this is how a night with Mal Downham ends up like!!!! 

Morecambe night out for octegenarian in punk pub!!!!

Dave said he wanted this one in especially :-)

3rd October to 13th October

Busy time back in the UK catching up with friends and family. Dave has sold some paintings back in the UK songs had to pop to the galleries in question to liaise and set up more paintings for them. Caught up eight the newest me member of Dave's family, Molly Beatrix, but stupidly didn't get any photos! Was lovely to catch up with the Preston gang, Heather Whelan being particularly brave to venture to the Black Bull and not just because anyone who ventures out with Mal Downham is putting their long term health at risk (only joking Maloir)!!

Caught up with Lancaster midwives who are planning a little trip out to the snow to celebrate a couple of significant birthdays, Kirkpatrick travels has that in hand and then nipped to Clitheroe to catch up with the Blackburn midwives as they celebrated a retirement.

Dave had lots of Guiness over the week, trying to put some weight on he said, and played a few games of pool, making up for lost time.

Was lovely to be back but nice to get back to our little studio. Work at crystal hopefully starting this week and due to cham social I have some extra cleaning work in a week for three weeks covering someone's hols  and Dave has some joinery work for the first couple of days of the week too. Need to get those ski passes saved up for.

When we arrived back on the 12th it had snowed!!! Reminded us of what's to come :-)

DVD brought back from UK too, with purchase of appropriate scart  lead now have something to do in the evenings after our scrabble of course (sorry H had to mention it), with our new mini scrabble dictionary should be less disagreements. So, sorted!!!!!

24th September to 2nd October

Life continuing in similar manner now so blogging will just be the pertinent bits with some pictures. I have started meeting Sophie (cyclist) and Simone, a Dutch lady from Holland to speak French and try and move things along with it. We meet in the lovely square, have a coffee or two and just chat, probably not enough in French as we should. Managed a few cycles, to Le Tour and up above Les Houches on the way back towards St Gervais. Great work out that one. Dave cycled to Sallanches yesterday in search of the elusive boards, to no avail. He was exhausted!!! Think it was about 70km and a few good hills. Couple of walks up behind us too have been nice, though the tracks get a bit thin and steep leading to about turns.

I continue to pick up bits of work off Chamsocial cleaning an apartment and such. Missed out on doing some weeding one day, which would have been good as a lovely day, but got contact for next time needed. Explained my vast knowledge with being an ex allotment owner. Then yesterday I got a job at Crystal tour operators. Megan (cyclist) put in a word for me, went and had a look and there will be 20 hours a month going for the whole time till we leave. Evening work too which is when we find ourselves at a bit of a loose end, and won't clash with the cleaning work in the winter. So hopefully will start that on return. Need to sign to the French system for it, not sure how to do that but hopefully the finance team will guide me, and not quite sure how much I am to be paid but obviously quite a bit more than 17.50 euros I quoted as my 'going rate'!!!! (I was quite sheepish when I said the figure but obviously us the lower range of going rate)

Off to UK tomorrow and a packed itinerary of catch up, visiting the houses and newborn(ish) babies, replenishing stocks and then back in 9 days time. Work to look forward to, hopefully, and French classes which are promising to become a bit more sociable with drink involved I think, nice to meet kindred spirits :-)

View from local!!!!

September 21st to 23rd

Weather continues to improve. pottering around in the morning on Saturday sussing out market for potential for dave. Checked out pool and then went to library, joined and immediately got scrabble out. Librarian explained to me that scoring different on french scrabble which may be why when we last played it, it was a French version!!!! I thought I should have cruised that one and then lost. Wasn't able to use this as leverage for league though. Anyway tried to remember English scoring and played where we  played and then wrote down french words to try and use it as a lesson in French, long game!!!! I won.

Sunday I headed out for a bit of a cycle and then bumped into some young English girls (and I mean half my age), Sophie and Megan, and tagged along with them on what I thought was an average Sunday cycle. OMG ended up doing a climb of 1000metres in 11km to a beautiful spot Lac de Emesson. This has the steepest funicular railway access in the world, that's how steep it was!!!!! 60km in total. Felt amazing once back in Chamonix. Hopefully might have some work coming from contact with Megan.

Monday Dave went out to do some e-mailing etc for work and I went for a walk up above Chamonix. Stunning. Then by chance while checking Chamsocial noticed 3 hours work for the afternoon. Got it helping to unload car, cleaning windows (which they have never seen as clean, thanks H!!!) and packing stuff away. If can continue to get bits and pieces (another job on Wed) will be good.

Gallery on tow to Chamonix!

Finding a venue for my paintings in Chamonix is proving to be quite difficult. I'm painting the locality now but fast running out of boards and brushes. The locals get their supplies on-line...have to put an order in.
A portion of the gallery so far....

David-french/artcove.co.uk

David French art/society6.com

September 20th

Gorgeous day and so exciting to wake up in apartment, with lovely view of Brevant and the para gliders overhead. 1st breakfast on balcony with nothing but squirrels passing by :) Big shop, then off to bank to sort accounts. Dave then finished the painting from yesterday and we did indeed bump into The Aussie couple, twice. I went for a cycle up some hills (serious hills) but then came to an end. Will have to suss out longer tracks. Popped into library too. We so take it for granted in UK, free banking and libraries, whereas both cost out here. But, you can hire scrabble and dvd's and they have an english book section so will be worth it I feel. Internet too with printing ability and really friendly staff (just like Morecambe library :-) of course!! ) Quiet night in afterwards but in our own place - very happy.

September 19th Moving in day!!!!

Up to great news that advert I placed on Chamsocial for work has got me a cleaning job for next week. Deep cleaning a chalet. Hope more will come to from that advert. Will keep posting the advert. Weather set to improve. Misty this morning but had a cycle up to Argentier and clearing as we returned.  Dave then went to do a painting in Place d'Eglise after a bit of lunch and I bought anew purse. Was looking for a really tacky one "I love Chamonix" type activity but they don't do them.

Then at 4pm descended upon Dominique in the estate agents and excitedly went round with her to studio. They sure do thorough inventory's here, all the sinks/bath/basins even and obviously as furnished with all the cooking stuff too. After an hour all sorted, keys handed over and made her blush when we gave her a bunch of flowers.

Quickly got sorted and then headed to Bard'up for happy hour and to meet Ian (Dave's old student) and Mark (from Destination Cycle) and Andy his mate who used to own Old Bell, in there for a few beers on their final night here. Too many beers again!!! Nice Aussie chap there too who is here for the season with his fiance. Keen to talk French so hopefully as they live just next to us we will meet up again and chat en Francaise.