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Posts Tagged ‘snow’

I wonder if I’ll ever grow out of being excited about snow?  I think it has something to do with how often I get to see it.  My father grew up in Wisconsin, and after seeing snow nearly every day from November until March, I guess the novelty wears off a little.  But not for me.

Growing up, I lived in an area where we got snow every winter, but just enough that it was always exciting.  When I moved to the UK, we might get a few inches each year, but never very much and it would never stick around very long.  So living in a place with regular snowfall is new to me.

Depending on which weather report you listen to, we’re expecting anywhere between 15-50cm of snow this weekend.  Less in Basel, I guess, more where we are due to the slightly higher elevation. Bring it on, I say.

Snow on fields

Snow on house

Snow on field

Snow on house

The snow tyres are on the car, and this morning was the first time I’ve ventured out on the roads before they were plowed.  The snow tyres make a big difference to the handling (it’s also the first time I’ve had snow tyres), and I was happy as could be, heater turned up and the heated seats doing they’re job at keeping my backside warm.

Snow build-up on windows

For a country that gets so much snow, the Swiss architects don’t seem to have made many design concessions.  I woke up this morning to find that shutters were frozen shut, and when I finally managed to get them open, I discovered that our angled windows are not steep enough that the snow slides off them – instead, it accumulates and blocks out all the light in the room!

I’m long overdue for an update to the blog. Since my last post, I’ve been to Hyderabad once and Mumbai twice, plus a week in the mountains in Switzerland on our off-site.

We’ve also finally moved into our permanent apartment. The move itself was uneventful, aside from a few breakages. Apparently, the French definition of good packing includes putting books on top of china and glass. With my heavy travel schedule, it has taken a while to get unpacked, but we’re finally settled in. The wardrobes are built (a task I vow I’ll never repeat), the bookshelves are up, and my study is the only part of the apartment that remains a disaster zone.

Aude & Daisy in front of the fireplace

Aude & Daisy in front of the fireplace

Our neighbours' houses, covered in snow

Our neighbours’ houses, covered in snow

Looking out onto the hills behind our house

Looking out onto the hills behind our house

We’re beginning to get ready for Christmas. The weather has turned much colder this week, and we’ve had our first snowfall of the season. We’ve got the fireplace working (just about – the engineer is on his way for another technical visit today to try to solve some problems with the smoke drawing out properly) and we’re ready for the winter.

 

Well, I managed to make it back from the ski trip with nothing more than a bruised ego. We had a couple of fantastic days skiing, perfect weather conditions and perfect snow conditions, coupled with the fact that there was virtually no one on the slopes so no waiting in line. You really couldn’t ask for a better long weekend.

Everyone agreed, however, that it was my outfit that stole the show. Thanks, Ebay!

Les Arcs

Skiing in Les Arcs

Aude in restaurant

Aude gets ready to tuck into her tartiflette after a morning on the slopes

Francois and Gratiane on the slopes

Francois and Gratiane on the slopes

Francois and Gratiane on the slopes

Francois and Gratiane on the slopes

Francois and Gratiane on the slopes

Francois and Gratiane on the slopes

Francois, Aude and Matthew on the slopes

Francois, Aude and Matthew on the slopes. You can decide: is Matthew enjoying the view of Mont Blanc, or is Matthew having a little trouble turning around in this photo, which is why is he being photographed from behind?

Matthew and Aude on the slopes

Matthew and Aude on the slopes

Matthew and Aude on the slopes

Matthew and Aude on the slopes. Please note Matthew’s colourful ski outfit. You may doubt it now, but next year everyone will be wearing a catchy number like this. And everyone admitted — it was virtually impossible to lose me. No matter how hard they tried.

Sunset in Les Arcs

A beautiful sunset after a good day skiing

Francois cooking fondue

Francois hard at work preparing the fondue

Warming the fondue

Getting ready to warm the fondue. Or, because we had assembled it incorrectly, prepare for a trip to the emergency room. This is why I only order fondue in restaurants!

Vincent & Alex

Vincent & Alex

Gratiane and Aude

Gratiane and Aude

Francois tucks into the fondue

Francois tucks into the fondue

Francois is really excited

Francois is a little over-excited about the fondue

Fondue

Fondue

Matt in ski pants

Matt’s trousers are the star of the show again. You can’t pay for publicity like this…

Lunch on the piste

Lunch on the piste

Aude at restaurant

Aude at the restaurant after a tartiflette

Moguls

Quite a few moguls on this run. Wish I had discovered that before I reached the point of no return!

View of the Alps

A view over the Alps

Finally, after a very hectic January and February, it’s time for a short break. I have been working hard with a new client, based in Paris, helping them manage the acquisition of another business. As always in this deals, we are working to impossible deadlines which means that we are working long hours.

So a few days skiing in the Alps is a welcome diversion. Despite reading of bitterly cold temperatures, we arrived yesterday to discover glorious, sunny weather and temperatures of 7C — not quite warm enough to ski in a T-shirt, but warm enough that we should be able to ski comfortably all day. Snow conditions are perfect, with more than 180cm (6ft) of snow on the slopes.

I am under strict instructions from the office not to break anything.

We hit the slopes for the first time this morning — then it’s a few days of raclette, tartiflette, and fondue. What a way to spend a long weekend!