Something in the Air...

So, having realised I left you all in the lurch at the end of the season with a few days to go and then been massively busy since doing my other 'oh-so-terrible' job down on the French Riviera, I thought I would quickly bring you all up to speed.

Phil and I had a fab last week with two very good friends. We mostly skiied in the mornings, had lunch and chilled in the afternoons once the snow was too slushy for skiing on. Chris, first time skiier, got the bargain of the year by buying a weeks worth of group lessons and, although he only did 3 mornings (9 hours), he had one on one tuition for the bargain price of about £10 an hour!! Unfortunately on day 3, his ski instructor brought him back looking a little worse for wear and Lucinda, a usually very attentive girlfriend, had not heard her phone and we were soon to discover that Chris had tried off-piste in the mud but not waxed his skis! This resulted in a very bruised rib.

Injury aside it was a fab week. After that we had a couple of days to pack and finish the chalet and that's it we were off. Only we weren't leaving as the pair that we came as, we were leaving as a three...

Some people do their ski season and take home some French produce for their parents, or some designer gear for their friends or jewellery for their girlfriend. Some leave with less desirable things like a ski-bum boyfriend that the parents will just love or a vague memory of some 'great' nights. Others, like us, leave with great memories of fab skiing and an amazing company to work for, but this time we got more than we'd bargained for...

Sure enough, we've left with our own little ski bump due at the end of September just in time for the snow of 2014! 

For now, I'm enjoying a sunny summer on a yacht in the French Riviera and will get home to the UK just in time (legs crossed) for the bump to make it's grand entrance into the world...

When Daddy Came To Stay...

Since the little people left us we've had more glorious sunshine than you could ever hope for up a mountain in March. Well, more than you could hope for up a mountain in North Wales perhaps but not, it would seem, in the French Alps! The locals are fully prepared with strappy tops and light walking trousers, the skis are left behind and lift passes are purely a 'bus ticket' to the restaurants or their surrounding deck chairs.

Phil and the staff at Les Cimes took advantage of the beautiful weather last week and the fact that our chalet owner is a high mountain guide and took a trip up Mont Blanc. Sadly for me they were doing a rather tricky route, made even more difficult by the fact that there had been no new snow for several weeks and by all accounts it was pretty difficult, hard-packed and icy.

From what I can work out, their morning consisted of a very early start, a couple of big lifts up the mountain, a trecherous trek across a ridge in harnesses and whilst roped together, followed by a lot of slipping, swearing and sliding. Once down at the bottom, some sensible peopple decided to have a long lunch but Phil, Martin and Alex - the chalet owner/guide - went up onto the glacier a couple of times just to make sure they were completely and utterly worn out!

I spent the day with our lovely guests and guided them from Rochebrune to Cote 2000 with lunch at La Radaz (a special day off treat for me) and back again. We had a great day and the snow was excellent. Since then the snow has stayed good but is getting very soft in the afternoons - something I don't mind as I prefer soft snow to ice any day! However, as I write, the snow is falling, the temperature has dropped and we are back in our little snow globe. Daddy, who arrived on Wednesday to 18 degrees of sunshine and not a cloud in the sky, is rather excited!

We had a lovely family at the weekend who were here to celebrate a 60th birthday. I enjoyed their company very much and hada great time decorating the chalet and making a yummy birthday cake!

We currently have just 4 guests who leave tomorrow when 4 more arrive for a very short break and then at the moment we have no more bookings (book now - the snow's good!) and our flights are booked for the 8th April back to sunny England! We do, however, have friends coming for a week and we can't wait to see them, ski with them on the new snow and show them the beautiful town of Megeve.

Two 4 Year Old Boys and a Whole Lot of Snow!

This week we've had a noisy, superhero-filled, snowy week. Let me set the scene for you...

They arrived on Saturday lunchtime just as I was finishing the upstairs rooms and it wasn't long before I had two little visitors asking 'Who are you?'. The boys are twins, but thankfully very easy to tell apart, and they arrived with their mother and father and their lovely nanny, Melba. It wasn't long before the boys were demanding Nutella on a spoon, even though one has Type 1 diabetes, and the pot was opened and the tantrums started when the word 'no' was muttered. Let's just say that the idea of discipline was a long way away from Megeve this week!

Most evenings I cooked the boys a healthy meal, and I soon learnt that it should contain no carbohydrate as this would mean the blood sugars would go soaring but it wasn't from the mother who had no interest in letting me know what she would like them to eat, just complaining about what was on their plate when it arrived! My popcorn chicken made with chicken breast, egg white and cornflakes went down well (after some protests from one) with the boys but the mother was not impressed! I still cant work out where I went wrong with that one! The adult meals where healthy, vegetarian and within the guidelines they had given me such as quinoa stuffed butternut squash, vegetable lasagna and we even sneaked in a raclette.

