Val D. Rah rah.

I'm glad I'm not doing a season here. Live and let live and all that, but no way I could live here even for a season. Couldn't handle the people. End of.

Bruises, bloody noses and other bad things

There are some bad things about doing a season and working as a chalet host (or in my case at the moment, as part of the team of helper elves that get everything organised before all the others arrive). Bruises for one, I have bruises on my knees from bed making, believe it or not. I also get bloody noses a lot. I never quite acclimatise to the dry, hot chalet environment so every morning I have a super blocked, dry nose and when I blow it it usually turns into a bloody mess. The other bad thing at the moment is tiredness and frayed tempers. All it takes is the wrong inflection in someone's voice, a certain tone or little dig and then, with me particularly, light the touch paper and stand well back. I am a fiery wee thing, a red headed Viking, that easily bursts into a rage. That just happened. I'm still angry and consequently keeping to myself, not going to the pub tonight. Angry drinking would not be good. Plus tomorrow is a busy day as 25 or so of the new staff arrive tomorrow evening.

So I shall moisturise my dry, already chapped hands from all the bathrooms I've cleaned. Lay back and stretch out my back, sore from two solid hours of hoovering. Relax and unwind, with a beer and my own moody, miserable company. Yay, oh to be a seasonaire.

Don't worry, normal service will resume shortly and I'll stop being such a mardi bitch.

TRASHED

three letters

FBI, CIA, NSA; all of those three acronyms figure in the books that I'm reading at the moment. They're a series of books by David Baldacci, The Camel Club. I'm really enjoying them, on the second one now.

Other three letter acronyms that are a part of my life at the moment are BVD, MOR and VDI. Part of our helper elves job here in VDI is to make sure things are going to the right places for the right times, food for cooking training, paperwork for certain modules, boxes for other resorts etc. So knowing what your three letters stand for is pretty useful.

There's one acronym that's not been a part of my life for some time, TLI. It was a Twitter interaction today that brought TLI into my thoughts. Made me a wee bit sad and angry if I'm honest. Bit of a mess of feelings actually that I don't quite know how to verbalise.... It's puzzling me and keeping me awake and all I should be thinking now is ZZZ. So going to give that a shot and see if the ZZZs push out all the other three letter acronyms dancing round my head.

The marmot is in the mountains

Day one of Team Clean is done. Hello to all from Val d'Isere. One day down, one lorry unloaded, one chalet cleaned and about 100 recipe folders put together. We took a drive down to Bourg St. Maurice to do some food shopping and the vistas were tremendous. Snowcapped mountains, the glacier, the dam full to the brim of ice cold water throwing up reflections and shimmering in the sunlight. Absolutely gorgeous. Next time I'll remember to take a pic of it!

Have a look at these:
To you they may look like a box of toothpicks, what's so bad about that you may ask? Well let me tell you, this box of toothpicks, despite the name on the front, bring neither Joy nor a sense of Festival Festivity to a chalet host. For these are not toothpicks with which you might spear a fat olive, use for canapes or even pick your teeth. No, they are toothpicks for picking off limescale in the bathroom and kitchen. Yes, you read that correctly. These little sticks of wood are used for chipping away hard calcium carbonate deposits. I would prefer to it another way but toothpicks are considerably less expensive than lemons.

We're in a huge building that houses about 70 staff and we're rattling around on one floor of it. We've relaxed in the common room watching a film this evening. Though we've all been slightly perturbed at having to utilise the sofas in the communal area. We've all heard stories you see, and we're concerned for the upholstery and its state of cleanliness. Just don't put your face on a pillow or the armrest and you'll be fine...

The rock and roll lifestyle of this seasonaire involves being in bed with a cup of tea nice and early on a Saturday night, for tomorrow we have a LOT of cleaning to do. Don't worry though, the blog will be interesting as the season progresses, I won't always be going to bed early with a cup of tea....

Angels, bridges (inc. Oresund), wind turbines, Danish pastry and the C word

I’m on my way to Copenhagen from Nibe, where I’ve been staying with my Dad and his gf Glaucia. I left their apartment at 7am this morning and I won’t get to where I’m going until about 9-10pm. It’s going to be a long day! Currently I’m on a train journey that’s going to take 5 hours and 20 minutes. Plenty of time to sit and think, and to see the beautiful Danish countryside as we chug through it. I’ve not seen as many cows as I’d like to have seen so far, that saddens me. I have however seen lots of wind turbines and that makes me happy.

I was born in Denmark and my parents left when I was 1 and half or 2. I’d been here for Christmas when I was 6 and then for a christening when I was 18. That’s it. That doesn’t add up to a whole lot of time. Since my Mum passed I don’t really speak Danish to anyone, the lingo is very rusty indeed. So rusty was it that when I met Christian this summer, I insisted that we should speak English! Now however, I would be so bold as to actually have a conversation in my mother tongue. It’s cool really how from the depths of my little peanut brain came this language that I thought had long left. I’ve chatted away quite happily to folk during my Danish dash, some times less eloquently than I perhaps would like but it’s made me happy! So I’ve decided that I should come back really soon and travel around a bit. I’d like to explore the country I’ve seen whizzing by outside my train window today.

The reason for my being here of course is that my Dad is here receiving treatment for his bowel cancer. The C word. That horrible C word that will affect 1 in 3 of us. If I should become that 1 in 3 then I hope that I will be able to fight it like my Dad has. So far he’s had 4 chemo sessions and it looks like that might be the worst of it over and done with. For a cancer patient he looks amazing, the hair loss was hardly an issue as he basically only had a handful of hairs on his head anyway! He’s looked after himself so well over the last few years and I think that has given him a real boost in dealing with this sickness. He’s not lost weight or his appetite which is great. His nurses all loved him and the last time he had chemo they all came in to say goodbye and to thank him for being such a great patient and that he’d been a breath of fresh air for them. That’s my pops, always making friends along the way. One of his nurses came in one day and asked him to please tell her his life story. She took time out from her busy day to sit and chat and listen, I love that. He’s done amazingly well and I know he’s not out of the woods yet, still a way to go and who knows what will happen in the future, but for the moment I feel so insanely happy that he is doing well and it certainly looks like he is on the way to recovery.

Those of you that know me will know that I think organised religion is a bunch of baloney. I am a ‘spiritual’ person though, for want of a better word. Glaucia received an email from a friend, one of those chain type emails that you’re supposed to forward on and you’ll be blessed somehow, you know the ones. Well I must admit the ones people send me usually end up in the trash cos I kinda think that if some God is going to bless me, it probably won’t be via email! This email said some Angels would visit us, can’t remember all their names but I know Gabriel was among them and Metatron (which is the cool cos it’s like a Transformers name!!). Anyway, this morning as I got in the taxi and drove away from Dad’s, a song came on the radio; it was ‘I Have a Dream' by ABBA, the chorus starts: I Believe in Angels. No, I'm not converted or anything of the sort, I just thought it was kinda funny/odd/relevant and I must admit it did make me slightly emotional. Sometimes things like that happen, don’t they?

Right then, I'm going to sit back and relax now. Next stop, Kastrup airport then Geneva airport and then the Alps. Mountains here I come!

