The Green Bogey's Big Brother

Fast Forward

2009-10-03T10:11:00.008+02:00

So the best way to bring things up to date...a montage of how much Guigui has changed in the last...errrr... eight, yes eight months ...

Take Two

2009-02-01T11:39:00.020+01:00

So all I do now is spend time with Guillaume and go for walks in the snow... that is if you judge the contents of the second post of 2009 and compare it with the first. More winter wonderland pics of the French Alps, again from two raquette walks around the Cross-country skiing resort of Plaine Joux, and a few more pictures for fans of Guillaume, who is now almost permanently smiling!

The first trip of 2009 into the Alps was a welcome one. They call it stratus, low cloud that hangs in the alpine valleys during cold, fine weather. Underneath this cloud it is grey, cold and pretty miserable, however with the help of ski resort webcams to convince you, above the cloud it is picture perfect weather.

So, with two weeks of permanent stratus clouding the mind as well as the skies, I set out on a Sunday morning hopeful of finding some open space and some sunshine. It did not take long, passing frozen forests on the way, driving into the cloud at about 600m altitude where the temperature was -9C, and then bursting through into beautiful blue skies. It was like being on an air plane leaving dreary, dank heathrow behind and climbing into the upper atmosphere, however this time I was driving! Arriving at Plaine Joux, at 1250m altitude, the temperature was now a tropical -1C and at 10am in the morning, not too busy (yet).

- Looking west. That's the Saleve in the distance poking through the stratus

Time to put on the 'raquettes' and make a vigoruous trek up to the mountain hamlet of Ajon, another 200m higher, and soak in the 360 degree views. I kind of felt sorry for those stuck down in the valley (including a housebound Vero), missing out on these amazing clear skies and superb views, and that itself made me appreciate even more how lucky I was to be there.

- Looking towards Mont Blanc with the Arve valley below shrouded in cloud

The snow itself was fairly hard, having not snowed significantly for about 3 weeks. It was still very abundant though. However some sun-facing slopes had softened enough to make a fun descent with the snowshoes.

Two weeks afterwards, Philippe and Peggy came up for the day, with snowshoes in the boot of the car. So with it being the closest, Plaine Joux again was the destination. The weather was better in the valley, just a bit of lake fog and the sun was out in the mountains, however threatening skies were looming from the Jura in the north, so time was at a premium.

Fresh snow a bit higher up meant the descent was even more fun than the last time, and we extended the walk into green forests past cross-country skiers before looping back to the car, and more importantly, the restaurant for some diot sausages and a welcome beer. The weather held up pretty good too, although the wind on top blew away a few cobwebs.

Since then weekends have been quiet, relaxing with Guillaume. Last weekend we had a stroll in some fine weather in the Swiss countryside nearby - Guillaume's first international trip! (He has a French ID card for any of you thinking he was travelling illegally :-) )

Today we have had snow at home - only a few centimetres but enough to convince us that chilling out and relaxing in the warm this morning is the best option. Feet up in front of the tennis it is then.....

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T14:42:00.013+01:00

So, nearly ten weeks after the birth of Guillaume, I finally have some time to sit down and write something in the blog..oh hang on what was that noise..oh no don't wake up yet...d'oh too late.

OK one step at a time then. So its been a hectic first two months as parents - Guillaume and Vero left hospital 6 days after the birth and are both doing fine. He has settled in to life at home and is growing really fast, already catching up on his small birth weight (for the statisticians in 9 and a half weeks he has gained 2.4kg and is now double his birth weight, and grown some 8-9 cm in height). I dunno what's in Vero's milk but it must be good...(and no I am not going to try, that's just, well, err, wrong. Anyway here's a montage of his progress:

At 11 days old

At 3 weeks

At 4 weeks

At 6 weeks

Merry Christmas (8 weeks)

(bored yet?)

Visits have come thick and fast, grand parents and uncles in almost procession, which for us is fantastic as he has met them all so early on in life. The visitors, especially those from abroad also gave me an excuse to indulge in a bit of local sightseeing. Winter has been cold here, not freezing but consistently low single figures on the thermometer (or lcd colour weather station as it is now - thanks Neil).

We have had a few sprinklings of snow in Annemasse and plenty up in the mountains and some of the lower countryside nearby. While Neil and my Dad were here, we took a couple of excursions in the snow, one back to Plaines Joux (where Vero and I visited this June), and one around the Swiss countryside a stone's throw away just across the border.

On 6 December I also took part in the 31st Course de l'Escalade, a 7.6km race around Geneva's cobbled and steep old town. There are races all day, including the much loved 'Marmite' fancy dress run for those who aren't serious about running but want to look silly. As for me, I took part in the main race for my age group and well, the less said the better, it was not a pretty sight.

Christmas was nice and relaxed.. just the 3 of us for the day itself and then a week down in Ruy with the grandparents taking care of us. We did not do much, the weather was cold and grey mostly, however the sun shone on my birthday (29th December for those who want to send a card this year), enough for a stroll around the village. Plenty of celebrating was done, with fois gras, christmas log, wine and champagne all regular occurences.

As for today, its Epiphany in France, so yet another excuse to eat and drink..this time the 'Galette des Rois' (tart of kings) and 'Cidre doux' to wash it down. A good way to end the festive season, and to kick of 2009. Now its time to think about a diet..

Welcome Guillaume!

2008-10-28T01:56:00.001+01:00

Name: Guillaume Alban
Born: 28 October 2008 at 1.56am
Weight: 2.230kg
Height: 46cm

So here he is at last..our little treasure.......

Autumn in the Alps

2008-10-19T17:42:00.009+02:00

Today was one of those days where the clear blue skies and still air begged you to take a ride up into the mountains, however it's not easy to find a walk with stunning views which is suitable for someone 38 weeks pregnant and should not really walk 1) far, and 2) vertically.

Ignoring common sense, we made our way out and up into the Massif des Brasses, only a 40 minute ride away. The Brasses is a small collection of 'grassy knolls' on the edge of the Vallee Verte, topping out at the Pointe des Brasses at over 1500m altitude. We stopped at La Joux, right at the southernmost tip of the range. The views are awesome, with 'ole familiar' (Mont Blanc) front and centre. Autumn was gloriously creeping down the hillsides too towards picturesque villages down in the valleys below.

The walk was easy too, and for those of you worried, Vero took her time which was fine by me as we stopped often to absorb the scenery. Short but very very sweet, especially considering the fact that it was probably our last chance for a long while to do such a thing together... next time we will have a little someone else with us :-)

What's around the corner?

2008-10-17T18:40:00.016+02:00

So after the customary blog hiatus (this time a good 2 months), here's some latest news from life in the nothing-y bit between a big lake and some big hills.

The imminent arrival of our first child (better known as 'Stumpy') has pretty much occupied things, and opportunities to go somewhere which is not a shop selling baby related goods have been limited. The worst being endless attempts to find the cot...but we got there in the end. But hang on, what about Sundays...surely we have made the most of those as the shops are shut (thankfully). Oh.. sorting out the all the stuff we buy on Saturdays and arranging the baby's room has filled those up. Not really 'photo opportunities',

However, since our last update we have had a couple of trips to Ruy (the garden in Ruy was looking excellent by the way so some pics are included), the first of which was spent going car boot sale crazy. We grabbed several bargains for Stumpy so we are not complaining. We have also had a couple of Sunday visits from friends and family which is also a nice way to spend the day - always a good excuse to cook some nice food and buy some even nicer cheese!

Despite our busy weekends, there is always an hour or so free where we can escape either up the Saleve or into the Swiss countryside near our home (already well photographed and documented). I also got the chance for an evening cruise on the lake with work which was a nice way to chill out (if you don't know which lake its the big one just north of where we live).

As for the region, its slowly turning from summer to autumn, the weather has been fairly calm without being spectacularly hot, the vines have been harvested, the chestnuts and mushrooms have been ravaged by chestnut and mushroom crazy frogs and yes, those amazing autumn colours we witnessed last year are once again starting to appear. There was even some snow in them hills a couple of weeks ago...

