This is a special rose. It’s very old and has moved houses several times. Every year I have a goal of keeping it going for one more season. Thankfully it looks after itself.

I’ve talked about trying to become multilingual. Its not easy for me as I even struggle with English. German is my next best language. But currently my learning has been a little unfocused. No real time limited goal to strive for. Previously it was a trip to Switzerland which would spur on the German. Sadly not been there since 2015. I’ve kinda drifted. So I need a new language goal.

At Christmas I will attempt to read a book in German. It might take me ages but I’m going to give it a go. So which book?

I have always loved Alpine Sports. The three which are closest to my heart are Skiing, Biathlon and Ski Jumping. Ski Jumping always seemed the most atmospheric sport to a young lad from boring Yorkshire. Yorkshire is a Cricket loving place. Now you might understand why Ski Jumping looked so cool to me. Over the years I’ve got to understand this cool sport so well. Can name all the hills, the competitors and the coaches. One coach in particular always fascinated me. I loved his passion for the sport. The former Austrian coach Alexander Pointner. But he also has a really tragic back story. His daughter committed suicide. He has battled depression for years. When I’ve heard him talk he has real insight on life when you are at your lowest. He is brutally honest. So that’s the book then.

Now I have a goal. December 1st, I start reading this book.

44 thoughts on “Ski Jumping”

  2. Sounds like an interesting book indeed. But be careful not to overwhelm yourself and lose the joy over it. Perhaps it would be a good idea to start with children’s books. You know not those for the very little ones, but novellas or interesting topics written in simple German. or you could read my book in German too now… lol!!!

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  3. That’s a great idea! My German is pretty fluent but reading a book in German takes me twice as long as in English. I should perhaps add that I’m a pretty fast reader. Good luck with your objective.

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  4. Now I have an idea for you, and your blog, Gary. Why your blog? No reason, other than you came up with an idea anyone can try, yet few would ever think to try.
    This idea is one I just woke up with, and stems from nothing associated to your blog. It is a survey of sorts, and you have a goodly number of readers. Many of them read you but otherwise keep themselves unknown, hiding behind commentary silence from letting the world know they exist. Ach, I am taking to long to ask the survey question, so let me ask it and then finish setting it up later. DO “YOU,” AS A MEMBER OF THE HUMAN SPECIES, GIVE A FLYING F**K, WHO DEVELOPS A VACCINE THAT BRINGS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC TO ITS KNEES?

    This thought, idea, question, whatever it is has been nudging at my mind since coronavirus started to spread across the world. It finally came into full bloom, and it is an old bloom that should have been looked at millennia ago in other situations, but seemingly never has. WHO IS IT MORE IMPORTANT TO SAVE, IN THIS CASE BOJO IN ENGLAND OR THE DONALD IN THE USA, INDIVIDUALS ALL, OR THE HUMAN RACE ITSELF?

    On the Nightly News a few days ago Russia was accused of trying to rip off research from other labs around the world, RESEARCH THAT ALL CONCERNS FINDING THE SAME ANSWER, A WAY TO SAVE US FROM A BLANKETY-BLANK-BLANK-BLANK VIRUS. WHY DOES ANY ONE LABRATORY WANT TO BE THE ONE!, WHEN WE THE PEOPLE JUST WANT A CURE? And it doesn’t matter to us who finds it. WHY CANNOT WE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A CURE, RATHER THAN DUKING IT OUT AND WASTING PRECIOUS TIME AND COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY TRYING TO BEAT THE OTHER GUY?

    Okay we all know what kind of a Capital “DJT” Smuck Donald J Trump is. If he can buy the lab that makes the discovery he can control the World, and he will try. He’s already tried! But is anyone going to let him get away with that. The cure that is found CANNOT BELONG TO JUST ONE RESEARCHER, OR EVEN ONE LAB, OR EVEN ONE CORPORATION, OR EVEN ONE NATION. NO! This cure must belong to the people of the human race, completely free of charge to all. It cannot be OWNED!

    This is not a time for crazy capitalism, but for Shared Socialism or Community Communalism to take over. No one person can afford this solution all on their own, or some nations will surely collapse and die. Whole continents might end up devoid of human life. IN THE END there can only be one survivor, and that is life. All LIFE!

    WILL IT BE HUMAN LIFE, OR A VIRUS? Do you care?
    DO?
    “YOU”?
    CARE?

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  7. Goals are good. I will probably never learn a second language. Definitely still struggling with English. The only thing close to skiing that I have done in my life was cross country skiing. One of my teachers took our class on this great adventure. I wasn’t half bad. I remember enjoying the little hills the most. Only went sking the one time. My adventures seem to get cut off at the pass. Reading a book in German, now that is very adventurous.

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  10. Good for you! I wanted to try to read in French so I got a book about a young chap who sailed around the world, with a chicken! I’m a sucker for animal stories as long as they end happy. My only problem was that I know nothing of sailing, so there was a bit of guesswork. I’m thinking of getting a book I’ve read before in English and try that out. But your book is a whole lot more meaningful.

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