Things I saw in DK:

A fox. Or rather what a fox used to wear. In the window of a charity shop. Did you know Denmark's number one export to China is fur? Bet you didn't. Not something that I personally would be proud of.

A place to leave your dog outside the supermarket. Love it. 

Kanelsnegle. Authentic Danish pastry. Perfect with a cup of tea after a bracing walk in the harbour wearing  your Sarah Lund sweater.

Inter-season travellings part deux

On to the Southern part of my inter-season travels and my first stop was ex-ville. Plan was to clear my crap out of the attic, but guess what? I’ve got a lot of crap and I know that if I actually got rid of it, that deep down TD would be really sad, cos then he wouldn’t have that to hold over me and tease me about! Anyway TD, been giving it some thought and who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually get round to writing the book that you keep pestering me about.....

The castle was next, glorious in its autumn foliage and the stable was cosy and welcoming as usual. ‘Trine’s room’ had been upgraded with a delightful double bed, C & D need to be careful, make it any more welcoming and they might have trouble getting rid of me next time! At the castle with my dear C & D I always relax and feel like part of the family; pyjama days watching Downton Abbey; leisurely pottering around C’s awesome kitchen baking a cake for them as they’re out at work; stressing with C as we sat on the edge of our seats watching Homeland; great food, great friends, great times!  My only complaint to the management would be that my pal Whinnie wasn’t there this time. She’d been on Skye all summer, good for her, but I missed her on my visit. I look forward to seeing her when I return in May, yay!!

From the country retreat I went to the town pied-a-terre with D & D. It’s marvellous having so many lovely friends with spare rooms! Again I did some baking, trying out my new winter recipe of hummingbird cake, I like to make treats for those who take me in. We had a cheese fondue night, nom nom, a taste of what’s to come (though actually I only had one fondue all last season!! Maybe this season I can convince folk to go for a fondue/raclette at L'Etale with me. Any takers? 247Snowman?!). Caught up with lots of peeps whilst in the Wells, super nice to see everyone and how things are developing; babies growing up – so fast, babies arriving soon, wedding plans in full swing, ceramics flourishing, jobs going well etc. etc. etc. It’s lovely to catch up with folks and hear about all that’s going on and to re-fresh friendships. It warms me inside to know that good friends are always still there, so long as you put a bit of effort in, you can keep hold of those that are special to you.

I also spent some time with my sisters and their families. Doesn’t time fly? I mean when there aren’t little people in your life I don’t think you necessarily appreciate just how quickly time passes. When I see my nephews and my niece it really hits home that time is flying past. My oldest nephew is about to turn 19. 19!!! At the risk of sounding like one of those ‘old’ people, I remember when he was just tiny and I was living with him and my sister at the time, he was such a little cutie pie. He still is of course, but he’s 19 now. My niece is amazing and I don’t doubt for a second that should she attempt it, she would achieve world domination. I am in awe of her. I had a great time with ALL of them, and look forward to seeing them again when I’m back. I am aware that I need to make a bigger effort with all the kids, because before you know it they turn 19 and aren’t kids anymore!!  

And so we conclude the Southern UK part of my trip. Kindly Miss L drove me to the airport; I can’t thank her enough as the journey on the train would’ve been a ball ache with my luggage. She drove me to the bus last winter, the bus that carried me to the Alps, when I was starting my journey and then here we are again almost a year on and I’m still on the journey. How things have changed in the last year, how much this journey has done for me... That’s a deep thought to ponder. Anyway, next stop my motherland, Denmark.

Inter-season travellings, from Mallorca to the UK and beyond... Part 1: Leaving the Island and The North

Furby and I left Mallorca on Wednesday 26^th of September, took a ferry over to Barcelona and stayed the night there. We went for a walk the next morning down gorgeous, tree lined avenues and saw the Sagrada Familia church. It was beautiful and I wished we’d had more time to stay and explore the rest of Gaudi's work around Barcelona. But sadly our road trip was calling. Barcelona to Val d’Isere in 9 hours. I like to think that we made it to hour 6 before the cabin fever set in and our grip on reality became slightly tenuous. A road trip with J-lee furby was always bound to be fun but I seriously didn’t anticipate laughing as hard as I did. At one point there was 20 minutes of laughter complete with tears streaming down faces...brilliant! I think it was because I unwittingly burped mid sentence, and it was quite a burp, doesn't sound that funny and I guess you had to be there, but anyway we laughed, and laughed, and eventually had to pull over for a nature wee and then laughed some more. By the time we got to Val the temp had dropped considerably and let me tell you, 3 degrees Celsius is most definitely not flip-flop weather.

A lovely drive (funny too, thanks Hot Tub Technician for the laughs and the stalled Caravelle at customs), round lake Annecy took us to Geneva the next morning and from there we went our separate ways, Edinburgh was my next destination. Couldn't wait to be there and see my friends. NS came up from London too. JM is now expecting and what a change that made to our weekend. What would usually have been a boozy affair; turned into a very relaxed, leisurely, eating extravaganza. Let me give you a couple of tips, if you ever should find yourself in the gorgeous city of Edinburgh; please go to Mimi’s Bakehouse and Cafe Andaluz. The second one is somewhere that we tend to frequent often, but Mimi's was a new one for NS and me. Oh my goodness, this place is amazing! Just go, and if they have it, get a slice of lemon and poppy seed cake, it is divine! We shopped, we ate, we relaxed and we laughed, a lot, as usual. Brilliant start to my inter-season travels.

 

From Edinburgh to Kilmarnock via Glasgow was next on the agenda. Now people may well think it’s a bit crazy to go and stay with someone that you don’t actually know. In all honesty I too would’ve said that’s a bit mental, but I’m super glad I did. I have a Twitter friend, AC, we’ve chatted on Twitter for ages, then it turned out we had a mutual friend RH, how bizarre! So when AC was in Morzine earlier this year I went to meet him and his pals, sadly we only managed a beer together but it was great to finally see a Twitter friend in the real world. So when offered a wee sojourn to the glitzy town of Kilmarnock, how could I refuse?! I imagined that I was one of those glamorous house guests from the 20s/30s and thought nothing of taking up someone’s offer to weekend at their country retreat. I always used to watch Poirot and think how fabulous these people would just take off for a weekend at someone’s house they barely knew and it seemed to always be cocktail hour. Well, it’s always cocktail hour somewhere in the world and that rule applies in Kilmarnock too, happily! The vino tinto flowed along with good conversation! I was made to feel so utterly welcome; it was like catching up with old friends. We had a fabulous dinner at The Jefferson one night, highly recommend this place, divine food and great service. I was shown some cool places around Kilmarnock – yes there are some; don’t raise your eyebrow at the screen in that sarcastic way!! Anyhow, the point is AC and his ‘family’ were so great to me, thank you my dears!

Next I was off to the Midlands, reunited with my furby J-lee for a night of fun and a day of shopping. A mountain of food at Wing Wah, J-lee trying 5 new things (well done!!), pulling over to take a picture of a road sign (Butt Lane, come on, that is funny!) and Primark in Derby. Great fun and can’t wait to see her again in just a week’s time!!!! YAY! In the meantime I get her lovely messages on What’s App that make no sense, honestly it’s good that I know her and generally understand what she’s getting at.

