18th Feb to 25th

Great powder day on the 17th. Met up with trace and family for ski and then drinks in pm. Quiet couple of days needed after the weekends activities. Recovered by Thursday which was another great days skiing following more snow. Met up with a friend, Alison and her family for pizza as they popped over from moraine. Snowy day Friday, day off skiing.

Rugby weekend, good results all round. Again some nice skiing around work. Getting better with going through powder to the sides of the piste, loving it as it also so much quieter there than on the pistes.

Monday skied on brevent with Julia, gorge spring like day. After work popped to Megan's and left with yet another change of plan. Charlie, Megan's flat mate off for an amazing cycle across south USA just as I will be here on my own, so as Dave goes back 30th April I shall move in with Megan until my mum arrives on 6th of June. Another little adventure :-)

Lovely ski on brevent today snow on its way so making most of blue skies. News from dawn, blaze needing us again at end of march :-) happy days dog sitting again, peripatetic lifestyle continues.

3rd Feb to 17th Feb

So busy hence big gap!!!! Towards the end of first week got message from Lancaster, one of the houses going to be vacated in march, a one bed that does worry me with its rental potential, so after mobilising adverts at home, on Gumtree and assessing potential for management of property by an agent eventually we have had a change of plan. Dave is returning home end of April to start building an extension, I am staying here to work until my mum comes out immune then returning back with her on the 13th until the extension is built to work on it at the end decorating etc. Feels good now decision is made, especially as can catch up with lots of people, in fact nearly all the antipodean friends are over at some point when I will be there!!!! Bonus bonus.

Skiing in between all the deliberation. Been windy at times ( though not the horrid  storms and flooding at home, and in parts of France :-( ) and so the mountain has been reduced opening and indeed shut at times. All settling by the time tracey, Michael Faye and Katie, with friends Steven and calista arrived on the 14th. Weekend of skiing, eating drinking and even a little bit of shopping. Last day today, loads of snow yesterday so off to le tour for a powder day!!!!!

28th January to 3rd February

Successful trip to the dentists on the Tuesday after a slightly cold and icy ski at les houches, though skies were beautiful and blue. I did expect the dentist to speak English so was slightly nervous when it was obvious my French was the better of each others language!!! Anyway he was excellent, advised me to raise my left hand if it hurt and was very reassuring and quick, as he turned the tooth like something jaws from James bond would have been proud of (oh those 60's fillings) to a nice new white tooth all for 79 Euros!!!! What a bargain. Have another little chip on a tooth he is going to sort at a later date, what a star.

Wed met up with Ben and Sarah from Kendal after a lovely days work looking after the delight who is Oliver for Pippa and John. Shall have to get the OK for a PIC on here he is the cutest little chap.

Skiing remains good, snow doing very nicely up on brevent. We need now to concentrate on our techniques more, parallel is needed more. Friday night swimming with Meg, Sophie and Jane with a trip after for prosecco and hor d'oevres at hotel des alpes. Very civilised and went down well. Sat met up with Megan and her flatmate Charlie who made us feel a tad inadequate as he wizzed down red runs on his mono ski, which must be the hardest work made to look easy.

The evening saw happy hour filled with rugby. So close for a great match, but England lost to France, much to half the pubs delight. Worked Sunday, bit the worse for wear so nice early night, skied Monday in some softer stuff after snow on sat night and Sunday. Working hard on parallel style, ready for trace and family coming next week woo oo!!!!

22nd January to 27th ski heaven week!!!

 Helmet excellent!!!! Had two days of poor visibility skiing, felt nice and secure, Dave purchased one too and looks very dashing in his!!!

On Monday he threw down a bit of a gauntlet as I have appeared to loose my nerve a little, hence helmet purchase and on Wednesday when sun came out I felt my nerve return. Beautiful days skiing on brevent, absolutely stunning!

 Thursday snow, work for both of us as planned around the snowy day. Then in the evening I broke a tooth ! One of my molars just broke off, positive aspect is on Friday rang dentist to make an appointment and needed French and it just flowed!!! The evening sessions with Julia are so paying off. Dave really impressed :-) appointment for Tuesday made luckily no pain as yet.