When the boys were playing nicely it was great. We've had slipper-clad ice man, mega-wotsit as well as dogs, babies and various other creatures that make interesting and loud noises and are usually naked! We're now proud owners of an igloo, several beautiful sculptures, we've had the snow planted with logs so we get trees in the summer and sledges too, although I'm not sure what they were hoping to get from those! The walls have new colourful drawings all over them and not even my trusty Cif will shift them. Various keys keep turning up in odd places which is unfortunate for the gentlemen who have to use the middle loo - we've resorted to whistling when on the loo!

It's not been a difficult week but I've been doing a lot of guessing and Phil's been doing a lot of running around! He's even managed to ski with the boys and they were rather excited to show him the magic carpet! I did feel sorry for him when I had to leave him mid-week to make a quick trip home but he was prepared with veggie lasagna, panna cotta, sausages for the kids and a day off as well! He managed fine and didn't look any the worse for wear when I got back! He also got an amazing ski in on Saturday morning. It had snowed overnight and he was the first person up Mont Joly, a big off-piste area, making tracks in the snow.

Today we changed guests and swapped a relatively easy 5 people for 8 adults. We then have a full change on Wednesday for another 8 adults and then next Sunday my brother-in-law and nephew and niece arrive. So it's all go here and whilst the French holidays are starting to slow down, our chalet bookings certainly aren't!

PS I cannot believe that this blog has had over 1000 views since I started it! Happy reading, whoever you are and please feel free to leave a comment...

Things I've learnt about the French...

So this week saw the start of the mammoth French February holidays which also tied in with Engish Half Term. Thankfully it's not been as busy on the slopes as everyone made out it would be but then maybe we know where to go to avoid the masses. We have a lovely French family staying in the chalet who basically don't want us around other than to make breakfast, clean the cooker and take them places! So it's been a pretty easy work week and I'm very grateful for that as I'm currently stuffed full of a stinky cold and rivalling Rudolph for his job next Christmas!

So things I've learnt about the French:

1 - When on holiday (even a ski holiday) the French do not get up early! Whilst the majority of our guests have been British and very keen to get up and off in the morning to get the best snow of the day, the French couldn't care less what time they make it to the slopes. We've been doing breakfast at 9am (very loosely) with a lift to the slopes at 1015! Craziness!! I did however take advantage of this and took some time to teach the children how make Coke/Mento fountains!

2 - The French know how to make a right royal mess of your cooker! Every morning I have cleaned my cooker and washed the entire contents of the pan cupboard that has made it into the sink. I don't know what they cook but they use a lot of olive oil (I use 1 bottle in 3 weeks - they've used 3 bottles in 1 week!) and make a huge mess in the kitchen.

3 - They cook enough for an army and eat enough for a bunch of mice! Every morning the remnants of the night before's dinner has been left on the hob. This morning, for example, there was enough pasta and salmon for 10, a pressure cooker full of something (I don't know what because I couldn't work out how to open it!) and a large pan of rice from 3 days ago!

4 - The French are terrible and very impatient drivers! Now, whilst I already knew this, today it has been reaffirmed. Whilst waiting for the bus (the safest mode of transport at the moment), a car stopped on the roundabout to pick up an elderly passenger. There was a bit of a faff with which side she should get in and then the door was locked but after roughly 30 seconds she was sorted. Within this time 5 cars were continuously honking their horns at the rudeness of the said car for stopping in their way, shouting out of windows and then some decided to bypass the problem by driving over the roundabout!

When it snows, they also struggle with which side of the road they should drive on and whilst they know it's the right, there's no white line, which obviously causes them much confusion as well as a temporary loss of memory resulting in other road users having to drive precariously close to the edge of the mountain side and constantly getting wingmirrors bashed!

5 - The French can't swim in straight lines! I've taken to swimming at the local sports centre and it's usually a relaxing hour where I can swim at my own pace up and down the lane. Occasionally I have to share, and that's fine as I am polite and let the faster swimmers through. Some seem to think they can fit between two swimmers already passing each other (surprisingly they don't fit!) and some just attempt to swim over the top of you! I particularly enjoy having my feet tickled and water thrown in my face by very 'splashy' swimmers! Today I tried the wider slower lane but that backfired when two young boys who thought they were better than they are got in and proceeded to swim under, over and alongside everyone else. They didin't understand the swim on the right rule and may have had a helping 'push' from several people!