Stumpy (we promise to stop calling the baby that when he or she has a real name), is due to arrive sometime the week after next, so hopefully this weekend, weather permitting, we will have a last stroll in the countryside (not too far from a maternity ward). Vero is now on leave so she is enjoying her last few days of relaxation before the fun really begins.

So, life changing times are indeed around the corner. The arrival of the little one will bring a whole new dimension (or two) which we are really looking forward to. For those of you who know us really well, you will realise it has been a long struggle to get here and we will truly regard our new family member as our own little miracle....

Big Brothers and Little Brothers

2008-08-05T16:58:00.001+02:00

So as part of his European Tour , little bro' Neil came to stay with us for a few days. His account is now posted, however for all you blogfan(s) out there here is an extra dose of our Savoyarde shenanigans...

Friday 1 August 2008

Weather: wet but not miserable!!

Despite the great weather Neil has brought to Europe, he clearly forgot to pack some Spanish sunshine in his suitcase for his arrival. Nevertheless, we picked him up from a busy Geneva airport and headed home for a nice lunch. Setting the tone for the rest of the weekend, pork and cheese related items were on the menu. The afternoon was spent in our now regular tourist haunt of Yvoire dodging showers and eating enormous ice creams. We stopped off at Geant casino on the way home to buy some more pork and cheese (we eat nothing else here you know) and then had a traditional (winter) raclette for dinner.

Saturday 2 August 2008

Weather: Sunny intervals

The rain passed and after a morning raid to the boulangerie for some pain aux raisins, we awaited a second arrival. Véro's big bro' Philippe was going to join the fun for the weekend.

With plenty of cheese and pork related sandwiches in tow we drove to the Col de Joux Plane near Samoens for a little walk, some larking around and some open air dining by a little lake.

We had to dodge all the little frogs abandoning the lake (I think someone turned up with a barbecue) - I hope we did not stand on too many else the French Gross National Product may take a nosedive soon. We returned via Morzine and the Dranse valley, spotting some Chevreuil (mountain goats) whilst stopping for ice creams in a roadside tat shop. A little stroll (and some sleep Philippe?) around Thonon's lake shore followed before we headed back to camp.

A quick beer on the balcony and a shower and it was then into Geneva for some night time sightseeing where everything was nicely illumited. We joined the crowds for the fete de Geneve and fireworks... oooh aaaah fe-der-ah

Sunday 3 August 2008

Weather: Le Grand Beau

So we went to Chamonix and to the top of the Aiguille du Midi (some 3800m altitude). Pictures would tell a thousand words if the camera battery did not give up the ghost just after getting of the cable car. Thankfully I had my mobile (oh and Neil) to bail me out.

For those of you concerned about the welfare of the mother to be at such an intoxicating altitude, she stayed down (well nearly 3km down as the crow drops) in the valley, taking the Montenvers train to the Mer de Glace glacier at a modest 1900m above sea level. No photos but we will go back one day.

Going to the top of the Aiguille di Midi had been on my 99 things to do before I become too french and cannot be bothered and was totally blown away by the experience. If only I did not have that strange spinny headache...maybe I need to go back for some more altitude training.

Monday 4 August 2008

Weather: Sunny with a hint of cheese

Todays excursions took me and Neil up the Borne valley to the trendy ski resort of La Clusaz where the lack of snow did not mean any lack of people. With every imaginable Alpine summer activity available it seems like a great place to take the family for a week. If all fails you can always give the kids a day pass for the luge ride and sneak up to the plateau de Beauregard for some quiet time, where the views of the Aravis range is quite stunning.

Lower slopes of the Mont Blanc massif also made fleeting appearances through the breathtaking Col D'Aravis, which is a moutain pass like no other dwarfed by two giant rocky peaks. It looks like a giant dentist has come along and pulled a tooth out of the mountain range!

So lets take a detour home I thought...err Lake Annecy was the next stop where we patiently trundled the car through the heavy traffic and stoped for a photo op and a paddle at St Jorioz.

Onwards we went and the next stop was the interesting and quite vertiginous (is that a word if not I like it anyway) Ponts de la Caille. Bungeeeeee...

Finally I took up up the south western 'face' of the Saleve where the clouds had lifted on the Alps and the last of the days sun was lighting up Mont Blanc. I dont think that even on the top the Aiguille we could see as far and as clear as we could see right now..all of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps (sorry couldn't see any Australian ones) were perfectly present, including the Lord of the Rings-style Dents du Midi, a rare sight indeed from so far away.

Tuesday 5 August 2008

Weather: La Grillade

Hot hot hot so lets stomp the pavements of the cool, hip and trendy Geneva (probably not that cool judging by the usual omnipresence of 60 year old paris Hilton wannabies carrying micro-canines). OK so we had some misfortune along the way which Neil has well documented, however the Starbucks dark mocha frappucino, the trips across the lake on a bus ticket and the beer and flammenkuche all made up for it.

One thing I have not done too much lately was take the inevitable tourist photos of the Jet D'Eau but the sun was obligin me to try for something a little more arty.

Neil was dispatched on his way to Blighty with a sack full of chocolate and for me, it was back to work having now brought this short summer holiday from home to an end...

So this is what you can expect if you ever fancy a visit...the hotel is now officially open.

Pure pleasure found in the heart of Geneva

2008-07-31T13:08:00.004+02:00

Lunchtime I really fancied some salt and vinegar crisps, which are a rare commodity in this part of the world. Look what I found - crisps that come from my home town (well technically Roborough is outside of Plymouth but who cares)!!

Summer Bulletin

2008-07-27T17:00:00.000+02:00

So its been a while..which you are probably used to by now. So its now clear that I am becoming a lazy Frenchman.

The problem is we went on holiday for a week and did so much that the prospect of updating the blog was too much to bear. This has now been done so please enjoy..it was hard work

So what’s news – those of you close to us would know by now we are expecting our first child in November, so maybe that could be another excuse for not touching the blog. Other than the hols, weekends have been spent with the usual frantic and somewhat baby focussed shopping trips crammed into a Saturday afternoon and lazy Sundays generally doing nothing. We did have a crazy weekend where we went for not one but two alpine walks (I’ll put some photos on of those too).

The weather has been nice, so much so that an attempt at growing tomatoes on the balcony has been a success. I have also dusted off the bike again and have been spending many an evening (well 3 or 4 so far) cruising around quiet flat open roads in the French/Swiss countryside near our home. Its really nice, fields of wheat which have now been harvested and replaced by picture postcard hay bales, and miles and miles of golden yellow sunflowers, all dotted with rustic old buildings and the odd chateau (and also an enormous pile of horse manure in one farm which was bigger than the farm buildings itself- nice!). There are also some cool forests with plenty of trails and unfortunately, hungry horseflies (ouch...)

There has been one trip to Ruy, nothing exciting except yet more shopping on the Saturday and some enforced labour (decorating). I guess it pays the rent..

So what’s coming up? On 1 August the Aussie arrives (Neil) for a few days so there will be plenty of outings I guess. I am sure he will do the trip justice on his superior and more up to date blog. Beyond that I guess its make the most of our (relative) freedom and enjoy the end of summer before the additional member of our family arrives and no doubt takes over.

The Hills are Alive…

2008-06-22T23:00:00.000+02:00

..with the smell of summer (a strange mix of cattle and flowers).

Summer has been a little stop/start so far however we took advantage of some fine, warm clear weather and our fortunate geographical location to head up into the mountains (twice).

On the Saturday, we did not leave until 3pm but within 30 minutes we were at Les Plaines Joux, in the Vallée Verte. This was pure alpage, as green and as floral as it can be. It was rolling hills perched at about 1300 metres, dotted with little wooden chalets.

The views were spectacular too, especially as we descended back down the valley towards the fantastically named town of Onnion (no giant onion though, Neil) where Mont Blanc sat front and centre dominating the view. The unfortunate things was there was no where to park to take a picture so that view stays in the memory for now.

On the Sunday we went into the Massif des Bornes, near Cluses to walk up to Lac Bénit. The drive up was fun on tight twisty roads in dark forests, interdispersed by waterfalls and a gorge.

