This time x years ago

My melancholy at returning back to work two weeks ago was compounded by the fact that this year was the first that we haven’t gone skiing in the second week of January in 4 years. And, as such, it’s the first time I’d been in England for the period 11^th to 15^th of January since 2006. This was a strange fact but one that I had been particularly proud of in my own geeky way.

So, taking the 12^th of January as the example this is where I was and and what I was up to on that day for the 5 years preceding this one. It’s a bit like that book One Day but with more emphasis on eating, binge drinking and skiing.

Eward on Mission Beach

12^th January 2007 – Magnetic Island, Australia

Exact diary entry: “Drive from Mission Beach to Townsville after visiting the length of Mission Beach. Stop @ Jourama falls. Dump hire car in Townsville, meet Eddie Sheldon then boat over to Magnetic Island. Eat Thai curry. Drink lots. Drinking games.”

This was a particular good part of the trip. Howard had come out to Auz for the cricket and I was in the process of giving him a whistle stop tour of Australia before he headed home. After New Year’s Eve in Melbourne and a brief soiree up the Great Ocean Road to our relatives in South Australia we flew to Cairns met up with Sally, Amy & Eddie Sheldon and headed down the East Coast winding up on Magnetic Island for a few days. On the pop, in the sunshine, with friends. Happy days.

Our coach. On a wooden boat.

12^th January 2008 – La Paz, Bolivia

Exact diary entry: “Leave Puno @ 7am. Bus to border then to Coppacabana. Stop for an hour on sea front for lunch. Dodgy bus to La Paz including strange lake crossing. Arrive La Paz. Eat. Start drinking. Route 36 bar. All nighter.”

One of the most random few days of the South America trip. Firstly, on the bus trip – which was shit at best – in between Coppacabana and La Paz you have to cross the Straits of Taquina. It’s utter lunacy. All the passengers get off the bus and get on a passenger ferry to the other side. The buses, however, with all your gear on, get driven on to rickety wooden boats and meet the passengers on the other side. Only in South America. Secondly, I got involved in a pretty hefty binge as soon as we arrived in La Paz and the booze up on the 12^th lasted well into the 13^th. In fact, what happened on the 13^th exactly will forever remain a mystery. As for the 14^th – bed day. La Paz is just one of those cities.

The Alphof platter. For two.

12^th January 2009 – Alpbach, Austria

Exact diary entry: “Skiing, Austria”

Literally, that’s all it said. But I can elaborate. This was the first of the Benjamin family skiing holiday’s and remains the best in my eyes. The skiing was hard but the scenery and company was excellent and we spent many an evening eating monstrous amounts of food and drinking wine. Splendid. Eating highlight of which being the famous platter at the Hotel Alphof. It was epic.

From the top of the disused ski jump

12^th January 2010 – Borovets, Bulgaria

Exact diary entry:  “Don’t ski. Go to Samakov & Goverdatsi.”

Borovets was an experience. The second Benjamin family skiing soiree. We arrived in pretty much tropical conditions – they’d not had a sniff of snow for weeks and it was about 5 degrees C. Not great for skiing. Not a happy bunny. The majority of the pistes were shut, the rest, busy and lethal with ice. Putting it into perspective the same resort is currently covered in snow and -10 degrees. It was just bad luck that we’d picked their warmest winter in years. Still, we made up for it by devouring the ample buffet each day and exploring what we could. Highlight of which was finding the disused communist ski jump and climbing to the top.

Simple

12^th January 2011 – Cervinia, Italy

Exact diary entry: “Ski. Quiz” – I clearly don’t spend much time diary writing when skiing it seems..

The third and final Benjamin family skiing trip was to Italy. After the previous year’s disappointment Momma Benj wasn’t going to risk not skiing this year so picked one of the highest resorts in the Alps. We weren’t let down as we were treated to the best skiing of the three trips. We were also treated to a Nidge. Howard’s +1 this year was a certain village oaf called Nigel Burrows. It turned out perfectly. He got on famously with Poppa Benj, took Howard out each night (nearly breaking him) before waking up each morning (Howard still dead) bright and breezy to come skiing with me. Him & I ski in a similar way – unruly but in control and fast. It was brilliant and probably the best I’ve ever skied. The 12^th was notable for the quiz we attended which – I think – we nearly won but didn’t. Also notable for Howard’s head turning in Mikhail Gorbachev’s for nearly an hour. It was seriously weird. It was a good trip and by the end of it EVERYBODY in the whole town seemed to know Nigel. What he & Howard got up to on their nights out will forever remain a mystery.

Needless to say, in comparison, January the 12^th 2012 was a disappointment. I went to Gloucesterhire then Exeter. But it was a good run while it lasted.