The guy who makes these videos makes me laugh - see youTube for others!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFLS_RexrWA
Sorry, I can't direct you to the address directly (Mac and blogspot don't make for happy familes).
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
PHOTOS
'My mountain' seen from my office window, reappeared this morning, all blanketed in white
This tree could have been one that decorates Christmas cakes, but it is life-size
The street this morning after the snow plough had been through
Proof of what my son and friends get up to on the slopes, using my camera!
My son's autoportrait taken with PhotoBooth on the new Mac - although this must be a photo of the image on the screen. It reminds me of the posters that were in the Beatles album. Was it Sgt. Pepper's? Only my lad is far more gorgeous that the four Beatles put together!
And finally, three more photos taken by Pierre
Monday, February 26, 2007
BICKERING ON THE BLOG
My post, Microsoft for Mac, is now nearing the 100 comments. Unfortunately only about a dozen remarks have anything to do with the subject! Sometime during December, the same thing happened - I passed the 100 mark, not because of the subject, but because of in-fighting.
As many will remember, there were frequent discussions on the Telegraph blogs, about 'blue pencilling' - readers/writers complained that some of their comments were struck off for no apparent reason - but as no-one else other than the writer of the post and the guards at the Telly saw the remark, it was impossible to comment on the rights or wrongs of having a posting censored.
I make no pretence to write a political, intellectual, cultural blog. I do not want to get involved in various arguments that can be too sensitive ... you have all seen that my blog is just snippets of my everyday life, and I would think that a large majority of women who do blog, write the same kind of thing, or so it would seem from the blogs I have read.
So I would like your opinion on a couple of things when the blog fills with in-fighting.
1. Should I not allow 'Anonymous' comments? (But the Anonymous in question can easily type in any old name...)
2. Should I strike off all comments that personally attack another blogger?
3. If doing so, should I explain why?
4. If you are an anonymous blogger, would you continue blogging if you had to use a name? Not necessarily your real name but 'another name'?
It would be interesting to have your feed-back, but try and keep it short and I will, in this particular case, strike off any personal attacks towards another blogger as the discussions on my Mac posting over the last couple of days have been getting rather heated, to say the least!
As many will remember, there were frequent discussions on the Telegraph blogs, about 'blue pencilling' - readers/writers complained that some of their comments were struck off for no apparent reason - but as no-one else other than the writer of the post and the guards at the Telly saw the remark, it was impossible to comment on the rights or wrongs of having a posting censored.
I make no pretence to write a political, intellectual, cultural blog. I do not want to get involved in various arguments that can be too sensitive ... you have all seen that my blog is just snippets of my everyday life, and I would think that a large majority of women who do blog, write the same kind of thing, or so it would seem from the blogs I have read.
So I would like your opinion on a couple of things when the blog fills with in-fighting.
1. Should I not allow 'Anonymous' comments? (But the Anonymous in question can easily type in any old name...)
2. Should I strike off all comments that personally attack another blogger?
3. If doing so, should I explain why?
4. If you are an anonymous blogger, would you continue blogging if you had to use a name? Not necessarily your real name but 'another name'?
It would be interesting to have your feed-back, but try and keep it short and I will, in this particular case, strike off any personal attacks towards another blogger as the discussions on my Mac posting over the last couple of days have been getting rather heated, to say the least!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
WE'RE ALL GOING ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY...
Do you remember that awful song by Cliff Richard? Last night I dreamed of summer, nothing definite, but it was warm and green and 'summery'. Perhaps this was because it was snowing when I went to bed.
So I started thinking about summer holidays this morning, and decided to pick your brains. I try and get away for two or three weeks in the summer with the child, who will have just turned 16. It is the time of the year that we offer each other some 'prime time' as between the lycée, skiing and mountain biking, we don't meet up too often during the year and I know that holidays with parents will soon be a thing of the past! So basically I am looking for a holiday that will please both of us - we 'did' New York a year and a half ago and both of us had a fabulous time.
Personally, I'm not too fussy - not worried about the weather, as long as it isn't too hot; don't think we would want to be in a city in the summer, but perhaps 30 minutes or so from one. I would like to be on the coast. Either Europe or North America.
A couple of things that have crossed my mind : what about a house swap? Have any of you done this or have friends that have done it? What about renting a National Trust property in England? Eastern Europe (Roumania, Hungary etc.)? No Disney land, thank you! Great for kids of 9, but no go for 16 year olds (and their mother!!).
My daughter has been offered a job in San Francisco - she is off on a fact-finding mission in May/June and if all goes well, will probably stay on - going out there could be a possibility although all those hours in a plane turn me off, but of course there are the XGames in CA which my son would probably die for.
The academic year ends the 3rd week of June and they go back the 3rd week of August, so we need to fit in with those dates.
So, any ideas? Tell me about your holidays - even places to be definitely avoided!
So I started thinking about summer holidays this morning, and decided to pick your brains. I try and get away for two or three weeks in the summer with the child, who will have just turned 16. It is the time of the year that we offer each other some 'prime time' as between the lycée, skiing and mountain biking, we don't meet up too often during the year and I know that holidays with parents will soon be a thing of the past! So basically I am looking for a holiday that will please both of us - we 'did' New York a year and a half ago and both of us had a fabulous time.