The walk itself was in a very picturesque location, although was hot, steep and rocky as we made a climb under the shadow of the huge cliffs of the Chaine du Bargy. The elevation was from about 1200m to 1550m, where at the crest we had our first views of the lake, and the mountains beyond.

A great spot for a picnic (baguette, cheese, what else?). Tiring but worth it..and not bad for someone who is nearly 5 months pregnant (not me although I am starting to look it … too much fromage)

Return of the Natives

2008-06-14T17:00:00.034+02:00

At last. Holidays… a much deserved (well we think so) week or so at the ‘height’ of early summer, so we could unwind and recharge before the onslaught of prospective parenthood.

So what glamorous locations could we think of? The Maldives? Hawaii? ..or how about Plymouth and the Costa del Boy (sorry, Blanca) in Spain. Here’s the story of a whirlwind trip around Europe and everything in between:

6 June 2008
Happy Landings

So leg one of our trip (brought to you by Easyjet) took us from Geneva to Bristol. It was clear Geneva was on the verge of something big happening and was becoming very busy – I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I think it may have been football related. The football street lamps, the football shaped information desk at the airport and the conversion of the steps to the main post office into astroturf and a goal kind of gave things away.

So we arrived at Bristol airport to, wait for it.. sunshine. We quickly grabbed the hire car (not before grabbing some Cadbury caramel eggs) and headed south out of North Somerset in air-conditioned, leather seat, panoramic sunroof, cruise-control comfort past some lovely looking thatch cottages, green fields and not a chav in sight. The objective of this trip to England was to try and cram in as much as possible in 3 days and this included ‘the food we miss’ column. So with that in mind and a rumbling stomach we stopped at Taunton Deane services in search of a nice pork pie…no luck - the shop was being refurbished so not a great start.

Settling for a bag of Tyrrells cheese and chive crisps it was onwards towards Devon and the first views of the moors which were very heart-warming (mainly because we were glad they were not hidden under clouds). With the sun beaming down and a hole in our bellies we went for plan B, and turned off the A38 at Ashburton to taker a detour over the moors through Newbridge.

We stopped at Beltor Cross to take in some views and to annoy some sheep and ponies like tourists from France who had never been here before. It was weird to feel like tourists in a place we were used to call home. A mile or so down the road was the next stop – Dartmeet and the famous Badgers Holt tea-rooms. Food objective number two: Cream tea. Result: Success (it was sooooo gooooood).

We had to take a stroll along the Dart to walk it off, and there was not a soul in sight (thanks to it being a Friday). It was beautiful and calm and a real treat. It was also a bonus as we had not planned to do this at all and only decided to take the detour at the last minute.

So after Dartmeet we headed towards Plymouth with one more photostop near Leathertor, where Plymouth, Cornwall and the Sea (yes the sea – we don’t see that anymore) lay before us.

A final stop in Tesco for some more missed goodies (including that elusive Pork Pie) and a nice pub meal with Cheryl and Steve rounded off the day perfectly.

8 June 2008
Stepping Out

Saturday was spent re-acquainting ourselves with Plymouth City Centre so a slightly expanding Véro could raid the shops for some cheap maternity clothes (yes, clothes are much cheaper in England). Lunch was a much missed Cornish Pasty, however over-eagerness to eat it somewhat dampened the experience as it was a bit too hot. Never mind…Saturday afternoon we took a walk with friends around the Barbican and Hoe before returning to a few more shops. The weather was cool and cloudy and to be honest the sea front was not too impressive. It certainly felt very familiar and in that sense maybe lost some of its charm. Saturday was finished off with a party with many of our great Plymouth based friends in Staddiscombe where curry followed by Cardamon and Bread flavoured ice-cream was on the menu. Not to mention my first real Wii experience – the golf game rocks.

So, Sunday was designated as a day out with our niece, Bethany (plus Mum and Dad). With the sun once more shining and the mercury rising, we decided on a trip to one of our favourite (and already well featured) spots on the North Cornwall coast – Bedruthan Steps. Not only is it a beautiful place, it is also home to probably the best tea room and specifically, the best jacket potatoes in the world.

The tide was out and favoured a walk down the cliffs after lunch, exploring the rocks and enjoying the calm seas nudging the shoreline beneath holiday-blue skies. Britain does not get any better than this. The climb back up warranted a return visit to the tea room for a milkshake before the ride home.

Beth was her usual crazy lively self, however could not come to terms with the fact that she would only see us for one day. A shame for us too, that we could not stay a few days longer, however that’s the sacrifice we made last year. So with a stiff upper lip it was onwards with the short weekend break in Plymouth.

9 June 2008
Plane boring

Another sunny Monday morning was spent with some admin and some more shopping in town, before we separated and had lunch with our respective work colleagues. Again yet another short and sweet encounter however it was really nice to see as many people as we did over the entire weekend.

Monday afternoon it was with packed (and somewhat heavier) bags we trundled back up to Bristol to say goodbye to the nice hire car and take the second leg of our journey (once again thanks to Easyjet) on to Alicante. All began well, the guy at the check-in desk saw Vero’s bump and gave us priority boarding. Great! We jumped on the bus to the place only to held on the bus in soaring temperatures next to the plane for what seemed to be like an eternity. It turned out that Bristol’s fuel tanks were not working very well and they could not guarantee they would have fuel for our flight. Anyway we boarded the plane and sat there in cattle class seats for another 45 minutes before finally taking off. Bye England…hola Espana (although not until midnight) where we were greeted by two zombies who drove us back to their casa ready for a few days in the sun.

10 June 2008
Brits Abroad

So warm sunshine greeted us on Tuesday morning and our first day would be spent with a trip inland to the town of Orihuela, as Bob needed to perform some admin there. We tried to visit this place last year however found nothing touristic, only narrow streets and no parking, so quickly left the place behind. Since then, Mum has found the better parts and promised us we would enjoy it. We actually went in convoy with some of their Friends who either also had admin to do or were just coming along for the ride, so it was a British invasion that was going to swamp this typically Spanish town.

Orihuela is at the foot of some very arid, rocky yet awesome hills. Our approach took these hills in as we climbed around the back of the town we saw last year, though a mountain and came out on the other side we did not see. This side had many more traditional buildings and churches however we chose to park next to Burger King in the shopping centre car park. We then walked into the town and I could see what Mum meant. There were plenty of churches and other buildings with colourful domes, ornate bell towers and some interesting and sometimes disturbing sculptures. Old was dotted with not so old in narrow streets. Little plazas would appear from nowhere, with decorative water features and tall palms.

After the admin and a coffee, we even convinced the oldies to take some exercise and climb up to the oratory that overlooks the town, where we could take in views of the surrounding mountains and Murcia in the hazy distance. As for our first taste of Spanish cuisine, forget it. Lunch was BK… Oh well.

The afternoon was spent relaxing in the pool back at the house, drinking San Miguel whilst watching Euro 2008 (Spain were on) and then eating Mum’s classic lasagne. The Rioja was also opened. Aaaaahhhh….

11 June 2008
Gasolina

We awoke to the news that due to the global rise in fuel process, Spanish lorries were on strike. This included petrol tankers and suddenly petrol stations were not getting their deliveries. How long this would last would affect how much we could travel on day trips so after finding some diesel in Quesada we decided on keeping it local.

We spent the end of the morning walking up and down the golden sandy beach of La Marina. We enjoyed visiting this beach last year however it had transformed a little, with the opening of beach concessions blasting out some Spanish music TV, and dozens of sunbeds with those stereotypical ‘natural’ looking parasols. Then add those annoying individuals trying to sell you sunglasses or offering massages.

However, if you look beyond all the trimmings of the full summer season on the Costas, La Marina still remains fairly unspoilt, with dunes fading into hammock and scrub before you even have any signs of civilisation and the inevitable cranes. The beach stretches away from the busy part so you can also take a stroll along the shoreline dipping hot feet into the still cool Mediterranean sea. Last year we went all the way to the end but this time, with the bump in tow, Véro kept it limited. We did not even reach the playa nudista which was probably a good thing given some of the sights that were walking up and down.

