Day 2 - The First Day of Skiing.

Newsflash: Teenagers can get up early! Ridgewood’s own Check-a-Trade man comes to the rescue. Mr Jones traumatised by The Clash. Two become one on the slopes, and why skii forwards, when you can go backwards just as easily? Sestriere launches new support, counselling, anything you want facility, but time is limited because Miss Bastock goes home on Friday.

Something strange happened on Sunday morning, and I mean morning. We’re talking before the crowing of even the most earliest of rising cockerels. Let’s just say that after a 26-hour journey, a frantic fitting of ski equipment, a three course dinner, and the sorting of rooms, it’s fair to say that we were a little bit sceptical about everyone being ready for breakfast at 0715 and then out for 0800. How wrong we were! It turns out that the children did not need the 6.45 knock on the door. In fact, some of them tried to catch some snoozing teachers out by giving their teachers’ doors a good rat-a-tat-tat. But we were all up and ready, honestly! So, a great start to the first day proper, for nearly everyone (see below). To top things off our Year 11- nothing-is-beyond-me Raymond completed a successful repair job on the toilet handle in their bathroom, which seemed to have been the victim of some vigorous flushing. Enough said, but well done, Raymond!

It’s now time to take a moment to think about poor Mr Jones and his stuttering, startling awakening(s). Let me explain. Ridgewood’s very own Action Man (well, that’s what he looked like in his brand new all-in-one ski suit, or maybe more Little Big Man - google it, it was a real 70s action figure. I know, I had one.) has been subjected… Wait, I’ve got carried away with an overlong parenthesis. Let’s start again. Poor Mr Jones has drawn the rooming short straw: he’s with me! Now, as Mrs Duff will happily, actually more angrily, tell you I am not someone who springs out of bed at the first alarm. No, I need coaxing, cajoling and finally cursing before there is any significant movement from the pit. I think it all started when my mum used to try to get me out of bed when I was a troublesome teen. I have a short first name, but boy could she elongate those vowels: “Iain.” 5 minutes later, “Iai:::n.” Repeat for 30 minutes to, “Iai::::::::::::::n!” So my mother alarm clock replacement has got to have some bite, and what better than the opening bars and lyrics to ‘London’s Calling’ by The Clash. When, after about the eighth round of “duh, duh, duh, London’s Calling…” I prised open my bleary eyes, I saw a somewhat stunned looking Mr Jones who’s morning greeting was, “Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve got the lyrics to ‘London’s Calling” permanently pierced into my brain. Poor Mr Jones. Now, how can I ramp this up? Suggestions please.

Enough of me and Mr Jones for the moment. More a bit later - he’s had quite a day.

A new one-stop-shop catering for all your creature comfort needs landed in Sestriere today in the form of our beloved Miss Bastock. By her own admission, Miss B is not one for the slippery slopes, but give her a corner and some students in need of a bit of support and encouragement and she’s in her element. But this is a very exclusive service and open only to Ridgewood students and staff - yes, sometimes we need a bit of that Bastock magic, too. So rest assured, when the skiing gets a bit tough, or we’re just a bit out of sorts, Miss Bastock is there with her soothing words of sense.

Ready for a bit more about Mr Jones’s day? I’ll try and make it brief. And I’m sort of thinking Brief Encounter. Picture the scene: Mr Duff, the ageing, somewhat portly English teacher was smugly making his way up the slopes. I say smugly, but actually it was more relief that I’d remembered the basics in skiing, like stopping and turning. Anyway, what does he see but his room mate, the novice skier Mr Jones sliding out of control on the nursery, that’s NURSERY, slope. Now it’s not very often an English teacher gets the opportunity to lord it a bit over a PE teacher in the sporting world., but that’s not what happened. Actually, what transpired was a beautiful, brief moment of comradeship as Mr Duff caught the panicky PE man in his arms. However, a little later, Mr Duff lamented the missed lording opportunity when, you just knew it, didn’t you, Mr Jones mastered the art of turning, skilfully slaloming around some poles. PE teachers - they’re so annoyingly good at new sports, very quickly: grrrr!

In other news, Mayson in Year 10 has found this skiing lark is all a bit last year, so he’s decided backwards is the new forwards. What twist will this innovator of ancient sports add tomorrow?

That’s all for now. We’ve had a great first day, rounded off with bowling and other games. It’s time to turn in so we can do it all again tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Mr Duff