Personally, I'm not too fussy - not worried about the weather, as long as it isn't too hot; don't think we would want to be in a city in the summer, but perhaps 30 minutes or so from one. I would like to be on the coast. Either Europe or North America.
A couple of things that have crossed my mind : what about a house swap? Have any of you done this or have friends that have done it? What about renting a National Trust property in England? Eastern Europe (Roumania, Hungary etc.)? No Disney land, thank you! Great for kids of 9, but no go for 16 year olds (and their mother!!).
My daughter has been offered a job in San Francisco - she is off on a fact-finding mission in May/June and if all goes well, will probably stay on - going out there could be a possibility although all those hours in a plane turn me off, but of course there are the XGames in CA which my son would probably die for.
The academic year ends the 3rd week of June and they go back the 3rd week of August, so we need to fit in with those dates.
So, any ideas? Tell me about your holidays - even places to be definitely avoided!
Friday, February 23, 2007
MICROSOFT FOR MAC
Well, I've done it! A minute proportion of my Mac's hard drive has been allocated to Bill Gates and his totally awful system! And I am trying to type this post on it! No mean feat, I can tell you! Having got used to my new Swiss keyboard, when I installed XP it only recognises American keyboards, thus I am now playing a guessing game as to where the letters are (back to qwerty) and especially, the symbols. The @ sign has now gone back to above the 2 as opposed to ALT G, the () are above 9 and 0 and not 8 and 9, etc. etc. So excuse the typos.
It would seem however that one can jolly up the posts on Microsoft - already I see more options are available, like italics, colour, etc. and I suppose I can pick things off the internet to add to a post. At the moment I cannot add photos as I have no photos in my album here. But will I use Microsoft? I think not - the laptop grinds away, makes funny indigestion noises, every two minutes a warning sign of some kind flashes up on the screen about viruses, my trackpad no longer has the speed of a scuttling mouse but that of a large slug and the graphics are just downright ugly. Much of this could be improved if I made the effort, which I might do eventually, but I can see why Apple refuses to recognise the Microsoft system - I feel as though I am working on a computer that is ten years old - I used a PC ten years ago and in that time, nothing has changed. It is fussy, boring and totally lacks imagination.
Sorry all you Microsoft users out there (like 98% of the population) but it pains me so see this sleek machine adulterated!
PS. This bit is written on Mac - with no warning, Microsoft closed down as I had no battery left. Was in rather a panic as I am wary of Microsoft and wouldn't have been surprised if something very nasty had happened. Mac warns me when I am low on
battery and you have enough time to plug into the mains...hey, ho!
It would seem however that one can jolly up the posts on Microsoft - already I see more options are available, like italics, colour, etc. and I suppose I can pick things off the internet to add to a post. At the moment I cannot add photos as I have no photos in my album here. But will I use Microsoft? I think not - the laptop grinds away, makes funny indigestion noises, every two minutes a warning sign of some kind flashes up on the screen about viruses, my trackpad no longer has the speed of a scuttling mouse but that of a large slug and the graphics are just downright ugly. Much of this could be improved if I made the effort, which I might do eventually, but I can see why Apple refuses to recognise the Microsoft system - I feel as though I am working on a computer that is ten years old - I used a PC ten years ago and in that time, nothing has changed. It is fussy, boring and totally lacks imagination.
Sorry all you Microsoft users out there (like 98% of the population) but it pains me so see this sleek machine adulterated!
PS. This bit is written on Mac - with no warning, Microsoft closed down as I had no battery left. Was in rather a panic as I am wary of Microsoft and wouldn't have been surprised if something very nasty had happened. Mac warns me when I am low on
battery and you have enough time to plug into the mains...hey, ho!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
LA CREME DE LA CREME
The other day we went to visit Gruyères - a small hilltop village famous for its 'Crème de Gruyères'. I hasten to add that this is not some awful processed cheese out of a tube, or wrapped in little bits of tinfoil in a box, but a wonderful, thick, fattening and divine double cream as you can see from the spoon standing up in the tub.
It has become one of my local tourist trips for the non-skiing visitors, being about an hour and a half from Verbier, north of Montreux and off the motorway leading to Berne. After leaving the car in the car park at the bottom of the hill, there is a little uphill climb of about five minutes to the village. It is in fact more of a hamlet than a village - one immediately arrives on the main square/middle of village, which is pretty and cobbled. A few souvenir shops, a couple of restaurants, a couple of shops selling cream and meringues, and that is about it. At the top of the village is the Chateau de Gruyères, which is most imposing and which I eventually managed to visit for the first time the other day. Dogs are allowed virtually everywhere in Switzerland, but not in castles, so my little black friend had stayed at home with a pigs' ear to chew (yes, they are disgusting but Gus loves them!).
We had a quick look in the church which is under the chateau, but of no particular interest, apart from the fact that it was SOOO clean and well-organised (they probably have under floor heating) and had a most antiseptic feel to it. The graveyard was more interesting. Amongst the rather ugly modern gravestones, were a few of the old style typical crosses with a little 'roof' protecting the sculpture (usually a Christ). These roofs are made out of thin 'tiles' of wood and are beautifully put together. I have added a couple of photos of roofs made in this manner, although the houses no longer have them - if they ever did?