Anyway, we tried to find a Spanish restaurant at lunch time in the village of La Marina, and it is fair to say we had some of us had some more typical (if not high-quality) half-Spanish food. After lunch we took a ride through a couple of local towns, one of which was Dolores which was a bit like Orihuela on a smaller scale (see pic), before skies darkened and a nasty thunderstorm moved in and prematurely ended our day out. Oh well back to the beer and Euro 2008 then…

12 June 2008
Touristas

So, with the truck strike still in full force we headed out on another local trip however when we passed a local petrol station there seemed to be a normal operation so Bob decided to take a risk and head further afield to Guadalest, a small village perched upon a rocky outcrop in the mountains that surround Benidorm. So on the way we had our first look at the much maligned resort from afar and I can see why it gets a bad press. Tower blocks everywhere and certainly a real eyesore on what is a quite spectacular coastal landscape

Guadalest itself was a great escape, not very big but very interesting to look around. Plenty of tacky tourist shops all selling the same old stuff, however the setting was really nice. The views were stunning too in all directions. We went all the way to the small castle at the top which was really worth it. Picture postcard stuff.

That evening we ate out at a typically Spanish restaurant (i.e. British) where steak and ale pie and apple crumble was on the menu.

13 June 2008
Rancho Relaxo

Our final day was spent literally doing nothing, mostly around the pool. So far it had not been too hot but today was the hottest day of the week. Once I had mastered the inflatable crocodile I decided to float around in the sun for a few minutes unprotected. Whoops sunburn. Needless to say the following week was a little uncomfortable…ouch.

So a nice trip, and it was lovely to see everyone. We just wish it could have been longer

Au bord du lac

2008-05-31T22:00:00.002+02:00

So you have some day visitors, and after a hearty helping of Merguez sausages and tarte aux pommes (not together) at home, where can you take them for a couple of hours to walk off the customary excess of French cuisine?

With it already being mid afternoon, the skies not as clear as we would like (in fact it hammered down all morning) and thunderstorms forecast (again!!!), the Alps were out of the question. Instead, Vero and I took Philippe and Peggy to Yvoire, a small medieval village on the French side of the lake (Leman).

The sun was out and tourists were sparse so we took a really nice stroll around the village, taking in the shops and galleries, along with a walk around the small harbour watching all the winged critters (including a possible golden eagle?).

Yvoire looks out over the wider part of lake, looking towards Lausanne, and it really does have a slight feel of being by the sea, with the waves lapping the shore and the odd gull flying by.

There were plenty of old buildings to see, all starting to look very floral. There is of course the chateau as well, sitting on the point overlooking the lake.

We finished off the tour with obligatory refreshments where I had a hot chocolate with quite possibly the nicest chantilly cream I have ever tasted. See what I mean below...

As we finished off our drinks (and Vero her crepe...she was hungry) we heard a distant rumble of thunder. Aaah no worries that should stay up in the mountains we thought. Wrong. As the skies darkened once again we dashed back to the car just in time and witnessed some simply phenomenal weather. The clouds literally looked like they were falling out of the sky, lightning was flashing and I am sure if we were in the American mid-west we may well have been taking on a tornado..sounds dramatic huh? Judge for yourself - here's the video (complete with Philippe's inevitable commentary):

Heat has consequences

2008-05-11T21:00:00.000+02:00

So this afternoon as planned we drove from Ruy to Lac Aiguebelette, near Chambery, for some relaxing time by the lake. Here folks would either chill out and picnic in the sunshine or the lucky ones would take a boat out.

Others would stroll out to the shore and take in the landscape and the wildlife. All in all a sublime Sunday afternoon..

Until somethings dark and nasty started to creep their way over from the mountains, not many but knowing Alpine weather in the summer we decided to move on.

This proved right as the views from the Col de la Crusille show on the way back.

A full scale Alpine thunderstorm was now raging in the location we were sunbathing in less than an hour ago. We managed to get home in time and within 5 minutes Ruy was being hit by a very nasty storm which went on for some time. Looks like I spoke too soo about summer then....

Springing into Summer?

2008-05-11T13:00:00.000+02:00

So the British fascination with weather continues and once again I will launch into a blog post with my weatherman hat on. Winter seemed quite long this year, so I was told. With it being my first year here I have no point of reference however I can declare that April was neither the warmest nor the driest April I have experienced. A friend said that forget spring, this year we are going to skip it and jump straight into summer – and so far this prophesy is playing itself out.

I am currently writing this on a quiet Sunday morning in early May, sat in Vero’s parents’ kitchen with the sun beaming down and the mercury already rising outside. Yesterday the thermometer on the car read 28 degrees and I expect it will be somewhere near that again today. We are off to Lac Aiglebelette (if that’s how it is spelt) later for a picnic and I am hoping it will be marvellous.

So effectively, the trees and flowers have gone from nothing 2-3 weeks ago to an explosion of vegetation and colour (mainly green). Bugs are everywhere, bees are very, very busy making up for lost time and suddenly the whole place is alive again, awoken from its prolonged hibernal slumber.

In terms of photo opportunities, we are back in Ruy again (as mentioned) and were here two weeks ago at the end of April. Again blessed with some sunny weather (if not too hot), I was able to capture the contents for the second annual spring photography showcase of the garden (see last years here). I have also sneaked a few in this weekend which are worth including too.

This year, not as much because of the prolonged colder weather – in fact the fruit harvest on some of the fruit trees in the garden will not be as good this year as some the earlier blossoming varieties (cherry and plum trees) were attacked by the frost and the cold. We will see! I quite fancy the idea of coming down one weekend to help pick the fruit and then do all the tings afterwards (make some jam etc).

One other side effect of the warmer weather is Geneva seems to have doubled in population – tourist season is definitely well underway and you cannot walk 5 meters in town without seeing people with cameras or dodging tourist road trains. I cannot imagine what the place will be like when the European Football championships get underway at the beginning of June…it may be fun to see it but to try and commute across town when it’s like this is going to be a veritable nightmare.

As much as I like football and all the regalia that goes with being in a host city, we have decided to get out of dodge for a week during the championships (and not because there’s no England – if there was it would be even worse!!). Now if we were better prepared we could have rented out our flat for about 5000 Euros but it’s too late to ‘cash in’ now. Anyway a UK mini-tour then a few days in Spain is on the cards – flights and car are all booked and full details will follow.. a nice break before the second half of the year and all the fun it is going to bring. Watch this space!!!!

Salèvation

2008-05-04T21:00:00.002+02:00

One thing we both love when we get the chance is to escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life to open countryside and if possible somewhere with a view. Now one of the main reasons for choosing to relocate to Haute-Savoie was just that. I think there are one or two elevated views in the region that could be worth checking out. Being spoilt for choice as we are it is never easy trying to pick where to go. So we started with a trip up the nearest ‘mountain’, the Salève. Now the Salève dominates Geneva and the surrounding French towns (including ours) on the Haute-Savoie side of the border.

It rises gently from the south-east before abruptly falling away to near 800m sheer drop at some points overlooking Geneva (ice-age glacial formation at its most obvious). It’s not high, its highest point being around 1300m but it is long. On top it is effectively a plateau with views of the whole region (The Genevois basin, the Jura mountains, Switzerland and Lac Leman, Lake Annecy and the Alps).

There are a few ways of climbing the Salève, one is on foot which takes a few hours, two is by cable car which takes a few minutes, and three is by horseless carriage which was the option we chose. Once up on top, there are several trails high and low taking in a variety of landscapes.

Open alpage on top, deciduous woodlands below and rocky outcrops with precarious drops in between. We took a circular trail which we did not quite complete which took in everything the Salève has to offer, both in terms of landscape and in terms of views. It was a tiring, if not too undulating, walk which was really worth it.

There was not too much wildlife around; however very often a huge apocalyptic shadow would swoop over head – what is it? Dragons? Pterodactyls? Nope – parapente. The Salève is like many alpine ridges and mountain ranges in that there is an abundance of thermals and today was no exception. It was quite impressive to be rounding a rocky outcrop and see a huge parapente swoop by out of nowhere at some speed only a few meters away. If I had the guts I would like to try it as it must be heck of sensation as you are literally flying like a bird.

