Snow and sun and blue skies.....

Apparently the temperatures in the UK reached 15 C on Christmas Day. And it was a little warmer yesterday. Unbelievable. Great for the heating bills, of course, but rather unseasonal! I am not there right now, though. I am with my family in the Alps again. It was -7 C yesterday. But the sun shone again, as it did on Christmas day, and as it is today, and the skies are blue, the snow dazzling and the village is full of people. 

 Can you see the ski jump? This photo was taken from the garden, and they are preparing for more jumping today I think, judging by the music and the men working on it. It is where the World Cup ski jumping Swiss leg happens the weekend before Christmas. Back then there was no snow, so they had to bring it from the Gottard, but then, the day before the jumping started, there was a blizzard. They had snow. And it fell all day on Chrstmas Eve too. Did I mention snow?? There is a lot. But this is Switzerland, after all, in December, and they are well to make sure the snow is a pleasure, and not a trial. Unlike some places I know.

Christmas happens here on Christmas Eve, not on Christmas Day. Presents are opened after a meal in the evening. But when you have a restaurant to run, things are all a little up in the air. So my brother-in-law cooked wonderful lamb and side dishes and then phoned to say it was time to fetch it all. The timing depended on how busy the restaurant became. All we had to do was set the table. Perfect. And leftovers for Christmas Day. 

We combine traditions, and some presents were opened on Christmas Eve, but the rest on Christmas Morning, as we skyped with Diana and Andrew. And then I went for a walk around the lake, singing Christmas carols, as I said I the last post at the top of my voice. It felt great.until the throat lurgy struck, and I now sound like a bass in the choir, not a soprano. Great. 

See? Sun, snow and blue skies. I walked to the Klostermat yesterday to watch the skiing and sledding, and it was a hive of activity. Cold. But a large cup of Glühwein has wonderful heating properties! 

 This is the Kloster, the Benedictine monastery. 

 Me on the walk. Ignore the hair please It looks like straw in the cold. 

So there you are. Some photos. I keep thinking of things to write about and then I get distracted by the moment. The day. Now. Perfection.

 I have just been on a walk to watch the ski-jumping. My leki poles and I can go aywhere. Those men are lunatics, I tell you. And they are also waifs. Tiny stick like men. I know this because I walked 

past them, feeling like an amazon. 

The coffee machine is apparently broken. A disaster. I need to go and cast some oil on troubled waters. I will be back.