I haven’t quite got back into the habit of writing my blog yet, but I will. Every time I start writing I get distracted by twitter. It’s very addictive.

So a quick catch up. The ski season is over, my ski boots are firmly hung up till next winter and everyone has buggered off, leaving the valley very quiet indeed. Yay. My girlfriend is about to leave to go on tour for practically the whole summer. Boo. I’ve started working properly again this week. Yay (I get a bit antsy if I don’t work for too long).

Most importantly I’ve finally finished preparing the ground for the kitchen garden. It was bloody hard work. I was digging out boulders so big that it needed two of us to lift the buggers out. That pile of rocks in the distance of the picture below all came out of the tiny 20m2 patch I’ve prepared. The soil does look good, despite what the other families in the chalet think. I’ve enriched it a little with some organic guano fertiliser and a shitload of horse manure.

There’s some debate about when to plant out – especially up here at altitude where it’s much colder and the seasonal change is a few weeks behind the norm. I reckon it’s time to get some of the larger seedlings in. The potatoes and onions which have been growing in pots are definately ready and the berlotti and french beans are getting so big they need to start climbing up something.

Planting. This is the bit I’ve been looking forward to all along and I’m glad to get the chance to share that pleasure with my girlfriend before she heads off to work.

Kitchen Garden, Le Tour

Twitter  Delicious  Facebook

It seems I’ve got a little out of the habit of writing this blog over the past month. I reckon it’s time to start writing it regularly again. I’ve been taking a little time off from work, thinking through and planning what direction I want my work to go when the winter ends. I think I’m anxious to get back to work. That little monster sitting on my shoulder whispering in my ear that I’m not earning any money and that I can’t go on like that for ever is getting less easy to ignore.

Spring is what’s on everyone’s minds in Chamonix at the moment. The winter season is very busy and hectic. It’s hard on a person both physically and mentally – even if you’re not working. The prospect of a little peace and quiet is attractive. I would hate to feel I was wishing the ski season away but I’m glad it’s April.

There are still a few more weeks of Spring skiing to go. Some ski-touring,  some afternoon slush sessions and plenty of sunny days. Then on around May 7th or so there’s the closing party and the season is done. Time to put the boots away and move all the skis down into the cellar for another year.

Twitter  Delicious  Facebook

Looking at the last date of my last post, I see I haven’t written anything for over a week. It’s an indication of how fast and hectic life is here during the winter. The weeks are flying by, with the end of the ski season now firmly in sight.

We’ve had a lot of visitors to stay this year. The spare room is the office, so when people stay I’m away from my computer and that’s one reason for the lack of blog activity. I love having people to stay and a visit from an old friend from university last week, catching up after 5 years or so was brilliant.

The other reason for lack of blogging is of course, skiing. March has been a snowy month again this year. We had a dump of over a meter at the weekend and some of the best powder days of the season over the past few days. I’ve skied in some of the deepest snow I’ve ever skied. Face-shots a-plenty (when you’re skiing snow so deep that the snow sprays up into your face).

At this time of year the sun is also much stronger, and the temperatures rise. The snow transforms quickly, first becoming heavy, then chalky, then slushy toward the end of the day or lower down. Spring snow is a lot of fun, and ridiculous suntans are common. I’ve got a stupidly dark tan which stops at my neck.

There’s still the end of March and all of April to go. The lifts don’t stop running till the start of May. Now is the time for ski-touring. Getting up high into the mountains in the lovely warm weather to find the best snow conditions is what we’re aiming for now. The crevasses on the glaciers are now well covered with snow bridges, making them safer than at the start of the season. It’s time to start skiing the Vallee Blanche.

Twitter  Delicious  Facebook