6 - The French Ski like crazy people! There's no accounting for bravado in France. If you say you can and talk the talk then you better get down that hill as fast as you say you can no matter what the conditions, who gets in your way and never mind that you can't stop! Yesterday was rather icy and slippy in places so I was skiing within my not-so-comfortable zone at the edge of the pistes in the softer stuff with crazy Frenchies whizzing past definitely not in control!

7 - The French do not queue. Whether it's in a bakery, at a bus stop, at the ski lifts or in the supermarket, there's no such thing as a queue and the only way to get yourself seen, heard or a seat is with your elbows out and an ability to see that you are the only person there that matters learned directly from the French. Goodbye manners, British politeness and 'after you'!

8 - They know how to make pastries! It's not all bad and after most activities I do enjoy a little trip to the bakery. I believe that so far in Megeve I have sampled at least 4 different patisseries and boulangeries but, believe me, there are many more! My particular favourite is a Croix de Savoie - a delicious bricohe based cross with custard inside the arms of the cross and icing sugar liberally sprinkled over the top. I also like Torsade Chocolat - a brioche twist with custard and chocolate chips and today I tried something I've never seen before, can't remember it's name but it was delicious - a croissant style flaky pastry with custard and berries. There are many more delicious things in a French bakery like Flan, Croissant Amande, Brioche sucre, and all the cakes that Phil likes! I could tell you about each one individually but it may get a little boring for you...

All of this said, I love to be in France and actually a trip back to the UK reminds me that people in the UK are no longer how I thought they were. So for now I'll stick with my Frenchies, with their stinky cheese, love of garlic and lack of manners and enjoy working my way through Megeve's bakeries in my little snow globe!

Chalet Girl Swear Words Number 3: 'In the chalet last year I...'

This week we have three lovely ladies staying in the top rooms and 4 men staying, three of which seem pretty normal and pleasant but one of which seems dead set on telling us indirectly all about the things he's done in previous chalets he's visited to annoy the chalet hosts! If there's one thing you probably shouldn't tell the people looking after you, cleaning your room and cooking your meals it's probably how you 'searched through every cupboard looking for the red wine'! When you've had your allocated wine and some more on top of everyone else's then it's probably time to stop drinking or pay up! At least he hasn't been through the fridge and helped himself to tomorrow's dinner!

Yesterday we had a lovely ski with our guests. Phil went off with Martin the ski guide and the men and I went with our ladies and a few other people from the hotel and Michelle down some blue runs. I enjoyed my gentle ski, practising my small turns and trying to get to grips with a 360 flat spin but somewhere along the way I get stuck facing up the hill! The visibility wasn't very good at the top of the hills and skiing to coffee was like skiing into the unknown - luckily I know that part of the piste well! By lunchtime the clouds were starting to clear out which meant the guests had a fab afternoon on the slopes.

I received a parcel in the post this week from my Auntie who, having read my blog, decided I needed some fur and sent me a fabulous headband/earwarmer from Jack Wills. I have to say I now fit in perfectly in Megeve and it's also very warm and hides a bad hair day amazingly!

I've also been chatting on Skype with my nephew and niece who are paying us a short visit in March. They've seen their room, argued over who gets the big bed (although I have a feeling Daddy will have that bed!), seen the hot tub, the swings, the sledges, my skis, the snow... I also told them they'd have to make a cake for the ski shop so they can get skis and Maurice told me he needs to make a big cake in order to get big skis!! Good 4-year-old logic if you ask me! We're also going to go on a horse sleigh ride which caused rather a lot of excitement! Here's Beatrix in her new ski suit - can you guess what colour is her favourite?!

Today we're not skiing. Instead we walked down the Calvaire Way, a 19th Century walk,  into Megeve to write some postcards and drop off a lamb shank for Charlie in the hotel. We had a lovely walk down past the small churches, chapels and other buildings, stopped for coffee whilst we wrote the postcards and what a difference 30 minutes makes!

We looked outside and it was snowing, not just a few flakes but proper snow! We walked over to the bakery for a tarte citron meringue and a croix de Savoie, posted our postcards and made our way to the bus stop, abandoning our plan of walking back up the Calvaire walk.

I looked something like a snowman by the time we got back to the chalet but it's all good because it means that tomorrow we have all morning to ski on new snow! I'm also going to watch some amazing mogul skiing (skiing over very tight bumps with a few jumps added in just for fun!). We have a changeover tomorrow with 2 guests arriving for dinner and 5 more at midnight. We're then guiding them on Friday with a lot of others joining the group before stopping for lunch at the Alpette. It could be interesting trying not to lose anyone, if we find them all to begin with, as the forecast is currently for heavy snow all morning!

We then have a day off on Saturday when the forecast is better and are very much looking forward to it!