I read Maria Grazia’s post which talks about the coming dearth of things RA, and she mentioned he’s somewhere in New Zealand getting ready for the filming of ‘The Hobbit.’ Hmmm. I wonder. I realize some cast members have already headed there, but if RA is a creature of habit, which he more or less keeps telling us he is, I think he’s possibly in Europe getting in a little slope time before he reports for Dwarf Camp. Unfortunately, February is probably the best month to ski in Europe as the conditions are usually warm enough for making snow regularly and cold enough to maintain a nice pack, but maybe he can get in a little skiing at the end of January.
Or maybe the skiing that RA talks about is just something innocuous to discuss during interviews? A bone for his fans? I don’t believe that. I live in ski country and know how addictive it can be. It has a thrill unlike anything else, and if you’re skiing in a place that has lots of powder, oh man! phew! indescribable.
But the control freak in me demands this fake fan letter:
Dear Rich,
I hope you are enjoying the skiing, and if you ever made it to my part of the world, you would have to bring a pair of fatties for all of this powder.
Oh, yeah, I know the age old argument of hardpack vs. packed powder, but most people who experience packed powder, and especially champagne powder, never want to go back to that crap that is hardpack. Some skiers I know think it’s better than sex. I’m not sure I agree with that, but then I don’t get to the steeps too often. Like never.
Nearly twisting my foot off the end of my leg, and now having an ankle that looks something like this is probably the reason. LOL! Let me put it this way. My knee was straight, and my foot was pointing left between a 45° and 90° angle. I’m not kidding (picture me with my tongue hanging out). They gave me laughing gas in the ambulance, but I never did laugh. LOL! So glad I can laugh now ’cause it was more painful than natural childbirth. The end result is I haven’t been downhill skiing in awhile. I stick to cross country skiing, which has enough challenges, but there are no thrills like downhill. It’s just sheer, cussed work.
The first time I did cross country after my accident, I fell over halfway through the track. A friend of mine, who is an avid skate skier, came skidding to a halt near me, and offered to help me up. I just whimpered and said, “No…no, I need to wallow here for a bit.” Eventually I stood up, and things got easier each time after that, but it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever forced myself to do! So whenever I think of you skiing, I say a little prayer for you, my friend. I hope you never have to endure rehab.
Sincerely,
The Gimp (aka One of your crazy fans)
Picture courtesy of my garbled imagination, Faceinhole and psst! a Photobucket picture that belongs to God knows who. You can blame Nat and Phylly for “inspiring” me. :D
edit: I was wrong about Richard’s whereabouts, but it’s always fun to speculate.
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RAFrenzy 
I’m pretty sure Hobbit Boot Camp has already started. Most of the LOTR cast was in training for six week before filming began. Aidan Turner stated that Hobbit Boot Camp was going to “last a few weeks” and filming on the Hobbiton set begins on February 12th. I would bet money training began the first or second week in January.
Hopefully Armitage can grab some slope time during their winter in June.
I hate to say it, but those cut n’ paste pics always creep me the hell out.
.
You’re probably right about the camp.
One person’s creepy is another one’s funny. :D
I wasn’t even planning a post like this, but when I saw that picture a few days ago, this post practically wrote itself in about 10 minutes.
I have never skied in my life–although I love watching others do it–and with my busted knee, I never will–physical therapy? Argggggggh.
Oh, I don’t wish that on anyone.
After six months of therapy before knee surgery, six more months of PT followed–Pain and Torture, as one of the therapists told me with a truly evil and sadistic grin appropriate to Guy and Vasey in S1. Now I am limited to low and no-impact aerobic activities. With my natural clumsiness combined with the Fibromyalgia Waltz (a sort of drunken stagger that hits me from time to time), unlike a certain TDHBEW, I am NOT poetry in motion (LOL). My color coordination is good, though.
Whereever Mr. A is and whatever he is doing, as always, I wish him the very best. I know there were some injuries during the filming of LOTR, and keeping fingers crossed the cast can stay strong and healthy and have no need of PT.
As for the Photoshop pic, I think it’s hilarious. Especially the cap with the fluffy red topknot. Tres chic! LOL
I thought he would have gone a long time ago, but after assuming that, I noticed that someone tweeted that they had been “checked out” by him (wearing a black leather skirt) so if he is there, he has only recently gone. I also was speculating that he may be filming something for Strike Back first – but who knows?
New Zealand snow’s the best skiing in the southern hemisphere, so I am sure in NZ’s winter, there’ll be powder galore to enjoy!!
