Well it’s two weeks since my last blog, how time flies when you’re having fun!
Such a lot has happened, I better get you all caught up before I lose track!
Something I forgot to mention in my last blog was that on Boxing day (our first transfer day) two of the chalet hosts did a runner, they found the work too hard going and were not prepared to wait for things to get easier, silly girls, they are now missing out on skiing time, oh well their loss not mine.
As a result of this, two new people were brought in from the UK. To help them with their training and to settle in, Verity and I were asked if we would split up and one of us run a chalet on our own, I said ok I would give it a try, so now I am the proud host of Chalet Arcadie, a 12 person chalet downstairs from my original place.
My first guests were 11 “lads and dads”, very easy going and absolutely delighted to have bacon butties for breakfast, in fact I think I could have given them a scabby horse and as long as it was warm and there was tomato ketchup they would have eaten it!
On our day off last week, everyone was skiing over to La Plagne, I don’t have a ski pass for La Plagne so I skied to the Vanoise Express and then came home on my own. I finally bought a French mobile, it’s made by Bic, yes the same Bic that make pens and razors!
It’s funny how your priorities can change, I am now hand washing everything as we have no washing machine and I keep forgetting to go to the laundrette, but my greatest desire now is for an old fashioned Lonny Donegan style washboard! If anyone sees one and you can post it to me I would be most grateful.
Last week I was hosting police people and partners from Doncaster. On Saturday the weather was appalling and all the flights were late, my last guests arrived at 02.30 Sunday morning. Bearing in mind I had been up since 3am on Saturday to see my Lads and Dads off, it was a long day. But luckily my guests are lovely again, and they sent me off to have a lie down and nap while waiting. But, I forgot to take my mobile, everyone was desperately trying to ring me and they were panicking that I had done a runner as well! Why would I want to do that? I’m having far too much fun!
I’m beginning to think that Les Arcs has a curse on dishwashers. The washer in my new chalet is not great, if you put 1 dirty plate and 11 clean plates in it you end up with 12 dirty plates, someone else’s dishwasher has given up the ghost and the machine at our flat decided to empty itself all over the floor, rather than down the drain. That was a fun afternoon clearing up, wasting valuable time on the slopes.
Wednesday 14th was one of the girls birthday, we were going to have a picnic on the piste with champagne and cucumber sandwiches but the weather was appalling so instead we had a real birthday tea, with cheese and pineapple on sticks, cocktail sausages and birthday cake complete with candles, but no jelly and ice cream L After we had eaten we went ten pin bowling, had a few beers and then went for pizza supper, all in all a good day off had by all.
On the Thursday night, my guests decided they needed to finish all the bottles of duty free they had bought with them, so after half a bottle of sambuca (not flaming), three quarters of a bottle of southern comfort and however much gin they drank coz i don’t like gin and wouldn’t thank you for it I ended up stopping the night at my chalet on the sofa- oops.
Friday was a great day, the sun was shining, the snow was great, and i went skiing. The guests took me to some new pistes that I had not been on yet, they are really good skiers and were giving me loads of tips. At one point i was coming down a slope, talking to myself all the way-“lean forward, drop your hands, relax your shoulders, lean forward, turn, hug your fat man, open a door, pole plant, relax your shoulders, oh yeah, remember to smile and enjoy yourself as well” but it all seemed to help and I got down some bigger slopes than I’ve done before in a good time with no major accidents.
But then as we were going home, I got over confident. Disaster! As i was hurtling towards the edge of the piste i was getting quicker and quicker and could not stop. I went over the edge of the piste into massive deep powder and fell over, eventually stopped and got stuck. Best thing about crashing on powder is that it is like landing on a featherbed. I was wearing my helmet and apart from hurt pride, there were no injuries. I live to ride another day.
Its Sunday 17th now, I have a new bunch of guests, 10 men and 2 women, all engineers working for AirBus. The Doncaster lot got home eventually after delays at the airport, and today i am catching up on jobs as the weather is not that great and the light is really poor, which means that everything looks flat and white, no distinction in the undulations of the snow, and anyhow, i am here for another 4 months, loads of time to go skiing.
We have 3 birthdays amongst the staff this week, it could get messy! Will let you all know what happens later on. Take care all, wish you were all here with me, then this really would be perfect.
H xxxxx