Whilst in Middle Earth one must of course call in to spend a few days with two of the best people on all of the Earth, so it is that I ended up with the Clan Mcleod for a gastronomically amazing time. Every time I come to visit it’s an assault of the culinary kind, I try new things, eat delicious foods and drink amazing wines and whiskies. There is something very satisfying to me to be able to sit and discuss food for hours on end, to share food experiences and the Mcleod Clan always have amazing experiences to share, which I love! Highlights: baked camembert, Bunnahabhain whisky, Derbyshire oatcakes, homemade hollandaise, Omar Allibhoy’s pig cheeks, golfing, Mr. Mcleod being the oracle and knowing everything about everything, two donkeys, some llamas, goats that smell like goats cheese (funny that one?!) and creaky chickens. I’m always sad to leave the Clan Mcleod but I always come back, like a boomerang, whether they like it or not! Who knows, maybe next time I will take that job as a pizza chef at The Bull’s Head in Repton and live in your spare room?! ;) xxx

OK, that was that section. Tune in later for more from my travels around the UK and further afield.

To meat or not to meat....

This is super powerful, at least I think so. I found it on Facebook via Compassion in World Farming http://www.ciwf.org.uk/ they shared it from Animals Australia http://www.animalsaustralia.org/.

I beg of you to watch this and to share it with all those you know. Too many people live in ignorance of the provenance of their food and all too often meat is just seen as that, meat in a packet on a supermarket shelf. That meat was once a part of a beautiful, living creature with every right to a cruelty free existence, just like us. Watch, share, make informed choices.

As for the regular blogging about my tedious little life, I'm working on it and will hopefully have something to post later or tomorrow.

T minus five...

Packing, it's got to be one of the most tedious tasks. Especially when you have to cross reference to a huge inventory list all the time. Urgh. In five days we'll be on a ferry, Barcelona bound. We'll spend a night there, do some sightseeing the next morning and then take a long drive up to Val d'Isere. From there we go our separate ways and that's that, summer season is officially over.

The past few weeks have been tremendous fun, we finally had a week with no guests on the island so we got to do things that we'd wanted to do all season but couldn't. Had a day trip to Palma, a wild party time in Magaluf (happened to coincide with a big group of lads that Furby knows from the UK, bonus), we took some long drives out to faraway places and beaches.

The most spectacular of these drives was to a place called Sa Calobra, which you get to by following a twisting road that plunges 800m in 12km, with a 270 degree turning where the road loops under itself. It's a pretty hair raising drive but stunning, such amazing views. If you ever go there, when you're driving back up think about doing it on a bike, mental I know, but just contemplate it. I know someone who did it in 33mins this summer, Alberto Contador did it in 19! WTF!

Palma was lovely, we walked about the narrow streets, did a bit of shopping, had some lunch and just enjoyed the city ambiance. Magaluf was as you'd expect, basically a scene from Sun, Sea and A&E or one of those God awful programmes where a bunch of British kids go on holiday and don't know their parents a re spying on them. The booze is ridiculously cheap. We had a good time, don't get me wrong, but I couldn't go there for a holiday or be there more than 24 hours. We enjoyed it cos we were with a big group and to be fair, we could've been anywhere and had a good time. Didn't so much enjoy the fallen over drunk people lying in the street; the bloke who'd clearly been beaten up and had blood pissing out his head; or the aggro surrounding the half naked lap dancers, their beefy security and the drunk punters. Once a season, a cheeky visit to Magaluf is doable.

Lots of leaving/end of season parties happening this weekend so we should have a lot of fun...if only we can just get this packing done! Less blogging and more boxing stuff up, the boxes will not pack themselves.

Thinking of mountains, snow and Jake Blauvelt

This is amazing. Winter season, I can hardly wait for you. Back in the mountains. Back in Morzine. Back to early mornings, cooking, baking, cleaning, smiling, changing, meeting, riding, riding, riding, drinking, changing, cooking, hosting, changing, meeting, partying, sleeping. Lather, rinse, repeat every day for five months. Oh yeah, did I mention riding?

Jake Blauvelt's 'Naturally' Teaser a Snowboarding video by onboard

Free fig drive thru

Or maybe it should be a drive by, but that implies I'm poppin' caps in people's asses and that's definitely not what I'm up to! On the same little road where I met the hopalong sheep the other day, there are numerous fig trees at the side of this little road that one can feast from, for free (just like hopalong, but she eats the ones on the floor). When I say it's a little road I mean it's just wide enough for my van. So today, driving from one villa to another I stopped, rolled down the window and sat for a few minutes picking and eating sun warmed figs, straight from the tree. It's like the best drive-thru ever! (BTW, I know how to spell through, just in case you were wondering.)

Today I read an article that I wanted to share with you, because it features my beautiful friend Miss L who came to visit a few weeks ago. Here is the link: http://anke.blogs.com/anke/2012/08/the-wonderful-pottery-of-lucy-charlton.html Meet Lucy and her charming pottery.

Off to the pool now, it's sunny, my work is done and I need to top up my tan.

sheep recognize faces

At one of the villas there is a garden next next door that contains two very friendly sheep. They come to the gate and baaabaaaa at you and you can pet them. I popped by the villa today and one of the sheep was enjoying the shade of the fig tree, we stood and looked at each other for a bit, they have such lovely faces. I was chatting away to the sheep and telling her about another sheep I met on my bread run the other morning. She was in the middle of a tiny little lane I drive down, she was feasting on fallen figs and hopping along. She was missing her front right hoof so even though I had bread and papers to deliver, I decided to just chill and not rush the little hopalong. She was stuffing her cute little face with yummy figs. It was a nice moment and made my bread run quite a bit more interesting. So, I wonder if the garden sheep now recognizes my face? Anyway, enough musing about sheep....

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/11/1107_TVsheep.html

Got a pleasant last minute visit from friends that we made earlier in the season. That is indeed a very welcome surprise!! Looking forward to the next week now, should be fun!

Hellos and goodbyes

The very nature of my job and my current lifestyle means that I spend an entire season, actually an entire year practically, saying hello and goodbye. Some are easier than others and some you don't want to say at all, goodbyes especially. Guests come and go every week, some you're sad to see leave because they were fun, nice, hassle free and others, well you're not that sad for whatever reason, to see them go. I've had friends come to visit all season and those hellos were awesome and the goodbyes were hard, because it's always tough to say goodbye to your nearest and dearest. Saying bye to my Dad was hard before I came out here, but he's doing well and we talk all the time so the distance doesn't seem insurmountable and hopefully soon we'll be saying hello again, I can't wait!

Some goodbyes you know are going to be hard, because in your heart of hearts you don't want to say them but you have to, for whatever reason. So today I'm feeling a bit down because I had to do just that yesterday. Of course I hope it's not goodbye forever but it has to be for now, because that's the way things are. How I'm feeling today has frankly taken me a bit by surprise, I knew I'd be sad, but didn't realise it'd be this bad. I hope I don't feel like this for long.

