Simon says

 We made a conscious decision when the kids were young to ease them into activities, and to make sure that we didn't fall into the modern over-programming trap.  This requires nerves of steel because at every turn someone else's kids are doing something yours are not and you have to endure the cold sweat associated with the feeling that you are robbing your child of their NHL career, Olympic gold medal or World Cup trophy.  The evidence suggests that the most successful athletes are those who do a mix of sports before specialising in their teens.  Unfortunately, we started the more concerted push some 5 weeks before covid hit, so that after all the excitement of getting kitted out in ice hockey gear and enjoying their first few shifts on the rink, it all came to a shuddering halt.  When we arrived in Chamonix Crystal set about rectifying this 18 month hiatus - Toby chose to do hockey, and Felicity decided on patinage artistique.  And after some parental enc...

 I don't have much of an oragnising structure for this blog, sometimes it's a week or so catch-up, other times a cobbled together theme of rumination, and every so often it's a whole post dedicated to one big walk.  As is so this time.   I'd be flattering myself if I thought the kids would someday read these blogs and reminisce on the year when their parents uprooted them and traipsed them around the world.  But if they did, I wouldn't want them to think that we had our best days when they were in school!  There is a trade off: when we do things altogether, or one-on-one parent-child, there is an indefinable richness to the experience, something that only the effervescent presence of the little humans who we have toiled to bring into the world, keep safe, and nurture into themselves can bring.  When I do something individually, or as a couple, there is a cost to the freedom, a feeling of something missing, a part of us missing, Felicity and Toby's irri...

 When we thought about going to France, we already had in mind that we would be able to stay for 3 months.  We'd heard that from someone.  And of course we Googled to confirm.  What we didn't take into account was the Schengen agreement.  Schengen is the name of the 1985 treaty that enacted passport-free movement within most of the EU.  A common policy was established allowing non-member visitors to stay anywhere within the area for any 90 days of a 180 day period.  Having already spent 3 weeks in Spain, we had used up 21 days of our Schengen time before we arrived in France, which would mean we would have to leave Chamonix, and the Schengen area, on December 10th (earlier than our current plan of the 28th).  There also go our plans to rent a campervan and drive around Italy in the new year!   But, we've done some research and it seems we may have a partial reprieve.  A less well-known clause of the agreement allows individual membe...

Warning! This is a bit of a pedestrian post (albeit with some pretty pictures), one of those daily diary type entries. This is good because things are just nice and good (apart from some head colds of varying severity 😕) We’ve been in Chamonix for nearly 2 weeks now. That’s not a very long time, but I feel that we’re settling in quickly. The weather has helped: it’s been pretty much perfect, sunny most days, cool and crisp, around freezing in the morning. The kids are being little troopers with their new school.  Crystal has done an amazing job of researching and registering the kids in activities that they want to do. Toby has already been to a hockey practice and a handball practice and Felicity started patinage artistique yesterday. Unfortunately, as seems to be the norm when we move to a new place, a round of colds has gone through the family. Crystal has had this the worst and it’s really put a dent in the activities that she’s been able to do. Meanwhile I feel like the prove...

Two equally representative images of Alpine life  It's amazing how quickly I forget how things felt and what I was thinking.  It's easy to recount what we did and when (that's what pictures are for!) but the thoughts and feelings from one moment to the next are ephemeral.  I guess it should come as no surprise that in a year full of out of the ordinary, and often amazing, experiences, for all the highs there must be some lows, just like in real life.  And in particular, after those really busy, intense periods (e.g. packing up and travelling from Spain to France and then have a spectacular weekend hiking to a hut), there will be a bounce back.  And no doubt that can be exacerbated by the weather.  The bump back down to earth often lands in a soggy puddle.  I include these little morose observations because I think it's unfair to present this unusual year of our lives as something it's not.  What it is is often amazing, enjoyable, enriching, and wo...

  Scenery just above the hut We always new that we were arriving in Chamonix at an odd time of year, at the tail end of the summer hiking and trail running season, and before the winter sports season.  And so it was that one of the last remaining open refuges had its final weekend the day after we arrived.  We gambled on the weather, booked a night, and won!  Big time.  This is one of the most spectacular mountain environments anywhere, and I simply cannot imagine better weather than we had.  Cool, clear air, and wall to wall sunshine.  I will let the pictures tell that story. The little red train that pulls you 1000m up the mountain One of my favourite pictures of the year: Felicity loves hiking and is really strong The glacier It wasn't all smiles, but there were plenty At the top of the Le Signal, 2204m Grand balcon nord, hugging the southern wall of the valley Grand balcon nord with hiker (Crystal) Arriving at the hut The hut is 1000m above Chamoni...