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och nu snöar det
This weekend we managed to get caught up on some of the extra snow shoveling--the areas that are good to do, but aren't on the top of the priority list when we get a fresh snow: expanding the cleared area of the parking area a bit, digging out the tractor so that it could be moved, shoveling off the roof of the carport, digging a path to the shire hot tub (which hasn't been touched since we parked it after Norrskensfesten in November). The latter task was a big one--the snow back behind the sheds and next to the tub is almost shoulder deep on me, so while I dug out the area around the tractor, and removed snow from the tractor itself David took a small small snow shovel and loosened the upper layers, letting them fall into the path, then used the snowblower to cast that much away, then used the shovel to move more of the top layers down into the path, etc. It took about 1 hr, 20 minutes for him to get the path all the way to the back side of the tub. Then we took a break for some food, and then took care of the carport roof. That was Saturday's workout (well, that and a short workout before I even went outside).
Today some of the members of Phire came over to help with the hot tub itself. We managed to get the lid off (which took both unscrewing the screws that hold it it place when driving, and using a heat gun to melt some of the ice that was holding it down, and dug the remaining side out so we could get to it, and managed to carefully break out some of the ice from the bottom of the tub and clean it out a bit. Then David arrived and showed us how to get it set up on the wood blocks so that when we fill it with water it won't squish the tires and tip over. To accomplish this we had to dig out the door to the container so that we could get the good car jack out, so yet one more area got cleared.
Once we decided the tub was clean enough we covered it back up, and this time put a tarp over it (which should have happened in November, but somehow we didn't manage to find the energy/time to accomplish that then). Next Friday morning I will start filling the tub, and when it gets about 1/4 full I can start the fire in the stove. They say it takes four hours to fill and six to heat, so if I start it in the morning, make certain that the fire is going well when I leave for Phire practice at 17:00, then it should still be warmish when practice ends and we all head back to my place. It might be needful to re-start the fire at that point, but it shouldn't have had time to get too cold. Then we can cook food and spend the evening relaxing, in the tub for those who wish, and in the house for those who don't.
Folk dance this evening was ever so much fun (as always). Many of our newer people are finally getting it, and thus they are more fun to dance with.
And a quick summary of the week, working backwards:
Friday's Phire practice was also much fun. Bjorn and Ellinor have been working on a new acroyoga thing, where they stand side by side, holding right hands in the other's left. Then she does a half-cartwheel with her head between the interlinked hands, to come hanging upside down in front of him, facing the same direction he faces. Then she bends her legs, lowers her feet and tucks them under his arms, so that she can wrap her legs around his waist and then sit up, letting go of his hands, and then placing her hands on his shoulders, as he shifts his hands to her hips. Then he bends forward a bit to get some momentum, and stands back up quickly, adding a small hip-thrust to give her a push, while she presses her hands on the back of his shoulders and he over-head presses her up above his head. Or, that is how it is meant to go. At the start of practice they could do some of the steps, but not very smootly, and they hadn't yet achieved that final overhead press. Of course, as soon as I saw what they were working on I wanted to try, so he took turns with us, and, eventually, he and I found the right balance point for him to overhead press me from that position. I am a good 15 kg lighter than she is, and more used to flying, so it might have been easier to find the trick of it with me. (It helped when they showed me the video that inspired it.) However, he hasn't done so much strong man training for nothing, and very soon after he and I made it work he got it to work with her, too. He sounded really surprised when we got it working when he exclaimed "and it is so easy"--with acroyoga technique really matters, as does the fact that both the flyer and the base are working. Yes, he is strong enough to just overhead press us on his own, but then he needs to start in a position where it is possible. When starting from weird positions like this one the flyer really needs to work.
We also had the arieal silks out on Friday. As always, when I tried them early in the evening I simply couldn't climb at all, but I alternated between acroyoga, hand stand training, and trying the silks, and after Bjorn and I got that pose working and I was good and warmed up, then I could easily climb right to the top.
