A blog to enable you to follow our daily lives in the Alps, France. Manu - the French Papa, Jude - the South African Mommy, Samuel - 9 years, super sensitive, caring and loving and Benjamin - 6 years, a breath of fresh air, answers to the nickname Hiroshima.
Spent a chilled morning doing not much special. Took a walk with Samuel to the shop to spend his money from Grandma which is burning a hole in his pocket, so a Princess and the Frog DVD got the nod and that was that.
Then it was making sandwiches and of to Les Saises for the afternoon. We hit the Mountain Twister which is a sledge ride on rails. Such fun. The town was busy with people getting in the last of the skiing as we have had no snow since Christmas and it's all melting. I say that but it's just started snowing now and it's cold.
I READ in the paper today that Sinead O Connor (singer) says she feels like committing suicide over her children as they are such hard work - said in gest though, well Sinead I get to Sunday and I feel the same. I think this Sunday is worse because I can't drink and I could murder a cold glass of white round about now. It's the constant Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, isn't there a switch we can use to turn them off.
My Cherubs - Hiroshima and Nagasaki
I FOUND Crème Anglaise today and was elated I snapped up the last packet and put it in my basket raced home and made Jelly. CREME ANGLAIS is custard to the uninitiated but the French stole the recipe from the English and then renamed it so they can call it there’s. (LOL) (Dad that means laugh out loud).
Now why can't I get this in France - phffft the French
SO MY health is improving and I have stuck to my diet of no veg, no fruit and no grains nuts etc. I am impressed with myself. My husband has kindly purchased Satellite TV and I eagerly await Wednesday when we can view everything in English. Ahhh it's about time.
Samuel got a lovely pair of goggles from Aunty Fifi and Uncle Tilak for Christmas and since then he is swimming like a fish. Two years of swimming lessons on and off and he wouldn't put his face in the water. Now he dives under water. I went last night to the pool with Samuel (Benjmain is ill) and we had a lovely time. Nice to do something that reminds me of home. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with snow.
Getting into the swing of things again. Trying not to feel to restless but instead am putting my mind to art projects. Benjamin is still ill at home with flu so will start something - don't know what yet - when he's out of the way, otherwise it's a case of paint on the wall and glue on the doors.
As you can see very ill indeed!!!!!!
PALMIERS are lovely things. I bought this one from the bakery yesterday and did a sacrilegious thing and dipped it in my coffee. Delicious. Pure butter pastry with sugar absolutely fab for the diet. Speaking of diets I am on a low residue diet. Which plainly put is no fruit no veg for a month. On top of that only white flours, no legumes, no nuts, no jams, no no no. Quiet strange to eat nothing by white food. O am allowed potatoes so my plate looks like this; chicken and rice, fish and potato, plain pasta, yoghurt, flans, water. Any ideas I'd be glad to have them; judithguillet@yahoo.com.
SOUTH AFRICAN RECIPES don't work here. I have now tried five or six and that's it I'm giving up. Only the baking is disastrous. Must be the altitude, flour or I don't know what. Poor Ben he was so dissapointed when he and I baked these this morning and they tasted like soap so they are now in the bin. I am going to retry a French version. I'll let you know.
Don't even ask.
THE WEATHER is great. -7C in the mornings and 0C in the day but no snow just sunny crisp days. Poor skiers all skiing down grassy slopes. Not the best for winter sports. May get some in a week or two or the tourist season will be slow and the locals will all be moaning. It's very much a winter village this with the locals relying heavily on the snow to make money - bars, ski shops, winter walking tours, ski lifts, apartment rentals. etc etc. So quiet a few people are not making money at the moment. Still enough snow of the ground for Benjamin to do Ski de Fond next week though. He is very excited. I will report back with pictures.
Shew sorry about that taken a day to get my self together to put pen to paper so to speak. Interesting past week which ended for me after my last post in terrible stomach pain, a visit to the doctor, then the X-Ray then emergency then hospital. 6 Days done and now out. Turns out it wasn't the pain d'epice I thoroughly enjoyed at 4 in the morning but my dickey colon and I will have the offending piece removed in 6 months by my lovely new surgeon Dr Ray. Why Gastro surgeons are so good looking is beyond me they only ever look at your nether regions so what's the point. It's not like your personality or looks will impress them no no it's the derrière my dear.
HOSPITAL MT BLANC now that's a place, newly renovated but no personal showers, tv's or even pictures. You get a very impressive view of the MountBlanc though and the care definitely makes up for the lack of decor. They were very outstanding and I lived to tell the tale.