My furby is bringing me pancakes in bed to cheer me up. She's a star. She has a plan, it involves a bucket of whisky, karaoke and dancing....

the past month

Well wouldn't you know it, a whole month has passed. Time sure flies. In a stream of consciousness sort of way I'm going to tell you what I've been up to for all those weeks. Friends came out, Miss Lucy, Dan & Doro. Drove to cool places. Saw Europe's longest stalactite - in the coolest caves! If you ever get the chance you should go - Campanet caves, just down the road from me here in Mallorca. Watched a clusterfuck of cars at the Formentor lighthouse which could've amused me for hours. Ate some amazing food, tapas, paellas, fish, roast suckling pig. The best value "menu del dia" ever, where every course was the size of a main!! Met new people, made some friends. Kissed a plumber. Ended up in some funny situations with my furby Jamie-lee (she's a furby because when her and Becky sit down to talk it's like they're furbies, talking at each other in fast, incomprehensible gobbledygook, and sometimes I have to threaten to take their batteries out), situations that I should probably not broadcast on the internet! Took the other furby to a festival in Pollensa where she thought for a brief moment that she might get killed, Moros i Cristianos festival gets a bit rowdy, it involves all day drinking, swords and guns (health and safety - what's that?! And AMEN to that!!). Chivas, late night dancing, late night drinking. Buckets of whisky. Karaoke, karaoke and more karaoke, sometimes god and sometimes really bad. Pool time, beach time, work time. Interesting work requests - using plastic chicken wire and cable ties to baby proof a stair case. Satellites that interfere with remote control gates effectively keeping your guests hostage in their villa. Dogsitting for a small ewok called Tim. Horse riding with the furbies as a staff day out. Packing one furby off to France, we're down to just two team members now a nanny (who drives cars like she stole them and likes to drive too close to ditches) and me, supposedly a jack of all trades.

Yeah, I think that about sums it up. Let's see what the next few weeks hold in store.

Blog traffic

I checked the sources of traffic to my blog and was thoroughly amused. Certain blog posts get more views than others and they include - toilet brush etiquette, the easily led girl and the sewer rat population of Morzine. So basically every day, people Google how exactly they should use a toilet brush. Why do people not know this already? I'm baffled. But anyway, toilet cleaners of the world, welcome to my humble little blog where I drone on about my silly little life. FYI, when your toilet brush gets a bit funky and discoloured, I find that an overnight soaking in hot water and bleach does the trick, brings them up just like new! There's a little tip from me to you, now don't say I never give you anything. ;)

The scent of Oleander, sun warmed avocado straight from the tree and how exactly do you 'borrow' a goat?

It's been a wee while since I last blogged again, but in my defence, I've had visitors and been busy entertaining...oh and working of course!

Had a visit from the two Nats last week and it was fabulous. It was basically like I was on holiday, that's what everyone thinks my job is anyway. We went to Deia, hiked to Cala San Vicente, went to Formentor beach and snuck in to the luxury Barcelo hotel for a sundowner cocktail. We didn't have a cocktail though, at 12 Euros a pop we decided not to. Last time the three of us went for sundowner cocktails it was June 2011 and it was the perfect end to our west coast adventure on beautiful Barbados, we had rum punch and it cost considerably less than 12 Euros. I feel like we ate a lot last week, tried some local restaurants that I'd been wanting to try and we weren't disappointed. Had so many laughs and giggles all week too. It's always so lovely to see the girls, thank you for coming out ladiekins!! xxx

Summer is in full swing now, town is busy, holidaymakers have descended. Lots of Scots over the last few weeks, think their kids break up from school earlier but plenty of other nationalities too now. Yesterday marked the usual changeover day, with guests leaving and new ones arriving. As changeover days go, yesterday was super chilled. The big boss was on the island last week, I think I made a good impression. I turned up on the first morning doing my usual bread, pastries and paper round, I had no idea anything was amiss until the little girls started sniggering and finally his wife whispered to me "your top is inside out". Well I could've just died right there. The week got better and I even got a round of applause the next morning for managing to dress myself correctly! Oh the joy. Anyway, they left early and our new arrivals didn't want to be met at the airport and didn't want a welcome chat last night, they've been before and were happy to just get on with it themselves, happy days! That meant an unusually relaxed changeover day so Chef B and I went to the pool and lay in the sun for hours, with the lovely scent of oleander all around us.

At one of our villas that is in use this week, there is an orchard, so yesterday we picked some beautiful yellow plums and some absolutely divine avocados. When I picked them they were warm from the sun and as I walked through the orchard the air was rich with a warm citrus aroma. What a heavenly place.

There's also a chicken run in the grounds of the villa, pretty chickens and some not so pretty turkeys, but I think they're charming in their own way. Got a chance to practice my animal husbandry skills this morning, after we'd been to see the guests (who are absolutely lovely) we had to rescue a turkey lurkey that had somehow got out of the run. Fairly amusing if you'd seen us stalking a turkey and trying to cajole it back to where it belonged. Ah, the life of the island manager, what adventures lie in store for me next? Well, if I've got anything to do with it then the next adventure involves a goat.

How do you go about borrowing a goat for a few hours? Suggestions welcomed. I spied some today not too far from the apartment while I was out on my walk. The reason for the goat borrowing is simple really, I want to scare the crap out of one my staff! The nanny has a strange aversion to goats and she's away this week, so I thought the funniest thing that could happen was if we borrowed a goat and installed it in her room prior to her return. (I'm slightly concerned for the goat as it would get screeched at.) I'd like to think I could pull this off, I just need to solve the conundrum of procuring a goat and making sure that no animals get harmed in this production.

On to non goat related issues, a few weeks ago I met this guy: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Marcussen/381289055246196 he makes music, and it's good. http://soundcloud.com/christianmarcussen Have a listen. If you like it, let him know.

I got confirmation this week that I'll be going back to Morzine and to my lovely Chalet du Pre. Pretty stoked about that I must admit. Unbelievably there's only about 7-8 weeks left of the summer season out here, maybe 1 or 2 more if we get some extra bookings. Then I'll be back in the UK and in Denmark to see my Dad, who's over there getting treatment for his cancer. Things are positive so everyone think happy thoughts and send good vibes to the Snow Pixie's Dad.

It's been overcast today so have taken the chance to lie on the sofa like a fat slug and do nothing this afternoon. I've watched the Formula 1 (muy bien Alonso, mi amor!) and now the Golf. Thinking of golfers and what they wear, I've not seen anyone with red or orange trousers today. Anyway, random thoughts of golf clothing aside, I've really enjoyed my lazy day which is now even better with the addition of a cold San Miguel.

I think I might be rambling now so I'm signing off. Tune in next time to see if  I manage to get a goat! Hasta la vista baby.

Fifty shades of sunburn

I've been in Mallorca for six weeks and two days. And I have blogged only once during that entire time, that is monumentally slack of me and I do apologise!