Wednesday-Friday I had Lisa, a couch surfer from Germany staying with me. She tells me that she really felt at home here. She was out for adventures during the day, and we spent part of the evenings visiting with one another, and part of the evenings we spent doing stuff on our own computers (or I was reading or shoveling snow). Note that while I had kinda hurt my arm on Tuesday's Phire practice, by Wednesday evening I was able to shovel snow normally again, and had no troubles with it again.
Today some of the members of Phire came over to help with the hot tub itself. We managed to get the lid off (which took both unscrewing the screws that hold it it place when driving, and using a heat gun to melt some of the ice that was holding it down, and dug the remaining side out so we could get to it, and managed to carefully break out some of the ice from the bottom of the tub and clean it out a bit. Then David arrived and showed us how to get it set up on the wood blocks so that when we fill it with water it won't squish the tires and tip over. To accomplish this we had to dig out the door to the container so that we could get the good car jack out, so yet one more area got cleared.
Once we decided the tub was clean enough we covered it back up, and this time put a tarp over it (which should have happened in November, but somehow we didn't manage to find the energy/time to accomplish that then). Next Friday morning I will start filling the tub, and when it gets about 1/4 full I can start the fire in the stove. They say it takes four hours to fill and six to heat, so if I start it in the morning, make certain that the fire is going well when I leave for Phire practice at 17:00, then it should still be warmish when practice ends and we all head back to my place. It might be needful to re-start the fire at that point, but it shouldn't have had time to get too cold. Then we can cook food and spend the evening relaxing, in the tub for those who wish, and in the house for those who don't.
Folk dance this evening was ever so much fun (as always). Many of our newer people are finally getting it, and thus they are more fun to dance with.
And a quick summary of the week, working backwards:
Friday's Phire practice was also much fun. Bjorn and Ellinor have been working on a new acroyoga thing, where they stand side by side, holding right hands in the other's left. Then she does a half-cartwheel with her head between the interlinked hands, to come hanging upside down in front of him, facing the same direction he faces. Then she bends her legs, lowers her feet and tucks them under his arms, so that she can wrap her legs around his waist and then sit up, letting go of his hands, and then placing her hands on his shoulders, as he shifts his hands to her hips. Then he bends forward a bit to get some momentum, and stands back up quickly, adding a small hip-thrust to give her a push, while she presses her hands on the back of his shoulders and he over-head presses her up above his head. Or, that is how it is meant to go. At the start of practice they could do some of the steps, but not very smootly, and they hadn't yet achieved that final overhead press. Of course, as soon as I saw what they were working on I wanted to try, so he took turns with us, and, eventually, he and I found the right balance point for him to overhead press me from that position. I am a good 15 kg lighter than she is, and more used to flying, so it might have been easier to find the trick of it with me. (It helped when they showed me the video that inspired it.) However, he hasn't done so much strong man training for nothing, and very soon after he and I made it work he got it to work with her, too. He sounded really surprised when we got it working when he exclaimed "and it is so easy"--with acroyoga technique really matters, as does the fact that both the flyer and the base are working. Yes, he is strong enough to just overhead press us on his own, but then he needs to start in a position where it is possible. When starting from weird positions like this one the flyer really needs to work.
We also had the arieal silks out on Friday. As always, when I tried them early in the evening I simply couldn't climb at all, but I alternated between acroyoga, hand stand training, and trying the silks, and after Bjorn and I got that pose working and I was good and warmed up, then I could easily climb right to the top.
Wednesday-Friday I had Lisa, a couch surfer from Germany staying with me. She tells me that she really felt at home here. She was out for adventures during the day, and we spent part of the evenings visiting with one another, and part of the evenings we spent doing stuff on our own computers (or I was reading or shoveling snow). Note that while I had kinda hurt my arm on Tuesday's Phire practice, by Wednesday evening I was able to shovel snow normally again, and had no troubles with it again.