Another beautiful days skiing on Friday, snow really improving, white and fluffy and our management of powder is improving. Also have another job option for 6weeks or so. Pippa, who I cleaned for with lovely little Oliver, needs babysitting for some hours in the week to get on top of work back home so am going to do that for 3 hours on wed morning and drop a session at sno station whilst I do it, yeeha! Flipping hard work making all those beds! Though might need to revise care of a 6month old, bit bigger than I am used too!

Saturday beautiful day up on brevent . met up with dawn and Ian for planned black run from top. Unfortunately Dave had given a Christmas tree an unexpected hug and banged his shin ( luckily all well following lots of icing) so Ian took me up. Amazing views from the top and a great sski down. No worse than some of the unpisted  reds we have done. Also did the lachenal which has been shut till now, our apartment block too is named that. Really hard work, red but steep and light flattened so hard, by managed it OK.

Sunday working, Dave Pk painting, French lesson then a few beers and ended up chatting to a lovely couple from Kendal, even stretched to drinks post happy hour!!!!

Just back from another amazing powder day. Can not remember skiing in such amazing conditions, but must also be that we are getting better and tackling the unpisted runs, which are great fun whilst remaining nice and safe. Must get all this uploaded as its been a while.

10th January to 21st January

More of the same. Skiing when not working, Dave has been doing some joinery which comes in handy. It has snowed a bit more so able to do more runs. Managing to tackle the non-pisted runs on flegere and brevent much better, though had another face plant but not into powder this time at the bottom of a red I was really pleased I had managed so got a bit cocky and tripped up over my poles.

Anniversary weekend on the 17th and 18th, nice to spend it somewhere cool. Went for drinks on the Friday with miles and Lisa, bulbbly with canapes in the hotel des alpes. Really nice will do that with the girls methinks. Fantastic skiing day on the Saturday 18th at led houches for the first time. What fun, lots of skiing through the woods and really nice cafes. We then went for apres ski at kitsch inn then continued back in cham and ended up in Jekyll and Hyde for a burger ( very nice one not the average.) So all in very successful weekend to celebrate 16 years ( or remembrance day as Dave cheekily put it)

had great news from trace back in the UK they are heading out in famille for 4 days in Feb and then she will be back with les girls in march as previously organised. So good!!!! Booked flight for mum to come and visit in June and also flights back to UK for 7days in beginning of may, so all good.

Had tales from Megan about a brilliant weekend skiing guided of a glacier somewhere (grave?) And feel that we should do the same whilst we are here off the aguille de midi, so purchased a helmet today and am determined to improve our powder work to get good enough to go with guided tour, maybe for birthday.

December 30th to 9th January.

Another busy period. Monday saw us skiing at le tour but with pretty bad hangovers the bus journey there and the queues made it a bit of a tough day ( bless I can imagine some at home saying, sarcastically). The slopes were nice and gentle though. Brevent again on the Tuesday, gentle not!!! And I lost my new orange beanie, well not lost as I know where it is, perched on a small bush down the mountain side, which luckily due to the orange netting, I managed to not follow it! Will have to get it in the spring.

New years eve night, 2 pints at happy hour, I cooked dinner, game of scrabble and a cup of tea at midnight!!! Shattered and couldn't face the packed square. Watched fireworks from le balcon.

Worked new years day at both sno station and crystal and the next day at sno station. Good to give legs a break from skiing. Swam on Thursday evening just to get a stretch out. Skied at brevent on Friday and have gone back to the new skies I bought and they are so much better. Was worried I was just going backwards and Dave just leaving me behind with the skiing. Snowed all day Saturday and so Sunday was amazing. Went to le tour with dawn and Ian and the conditions were superb. Stopped on way back door a little bubbly at la caban in la praz which was lovely.

Busy day Monday saw me skiing with Sophie up in la tour, Dave in brevernt. Then I went for a lunchtime swim then work and French with Julia. Must be careful not to exhaust myself again. We slept in Tuesday so just a few hours on brevent in pm. Unseasonably warm at the moment which is making things a little sticky underfoot like spring skiing. A few hours again on wed, Dave getting habit of a cold and then both working on the Thursday.

Highlight of the week Dave's purchase of a ski jacket from the catholic shop. It looked OK in the shop but once home the blouson slightly shiny style with red and blue flashes of colour perhaps not quite what he wanted, if I cash manage to get a photo I shall. May be difficult, the don Johnson of the slopes may not lost me. He has decided to wear it under his existing jacket for the time being!!!