From the church we went up to the chateau and set off to explore. The chateau has been heavily restored inside, although the interior courtyard doesn't give that impression. The chateau was obviously a fortress originally and was probably restored during the 16th century.
It was then partially modified in the early 19th century, to make it more habitable. There isn't much rhyme nor reason to it - one goes from a Renaissance room to a Louis XIV décor, but despite its imposing exterior, the rooms inside are 'small' and it has a homely atmosphere to it. Not much furniture and it was a shame that the fires weren't lit, which gives chateaux a very different atmosphere (such as Chambord, where there is no furniture, but with the fires burning in the winter, the visit is lovely).
The last owner was the Bovy family, who I imagine are a well-known family of Swiss painters but I didn't find out anything about them, and in the chateau there are quite a few fairly good portraits painted by a Bovy and one of the rooms has panels decorated by Camille Corot - totally unprotected from fingers and light, but still...!
We had lunch sitting outside at the Hotel de la Poste, where the food is good but simple (especially when one sees the number of tourists in the summer - the quality is consistant). I had an enormous plate of roast beef (bien saignant) served with a homemade tartare sauce made with 'crème de Gruyères' which was to die for, accompanied by loads of freshly cooked vegetables and a rösti, followed by a lovely fresh fruit salad and an espresso - 30CHF. Not expensive for such a touristy place, I think.
The photos I have added in rather a willy-nilly fashion - blogspot is Not Mac friendly and although I have now put the horrid Windows on my Mac, I hate it so much that I haven't plucked up the courage to use it for blogging. Sorry, the tub of cream will appear later! And the other photos, as blogspot is playing up and it's impossible to download photos!
Monday, February 19, 2007
BOOKWORM
Rather a heterogeneous bunch, the four books I am about to comment on but after finishing the first one, it was time for a little light relief.
My first book 'Les Bienveillantes' by Jonathan Littell is grandiose. If you read easily in French and haven't read it yet, then go out immediately and buy it. 'Les Bienveillantes' won le prix Goncourt and le grand prix de l'Académie Francaise this year - something that leaves me a little wary usually, but this is definitely a great book. Jonathan Littell is the son of the novelist Robert, and although totally bilingual, he chose to write the book in French and beautifully written it is too. Published by Gallimard, it is a BIG book in every sense of the word; 900 pages of small type on good quality paper makes it a heavy book, especially for night readers such as myself.
'Les Bienveillantes' ('The Kindly Ones' is its temporary English title) tells the fictional story of Maximilien Aue, an SS Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) during World War 2 who is posted to the Eastern Front and is then muted to deal with the problems in the concentration camps, trying to improve conditions of the prisoners so they are able to work in the factories turning out munitions for the German army that is almost defeated.
It is interesting to read a book from a German point of view on the last war - it doesn't however excuse the horrors that happened or explain them; it is simply the story of a young bourgeois man who gets thrown into something he cannot handle - physical sickness, drunken orgies, homosexuel relationships - he loses his mind trying to come to terms with the horror that is thrown at him daily, and continually harking back to an incesteous affair with his sister.
It is a terrifying book, some of the descriptions make one feel weak at the knees, but worth every single page.
After finishing such a book, I then needed something light and silly and found it in two books I was offered for Christmas - Molvania (A land untouched by modern dentistry) and Phaic Tan (Sunstroke on a shoestring) - both published by Atlantic Books under the Jetlag travel guide. A spoof on Lonely Planet. Both are ficticious - loosely based on Eastern Europe and Asia, but are a hoot! There is a new one out based on South America. They are written exactly like a guide book but the information is complete rubbish (or is it?) - great to flip through and to have a really good laugh - as Bill Bryson said 'Brilliantly original and very, very funny'.
And finally, I have just finished 'A short history of Tractors in Ukrainian' bz Marina Lewycka and published by Penguin. The story in told by the younger of two sisters - the elder born during the War in German-occupied Ukraine and the second born ten years later in post-war Britain. It is the story of their widowed emigré father who falls for, and marries, Valentina, a Ukranian gold-digger 40 years his junior, who only wants marriage for the passport. It is very drole, the family trying to make the father see that Valentina is only after him for his pension and his passport and the descriptions of Valentina are lovely with her boil-in-the-bag cuisine, amongst other things. There is also the darker side of the story - the escape of the family from the Ukraine which is reveals through the story, but a good book about families, skeletons in the cupboard, and a most delightful read.
My first book 'Les Bienveillantes' by Jonathan Littell is grandiose. If you read easily in French and haven't read it yet, then go out immediately and buy it. 'Les Bienveillantes' won le prix Goncourt and le grand prix de l'Académie Francaise this year - something that leaves me a little wary usually, but this is definitely a great book. Jonathan Littell is the son of the novelist Robert, and although totally bilingual, he chose to write the book in French and beautifully written it is too. Published by Gallimard, it is a BIG book in every sense of the word; 900 pages of small type on good quality paper makes it a heavy book, especially for night readers such as myself.