I went to Formentor beach yesterday, which was lush, and I got so engrossed in my book that I forgot to reapply sun cream and am consequently looking like a lobster. Only on my back though! So today I will lie on my back and tan only my front. My darling Dad got me a Kindle for my birthday which I'm loving, and like the rest of the world, I'm totally engrossed by my current book - Fifty Shades of Grey. Yes, my name is Trine and I like to read a bit of light "Mummy Porn" (as it's been dubbed) while I'm sunbathing.

After a bit of work this morning chatting to our IT Manager about routers and data cards, I am going to head to the beach in a moment. It's a very hard life you know....

More updates to come on what I've been up to so far and some photos too. Stay tuned!

Stick or twist?

Technically it's my birthday. It doesn't feel like it. Settling in to life in Mallorca and the new job. Missing friends and family though. First birthday for a long time that I've not celebrated with the Tunbridge Wells gang. Got a lot on my mind too so it sadly doesn't really feel like it's that important to celebrate.

My parents always made a big deal of my bday when I was a kid. I'd be woken up by the whole family singing in my room. Then I'd go downstairs and Mum would've arranged all my presents on the dining table and put up lots of Danish flags everywhere. She always made the best cakes for me too and of course Dad spoiled me with far too many gifts. Birthdays were awesome. They still are, just in a very different way.

This year my birthday should be fun because the girls I'm working with have decided that I'm turning 30....again! No twist, I'll stick please Mr. Card Dealer. Though technically that's not right. I'm regressing. We'll see what happens with that tonight when we go out....

Birthdays, another year older and another year wiser? Doubtful.
Sent from my BlackBerry®

Room 402, Øresundsbroen, whisky and "I don't actually live at the castle"

A brief British interlude has come to a very swift end. Literally feels like I stepped foot on UK soil and then the next thing I know I'm off again, on a flight to sunnier climes. Got back on the 24th of April and then left again on the 14th of May, it flew by! So, what did I get up to since I left my Alpine hidey-hole and bounced around Britain for almost three weeks? Well all sorts really! Catching up with old friends, new friends, some packing and moving, along with some drinking and eating. It's going to be a long blog entry, be warned...

I had the best welcome home thanks to my dear friend Hicksy. Seriously, everyone needs a Hicksy in their life, someone who'll pick you up from Clacketts at 8:30 in the morning, take you for the best bacon butty ever, bring you home for a cup of tea and a refreshing shower (definitely needed after a 15 hour journey on a bus and boat) and then straight to the pub for a good old catch up, with a surprise visit from Mel B...and maybe a Jaegerbomb or two! From there on things only got better. Being in Brighton with great friends celebrating a birthday, a random drunken night at a pub followed by a night at the dogs and dancing till 5 in the morning. Sushi at Kitsu with T. Cake and chats with Mrs H. Meeting H & C's new Natty boy. I loved that deep-down good feeling I had several times during this 'between seasons break' of looking around and being surrounded by friends, good friends, old friends, it's been marvellous. Sadly I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see, time was not on my side and for those that I missed I am really sorry, top of my list when I'm back in September.

What did I do next? Some moving out and moving in and moving crap all around. One thing is for sure, I have too much stuff. How on Earth does one person accumulate so much random tat? I could make some comment now about our consumerist society and so on, but I really am not in the mood for that right now. Suffice it to say that when I'm back in September there will be some severe culling of possessions. If this seasonal to-ing and fro-ing is going to be my way for a wee while, then I need to lighten my load.

Moving on...haha, see what I did there? Oh it's funny. Not as funny as my cheese related jokes but I save those for my chalet guests (I know, lucky them I hear you groaning). Next I did a bit of travelling about, saw some lovely people, drank some lovely drinks, ate some lovely food and stayed in some lovely places. First was London, platform 9 and three quarters was where I waited for the Little Idiot, I was amused by the constant flow of Harry Potter fans having their photos taken there. Had an excellent and super fun time with him, he's still a complete Little Idiot mind you! I guess that's one of the reasons I like him and though our paths may not ever cross again we had fun and that's awesome. You have to enjoy these moments, these little interludes in life that are fun, new and exciting because when you least expect it, something hits you out of the blue and casts a shadow over the proceedings. After that I spent time with the Girls, my lovely girls who I've shared so much with over the MANY, many years we've been friends, so lovely to see them. Then an adventure in the Shire of Derby that involved a cornucopia of food, whisky and ale tastings, a dithering dog and two of the 'best people in the world'.

During my brief stay in Britain I've somehow managed to strengthen my Scandinavian roots and I've a wee Scot to thank for that oddly. The Bridge, if you've not seen it (season finale is on BBC4 this Saturday) is an awesome bit of televisual viewing. May I recommend that you get yourself on iPlayer right away and start watching it ASAP. Along with this Scandi-ness I've also finally got round to reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, OMG it's a good yarn! Yes I realise most of the world has read the Millenium trilogy already and I'm a bit late in joining the party but better late than never.

My residence whilst in the UK was pretty spectacular and those I was living with are up there on my list of 'best people in the world'. "I don't actually live in the castle" I said in a text one night, rather unnecessarily, perhaps it had all gone to my head a bit?! My darling friends C & D let me stay with them at their lovely home by Hever Castle. If you've not been I suggest you go, to the castle that is, don't just call round to my friends and say I suggested it! Walks round the lake in all sorts of weather to restore one's spirit, nights watching BGT on Sky+, bottles of Tuborg, sugared almonds and my new best friend Whinnie. There's a room in their house that is now referred to as 'Trine's room'. That makes me immensely happy.

On the subject of happiness, you've got to grab it when it comes along. Squeeze every bit of fun out of life. I was with TLI at a cafe, best limeade ever incidentally (at Le Pain Quotidien), feeling rather content and then saying just that to him when I got some bad news. My dad has bowel cancer. Fun's over, not really feeling content any more. Shock. Cancer, wow, that's something that happens to others though, isn't it? Well it happens a lot, to many people, one in three of us will get cancer apparently. So I'm here with my Dad now for a while before I go to start my summer season job. It's early days, he's not really said anything to anyone. He's in good spirits, is getting good medical help, is taking good care of himself and he's optimistic. Seems to have been caught very early on, so fingers crossed and in the meantime we'll carry on having some fun cos laughter has got to be up there on the 'best medicine in the world' list!

Thanks to all the above mentioned for a wonderful 'between-seasons-break', you are all amazing. I have to say a special thanks to T for being a great friend, I knew we'd get there one day.

A brief British interlude in photos:

My best friend Whinnie!

homecoming?

That's it then. Season is over. Winter 2011-12, Morzine, done and dusted. Epic. That's pretty much all I can say about it to encompass just how awesome it was for me. Yes there were down moments, times when I was homesick, when things weren't going quite right, work issues, relationships that proved problematic and days where riding didn't even come into the picture frame. On the flipside, or sunny side, there's been friendships forged, skills learnt, fun times, happy times, drunken times, powder days, slush days, sunny days, laughs, above all so many laughs. I cannot stress enough what an amazing experience doing a season can be. I'm going back for more, without a doubt.

