LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

Before creating my blog, I would often think of all the things I would write about if I had one; now the basic process is completed, my mind has become a total blank. So when in doubt, talk about the weather. And living in a ski resort, weather is of the utmost importance, especially at this time of the year.

THERE IS NO SNOW! Three weeks to Christmas and apart from a sprinkling on the high slopes, the weather remains obstinently sunny and warm. The first 'piste' opened up a fortnight ago, relying heavily on snow cannons, but that is all. The shops are reopening for the season after their autumn hibernation, but apart from the locals who come to ski on the weekend, the village remains desperately empty.

The chalets and flats that are empty for most of the year, are starting to be opened up by an army of cleaning ladies and maintenance people, and there are signs of the first very expensive and utterly non-PC four wheel drive cars invading the village; here of course a 'Chelsea tractor' is almost obligatory (when we have snow) but when I see an enormous Hummer with Geneva licence plates on it, I wonder whether the owner can actually use it in the city - let alone park it.

One of the joys of winter here is that the building work stops - through the spring and autumn the village bristles with cranes and enormous lorries carrying equipment as the locals sell off their land to people who pay millions of Swiss francs to build a chalet that will only be used a couple of weeks in the year.

An architect friend told me the other week that as constructible land has now more or less run out, there are certain unscrupulous architects that I suppose, with a few back-handers, are now getting permission to build on land that is in an avalanche zone. Apparently these chalets are super-reinforced but nothing stops an avalanche. The climate is changing for whatever reason, and this summer we saw avalanches in the mountains and one down in the valley where enormous boulders suddenly hurtled down the mountain for no apparent reason - the one in the valley put the local railway line out of action for three months.

I live in what is called a 'vieux' chalet - the locals say 'vieux' with a slight snarl in their voice - they are for some reason very proud of the expensive chalets with their hammans, jacuzzis and heated driveways (yes, yes!) but then complain bitterly that the local young people can no longer live here as the housing is too expensive. I just hope that my 'vieux' chalet was built by a local with knowledge of the village and if there is an avalanche it won't be swept away!