NEIGHBOURS....and that prize went to my lovely Turk-ish lady in the bed next to mine. Two to room no exceptions. These guys are a whole nother story. Visiting hours were daily from 13h00 to 21h00. Pretty reasonable no? Not if your Turkish, in the husband would wonder at every morning, sitting with his beady eyes on me in my stylish nighty turning his little prayer bids. Click click click agggghhhh I can still here it. Then he went on to tell me his life story, been here 30 years, 2 years ago had a slipped disc, lives in a commune with his 9 kids and their however many kids provided by the government, been on disability so doesn't work and in 3 years when he retires he will go back to Turkey. Ohhhh and his wife doesn't speak any French. Nadda nothing. Cool hey, so if your an immigrant pull in it's all free. Sarkozy pay attention to my blog.
When a nurse dressing his wife’s butt - because that apparently is where the abscess was walked out saying 'Le trou est empressionant' which directly translated means Shew the hole is impressive I reached for the bactroban - Roux you would have been proud - and started covering my 9 needle sticks I had in my arms to save myself from infection. Then I prayed minus the beads.
Ahhh Lisa you made me laugh with your sms, so sorry I've been out of touch and haven't let any of you know what was happening. I have a new phone and have absolutely no idea how to use it. It looks lovely though all pink.
MY DARLING HUSBAND now needs a well deserved rest and I think is secretly wishing his boss comes to visit so he can escape to work. So now we are all back together, quietly getting on with our lives in Praz sur Arly. A cool -10C is our high in the day and even with the sun shining makes no difference. Nice to be out though that's for sure.
This is what -10C looks like at 16h00 today - Beautiful.
My latest discovery is Pain d'epices or Spice Cake. I love ginger cake and being that the only syrup you can buy here is Maple at a mere 4.50 euros (R 41) for 250g I don't get to make it. Instead I bought a packet. Made with honey and spices I love it which the French think I am mad for as most of them overdosed on it when they were kids, being given it at every tea time. Other things I am getting into are teas. Not many French drink english breakfast tea with milk, instead it's a flavoured tea or tissane drunk black. I love them - peach, passionfruit, liquorice and the list goes on.
I went to the Chemist today to get some strong pain killers for cramps, instead I was given a mild form of I don't know what that wouldn't work on a baby, so it's off to the doctor tomorrow for a script. They are very strict here for medication. You need a script for just about everything. I don't know if I think that's a good or bad thing. I suppose when your social security pays you back for your doctor visit and script it makes more sense.
Well I'm going to have a cup of coffee with a piece of pain d'epice now considering it's 4 in the morning and I have given up on sleep.
Yesterday we were taken for lunch at the L'Alpette, a restaurant at 2000 meters above Megeve. We boarded two ski lifts to get there and walked 30 minutes up a ridiculously steep hill (we got on the wrong lift), but it was worth it. Great fun and thanks to my mother in law for taking us.
Grandmere and Grandpere - not their skis tho'
Andrea and Mackenzie
At the top
Isn't this the life
Samuel and Benjamin - something is clearly very funny - probably me
Christophe having a raclette
Vin Chaud at one of the street bars in Megeve - Manu with his brother Chris and Wife Andrea
Well one week of ski de fond with his class and he seems to have mastered it. Not as easy as it looks me thinks. Manu has promised him when all our visitors have left we will go out for the day as a family and attempt ski de fond.
Megeve always seem to do things better so we went to the start on Friday. Alot better organised, the dogs this time knew which way to go LOL, they also go from the Altiport - Megevian for airport - bit special here have to have their own names for things, so anyway from the Altiport you can see the dog teams traversing through the woods. It was great. Next year I'll take the kids out of school to watch it will be worth it.
The Grande Odysee is the second largest dog sledge race in the world after the Iditerone (check spelling Dad please). So it was with great anticipation that I dragged the entire family off to the piste in Praz-sur-Arly to watch the start of day 4. Everyday they start in a different village and do 45km to 105km a day. It was great if not a little disorganised but then again if you have ever been to the Penguin festival in Simon's Town then this was fabulous in comparison.
Lots of people turned out
Eating Tartiflette and boy did it smell good - potatoes baked in Savoy White wine with Savoy cheese and usually a smoked meat.
Manu's birthday was on Tuesday and with his family arriving that night we had a quick quiet time to make fairy cakes.
The boys icing the cup cakes
No Sam that's mine.........and so it goes on
After that we awaited the arrival. For dinner we had Foie Gras - I know all you animal fanatics as am I but it is delicious if not a little rich. After that we had Mont D'Or a cheese you melt in the oven and eat over potatoes similar to Raclette, then of course Chocolate Cake. And if that doesn't blow the cholesterol level out of the water I don't know what will.
Manu's brother Chris with Mackenzie
Smile Chef it's your birthday
Foie Gras - this is like gold to the French - Apples on the bottom of the plate