The rocks were quite impressive too, the most being the Trou de la Tine, a big hole effectively.

Looking across to the south you can see the much bigger stuff. Bring on the next mountain I say….

Britannia Rules the Roads

2008-04-29T22:14:00.005+02:00

Today I jumped off the train home from Lausanne and was able to take in a pro-cycling event. Having caught the bug on Bastille day last summer when we went to see the Tour de France, I thought I would go and check out the final hour of the Prologue for the tour of Romandie, a five day event taking in the French speaking part of Switzerland. Many big names were there and although there was nowhere near as much pomp and atmosphere as the Tour de France it was fun nonetheless (for someone who was interested in this kind of thing). I did manage to snap some photos with the camera in my phone.

There was a small tented village where the sponsors were promoting their wares. However, most of the freebies were gone (except giant green hands which I already possess) – I was able to try a small piece of Gruyere cheese…! What was cool was you could get up close and personal with some of the riders. I saw the flaming galah that is Australia’s Robbie McEwen who was larking around and very courteous about people taking photos (and friendly too). Compare that with the miserable persona of eventual winner Andreas Kloden who just sat on his bike and warmed down paying no attention to any of the interest in him, surrounded by two mean looking eastern European bodyguards who would not think twice about snapping you in half if you tried to tell Andreas a joke and inject some humour into his life.

In any case, it was a gorgeous late afternoon and the cyclists were pumped to attack the 2km circuit up and down the Rive Droite (the north-west side of the lake in Geneva). In the end it was a Brit who posted the fastest time, the talented Mark Cavendish, giving this ex-pat an extra sense of satisfaction that he took a slight detour on the way home. He no doubt won because the circuit ran in and anti-clockwise direction, and clearly being British, he cycled on the shorter left side of the road…

Bringing things up to date

2008-04-13T18:28:00.009+02:00

Yeah yeah yeah. I warned you in my last post of 12 February 1987 that I was starting to 'neglect' this page and hey-ho two months on here I am again.

So what's new? We have been quite busy each weekend but more with doing what we want as opposed to doing what we must, which is nice. There's often a couple of hours spare for a walk or a bike ride in the countryside near our home, where the views of Mont Blanc remain just awe-inspiring. We have over the last two weekends discovered the kilometres and kilometres of quiet, flat cycle trails either side of the border not too far away , which I must say is an absolute pleasure. They are a mixture of vineyards, farmland and forest trails with the same amazing views. I feel this will be a regular activity especially with lighter evenings and less days working in Lausanne. I also have a very recent subscription to the Tennis Club du Saleve so I'm sure with all this sport I'll soon be able to work off the cheese filled belly I have developed this winter.

Work is keeping us both busy, as is the commuting so evenings are mainly spent eating, watching some inane TV then going to bed ready for the 6.15 alarm for it all to start again tomorrow. There was certainly a bit of a groundhog day feel about the last two weeks...

So chez nous the flat is looking very much like a home now - we even have some living creatures sharing it with us (plants). All the furniture arrived from Ikea as planned in February and is now up and in full use. The night we put together the sofa I christened it by falling asleep on it watching footy (bliss). Still one or two bits of furniture required for the bedrooms and some pictures to hang, however there's no rush for now...

The next piece of news is we have a new member of the family however she is metallic black and lives in the garage under the apartment building. In the end after a day (on foot) looking at cars, we plumped for what we had before albeit the updated version with a little but more equipment. (For those of you who don't know your cars this is a Toyota Yaris II)

Its great to finally be mobile again - shopping is now more expensive as we buy more and we finally were able to buy all the products to use the dishwasher (4 kilos of salt is heavy). No, seriously we have tried to get out in the car every weekend since we had it and this weekend we finally remembered to take the camera with us. It was delivered just before Easter so we were able to spend that weekend in Ruy (and not have to take the train) as well as recover some more of our things that were stored down there. In theory it should cut the travel time in two however coming back on Easter Sunday we were snagged up in the snow falls and it took over 3 hours.

So, what I have done below is to put a couple of specific entries about what we have been up to lately and now we are mobile, hopefully there will be some more frequent entries. Let's hope the real spring weather arrives soon.

Chateaus of the Chablais

2008-04-13T17:00:00.000+02:00

So having a car is one thing - knowing where to go is another; there is such a great expanse of open countryside and choice of terrain to explore. This makes it difficult for those who don't know the region that well to find somewhere to spend a sunny spring morning or afternoon. However, thanks to a guidebook on the Geneva region with fifty 2-3 hour walks on all terrains, knowing where to go is no longer a problem.

So today we decided to test drive the new acquisitions (car an guide book) and took in a really pleasant walk in open countryside in the 'Chablais', taking in on its way some Chateaux and some typical French villages. The Chablais is the region of French territory between the lake and the Alps, as well as name for a nearby mountain range where you will find well known resorts such as Morzine and Avoriaz, as well as Abondance, known for its excellent cheese.

After a stop to buy some bread in the quaint town of Bons-en-Chablais, we started out at the Chateau D'Avully, near the village of Brenthonnes. The Chateau is used for grand receptions (weddings etc) however like everything else on a Sunday, was closed. We then walked into open countryside and into our first village stop of the day in Dugny, which was the highest point of the walk at 580m above sea level (where's the sea), and gave some nice views of the Voirons, our nearest range of mountains.

We then walked through some orchards and down to Fessy, typified by its Church tower and maybe not the most typical French village buildings, but quiet and quaint nonetheless. here we found an Atelier or workshop, where it was clear from what was on display outside that the speciality was metalwork.

After Fessy it was on through some more open countryside and past more cows to Lully, where Vero was not the only one having some rest and enjoying the views.

Then we descended further and reached the second Chateau on this walk, Chateau de Buffavens. This one was definitely private however I think it was split into several residences judging by the number of doorbells on the gate and the wheely bin outside. In the grounds there were some deer, with some stags rutting which was quite neat.

After that the route took us along the mainline between Evian and Annemasse, however we only saw one train, a TGV with about two passengers going quite slowly. The last village stop was in Puard before we returned to Brenthonnes where Vero decided to sit on a bench and make me walk up and get the car at the Chateau...

This was our second excursion into the Chablais, the first being an afternoon ride to the medievel lakeside village of Yvoire (no photos as we'll go back when its in full bloom). It's unknown territory however given the number and variety of destinations, we cannot wait to discover it some more.....

Europe's Biggest Car Showroom

2008-03-09T18:27:00.001+01:00

The 78th Salon International de L'Auto rolled into town between the 6th and 16th March. It is Europe's biggest and most prestigious car show held at Geneva's Palexpo exhibition centre near the airport (a bit like the NEC in Birmingham). So Vero and I gave up the opportunity of freezing our butts off trying to ski with the crowds in la Clusaz and decided to squeeze through the crowds at the motor show instead. We had just ordered our new car and it was due to be delivered the following week, so it was a bit like going shopping with full cupboards. However it was a great day out and we saw some really nice models (not just metal ones), as well as plenty of bizarre designs too.

And I cannot go without mentioning the bizarre ritual and what seemed the main reason for so many people being there - to try and get as many different manufacturer branded paper shopping bags as possible. Vero was no exception to the rule and managed a haul in double figures. Me, I just sat back and soaked it all in through the camera lens... Enjoy

Worst Blogger Ever

2008-02-12T20:34:00.000+01:00

Ok so the whole point of a blog is to keep it up to date...so not having put anything on in 2008 will not win me the blogger of the year award or best original screenblog at this years blogscars.