'Les Bienveillantes' ('The Kindly Ones' is its temporary English title) tells the fictional story of Maximilien Aue, an SS Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) during World War 2 who is posted to the Eastern Front and is then muted to deal with the problems in the concentration camps, trying to improve conditions of the prisoners so they are able to work in the factories turning out munitions for the German army that is almost defeated.
It is interesting to read a book from a German point of view on the last war - it doesn't however excuse the horrors that happened or explain them; it is simply the story of a young bourgeois man who gets thrown into something he cannot handle - physical sickness, drunken orgies, homosexuel relationships - he loses his mind trying to come to terms with the horror that is thrown at him daily, and continually harking back to an incesteous affair with his sister.
It is a terrifying book, some of the descriptions make one feel weak at the knees, but worth every single page.
After finishing such a book, I then needed something light and silly and found it in two books I was offered for Christmas - Molvania (A land untouched by modern dentistry) and Phaic Tan (Sunstroke on a shoestring) - both published by Atlantic Books under the Jetlag travel guide. A spoof on Lonely Planet. Both are ficticious - loosely based on Eastern Europe and Asia, but are a hoot! There is a new one out based on South America. They are written exactly like a guide book but the information is complete rubbish (or is it?) - great to flip through and to have a really good laugh - as Bill Bryson said 'Brilliantly original and very, very funny'.
And finally, I have just finished 'A short history of Tractors in Ukrainian' bz Marina Lewycka and published by Penguin. The story in told by the younger of two sisters - the elder born during the War in German-occupied Ukraine and the second born ten years later in post-war Britain. It is the story of their widowed emigré father who falls for, and marries, Valentina, a Ukranian gold-digger 40 years his junior, who only wants marriage for the passport. It is very drole, the family trying to make the father see that Valentina is only after him for his pension and his passport and the descriptions of Valentina are lovely with her boil-in-the-bag cuisine, amongst other things. There is also the darker side of the story - the escape of the family from the Ukraine which is reveals through the story, but a good book about families, skeletons in the cupboard, and a most delightful read.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
IF I WAS A RICH (WO)MAN
Lolling in bed this morning along with the animal kingdom of the house, I was trying to think of a new subject for my blog. I should try and write a new post on a book that I have read and enjoyed, but that is not a job for a Sunday. And neither is housework, which I have now abandoned for the day. One of the other ideas was a posting on what I would do if I was rich and having just ironed 6 bolster covers, 4 rectangular pillowcases and 8 square pillowcases (I mean, where do they come from?) I have now decided that this is a good subject, and shall start off with :
1. A lady does that all my ironing
2. A lady that cleans my house (could be No.1)
3. A person that does all my boring shopping for me (like loo paper, toothpaste etc) so that I could devote my time to buying yummy things
4. A chauffeur for long trips (preferably handsome!)
5. A large and gorgeous chalet with indoor pool, jacuzzi etc.
6. Someone to walk Gus when it is chucking it down (could be No. 4)
7. Someone to sort out all my paperwork and make sure the bills get paid on time
8. Lots of short break holidays within Europe throughout the year, being driven by the chauffaur so I wouldn't have to use crappy low-cost airlines
9. Fly first class on long haul
10. Visit St. Petersberg
That's just for starters and I'm sure that there a lot more things - but unfortunately I'm not rich (perhaps I should play the Euromillion). And if I had all the above and more, what would I do, life would be most boring!
What would you do with your millions - and I know I have left out helping family and friends and giving money to charity. This is a Selfish Sunday.
1. A lady does that all my ironing
2. A lady that cleans my house (could be No.1)
3. A person that does all my boring shopping for me (like loo paper, toothpaste etc) so that I could devote my time to buying yummy things
4. A chauffeur for long trips (preferably handsome!)
5. A large and gorgeous chalet with indoor pool, jacuzzi etc.
6. Someone to walk Gus when it is chucking it down (could be No. 4)
7. Someone to sort out all my paperwork and make sure the bills get paid on time
8. Lots of short break holidays within Europe throughout the year, being driven by the chauffaur so I wouldn't have to use crappy low-cost airlines
9. Fly first class on long haul
10. Visit St. Petersberg
That's just for starters and I'm sure that there a lot more things - but unfortunately I'm not rich (perhaps I should play the Euromillion). And if I had all the above and more, what would I do, life would be most boring!
What would you do with your millions - and I know I have left out helping family and friends and giving money to charity. This is a Selfish Sunday.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
TWITTER, TWITTER
It was cheering to know I was missed in blog land so without further ado let's get this blog up and running again, albeit briefly as I haven't really got my act together yet.
As the regulars know, the eldest of my brothers died three weeks ago very suddenly, so it was a case of downing tools and getting the first 'plane back to England to be with Mum who was, as you can imagine, totally knocked sideways. Whatever the age of one's children, it is not in the order of things to be predeceased by them...
The process of getting him home for the funeral was long and complicated and we have had to deal with autopsies and eventually an inquest as he died at his home, but we got there in the end and last week he was cremated in Guildford on a gloriously sunny day, which funnily enough is very comforting at such a difficult time.
Back here in Switzerland, my son has been totally brilliant and I am very proud of him coping by himself for three weeks (my daughter has been overseeing operations) - he shopped, cooked and cleaned for himself during that time and although the chalet is rather muddled, I didn't get home to piles of dirty plates and tons of washing! He did admit last night that it was good to eat green vegetables again as he hasn't had any since I went away!!
