Meeting the Landlord - & the Search for Skis

Well our wish came true! About 30 – 40 cm of snow on the ground this morning. The village looks like a postcard with all the chalets covered in a mantle of snow. But we are toasty warm in our little apartment. The heating system is excellent.

Our landlord is in residence and Hubert dropped by early in the morning on his way to get the bread – a daily French occupation! And later in the morning we met the rest of the family, Marie, Louis, Diane & Camille. Gorgeous. But they need to practice their English as much as I need to practice my French!!

The day has been spent at the ski shops in Sallanches & Cluses, the two towns on the valley floor below Araches. Both of which were extremely busy probably due to the first snow arriving. I have been fortunate to easily find the skis I want. Dynastar is a well known French brand and until recently manufactured in Sallanches. Gra is, of course, causing trouble with his specific K2 telemark skis. But Hubert has introduced us to an expert at a ski shop in Cluses and he will be contacting us on Monday to advise whether he can find the specific type he wants and how long it will take to get them. It has been snowing non-stop all day and Gra is just chomping at the bit to go skiing. (The fact that none of the resorts are open yet hasn't quite registered!!).

In the evening, Hubert and Marie invited us to aperitif's in the main house with Richard and Liz as well. It appears that this "aperitif thing" is a common custom. A range of small snacks, cheeses, traditional sausages and bread is provided. The wine for this ocassion was of course Beaujolais, which had just been released on the first Thursday of November! Hubert had procured a very special "unfiltered" batch, which was surprisingly delicious.

Before the other guests arrived we handed over the presents we had bought for their children. Louis was well pleased with his Official All Blacks Rugby Jersey and the girls Diane and Camille loved their stuffed toys ( a Kangaroo & Koala). We thought that in this way we covered both our nationalities - ie., Australians living in NZ.

About 8:30 we retired to Le Refuge to watch Australia beat France in rugby. Although I confess I fell asleep through about half way through the second half!! Last I knew, France was leading but I was disappointed to learn that Australia ended up winning the match. Why disappointed? Well the local bank manager joked with us on Friday that the possibility of opening a french bank account hinged on the correct result - a French win!! We hope he was joking.