Housework = Exhaustion

1/ Afternoon sunshine glistening through the ice

Our secret is revealed! Whenever we say we've decided to stay home and do our housework ...read "we are totally exhausted!" Certainly the housework did need to be done and there is a good chance that we will be going on another big ski tour tomorrow, but the sad truth is that we are whimps!! Plan A had been to clean the flat in the morning, do our french homework, have lunch and then head off to Flaine for a ski in the afternoon. Somehow it just didn't happen. Shocking isn't it?

We decided to go for a walk around our little village instead. The sun was shining but the air temperature is below zero and drops even further when the sun sets! All around us the trees around us are covered in hoar frost and the roads and paths are all diabolically icy!!

Not only that ...we have to be "Prudent" at the moment in our village. Montgolfiere's are lurking everywhere..

Like Wanaka, this area of the Haute Savoie has been the subject of a building boom over the last 10 years. There are tell-tale signs in abundance: too many real estage agencies, "Vende" (For Sale signs) everywhere and the odd crane or two marring the skyline.

Fortunately it appears that the building code is very strict. New buildings must look like a traditional mountain chalet. The use of wood in these buidings is extensive both inside and out even if the inner construction is of concrete or block. They also strive to make the buildings look old by scorching the timber cladding.

But like the rest of the world, Araches/ Les Carroz is being affected by the global economic slowdown and it appears that many developments have been abandoned. While this might also be due to the cold winter conditions, many of the sites look like the workers have just downed tools and stopped work. Certainly, all the ski chalet operators are reporting that their English visitor numbers are down on previous years. January has been dead and while February is tradtionally busy, the March and April bookings are not strong. Interesting times ahead?

3/ A new chalet and a new "old chalet" with it's scorched exterior.

And finally to end today's blog, while wandering through the streets of Les Carroz, we came upon an exciting discovery! Monoski's now come with twin tips....and you can even hire them!! Oohh ...the temptation!!

4/ Twin Tipped Mono's Awesome!

The Sun Returns. Further Exploration.

1/ The skies filled again with hot-air balloons!!

After the cold foggy day yesterday, the skies have cleared and are again filled with balloons as the Les Carroz Montgolfiere Festival continues. Try as we might, it's seriously hard to get a good photograph of them once they are aloft. Our little all purpose digi-camera struggles. There is actually 12 balloons in the photo I have posted!

We could not get warm this morning. Despite the sunshine, a brisk northerly was blowing. That's our equivalent of a cold southerly downunder. In January, my usual ski attire has been an icebreaker t-shirt, 2 patagonia layers of long underwear, a patagonia black fleece, a purple windcheater vest and my red overjacket - that's 6 layers! I also have a pair of 3 layer gloves. And my fingers and toes are still cold. I can't imagine what it must be like skiing in North America or Canada when it's -10C or less! Although I will thank our Chamonix guide Eric, who taught us a bizarre shoulder & arm manouvre to get the blood pumping into the finger tips! It came in handy this morning. Shame he didn't also have a cure for cold toes!!

We met Rick & Liz for lunch today at the our favourite little mountain restaurant at the foot of the "Goolies" chairlift in Samoens. Rick, Graeme and I shared a delicious cheese fondue, while Liz very wisely chose a salad. Tragically, even though these traditional cheese fondues are totally scrumptious, they are not my friends! My digestive system exacts a wicked revenge when I eat very rich cakes, creamy pastas or too much cheese. So sadly, today will be my last cheese fondue. Sniff!

Over lunch, Rick advised us that an area that we had yet to ski in Flaine had opened. Called the Combe de Veret, it's a "cheeky little bowl" ( to borrow a favourite "Rick'ism") whose top is at 2309m. It faces west so it's nice and sunny in the afternoon, the vertical's good and best news is that it's serviced by a good ol' fashioned Poma. This means few or no snowboarders sharing our playground.....yeeha!

The old poma on the Combe de Veret was remarkably gentle. There's still quite a few poma's about the Grand Massif and to-date all of them have seriously dodgy springs. Graeme and I have regularly been launched high into the air as we get the pole between our legs. For obviously anatomical reasons, Graeme finds this a little less exciting than I do!! [No need for further details!!]

We think we've really got this filming caper stitched up now. Here's todays movie footage of our ski in the Combe de Veret and views across to Flaine and Mont Blanc.

2/ The surprisingly gentle Poma at the Combe de Veret

3/ "The Combe de Ger "

One of the best things about being able to ski the Combe de Veret today was the view from the top. We have a ski tour planned for tomorrow down into the Ger Valley. While it's hard to see from this photo, just out of the shadow is a lake and a very cute restaurant. A ski tour with hot chocolate and coffee? Who could ask for more?

4/ Our proposed route down into the Combe de Ger

Montgolfiere-a-rama!!

1/ & 2/Montgolfieres floating above and in the valley below Le Refuge

It's hot air balloon-a-rama here in Les Carroz this week! There is a hot-air balloon ("montgolfiere") festival going on and about 20 - 25 balloons are participating. They are all brightly coloured and they make an incredible picture when they all take off together and fill the skies. Flat land is hard to find where we live, so they are using any level field around us to fill their balloons and stage their take off.

Hot-air ballooning is an interesting concept. To trust so completely in the whims of a breeze is, I think very daring. While I have been brought up sailing and can trust the wind, it seems to me that your choice of movement is so much more restricted in a hot air balloon. Surely in a balloon you can only go up or down and your speed is entirely dependent on the wind. All I can say is that balloonists must be supreme weather forecasters!! God help you if your burner goes out!! And while I am sure that the views from a balloon flight over the Alps must be very spectacular, I'm not sure I could relax enough to enjoy the scenery. I suspect I would be spend all my time trying to second guess where we were going to land. As I have mentioned before in connection with the paragliders - there is not that much empty space in France! Dropping a balloon on the autoroute or onto the roof of a factory down in the valley gives me the willies!!

3/ A balloon taking off from our "backyard"!!

Daily Life
Some one asked me recently if our lives had changed much? Are we doing things differently in France? That's a hard question to answer. So today I will reveal some trivial things that have changed for me, while I give the deeper question a little more thought.

First trivial change is that I now drink coffee! This is quite a big step for me. I have resisted drinking coffee for 42 years so to take up the habit in middle age is really quite momentous. The hassle of finding a good cup of tea in this country proved to be just too hard. And I would be the size of a house ( and broke) if I ordered hot chocolate every day. So, nothing like jumping in with both feet. I now have at least one or maybe 2 espresso coffees every day. I also have now learned why all you coffee addicts like the stuff. Forget the taste.. it's a real pick up n'est-ce pas? When my energy is lagging on the slopes mid-morning there is nothing like a little espresso to pep me up! Mind you, I am starting to get fussy and can now discern the difference between a good and bad coffee! I will be joining the Wanaka coffee critics when I return home!!

Graeme's biggest change is to more read books instead of watching television. Personally, I think he overdosed on French TV when he was feverish with bronchitis last month. But he is really enjoying his reading. I wonder if he will keep it up when our life changes again at home?