I have a pile of bills/letters waiting to be opened but my new Mac arrived during my absence, so I have been twiddling with it, getting it up and running - I am trying to resist the temptation to spend the day on it, as I have the family arriving in a few days and things do kinda need sorting out here. I haven't transferred all my rubbish from the old Mac to the new one, but am busy trying to go through the files and keep the strict minimum - rather a long process but worth it in the end I hope. My new Mac has a Swiss keyboard which is virtually the same as the English one except the z and the y are inversed so my typing has slowed down - all the y's in this post started life as a z! It does have accents though, which will make typing in French easier, but no euro sign (at least not visible on a key) - only $ and £.
Quite a few remarks on England to make, but will leave that for another day! Just to let all of you off skiing for the half-term that the snow is on its way so conditions next week should be good!
As the regulars know, the eldest of my brothers died three weeks ago very suddenly, so it was a case of downing tools and getting the first 'plane back to England to be with Mum who was, as you can imagine, totally knocked sideways. Whatever the age of one's children, it is not in the order of things to be predeceased by them...
The process of getting him home for the funeral was long and complicated and we have had to deal with autopsies and eventually an inquest as he died at his home, but we got there in the end and last week he was cremated in Guildford on a gloriously sunny day, which funnily enough is very comforting at such a difficult time.
Back here in Switzerland, my son has been totally brilliant and I am very proud of him coping by himself for three weeks (my daughter has been overseeing operations) - he shopped, cooked and cleaned for himself during that time and although the chalet is rather muddled, I didn't get home to piles of dirty plates and tons of washing! He did admit last night that it was good to eat green vegetables again as he hasn't had any since I went away!!
I have a pile of bills/letters waiting to be opened but my new Mac arrived during my absence, so I have been twiddling with it, getting it up and running - I am trying to resist the temptation to spend the day on it, as I have the family arriving in a few days and things do kinda need sorting out here. I haven't transferred all my rubbish from the old Mac to the new one, but am busy trying to go through the files and keep the strict minimum - rather a long process but worth it in the end I hope. My new Mac has a Swiss keyboard which is virtually the same as the English one except the z and the y are inversed so my typing has slowed down - all the y's in this post started life as a z! It does have accents though, which will make typing in French easier, but no euro sign (at least not visible on a key) - only $ and £.
Quite a few remarks on England to make, but will leave that for another day! Just to let all of you off skiing for the half-term that the snow is on its way so conditions next week should be good!
Monday, January 08, 2007
AULD LANG SYNE
This morning I now know that Christmas and New Year are definitely over, for the following reasons:
1. The changeling and I were up at 5.30 this morning as school restarts.
2. I have reinstalled my 'office' on the dining room table.
3. I have a pile of sheets, towels and duvet covers as high as the Swiss Alps to wash.
4. The dining room table has some shrivelling tangerines lurking, a few lychees, and left-overs of a basket of dried fruit.
5. I took down the Christmas cards, but haven't the heart to dismantle the tree which has held up well outside, despite onslaughts from the cat.
6. I paid my outstanding bills but fear to look at my latest bank statement.
7. There is a distinctly nasty smell coming from my fridge as things got pushed further and further to the back during the holidays - heaven knows what I shall discover!
8. I'm sure my dish-washer heaved a sigh of relief when I emptied it this morning.
9. I have an empty bottle mountain outside the door which must get the postman wondering, so time to sneak off to the bottle bank and dispose of them.
10. Angus is sulking in a corner as his chum 'Reglisse' has gone back to France.
11. Cat number 2 has come home as Reglisse has gone!
12. and finally, it's QUIET! The road outside the house has returned to normal after two weeks of pretending it was the M4 in the rush hour, the free buses that go round the village all day are practically empty so you can travel in safety without being knocked out by a pair of skis, stabbed by poles or stamped on by ski boots and so now I shall quietly clear up, throw away mouldy food, wash and iron, put away all the extra pairs of skis that the children recover from 'les poubelles' and get ready for Brother Number 2 who arrives in five weeks' time with his family!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
THE ASHLEY TREATMENT
What do you think of the Ashley Treatment that has been in the news over the last couple of days?
My first reaction on reading the article in the Telly was yuck ... how sick can you get, stunting a childs' growth on purpose so that she remains small and light enough to carry around and handle.
However, I then went onto the blog set up by her parents which relates what they have done and how they went about it, and admit to changing my mind after reading it. The blog is clear, concise, intelligent and written by a couple who obviously have their daughters' welfare at heart and seems to me to be a very sensible solution to such a dramatic situation.
In such cases, one cannot even vaguely imagine how peoples lives must be turned upside down caring for a child who will never inter-react with the world. It must truly be heartbreaking and reading about such cicumstances makes me thank God that I have two healthy children.
If you haven't read the blog, do so...
The link to the blog is http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/blog/
My first reaction on reading the article in the Telly was yuck ... how sick can you get, stunting a childs' growth on purpose so that she remains small and light enough to carry around and handle.
