cup of tea, and then we discovered that neither of our laptops wanted to connect to the Internet here, although our tablets and phones didn't have a problem.  Oh well.  Quick email to my boss to explain, and then we went out; first to the rink - just round the corner - to register and pay, and the usual wondering why there were two skaters with the same name from the same club, and was this right?  It is right, and can be confusing although they shorten their names differently, so it's only a problem at comps.  Then a walk to look at some of the sights of the town, including the Seine, and a quick drop into Monoprix for some shower gel I wanted. The SW has seen a restaurant earlier that he thought looked nice and within our budget, so we went there and it was!

And then back to the hotel and we are watching "The Great Escape" on French TV before the election results (no, we are not going to sit up all night).

All good things

Come to an end, and this is as true of the ISU Adult competition as of anything else.

Yesterday started very early, and we were at the rink by 06:00 for our official practice, after which we came back to the apartment to have breakfast and another couple of hours' sleep before getting ready for the competition which started at 11:15. We were the first to skate, and buggered up the lift, which we never do!  Grrr. However, our spin was given the benefit of the doubt, so we did get some technical marks, although not many. But still. 

The rest of the day was taken up with increasingly better dances, wonderful male skaters, synchro teams and, finally, elite ladies' artistic. We did pop out for lunch briefly, but that was about it.  Then the podium, although not all of our class attended, and then another quick change of clothes and make-up and it was off to the Oberstdorf Haus for the final banquet. We left fairly soon after the meal, as it was very noisy,, and with the SW not dancing, you couldn't hear what anybody was saying, and  the band wasn't that good!

Ah well, Oberstdorf may be over, but we still have three more days of holiday to go!

Quiet day

Neither of us felt like getting up this morning, so we didn't, but spent a quiet morning  reading and doing very little else. I expect we missed some great skating, but we find we can't watch all day. However, we had practice at 16:20, followed by the Draw, so we went down and watched the elite skaters before then. Sadly, the draw was early and the Clock in the practice-rink was slow, so we missed our draw, and have been drawn first. Which is good, I suppose, as nobody will be there so early to see make fools of ourselves. Oh well, we aren't the only old and slow couple in the class.  I just hope we skate it as well as we  are able.

After the draw fiasco, we had a cup of tea and returned to the rink to watch the short dance, again won in fine style by the Arnolds, who said afterwards they had only had two runthroughs. 

Then back to the apartment, as it was pairs next, and that is the one discipline I really don't enjoy watching - far too scary. So am now in bed as we must be up before sparrowfart tomorrow for Official Practice at 06:00.  

Ascension Day

I was far too sleepy, and it was far too late, to post when I got in last night. I had more-or-less slept off my funny tummy by the time I woke up, and we had a late breakfast before heading down to the rink to watch the elite ladies, who gave us some wonderful performances. Then back to the apartment for lunch, and we decided to go out for a short drive to see some of the surrounding countryside, ending up on a village in Austria, which was rather pretty.

Back to the rink in time to watch the pattern dances at all levels, and I bought myself a souvenir jacket and t-shirt. The dances ranged from the sublime - the Arnolds' Argentine Tango was simply the best I've ever seen, anywhere, and their Quickstep wasn't far behind - to the ridiculous: had we entered, we would not have disgraced ourselves. One couple's 14-step was rather like ours was when I said Enough was Enough and it wasn't going to happen this year! To be fair, their European was better, but not by a lot!  There were some appallingly bad European Waltzes - not that we could have done any better, but just saying - and a couple of good ones. I am hopeful that we aren't going to make too enormous folks of ourselves on Saturday. We are by no means the only Old and Slow couple.

Anyway, during a gap in all of that we popped up to the restaurant at the top of the rink to have supper - pasta for both of us, mine with mushrooms and I'm not sure what the Swan Whisperer's had. But he enjoyed it.

It was well past bedtime by the time we got back to the apartment, but we both slept really well!

Busy Wednesday

Actually, more stressful than busy. The Swan Whisperer was up early for his official practice, and when he came back we had breakfast, and then I made sandwiches for lunch. We got to the rink quite early and were able to watch the Silver Ladies II Artistic, including two very brave ladies who really aren't at all well, but who rocked it anyway.  And very pleased with themselves they were, too. Then it was Silver Men III, and then the SW's group - Bronze Men IV and V.