Any so whats new or 'quoi de neuf' as the locals say. OK so the main reason for not blogging is our free time has been kind of limited. During the week after commuting to and from work (its a 42 hour week here) and then cooking dinner and winding down we cannot usually be bothered to work on the computer - however tonight I am making a bit of an effort so be grateful... Mainly because thanks to a combination of some creative planning, working on the train, a short cut through a back alley, a short sprint and the number 9 bus I can now get up half an hour later and get home before 7pm when I work in Lausanne and therefore I am not so tired...whoopeee

Weekends have been pretty 'routine' in that we tend to do the same thing each weekend - shopping for things for the flat, looking at cars (well not yet but soon) and generally putting things right in our new home. We have little opportunity to get out and about. We did take a nice trip on the train last month - to Ikea....more shopping (groan). We did not even buy anything because we went to a Swiss Ikea near Morges. The 1 franc hot dogs and Swedish meatballs were nice nonetheless

Anyway the flat is making good progress. The kitchen was fitted in the 4th week of January and looks very nice too. Unfortunately the washing machine and oven arrived damaged and we are still waiting on replacements (vive la France).

The electrician also managed to muff up the lighting too and still has not come back either. Anyway this Thursday an Ikea delivery should arrive including most of our new furniture - sofa and dinner table being the highlights. Don't worry we have a power screwdriver!

The next thing is to find a car to fill our double garage - new or used is the question on our minds right now. We are favouring new then its a case of which model. To be honest we cannot wait to be mobile again - just in time for Spring so we can start to explore some of the amazing mountains. They are really nice to admire from afar (as we have on many occasions) but we would like to get up close and personal fairly soon.

Saying that we (or Vero) found a really nice walk nearby through Ville la Grand to a plateau where you have vineyards and a 360 degree view of the Alps (including a front row seat for Mont Blanc) and the Jura - we have done it twice, the second time when we had Vero's parents and brother up for the day.

I did manage to lose my snow virginity last week with a company outing for a snowshoe walk in the Jura on the Plateau de la Givrine. It was a night thing so we were all equipped with frontal lamps and the snow was soft and about 50cm deep so it was quite an experience. Then we all ended up at the refuge afterwards for a nice fondue to cap the night off.

Since then the weather has been sunny and mild so the snow is disappearing from the lower slopes for now. The clear skies do make for some beautiful views though - especially from my office in Lausanne where I can see the Chablais, some of the Valaisian Alps and the Bernese pre-Alps. I must take the camera to work one day before it all melts again.

Anyway this weekend we are having a well-earned rest escaping back to good old Ruy for the first time since Christmas - whether I can prise myself away from the much-awaited new sofa this weekend remains to be seen. Can I take it with me??

Frosty, But No Snow, Man!

2007-12-25T21:16:00.000+01:00

Christmas morning in Ruy and the surrounding countryside was glorious. The sun finally appeared from behind the grey freezing fog that had been hanging around for days and with the freezing temperatures, the frost really took a grip and it was a total white-out. We once again made our favourite walk up into the hills near the parents house to Etang Dardes and take some photos. Then it was back for fois gras and Christmas pudding for dinner - how more 'Franglais' would you like your Christmas!

Moving Times Again

2007-12-22T20:50:00.000+01:00

So the big day arrived on 19 December as we signed away our lives once more and took possession of our new apartment. The day started with a trip to the bank to pick up a cheque book and we ended up being dragged into the managers office and sold this, that and whatever other financial products she could sign us up for...anyway at least I will finally have a bank account in Euros to go with the ones I already have in Sterling and Swiss Francs.

However we made it to the notaire's office on time which went very smoothly - all he does is read through the contract highlighting the key points and then make everyone involved sign every page. And then it was done - off we went to inspect the flat and we were very happy with the results (especially the parquet in the bedrooms). One or two minor teething faults but no issues of non-conformity so we took the keys.

After that is was a ride back to Geneva to pick up a rental car and bring nearly everything from the Geneva flat to Annemasse. Two trips were required (we only had a Renault Modus) before we finally scraped back to Geneva just in time to get ready for the first Christmas party that night, quite appropriately at the circus!

After yet another xmas party at a casino on the Thursday night, we woke very early Friday morning to take the final trip out of Geneva and complete our second emigration in a year. This time it was a short 10 minute train ride in darkness with only a suitcase each. Our belongings arrived from storage arrived at 9am and suddenly everything we have was back together in one place, in a home we owned and we could look forward to settling down for real at last!

So no kitchen, no TV, no phone and no furniture other than a table and chairs and a few bedroom cabinets which are standing in as kitchen cupboards and worktops. We have our George Foreman health grill and and electric ring to cook with, a balcony for a fridge and a creative positive attitude to catering - hey we even managed to do pork chops with flagolet beans for tea on Saturday, and cheese toasties made with french ham and raclette cheese go down very nicely too (especially with balcony chilled beer). We picked a new bed up on the Saturday so its nice to have at least one room looking semi normal where we can rest relax and watch DVDs on the laptop!

Christmas was spent away from the flat in Ruy so we could recharge and prepare for another busy couple of months filling up the flat with all the things its missing.

Swiss Time is Up

2007-12-15T19:55:00.000+01:00

Greetings blog fans! Yes we are still here and I am taking probably the last spare evening I will have until we move (again!) to bring things up to date and set the scene for the next few weeks.

So our time as Swiss residents is nearly up - all being well we will close the door on our luxury company flat in the posh neighbourhood of Champel next Friday to move into our brand new apartment just over the border in France. We have all the official signing and hopefully the key handover on Wednesday.

We are excited, despite the fact the kitchen will not be installed until mid/end of January (the George Foreman grill will come to the rescue in the meantime!), we have no sofa, no TV, no car however as of today we should have a bed next Saturday. Although the concept of home delivery in France seems to be 'there's a van, take it home yourself. I'm too busy eating my baguette'. So look out on the streets of Ville la Grand next Saturday as I will try and navigate my way through French traffic to the flat in a bright yellow transit van.

We have not arranged a phone line yet so don't expect the blog updates to be any more frequent than they have been in the last few weeks. Hopefully we'll have a package sorted in the New Year - probably one of those with TV and internet thrown in.

We are not rushing into things as we are going to spend our first week in the new place not in the new place, but in Ruy to spend Christmas with Vero's family (and somehow try and get to Ikea). We'll need a rest as in between all this we both have to somehow fit working (including my commute to Lausanne on Monday and Tuesday) and two Christmas parties (one Wednesday and one Thursday) in between all the moving stuff.

So for the time being we wish you all a very happy festive season and we'll hopefully have some news and pictures of the new place in 2008.

Sunset Boulevard

2007-11-23T21:21:00.001+01:00

RIGHT BEFORE YOU READ FURTHER PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR MY BROTHER AND HIS QUEST TO GROW A GLORIOUS MOUSTACHE IN AID OF MEN'S HEALTH ISSUES. GO ON .....

OK, so last Sunday it was freezing (still). The mercury had about as much chance of rising as the England football team up the FIFA world rankings. However despite staying in the warm all day, cabin fever set in and we decided to brave a walk to the nearby Tour de Champel.

This is an odd looking tower which sits at the highpoint of the Plateau Champel where we currently live, and overlooks the Arve below with views south west towards the Jura, and South East towards the Salève. It was the end of the day, the skies were (almost) clear and the sunset was, well, we'll let you decide !

Here Comes Winter

2007-11-15T19:55:00.000+01:00

So since my last post I have become a busy busy boy, working a Swiss working week (that's more than you lazy bums in the UK do). I have been working mainly in Geneva with the occasional trip to Lausanne and Vevey, both at the 'other' end of the lake so I have had some opportunity to acquaint myself with Swiss railways. On time, comfortable and not overcrowded (well mostly) would be a fair description. They even have double decker trains with sofas which cruise quietly and smoothly up and down the lake shore while you sit and admire the Alps on the other side (which are quite simply breathtaking some days). Plus they don't go on strike every five minutes because someone took away their free croissants.

By means of working with French-speakers, I have also been improving my French (or my confidence to speak it without sounding like a drunken fool all of the time). I even managed to go to the bank and open a bank account (I have a Swiss bank account!) all on my own without Véro holding my hand.

One thing that has been obvious as I walk across the Rhone each day (in my swanky business clothes looking every bit part of the Geneva scene) is that winter is definitely drawing in. This morning it was bitterly cold and windy, with snow blowing around on the breeze. The lake was more like the Atlantic and how the gulls and swans put up with I don't know, bobbing up and down on the icy waters like it was the middle of summer. Even the sparrows are hiding somewhere warm.