However, I then went onto the blog set up by her parents which relates what they have done and how they went about it, and admit to changing my mind after reading it. The blog is clear, concise, intelligent and written by a couple who obviously have their daughters' welfare at heart and seems to me to be a very sensible solution to such a dramatic situation.
In such cases, one cannot even vaguely imagine how peoples lives must be turned upside down caring for a child who will never inter-react with the world. It must truly be heartbreaking and reading about such cicumstances makes me thank God that I have two healthy children.
If you haven't read the blog, do so...
The link to the blog is http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/blog/
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
SNOW FOR THE NEW YEAR
It has now been snowing heavily for the past 48 hours and here in the village we have a metre of fresh snow. Getting around is becoming increasingly difficult as the council send out armies of snow ploughs to clear the roads, followed by the little trucks that whoosh salt everywhere. Every 100 metres there is an enormous mountain of snow on the road left by the snow plough which is then disposed of by yet another machine that sucks up the snow and spits it into a huge truck following it - you will have to excuse my vagueness regarding the names of all these machines - I should ask the child but he is still asleep trying to recover from being unpaid ski-instructor to our visitors! Yesterday morning I spent an hour and a half freeing the car from its woolly white coat and clearing the drive - the rather unpleasant next-door neighbour (Swiss German) stood and watched me with a smirk on his face as the private contractor he uses came and cleared his drive in 3 seconds, but I felt very righteous afterwards thinking of all the exercise I'd had, working off the Christmas excess and giving my poor old lungs a hefty dose of fresh air!
My poor little chalet is bursting at the seams with visitors and all that this entails living in a ski resort - getting to the front door is now a major obstacle course with seven pairs of skis and poles trying to remain upright, the boiler room is full of ski boots and I can no longer get to the washing machine and tumble dryer and the hall is full of hats, bonnets, enormous anoraks (everyone seems to have brought 2 with them), various boots, shoes, slippers etc.
My ex arrived on the 28th, full of cold and feeling awful - so was dosed up with homeopathic medicine and sent off to bed to recover (I'm sure his wife makes sure he gets a cold before sending him to me...miaouw!), but he was excused as he arrived laden with wine and loads of homemade terrines. Also he was very valiant and came food shopping with me for New Year, so I forgive him. My other visitors arrived very, very late at night on the 30th - M + E, their daughter A who is the same age as Pierre and is her 'adopted' brother, a great friend M-C and the family dog, a King Charles who has a snore greater than that of my ex (and that is saying something!).
We had a lovely New Year's Eve feast here with far too much 'fruits de mer' and loads and loads and loads of champagne. Just before midnight the four under 25's went off to the town centre to see in the New Year and meet up with their friends, whilst we 'oldies' stayed here. And boy! was it worth it - from 11pm there were fireworks going off everywhere and once the excitement had died down after midnight the town put on their display which lasted for an hour and a half! I'm not really a great fan of fireworks but this was definitely something else. The weather was very mild, as the snow hadn't yet started to fall, so we were all in the street outside the chalet getting stiff necks; the kids were shoulder to shoulder in the town centre and didn't see the display - for one thing they couldn't move and also were busy avoiding the champagne-swilling Eurotrash who were busy throwing empty champagne bottles around - by 1am you are ankle-deep in broken glass in the town centre. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? The municipality even cut down the Christmas tree on the main square during the afternoon of the 31st to stop people climbing up it - although it is securely fixed, it is not strong enough to support those who decide they MUST climb up it.
The New Year celebrations have been very special to us this year as M has terminal cancer and in my heart of hearts I feel that this might well be his last New Year, so it was marvellous that we had a front row view for the fireworks and that the village is now covered in snow and looking its best. However there is no sadness or embarassement or whatever - we go on as normal, although M seems to have an okay day and then the following day is tired and retires to the sofa. His wife is a doctor so organises all his pills and injections, so apart from a trip to the surgery yesterday to get a blood test done, things are pretty 'normal'. M had a negative day yesterday, so we hope that today will see him 'en forme' and ready to do a bit of skiing with the others - we shall see...
To finish on a lighter note, my little friend Angus, who is a St. Bernard at heart, has had to curtail his outdoor activities until the snow hardens up a bit as he now totally disappears in the fresh snow and is stuck to the path I have cleared to the car and the logs for the fire. Cat number 2 has decided he is not going out at all and apart from the essentials, has now taken up residence on my bed!
My poor little chalet is bursting at the seams with visitors and all that this entails living in a ski resort - getting to the front door is now a major obstacle course with seven pairs of skis and poles trying to remain upright, the boiler room is full of ski boots and I can no longer get to the washing machine and tumble dryer and the hall is full of hats, bonnets, enormous anoraks (everyone seems to have brought 2 with them), various boots, shoes, slippers etc.
My ex arrived on the 28th, full of cold and feeling awful - so was dosed up with homeopathic medicine and sent off to bed to recover (I'm sure his wife makes sure he gets a cold before sending him to me...miaouw!), but he was excused as he arrived laden with wine and loads of homemade terrines. Also he was very valiant and came food shopping with me for New Year, so I forgive him. My other visitors arrived very, very late at night on the 30th - M + E, their daughter A who is the same age as Pierre and is her 'adopted' brother, a great friend M-C and the family dog, a King Charles who has a snore greater than that of my ex (and that is saying something!).
