#LIKEACHALLENGE 

Just to be absolutely clear, you can wear whatever you like! But here’s a few practical tips, whether it’s regular practise or a one-off xmas excursion. Depending on if you’re skating indoors or outdoors, I normally put a white vest or T-shirt and some thermals on top, plus a coat if it’s really freezing. Mind you, it can still be fairly cold even at a covered rink. For the bottom bits, leggings work best for me, just like the once you use at the gym. Defo no jeans, unless t

If you’ve read my previous blogpost, I was giving myself another few weeks to complete this challenge. I was stuck at three revolutions and struggled to do more. I just couldn’t quite get the ‘feel’ for the right speed and body position that would allow me to spin for longer. I went for another practice yesterday. It was an ice rink at the Polish National Stadium, normally used for football matches and concerts, but during wintertime it becomes the biggest skating venue in W

The moment of truth. It’s 31st December 2017. A few hours till the New Year. Where am I at with the spin after 4 weeks of training? I’ll be honest, even though I’ve been practising several times a week, I’m still on three revolutions. I did manage four a few times. I’ve even started doing it on one leg if that’s any consolation. Trust me, it’s REALLY HARD to do five turns and I frankly didn’t realise how big of a challenge I’ve set myself here. I’m still learning how to get

London offers a fine selection of xmas ice rinks every year. Whether you’re a skilled figure skater or a complete beginner, the atmosphere of the capital’s ice-rinks is enchanting. Here’s a round-up of my top 5 places to twirl around. On the practical side: they all cost between £14 and £17 for an hour of skating. From what I remember, Somerset House was the most expensive at £17,50 and Hampton Court the cheapest at £14. All prices include a pair of ice skates. I booked my t

A few (unedited) videos from my training at Motopark Krakow and basic notes about the exercises I performed. First, the slalom. Most of you will say: easy. Indeed, it’s probably easier than some other manoeuvres, yet surprisingly tricky if you want to do it smoothly and at one speed (keeping the accelerator pedal in the same position throughout). These are important rules if you want to be a good driver in general: executing any turns as smoothly as possible, without wastin

Only a few bullet points and photos, so I don't loose your attention on this seemingly 'boring nonsense'. But trust me, it's actually MEGA important: massively improves the quality of your driving and should you ever be involved in an accident (God forbid!), it could help lessen the severity of your injuries. I used to be one of those 'half sleeping/sitting position' drivers with my seat pretty much horizontal, seatbelt under the arm and one finger on the steering wheel. Ei

Straight to the point... after two weeks I’m still at around two to three revolutions in my two foot spin. A lot of ‘twos’ in that sentence, but these are the current figures. I’ve been practising a lot of other ice-skating moves last week, which will eventually help me improve the spin. I wrote it in the previous post that without solid basics I won’t be able to go much further with my pirouetting. I was obviously hoping (wishful thinking..) that it would all happen a bit q

Very belated post on the first training for my future racing licence. It took place a couple of months ago on the circuit at Motopark Krakow in Poland. Just to be very clear, it’s still a long way away till I actually get the licence (hoping for end of 2018, maybe 2019) and I’ll be taking part in amateur racing events in the meantime. There are various types of licences (mind you, they different a bit in the UK and Poland/continental Europe, so still figuring out which one to

It’s one of the most popular banger car rallies in the world and I’m taking part in in the 2018 edition! It takes 3 days and the route starts in St.Quentin in France (just north-east of Paris) and goes via Switzerland and Italy, finishing in dazzling Monte Carlo famous for those F1 races (and 0% tax). No Ferraris on this occasion though: in order to be eligible, my car has to be worth less than £500. Source: Flicker, Here Lawford There will be a lot of driving and burning