The surrounding countryside has had its first proper covering of the winter last weekend which paints an amazing picture, especially on crisp clear mornings like Monday this week. I took the pictures above of the Jura mountains on the way to work from a viewpoint in the old town. I only had a brief view of them before descending into town however some lucky people have this view all day from their desk (yes Véro!).

No snow has settled on the ground in Geneva yet however go up only another 50 or 100m in altitude to the level of the border towns such as Ferney or Vetraz-Monthoux and they have had a good covering. Who knows, maybe even our new acquisition in Annemasse is currently under a blanket of the white stuff. Anyway enough about the snow for now - it may warm up slightly this weekend anyway.

We spent last weekend in Ruy to recharge, as well as have a collective haircut(!), and catch up with family and friends. Saturday we woke up to a heavy frost and the temperature never really rose much above zero. After a trip into the chill to see some kitchens, returning to Marie-Lyne's delicious, cheesy tartiflette for lunch was pure heaven...its cold days like this when decent, hot home-cooked food really hits the spot.

On Sunday morning we were able to take one of our favourite walks from the house up to Etang Dardes, a small lake nearby. On the way there was a blanket of mist or fog down in the valley below which made for some excellent pics and added to the 'wintry' feeling in the air.

The lake had certainly changed from summer, however there were amazingly some lambs hopping around in a field nearby (too far away for the camera). The swans and coots where still present, and the former wasted no time swimming over to see if we had brought with us any left over baguette.

We certainly managed to relax and unwind - I can imagine we will spend plenty of weekends down in France, especially once we have some wheels of our own in the new year.

As for this weekend maybe we can find somewhere in the countryside where we can go for a walk in the, what was it again? Oh yeah, SNOW !

Awesome Autumn

2007-10-29T15:07:00.000+01:00

Once again apologies to regulars for no news for the last few weeks. The camera has not been on strike, but instead used for photographing plumbing and light fittings as our search for a permanent place to live intensified. The good news is we have found somewhere to buy - a brand new two bedroom flat (with double garage) near Annemasse train station with its good links to Geneva for work, shopping, onward travel and tourism (in no particular order). Its a nice size and a 'blank canvas' for us to equip, decorate and furnish as we see fit (except for the bathroom which comes 'done'!).

So the last two weeks have been spent with mortgage brokers, banks, kitchen designers, choosing parquet and generally everything else that you need to do to buy and equip a brand new flat. The flat development is still in the final stages however is due to be finished within days - and once we have completed all the legal bits we should hopefully be in by early/mid-December. So exciting and expensive times ahead no doubt.

So to help pay for the new place two salaries would help. Therefore lady luck came calling last week and I have found work. All the effort that I have put in over the last two months has paid off and I have found a job which is a really good career opportunity. So that all starts tomorrow and today is my last weekday afternoon of my mini career break. How am I spending it - doing laundry (and blog writing)!

After a busy few days kitchen planning and interviewing, we took a nice relaxed walk yesterday afternoon through the park and the lavish suburb of Conches and on to a stretch of the never too far away River Arve. This is a much quieter, more woody stretch and despite some cold weather last week, the trees were still hanging on to their leaves and their glorious colour. I know there's been plenty of waxing lyrical on this blog about how beautiful the autumn has been out here but its true and yesterday was the picture postcard crowning glory. I'll let the pictures do the talking this time with the final sobering thought from a passer-by yesterday - "in a few days it will all be gone" in other words "so enjoy it while it lasts". How true, how true....

International Peacekeeping

2007-10-12T09:46:00.000+02:00

So its been a couple of weeks since we last posted here, so probably high time the blog was updated. Unfortunately the camera has been on strike since we went to Nyon - we have not (or I have not) really done any major excursions since so I will probably blatantly flaunt copyright laws and post random pics from Google image search or something. I do have some nice autumnal pics and some video of the rather gorgeous stretch of the river Arve not too far from here. I took them from my rubbish camera phone when I went 'the long way' to get some shopping earlier this week.

Life here continues as what has become normal. Vero goes to work, I stay at home spending my day trying to avoid scrabble and sudoku on facebook, instead trawling through the job portals and sending away job applications.

Its going well - slowly but well. I have had a few face to face interviews (only one of them was for a real job!) and plenty of chat on the phone with some very helpful recruitment consultants. I had a very nice interview yesterday with an agency all in French (or Franglais in my case) which has boosted my confidence to speak no end. My next step is to start targeting companies direct, however I have several applications pending and it usually takes a good 3-4 weeks before you get any feedback... So I am staying patient and trying to maximise my time off by boosting my French and also learning a few more technical skills via the wonderful world wide web (which was invented in Geneva, well, technically Meyrin, by some boffin at CERN).

It is a fact that people in general do like to take their time here - maybe because they are relaxed, or busy with a high volume of work, or maybe because they are trying to divide their time between coffee drinking, walking multiple miniature dogs, roller blading or scooter-ing everywhere and just randomly driving around Geneva in their cars at high speeds tooting their horns at everyone.

People here do keep very busy and are rather 'deliberate' in performing day to day tasks. I am still trying to work out that is a good or bad thing however don't get me started on the epic saga that is our kind of broken old German washer dryer....3 visits and several phone calls later all we have to show for our efforts is a new plastic on-off switch and still sopping wet washing.

We have turned the hunt for an apartment up a notch. Last Saturday we went to Annemasse for another look around, checking out estate agent windows and looking at certain areas to see where is quiet, what the transport links are like etc etc. We have yo-yo'd back and forth between the rent or buy argument and buying is winning through, to the extent that we are doing some viewings on Monday in Ambilly, a quiet small commune across the train tracks from Annemasse. Exciting times - this time next week we could be on our way to being property owners in France!

Prices here are a good 15-20% higher than in Plymouth and also much higher than in some nice alpine regions not so far away. For the price of a 2 bed flat we could maybe buy a nice 3 or 4 bed house in some parts the Savoie region leading to thoughts of a future second 'weekend' home in the Alps in a couple of years time maybe...I could buys some cows and make my own cheese. Le Jannère has a very nice ring to it don't you think?

Anyway this weekend we are going back to Vero's family home in Ruy. We leave tonight by train straight after Vero has finished work and hopefully the journey will be worth the 100CHF each ticket price. We have not been back properly since we arrived nearly 7 weeks ago - a 2 hour flying visit the day after we arrived to collect some things that's all. I was in a complete daze that day...

Not much is planned - we intend to relax and chill out with ML, JP and Philippe. The main event is tomorrow night when I will sit down with Vero's dad and watch the Rugby world cup semi between France and England. Vero would like to think I will be neutral-ish however the England shirt is packed and I am nailing my colours firmly to the red and white, sweet chariot mast. What's worse is that Vero and her mum are leaving us to it and going out, so who knows how tetchy things may get without the restraint of two level- headed women who couldn't really care less who wins. JP is a typical passionate French rugby fan so I'll try and do my best to keep the peace.

Well at least Zidane isn't playing...here's the video I promised.

One Month on....

2007-09-29T12:49:00.000+02:00

So one month on and our lives have certainly changed. We have settled into life in Geneva now - although its only a temporary one as we will need to move into our own place soon, most likely over the border in France. Vero has settled into her job, adjusting to the new surroundings and working practices.

As for me, despite still being jobless I am very optimistic about my career prospects here. I have managed to get over the stress of my first interview this week and although no work came from it I know I am very employable. I have several applications still pending and they do like to take their time here. I have a good selection of recruiters working on my behalf, looking out for me too, and I am also sending off applications every week. I could go temping immediately however I am remaining patient and focused as I want to find the right job that fits where I want to be with my career.

We have been lucky to have found the time to get out and explore a bit with a trip to the Alps and many nice walks in and around Geneva. That's probably down to the fact we are not pressured right away to find our own place to live however I think that may change in the next few weeks as weekends will start to be taken up viewing property! The decision to buy or rent is a tricky one too...that £/€ rate is not very helpful.