We had a lovely New Year's Eve feast here with far too much 'fruits de mer' and loads and loads and loads of champagne. Just before midnight the four under 25's went off to the town centre to see in the New Year and meet up with their friends, whilst we 'oldies' stayed here. And boy! was it worth it - from 11pm there were fireworks going off everywhere and once the excitement had died down after midnight the town put on their display which lasted for an hour and a half! I'm not really a great fan of fireworks but this was definitely something else. The weather was very mild, as the snow hadn't yet started to fall, so we were all in the street outside the chalet getting stiff necks; the kids were shoulder to shoulder in the town centre and didn't see the display - for one thing they couldn't move and also were busy avoiding the champagne-swilling Eurotrash who were busy throwing empty champagne bottles around - by 1am you are ankle-deep in broken glass in the town centre. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? The municipality even cut down the Christmas tree on the main square during the afternoon of the 31st to stop people climbing up it - although it is securely fixed, it is not strong enough to support those who decide they MUST climb up it.
The New Year celebrations have been very special to us this year as M has terminal cancer and in my heart of hearts I feel that this might well be his last New Year, so it was marvellous that we had a front row view for the fireworks and that the village is now covered in snow and looking its best. However there is no sadness or embarassement or whatever - we go on as normal, although M seems to have an okay day and then the following day is tired and retires to the sofa. His wife is a doctor so organises all his pills and injections, so apart from a trip to the surgery yesterday to get a blood test done, things are pretty 'normal'. M had a negative day yesterday, so we hope that today will see him 'en forme' and ready to do a bit of skiing with the others - we shall see...
To finish on a lighter note, my little friend Angus, who is a St. Bernard at heart, has had to curtail his outdoor activities until the snow hardens up a bit as he now totally disappears in the fresh snow and is stuck to the path I have cleared to the car and the logs for the fire. Cat number 2 has decided he is not going out at all and apart from the essentials, has now taken up residence on my bed!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
FRANCO SUISSE ENTENTE 2
Actually this should be a simple P.S. to the last post.
Nightmare trip to Meribel - up over the mountains which were all very pretty but definitely needed a metre or two of fresh snow to make them look totally 'carte postale' and as soon as we got into France, the traffic was atrocious - it was like being on the M4. Holidaymakers everywhere wandering around looking lost and probably the lack of snow on the lower slopes had driven them into the town to seek other amusement.
We arrived late in Meribel which is a purpose built ski resort and is most attractive, met up with the family and had lunch. This was okay (I can't say too much against it, as I wasn't paying the bill) but could have been much better for the price (yes, restaurants here in Verbier are cheaper...), the restaurant itself was very nicely decorated - all alpine, and cow bells and such like. The staff were totally useless and were more interested in their fleeces with the name of the restaurant embroidered on them, than serving the clients...they weren't rude but we didn't get one smile out of any of them and we waited soooo long. They haven't been working for more than a month yet, so God help the skiiers who arrive for the February holidays.
So after catching up on family news, off home we set. After driving up the first mountain with a zillion cars coming towards us, we decided to opt for the longer route and come home through Geneva and the motorway. Got home at 9 p.m. and went to bed!
The child wisely decided to stay at home for the day and I am sure he had more fun skiing over stones than we did! From Brother Number 3 I hear the snow is 'Okay' in Meribel but not wonderful.
Nightmare trip to Meribel - up over the mountains which were all very pretty but definitely needed a metre or two of fresh snow to make them look totally 'carte postale' and as soon as we got into France, the traffic was atrocious - it was like being on the M4. Holidaymakers everywhere wandering around looking lost and probably the lack of snow on the lower slopes had driven them into the town to seek other amusement.
We arrived late in Meribel which is a purpose built ski resort and is most attractive, met up with the family and had lunch. This was okay (I can't say too much against it, as I wasn't paying the bill) but could have been much better for the price (yes, restaurants here in Verbier are cheaper...), the restaurant itself was very nicely decorated - all alpine, and cow bells and such like. The staff were totally useless and were more interested in their fleeces with the name of the restaurant embroidered on them, than serving the clients...they weren't rude but we didn't get one smile out of any of them and we waited soooo long. They haven't been working for more than a month yet, so God help the skiiers who arrive for the February holidays.
So after catching up on family news, off home we set. After driving up the first mountain with a zillion cars coming towards us, we decided to opt for the longer route and come home through Geneva and the motorway. Got home at 9 p.m. and went to bed!
The child wisely decided to stay at home for the day and I am sure he had more fun skiing over stones than we did! From Brother Number 3 I hear the snow is 'Okay' in Meribel but not wonderful.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
FRANCO SUISSE ENTENTE
Today I am taking the child and Brother Number 4 (who is staying over the Christmas period) to visit Brother Number 3, who is staying in Meribel with his family - the child will be off testing out the snow (or lack of) on the Meribel pistes, while we struggle to a restaurant to have lunch. My little four-legged friend will probably come too, as left at home for the day, he does tend to think he is on a seek and destroy mission.
The road from Verbier down to Martigny is not my most favourite but from Martigny going up to the frontier and over into Chamonix the scenery is gorgeous - better with loads of snow but often impracticable if it does snow. Verbier to Meribel is only 170km but will probably take two and a half hours plus stops for photos, coffees, a couple of sniffs for Angus - so soon I shall have to courageously wake the sleepers.