Unfortunately, I am guessing he will be filming SB 2 during the summer, so he’ll probably miss out on the skiing ops in NZ. Maybe he’ll get to slip a little” danger sporting” in, though.
Lucky girl to get “checked out” by the Gorgeous One himself. (;
@Kap, Yeah, I’d like to hear more about that. :D
What does “checked out” mean? Who’s this tweetie-bird? :)
I don’t know if you intended it but this photo is so Waldoish. The stripey jumper and hat are a scream! And all those little people swarming in the background!! You know I never thought about it before, but put glasses on RA a la Harry and you’ve got WALDO! Good eye there Frenz!
I hope that RA, the checkER, was not wearing the leather skirt and that the checkEE, as in the Twitter person (a gal I’m assuming), WAS wearing the leather skirt !! I confuse easily.
I absolutely adore your fake fan letters. Have you ever sent one for real? I think you’d make him laugh if you did.
i skiied once. Down the bunny slopes. First run landed me flat on my butt w/knee doing the right angle thingy. Snow amblulance guys were kind to not laugh but my family was in hysterics until they figured out I really was hurt. Never again. Spent 6 weeks on crutches and 20 yrs later had surgery on said knee. w/8 weeks on crutches. Replacement is next. Think I’ll just whack it off instead. Same difference.
@sunflowersue,
Great point about Waldo! He would be perfect!
I admit the thought also crossed my mind–was it RA was in the leather skirt or the girl?! (Well, he’d got the legs for it. I’ve seen him in a kilt!)
I fear a knee replacement is in my future. I injured it in college in a car accident when I hydroplaned on a bridge and it slowly deteriorated over the years, until I finally had to do something if I didn’t want to fall down abruptly in the middle of walking.
So I had the year of PT with the surgery in between, told afterwards it would never be “normal” again (truth is, I haven’t been normal in a long time . . .)
I’ve been wearing Skecher Shape-Ups alot and I actually do think they are improving my leg strength, though.
The ambiguity of the identity of who was checking out whom, and the leather skirt did occur. But I dismissed it from the mind…
Angie and Sunflower, I might be one of the few Canadians in captivity who doesn’t ski. I did once do some bunny slopes. But I don’t much like heights. Vertigo, anyone?
@sunflowersue, Oh, I hear the knee replacement is great. I don’t want to find out, but that’s what people keep telling me.
@angie, Oh, he definitely has the legs:
Photo courtesy of RichardArmitageNet.com without whom this blog would not be nearly so much fun — for me anyway. :D
@mesmered, I will envy him if he gets to ski in NZ!
@fitzg, I don’t downhill ski anymore. I have four kids to think of. LOL! My kids actually love to snowboard more than ski. I just cringe thinking of it.
OK question about the above pic. A WHITE kilt? Really? Kilt=plaid in my mind! Yepper on the legs. Everytime I see these kilt pics, I wonder what was going on there. Music? What music? And who were the other folks there with him? Yeah, curiosity does get me in trouble.
And after reading Mez’s latest comments re:Twitter reports of a neked Giz in the UK, I just had to giggle at the “ambiguity” comment from fitz re: leather skirts! Too funny! I’ve got this really weird pic in my mind of….never mind. I’m too old for this.
@sunflowersue,
Richard was doing that particular photo shoot (not sure of the date, it’s been quite a while) with actors Jonathan Rhys-Myers and McKenzie Crook. Not sure who the woman who appears in some of the photos is–a model?. It does look a bit wild and crazy, doesn’t it?? I’ve wondered about that one, too — was there music playing, what kind of directions did they get from the photographer, yada yada.
I have to say I do dig him in that kilt with the buckles on the side. And the knee socks. *giggle*
If any man could somehow pull off wearing a leather skirt–well, it’s our man. I’m probably too old to think along those lines, too–but it hasn’t stopped me yet! :D
WHO posted that kilt pic??!! Frenz =- FOR SHAME! :) Nice knees, though. :D
View at your own risk, RA in leather skirt…oh sorry…girl in question in leather skirt…or is she?
http://www.workthat.co.uk/tagged/Karen_Millen
Oh, wow. This might demand an entry of its own. LOL!
Oh my! I obviously need to be more careful with the phrasing of my comments in future!
Late to join in but I would imagine RA would be in NZ. OH and I saw Martin Freeman in Sydney on the 9th …. or someone we thought looked like him. Thorin is one of the bigger roles so I would imagine he might have to be there earlier than later.
PS: I’m Terrified of skiing
Kaprekar – I don’t think she was trying to hide it since she posted it on her blog.