Looking back at the events that led me to do a season I find it hard to believe that a relatively short time ago, in the grand scheme of things, I was licking my war wounds and trying desperately to mend a broken heart and spirit. Looking back at that person it's hard to equate her with who I am today, but of course what doesn't kill us makes us stronger and makes us the person we are. To throw another cliche into the mix, time heals, and time well spent in the mountains has certainly helped to heal. Things happen for a reason and though you might not see it at the time, you will get it one day.

So much to look forward to and so many happy memories from the season. Can't wait to catch up over the next few weeks with friends old and new before I head off on the next adventure... the summer season!

tonsils, laundry rooms and ghost towns

I got tonsillitis last week. Is it any wonder though when I went out partying till the wee hours on many consecutive nights...silly me. Still haven't learned that I can only push it so far before something gives. It was Basscamp the week before so had to take advantage of all the shenanigans going on. Made a friend who happened to be involved so got a rather fun insight and had an awesomely fun yet tiring week. Now I'm paying the price with daily visits to the Doc for some hardcore antibiotic injections. Still...it was worth it!

What is it about seasonaires and laundry rooms? Turns out that laundry rooms are very popular places to sleep in, or "sleep with" in. I know someone who unfortunately got pulled up by a manager for just such an incident. Yeah, laundry rooms (aka the abattoir), funny old places.

We have one week to go. One week of intense cleaning, eight chalets returned to their owners in pristine condition. That involves such wonderful tasks as toothpicking limescale off of taps, bleaching toilet brushes, flipping mattresses and cleaning on, in, around, behind EVERYTHING! It's the highlight of the season....Not really no.

One highlight was when we performed a goodbye dance for the last guests on Sunday. Yes, we actually danced them off. They must've thought we were totally mental! Anyway, guests are gone and we're cleaning and the town has gone very quiet indeed. Walking around tonight it was eerie, nobody about. I only just realised the other day that the Pleney bubble wasn't running anymore, I'd been looking at the mountain and couldn't place why it looked different to me. Unfortunately due to my tonsillitis I missed out on the best of the last minute end of season snow that we've had, but unbelievably it still is snowing high up, so Wednesday is the day for a bit of riding up in Avoriaz. Then that will most likely be it until next winter season. Excited already for that, and everything in between.

Wasn't too sure about being back in the UK for a bit but now I'm really looking forward to it. Seeing family, friends, little trips here and there to spend time with loved ones and the possibility of seeing the little idiot. One week to go, till the end of Morzine 2011-12 winter season, and what a season it's been!

between two lungs and cosmic love

Yesterday was day off. I rode alone and I loved it. I listened to music whilst riding for the first time this season and I wonder now why I didn't do it before. My playlist consisted of Florence and the Machine, Ladyhawke, Friendly Fires, Kate Nash and Aloe Blacc. There were a couple of moments when the music just made the day amazing. At the top of the mouille au chat chair, standing there on the ridge between the ranfoilly bowl and the chamossiere, the mountains shrouded in low clouds with Florence singing between two lungs, it was an awesome moment. Valleys full of trees are in actual fact just like lungs, the lungs of the world. Yes, my name is Trine and I'm a hippy tree hugger! Then at the very end of my ride, last run, piste b on the home stretch, I was flying along and it was magical and happiness inducing with Florence singing cosmic love. Yes, I have finally embraced the truth - speed is your friend and that song is just so lovely, I felt the need to just raise my arms up to the sky as I was flying along the piste. I was very happy indeed!!!

Then bedlam and mayhem occurred. It's Basscamp this week and a few of us partied hard yesterday. You know it's going to be a good night when it starts with 45% dark rum and coke.... Suffice it to say that whilst I was cleaning today I had spinny rooms. In fact I'm pretty sure I'm still a bit drunk. So going out for a ride to blow out the cobwebs from my fuzzy, booze addled brain!

The easily led girl

What a couple of weeks eh? Going out the night before changeover, no sleep on Sunday night, partying till the morning light, meeting people, saying hello and goodbye and then hello again. A whirlwind is probably an accurate description of the last couple of weeks. Long may it continue in this vein. Though a little break would be good to recoup some energy and health.

I seem to have found some sort of form, to make the last few weeks in resort a little more exciting. I guess it helps that I am a fully paid up member of the ELC - the easily led club. If it seems like it will be fun then why not do it. Maybe this has something to do with me watching Yes Man a few weeks ago,or maybe it's just that I finally decided to get with the programme and get on with all aspects of my season, not just working hard to be an excellent chalet host. Whatever the reason, I've had the best time over the last few weeks, starting with the Little Idiot, much more mountain time, Ginger Bear, Tremplin, Cafe Chaud, and then friends coming to visit, friends of friends and The Only Way is Essex of course, particularly the part with the "spare room" (no, it has nothing to do with that TV programme, it's a private joke, but if you ask me about it, I might well tell you one day over a beer or two).

We have an end date and it's just over 3 weeks from now. I can't quite believe just how insanely quickly this season has gone. I can believe how people get caught up in season life, it's just not quite enough to do just one, it really isn't.

I'm feeling a bit mixed about going back to the UK. There's so many people I'm desperate to see, really, really excited to catch up with friends, it's just the job situation, the moving, the tedious life stuff that gets in the way of the fun stuff. To do the fun stuff one needs money and time, one of those I have in abundance and am willing to share with all and sundry, the other .... well, let's not worry about it now. The last thing I want to do is have a cloud hanging over me for the last few weeks here, so I'm going to put stuff like that to the back of my mind and hope that all will come good in the end. For now I have only one thing to do, squeeze every last bit of fun out of this situation, this place, these people, this configuration that will never be again and for that reason must be treasured.

Spider webs, bees and post-fun blues

Earlier today: It's almost 3pm and I've not left the chalet yet, other than to go do the weekly shop. Waiting for a cake to finish baking. This sucks. This week is a bit peculiar with new guests arriving virtually every day and staying for different durations. Bit confuzzling and means extra work. I'm sat in the kitchen looking out the window and I can see grass, bees, crocuses and thin spider webs glinting in the hot sunshine. Spring is definitely here!

Later today: I'm feeling a bit pensive. Been thinking about things. That's never a good start is it? I had a super fun week last week (bar a few minor glitches) and this week has been pretty great too. Tuesday riding was superb, with the girls on Mont Chery followed by a fun night in Cavern celebrating a bday. Then day off was even better. Riding with ten friends on a bit of a mission over to Chatel. Super sunny and warm, great spring slush, great riding, followed by a BBQ at Basra with even more friends. Now, here's the thing, on day off I thought, on a couple of occasions, how good it would be if the little idiot was there too. Funny how you can meet someone and one short week later they're gone, but that after only that one short week you can miss them, in a way, even though you didn't really get to spend that much time together in the first place. I guess it's the feeling that, your meeting, however brief wasn't maximised, like you didn't get the most out of it and there could've been more, much more to it. Then the next thought is will you ever? My roomie thinks no, that it's one of those things that's only ever going to happen once, the right time and place etc. and that one should be content with what one got. I don't know what I think. I guess that's why I'm pensive.

Much later today: I feel like I'm having post-fun blues. I feel like it's in the air though. People are talking about what's next, end of season parties, summer jobs, career jobs, moving, packing, leaving ... I know this goes hand in hand with seasonaire life but it's bumming me out at the moment.