I am interested to discover whether Swiss ski resorts are in fact more expensive than those in France - I have my doubts. As far as restaurants are concerned, we have had some pretty grim experiences in French resorts, served by surly, overworked staff and pretty crap food - here in Verbier I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal and even at the end of the season the staff are polite and smiling, but maybe this is because they are paid two or three times more than their French counterparts.
I shall rely on the child for the snow conditions. After the heavy fall of snow about a fortnight ago, we have had no fresh falls - fortunately the temperature at night is between -5 and -8 so the snow cannons are working flat out. But every day is warm and sunny so the snow is melting fast. Pierre's new skis are totally wrecked already as he spends his time skiing over stones so he is now waiting for the 'real' snow to arrive to have them totally overhauled. Accidents on the slopes are rife at the moment as skiing on stones does tend to stop you dead in your tracks! The village is full of people with their knees bound up and hobbling around on crutches. In his 'gang' one chum broke his pelvis the other day and had to be airlifted to hospital, another has pulled the ligaments in his knee so can't ski for the rest of the holidays and a third has whiplash. Apart from messing up his skis, mine has escaped lightly (touch wood) with bashed knees and elbows and a small rip in his ski pants, but with conditions as they are currently I admit to trembling when the 'phone rings, fearing its a call from the helicopter crew telling me to get to the hospital fast...
However, snow is forecast from the 30th December for a whole week, so hopefully my visitors arriving for New Year will have perfect snow conditions.
The road from Verbier down to Martigny is not my most favourite but from Martigny going up to the frontier and over into Chamonix the scenery is gorgeous - better with loads of snow but often impracticable if it does snow. Verbier to Meribel is only 170km but will probably take two and a half hours plus stops for photos, coffees, a couple of sniffs for Angus - so soon I shall have to courageously wake the sleepers.
I am interested to discover whether Swiss ski resorts are in fact more expensive than those in France - I have my doubts. As far as restaurants are concerned, we have had some pretty grim experiences in French resorts, served by surly, overworked staff and pretty crap food - here in Verbier I can honestly say I have never had a bad meal and even at the end of the season the staff are polite and smiling, but maybe this is because they are paid two or three times more than their French counterparts.
I shall rely on the child for the snow conditions. After the heavy fall of snow about a fortnight ago, we have had no fresh falls - fortunately the temperature at night is between -5 and -8 so the snow cannons are working flat out. But every day is warm and sunny so the snow is melting fast. Pierre's new skis are totally wrecked already as he spends his time skiing over stones so he is now waiting for the 'real' snow to arrive to have them totally overhauled. Accidents on the slopes are rife at the moment as skiing on stones does tend to stop you dead in your tracks! The village is full of people with their knees bound up and hobbling around on crutches. In his 'gang' one chum broke his pelvis the other day and had to be airlifted to hospital, another has pulled the ligaments in his knee so can't ski for the rest of the holidays and a third has whiplash. Apart from messing up his skis, mine has escaped lightly (touch wood) with bashed knees and elbows and a small rip in his ski pants, but with conditions as they are currently I admit to trembling when the 'phone rings, fearing its a call from the helicopter crew telling me to get to the hospital fast...
However, snow is forecast from the 30th December for a whole week, so hopefully my visitors arriving for New Year will have perfect snow conditions.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
PASSPORTS
Over the past six months, both my children have had to renew their passports. My son's went through without a hitch; my daughter had to have three lots of photos taken before the last lot were accepted, despite going to an accredited photographer and him measuring the distance between the top of her head and the top of the photo etc. etc. etc. At €20 a kick, this starts to be an expensive business for four awful photos that are refused. Fortunately there was no panic for the passport.
Reading the Telegraph on-line this morning, I noticed the article "Murder suspect fled under Muslim veil" which refers to the man wanted for questioning in the WPc Sharon Beshenivsky murder. He apparently stole his sister's passport and heavily veiled, he flew to Somalia.
I have no wish to get into a discussion on the pros and cons of Muslims wearing veils, but I am annoyed that we are put through a flaming hoop to have a photograph taken that is agreeable to the Passport Office - no hats, no glasses, no smile, no hair hanging over the forehead and yet this is not international.
I received the attached photo the other week from someone - the title was "Pointless family photo of the year"!!
I'll run the risk of having a fatwah taken out on me, you can all blog as 'mice' if this post worries you!
Reading the Telegraph on-line this morning, I noticed the article "Murder suspect fled under Muslim veil" which refers to the man wanted for questioning in the WPc Sharon Beshenivsky murder. He apparently stole his sister's passport and heavily veiled, he flew to Somalia.
I have no wish to get into a discussion on the pros and cons of Muslims wearing veils, but I am annoyed that we are put through a flaming hoop to have a photograph taken that is agreeable to the Passport Office - no hats, no glasses, no smile, no hair hanging over the forehead and yet this is not international.
I received the attached photo the other week from someone - the title was "Pointless family photo of the year"!!
I'll run the risk of having a fatwah taken out on me, you can all blog as 'mice' if this post worries you!
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