The SW skated very well, though not quite clean. Far more confidence than at Bracknell, said someone who has seen both performances, and I agree. He finished last, but in no way made a fool of himself, and was only one mark below the next skater up.

Photo: Liz McGlauflin

We stayed on to watch the Silver Men IV and V, and then the Silver Ladies III, in which we had a lot of friends skating. Then a bit of shopping (tomorrow is Ascension Day and the shops will be shut) and back to the apartment for an early supper, and we were supposed to have practice, but my tummy has gone back on me, not quite (yet) badly enough for Immodium, but.... So I have gone to bed and the SW has gone up for his podium and to watch some really good skaters. He is not very pleased with me, but then, I didn't tell him I was having tummy issues, only that I was tired. I'll be fine after a night sleep and some peppermint oil

Talking of sleep, I did sleep better last night with the bathroom light on - only woke every two hours, not every hour. The spare blankets they provide here in case the duvets aren't quite enough (which they aren't) look exactly like giant yellow dusters, right down to the red borders!

Oberstdorf Day 2

Today it was cold and wet. All day. It rained. However, Team GB got its first Gold Medal, in the Ladies' Bronze IV Artistic category - the one I would have entered,, had I done an artistic this year. Although I would certainly have been last, or nearly so, I would not have been disgraced. Anyway, I didn't,  so we'll never know.

After that, I came away and went into the village, first to run an errand, and then to go to the Oberstdorf Haus to use the free WiFi to download the latest Elizabeth Moon on to my Kindle and have a coffee, which two things I could have done simultaneously had I realised!   Then back to the rink and, eventually, to the apartment for lunch. I

I read all afternoon, but we had to be back at the rink at 5.00 for the Swan Whisperer's draw, and our practice at 6.20, which was not very good, as I was  tired. I have not been sleeping well as it is a bit too dark, but I am hoping that leaving the bathroom light on will solve that.

Stayed to watch the Ladiies Gold III artistic, and then home to lentil curry!

First Day of Competition

The competition started this morning with various Bronze and Silver artistic and free skate. We watched some of them. Canada swept the board with the Bronze III Artistic, but the highest-ranked Briton was 4th.

There was also a trip to the supermarket, but we had woken up too early after a bad night, for to my phone insisting I'd set the alarm, when I had firmly not. Oh well, better that than the other way about!  So after lunch I had a nap, during which I kept dreaming about Canadian skaters!  Why?  Anyway, after that I got supper ready, and then we went back down to the rink to watch the first part of the Bronze Ladies IV, in which our friend Chris was competing, and then we had practice ice ourselves. We had a good session, during which I realised why my STF wasn't working (three steps, and I only have two feet!), and a fantastic run through to the music, after which I said Enough was as good as a feast, she got off. 

We came back to the apartment to eat shakshuka and ice-cream, and now are digesting this. In a bit, the SW is going back for his free practice, and I shall go to bed.

First practice, opening ceremony, team dinner

I did not set an alarm this morning, and it was nearly 09:00 before we were awake for the day. We spent a quiet morning - the Swan Whisperer went out for a short walk, but I stayed in and caught up online now that I finally have decent (but not free) Wi-Fi  After lunch, it was time to get changed and go to the rink for our first practice  on the main rink.  We also had to pick up our accreditation, but that took all of two minutes. I thought we might need passports and so on, but no.  The ice was fabulous, and We had a good runthrough, except my STF is still not working properly. We took a wrong turn going back to the apartment, and had to get the satnav to come to the rescue! One of the main roads through town is closed for refurbishment.

When we finally got back, we had a much needed cup of tea, and some fruit cake, and the SW went on yet another walk while I caught up on my crochet, and then it was time for the Opening Ceremony, all very grand with champagne and flags and Bavarian dancers and speeches, and a video with Frau Kreiselmeier arriving on a hang-glider, like the Queen at the Olympics.

And finally, after a long day, the GB team dinner at the restaurant at the rink, which was delicious, but I am sleepy now.  Especially as we took a wrong turning walking back from the rink, and had to retrace our steps!  Good night!