Now: But enough of that, I'm still here, there's still 6 weeks to go, it's St. Patrick's day tomorrow and there's always the memories. So even if we never meet again, lots of fun was had and that's happiness right there! xx  

Cougars are in fact a native species of the Alps

There's only a few weeks left of the season but I'm not worried. I'm not worried because I know I'll be back here next winter. A few months after I finish my summer season in Mallorca. Yes, that's right, I'm off to Mallorca for the summer and I'm totally stoked. Winter in the Alps and summer in the Ballearics. The summer after that though, will be spent in the Alps.  

I had a flux of old and new this week just gone. Met someone new on Sunday and had an old friend visit on Wed/Thur. Great, as usual, to see a friendly face. Someone you know well and who's company is very welcomed indeed. Also great to meet someone new, fun and exciting. Shame a week goes by so quickly though!

Onesie Wednesday happened at long last. We rocked it in retro onesies for the day. I think it's fair to say we looked awesome. Well, if you like the 80s then we looked awesome, otherwise we probably just looked like a bunch of idiots!  

Day off tomorrow. How quick it comes round. Riding my new and improved set up tomorrow morning then some drinking at Inferno over in Nyon followed by Tremplin. Ah day off, how I love you! Would be nice if the little idiot was here to share it with....

this is my life

Wednesday, day off. Bit of a lie in. Get up, faff for a bit, walk to office. Skype Dad for an hour, sitting on balcony in sunshine, discuss merits of returning to UK versus living the seasonnaire life and come to mutual conclusion that seasonnaire life is where it's at. Feel chuffed at having the official seal of approval. Wander home to get kitted up. Meet Em and go to patisserie. Head up the Pleney bubble and ride for a few hours. Ride well. Slushy moguls on the way down from the chamossiere chair equal a MASSIVE smile. Keep smiling at great spring riding in hot sunshine until it's picnic time, then keep smiling because you're with good people, on a sunny day, in the mountains enjoying food, booze and good company. Ride down at 6:30PM, just the two of you on the piste, your own private mountain and it's beautiful. More beautiful than you thought possible. The lights of Morzine twinkling below, beckoning you for a night of fun. Tremplin, dancing, drinking, in the pit with the rest of the lunatics. Afterwards you go to White Monkey, more beer, free pizza, interesting conversation with your tiger friend. Then you finish the night off with a good, cheap meal and a refreshing walk home in good company. The best recollection of the day is being there on an empty piste, a GREAT day behind you, a GREAT night ahead, riding really well, looking down on your beautiful town and thinking there is no place in the entire world you'd rather be. This is my day off. This is my life.

The sewer rat population of Morzine

Sewer rats: they are chalet hosts that live in the Du Pre basement. They are normally found above ground during the hours of 7:00-12:00 and 17:00-23:00. Sometimes you will find them on the pistes during daylight hours though usually a true sewer rat is fast asleep at this time in the aforementioned basement room, that FYI has no natural light. Occasionally you will find a sewer rat out in the town late at night, scampering between bars in search of booze. Sadly on Sunday the population of sewer rats decreased by one. The original and true sewer rat went home.

This has made me sad.

Hurry up and get better Sara so you can come back.

The crunch of fresh snow

That sound, underfoot, as you walk home from a bar. The flakes fall softly in your hair and tickle your nose. The excitement is there, tomorrow is your day off and tonight it is snowing. As you walk home there is a wonderful sound that follows you. Squeaky, crunchy, crisp fresh snow compacting under your boots. Tomorrow you'll be riding that fresh snow. Tomorrow you've arranged to meet, so you can ride together. Tomorrow is a brand new day and it holds a lot of promise.

Half way, half term

Can you believe it? It's half way through my season. The snow is still white, pristine and sparkly but the shiny veneer of the season has slipped a bit. Yes it's sad to say but cracks have appeared. I'm happy in the work that I do, I'm content that I'm giving my guests what they want and I'm pretty certain that they're happy too. It's other people that are the problem. When there's a problem at the core it doesn't take long for the rot to spread, no matter how well you try to protect yourself from it. When it starts to really affect those that you've come to hold dear, it is very upsetting indeed. I hope against hope that the rot can be halted.

As I'm a "demi" way through my season I feel like it's time to reflect and to look forward. There's a few weeks that have gone by in silence and there's some catching up to do, so let's do that. Lots of guests, lots of snow, a bit of partying and a bit of riding. Had a crush on a guest, OMG, awkward but fun too! Best guests so far of the season - the young Drs. They were awesome, it felt like I had a big bunch of my friends staying and I miss them, honestly. Worst guests of the seasons... that's a secret, I have to retain some shred of professionalism please! New friends, I have lots, some will last and I guess some won't. Old friends, I miss them and often wish they could be here with me, thank you to those of you who have been out here with me, it means the world to me. A song, a phrase, a joke or something like that will remind me of old friends and the place I've been calling home for a few years, Sunny Tunny Wells, and I will feel a pang of separation. I wouldn't call it homesickness, because I'm not homesick anymore, in fact I'm happy to be out of Tunbridge Wells. I think you can get too comfortable in a place and confuse it for security, in fact it's not security but complacency and a bit of fear of the unknown. If there's one thing that I'm taking away from this season it's that I can do it, I can go away from the comfort zone and my world won't implode and that no matter where you are, your friends are still your friends. So in the frame of mind of looking forward, that's exactly what I'm going to do, expand my horizons even further and see if I can stay here for the summer too. If not here then hopefully there will be other options for a summer abroad.

My riding has not come on nearly as much as I'd hoped, but then that's because I've not been on the mountain nearly as much as I'd hoped. I have to address the work-life balance, which is hard for someone who is conscientious and wants to excel. I had a hard time of it 7-10 days ago, I was putting everything in and felt like I was heading further and further into a downward spiral. Thing is that you get tired, either through work, riding or partying and then you work slower. The slower you work the less time you get off away from the chalet and the more demotivated you become because you're never away from the chalet and seem to be working 24/7. It's a vicious circle and you need to really fight to get out of the quagmire. So I've made a promise to myself and set myself a goal, and I do love a good goal or target. My riding will improve and I will be out on the mountain more (that's a summation of course, my overall goal is split into achievable targets which I won't bore you with). I've got 10-11 weeks left, so best hustle!

I have other aspirations for the remainder of my season and I will start to work on those tomorrow, which also happens to be Valentine's day. Let's see what delights this marketing dream of a day will bring.

Karma, by the way, if you're ever in any doubt, definitely will kick your ass one day, and that thought has got to be comforting (and possibly worrying for some of you?).

I think that just about does it for me for now. I'm sure that once I hit the publish button I will think of a few more things to have included, as is usually the case.

Toilet brush etiquette

Again, time is getting away from me and two weeks have passed since last post. So here's a small one to remedy the lack of communications and then I'll write a bigger one tomorrow.

