Simon says

  The Weinsberg Atlas camper van Half term planning was disrupted by my shingles and the ongoing uncertainty over our visa situation and length of stay in Chamonix.  We decided that it was time to make some decisions.  So we made two.  First, we decided that we will leave Chamonix on December 9th, at the end of our 90 Schengen days.  We will probably never hear back from the Prefecture and we could risk it and stay but we don't want to do that, and there's a good chance that there will be little skiing before January and so on...  Second, we decided to rent a campervan and see a bit of Italy.  We had planned to do this perhaps in the new year and we didn't want to miss out on Italy altogether.  Plus, the weather in Chamonix looked like it might be a bit rubbish, so why not. So after a week that included a hike up to the Bossons glacier, a visit to the swimming pool and bouldering gym, as well as some Hallowe'en prep and trick or treating around th...

 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...