Here's a handy guide for people on the correct and proper usage of a toilet brush. A toilet brush is not a bathroom accessory that just sits in the corner gathering dust, it is a functional bit of kit, particularly useful for cleaning toilets. Once you are finished on the toilet, particularly after defecating, the correct way to deploy the toilet brush for cleaning is this: pick up the brush with one hand, with your free hand apply pressure to the button/lever that flushes your toilet. Once water is flowing down into the toilet wait for a few seconds until the solids and the toilet paper have gone from sight, then quickly utilise the brush. To do this you submerge the brush into the water and scrub with vigour around the toilet bowl. If you do this your end result will be a shiny, clean toilet that is free from any faecal matter. This is not only pleasant for yourself but also for others that may well use the toilet after you. IT IS ESPECIALLY PLEASANT FOR THE CHALET GIRL THAT HAS TO CLEAN YOUR GOD-DAMNED TOILET!!!

Thank you for reading this handy guide on the correct usage of toilet brushes.

Hasta luego amigos!

Kaleidoscope diamonds

I was cleaning my kitchen the other day as the sun was streaming in the windows. Outside there was a beautiful snowy landscape, fresh mountain air, the sound of birdsong and all around my kitchen danced little dazzling spots of light. No, it wasn't because I was drunk or high off the D2-D10 industrial cleaning chemicals, they were little refractions of sunlight from my diamond earrings. TD bought me those earrings once for my birthday, I still remember it vividly, the look on his face as he presented the box to me. I thought I lost one once, in the shower, it was terrible but of course I found it. He used to think they didn't sparkle enough. Maybe he should've got me the ultra sparkly ones (read expensive) from Tiffany that he boldly asked the shop assistant to show him, with no intention of buying them, he couldn't bear to have walked in and then straight back out because the prices frightened the living shit out of him, so he asked to see a few different kinds then told the helpful assistant he'd think about it and come back. I think my diamonds sparkle just fine, especially in the alpine sun in my chalet kitchen. The little light spots put a smile on my face, made me recall a happy memory and so I wiggled my head around and made them dance all over the place.

I'm flying solo, just like I wanted, but it's hard work I tell you. The team are dropping like flies. RSC did his ACL while skiing, only his fourth time out, no more for the rest of the season. KJ had a drunken run in with a parked car that necessitated an MRI of her head. My roomie got a chest infection and was carted off to hospital (Hopitaux Leman, made me think of RL) two transfer days ago. KB broke her shoulder on a jump in the park (hence why I'm flying solo, cos Milly has had to go run KB's chalet). BW got a shiner the other night, in the hot tub... don't ask! As for me, my thumb tendons have started playing up again and I've had pins and needles in most of the fingers on my left hand for the last two-three weeks. The guests last week, all doctors, thought it was most likely Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Super. Just what I need. I haven't quite decided what to do about it yet. It's either the ostrich approach and hope for some sort of overnight, miracle recovery or I have to man up and go to the doctor. It's bloody annoying this pins and needles, luckily I'm so busy for most of my waking day that I don't notice it. I especially don't notice it when I'm out riding.

I was thinking about something the other day. How funny it is that when something doesn't go quite according to plan, how we revert to what we had before, or try to in any case. Even though what we had before wasn't actually what we wanted. How odd it is that we find comfort in something familiar even though at one point we decided that we didn't want that and that it was no longer comforting. Weird eh?

Anyway, I realise that my blogging has become more sporadic and I will try to remedy that. I promise. Now that I am flying solo I'm finding that time, especially time off, is a rare thing indeed. I've not been riding since Thursday (yes I know it's only Sunday but in the life of a seasonnaire that's actually a REALLY long time to not have been on the mountain). I will get quicker, I will get more efficient, I will get more sleep so that I can put into effect the first two points raised and once they have been actioned I will be able to go ahead and get more riding done.

New guests today. Got a good tip from the ones that left this morning, really good! I love good tippers. I also love them when they leave behind a full bottle of Gordon's gin, half a bottle of Tanqueray, quarter bottle of Glenlivet and they've been included you in their nightly Taittinger drinking. They were a lovely bunch, reminded me of TD's parents and their friends actually. Funnily enough, the new guests are all doctors again bar two of the party. I had a feeling they'd be young and I was right, they're my age. Seem good fun. Should be a good week!

There's more reasons why this should be a good week. On Tuesday we've got a staff outing. Meaning that most of us have bought tickets to see Krafty Kuts at Opera and guess what? It's day off on Wednesday. Boom! So I think we might tuck into some of the left behind spirits to get us in good spirits! See what I did there, oh I'm funny! Last week's day off was epic, hour long hot stone massage for 30 Euro and then an impromptu drinking session at Tremplin with some awesome drum and bass tunes played by djs, followed by pizza at Mamas. That's not all though, there's more reasons why THIS week is going to be a good week. Three very dear friends of mine are coming to town on Saturday!!!!!!!!!! YAY! I'm so stoked to see them and ride with them and take them out and ... and... and .. SO much stuff!! Oh I am beyond excited to see them!

So now that I've got myself all riled up thinking about that I'm going to go to bed. It's half past midnight and I'm sitting in the stairwell (the internet signal doesn't quite reach my room) and I'm thinking that 6 hours sleep is not going to be enough. But that's all I'm going to get. Soon I will be saying good morning over the heavily laden breakfast table and offering them eggs, and no doubt I shall be scrambling, frying, poaching and omeletting all at the same time. Because that's how it works, why all settle for the same kind of egg when you can really stress the chalet girl by asking for them in a million different ways. Hmmm, when you think about it, an egg is a very versatile food. Thank you chickens for your clever invention.    

It's obviously bed time....

Gap yah, New yah.

New Years Eve, with new friends, was spent in a little bar off the beaten Morzine track. This normally chilled out place where we go to have a few demis after work was transformed into a packed tot he rafters, banging, sweating, drunken drum and bass club for the occasion. It was awesome. Saw a lot of seasonnaires in there and mixed in were a few holiday makers that had wandered away from the usual night spots (that were all charging 10-20 Euro entry fee). It was a pretty damn good night!

From new friends to old friends. I had the pleasure of a visit from my dear friend NG. We've been friends since we were 9-10, from school in Spain. It was so brilliant to see her and her boyf (hasn't he done well for himself to have bagged a girl like her!). They stayed at an awesome place that seems like it's stuck in 1974, I'm going to suggest it to other visitors. Le Laurys it's called and it comes complete with wagon wheels festooned in coloured lights, I mean, what more could you want?!

Today I went riding with my Aussie friend Fi. It was cool as. Great snow up top. My board needs a wax though, desperately. Guess I could spring for a tune up with last week's tip money, which FYI was pretty good.

The snow happiness was cut short though when I got home. I discovered I had not received a meat delivery for the evening meal. I didn't get it until ten past seven. Dinner is served at eight. Challenge accepted and challenge won!

Bed now, we have a bonus night off tomorrow, still have to do kid's dinner but not adults. So I'm thinking, breakfast service, riding, apres, kid's dinner, more apres.

you could end up with a bunch of care bears or Hitlers...

I work with a guy that I like to call Millhouse. He's a space cadet at the best of times. Today, as we were walking to the office to greet our new guests he said "you could end up with a bunch of carebears or Hitlers...". How very true.