So we celebrated our first month with a trip on the train to the town of Nyon, a few km up the north side of the lake towards Lausanne. Nyon is a small town with a rich Roman history. There were some great looking old buildings however this particular day was (unknown to us) the town's Fete d'Automne and the narrow streets were closed to traffic and crammed full of market stalls and live entertainment. The consequent throng of people meant taking pictures was pretty difficult, however we did manage to find some respite by the Town's castle and found the most amazing spot overlooking the lake and the Swiss, French and Italian Alps (yes all three!). The views were incredible. Here's the pics...

The Chateau de Nyon and a view across the lake to wards Yvoire and Evian

The mountains above Evian and the Mont Blanc

We liked Nyon although if it wasn't for the market there is not really much to do for the day, unless you like museums and shopping. There is a narrow gauge train ride up to the alpine village of St Cergue and into the French Jura which we decided to save for another day. This was mainly because St Cergue had its annual Desalpes going on. This is a festival where they bring the cows down off the mountains into the village so although it would have been nice to see, it would probably mean that the village would be heaving with people too. However, we will be back to try that train ride no doubt, or maybe take a boat trip across to Yvoire on the other side of the lake.

What's good about this area there is so much choice of activity - even for those without transport like ourselves. Its going to be even better when we find a car (once we have moved to France!). Bring it on....

Geneva say 'Cheese'

2007-09-26T12:12:00.000+02:00

So after Parc Bertrand, the self-guided /random photography tour around Geneva continued.....

Through the streets near the park past an ivy- clad apartment block and a classic Swiss/German building....

Onto the Art and History museum and the Observatory...

Looking towards the old town and the cathedral...

Into the old town...

Into Parc des bastions and does anyone fancy a game of chess?

and through to the Jardin des Anglais for more moody black and whites (the sun had gone in!) of the fountain, the famous flower clock, the memorial and then the Rade de Geneve...

And the wildlife was always close by (especially when the sandwiches came out!)..

I took nearly 200 photos that day and could have taken more - there is so much to appreciate through the lens and I enjoyed the experience very much.

Parc Bertrand in Autumn

2007-09-26T11:40:00.000+02:00

Last Wednesday (26 September) to ease the job hunting blues I decided to go for a walk around Geneva with the purpose of trying to capture some real photos of the city. They forecasted overcast, grey skies which I thought would be great for some moody black and white architecture shots. Instead I had the most brilliant sunny morning so decided to start off with a walk around Parc Bertrand.

The park separates our apartment from work for Vero and we are lucky to have such a nice open space on our doorstep. Some stragglers were still making their way to work however other than that it was a cold but clear, bright and peaceful morning with a dew-fuelled autumnal taste in the air. Autumn was beginning to take a real hold on the big old oak and chestnut trees that border the park and everything was picture postcard perfect. Here's some of the best shots I was able to take:

Lazy Sunny Sunday Afternoons

2007-09-23T22:00:00.000+02:00

Unless you plan a big trip (like our ride into the Alps), Sunday is a very lazy day. Nobody seems to be in a rush to do anything and the city seems quieter. However we cannot stay in all day and luckily last Sunday (23 September), just as we were going to go out for a walk after lunch we had a call from our friends, Gini and Patrice, asking if we wanted to go for a drive to Hermance.

Hermance is a small village on the eastern side of the lake, just before the border with France. It is typical of the type of village on this narrow strip of Swiss territory, with a mix of old, almost medieval buildings, swanky pads, a marina for the more affluent, and endless vineyards. We took a walk around the narrow streets, before chilling out on a small pebble beach looking out over the lake and the Jura mountains beyond, soaking up the late afternoon sun.

Afterwards we climbed up behind the village past some very exclusive looking villas into the vineyards which was equally nice and quiet, with the same views but this time with additional views towards the Alps. On the way back down the sun was beginning to dip behind the Jura creating a splendid sunset which we were fortunate to be able to enjoy on a bench in a very small public park on the side of the hill in between two more 'large' properties.

Roaming the Rhone

2007-09-20T22:00:00.000+02:00

OK so there has not been anything on here for a couple of weeks so how come someone who is enjoying a career break cannot find time to keep a simple blog updated? A fair question and one that I cannot defend, other than to say its been a busy couple of weeks with job applications, preparing for interviews (!) and so on. Not to mention the trials and tribulations of shopping, cleaning and preparing meals.

In between all the fun described above, I have been making the occasional midweek escape. Last Thursday (20 September) it was a nice sunny day so I took a ride on the bus, a tram and another bus through the communes of Carouge and Lancy, and ended up at the 'Pont Butin', a road bridge that crosses the Rhone on the western side of Geneva. This was the starting point for a path which follows the Rhone as it winds north and south towards the countryside and France.

Finding the path was another matter. I walked 300 metres from the last road crossing point down the west side of the approach to the bridge only to find the steps down were on the east side and separated by a dual carriageway and central reservation. So after adding nearly 1km to my walk without getting started I finally made it down under the bridge and start the walk. I must say though it was worth it. The light that morning (as per every sunny morning here) was fantastically pure - the sky is a crystal clear blue. I was able to get right alongside the river which was flowing quietly but purposefully and was its usual opaque emerald green hue. To add to the spectacle, the trees had started to turn into their autumn colours, probably courtesy of some colder nights and I can imagine that in a week or two from now they would be even more resplendent.

The path itself was a pleasure - shaded for the most part and not too undulating. There were occasional openings where you could step out and admire yet more beautiful autumn colours, bordered by the deep green waters and the perfect blue skies, and also spot some wildlife such as grebes, cormorants, swans and ducks, as well as a few kingfishers (or fast moving blue/green dots).

So I wound my way through Onex and then Loex, encountering numerous joggers on the way, especially around lunchtime. A lot of them seem to come from the other, more built up side of the river over two footbridges or 'passarelles'. The one pictured here connects Loex with Lignon. The terrain became more and more rural and peaceful apart from the occasional roar of yet another plane taking off from the nearby airport at Cointrin.

After cutting underneath the Autoroute at Chevres, I walked about another km to a lookout by a small inlet, which had a great view towards the last few Swiss villages and the mountains of France beyond.

From here I cut 'inland' through some very rural areas to the town of Bernex, which although was on the edge of Geneva , had a nice quiet country village feel (except for the main road part). Here I jumped on a bus and then another bus (the network is fantastic) back home to Champel and the hustle and bustle of the city...

Tete de la Sallaz (74), 2026m

2007-09-16T22:00:00.000+02:00

Last Sunday Philippe came for the day and we drove into the Alps to a village called Romme (alt: 1310m). This was a really nice village with lots of pretty wooden chalets and excellent views down the Arve valley to the north and to the Col de la Colombiere to the west.

We took our first mountain hike since arriving as 'locals' to the summit of the Tete de la Sallaz, a grassy dome (alt:2026m) with excellent 360 degree views, including grandstand seats of Mont Blanc itself and would you believe a birds eye view of our self storage facility! The walk was challenging but not too steep and follows a piste track through forest all the way to the Chalets de Vormy just below the summit.

It was a bit hazy so the pics are not great, however here they are:

Phil and Vero enjoying the view; Chalets de Vormy

Pointe D'Areu and the Chaine des Aravis; Romme

Spoiling the view; The Arve valley, Tete du Coloney and the Massif de Mont Blanc

(Looking towards the Col de la Colombiere)

International pavement pounding amongst other things..

2007-09-12T13:23:00.001+02:00

Two weeks in and the air of excitement about our new home city has been partially replaced by one of normality and a daily grind - not that there's anything wrong with the daily grind here. We are eating and drinking very well and the weather has been wonderful since the first day of September.

V started her new job last Monday and is now well settled in. She particularly likes the cafeteria where fish fingers and cold, runny mash potato are definitely not on the menu. It is only a 10 minute walk for her through the beautiful Parc Bertrand with its views of both the Jura and Mt Salève so she seems happy enough.

My days are split between filling out job application (I'm losing count) and shopping/house-keeping. I have had a few days 'out'. Last Tuesday I went for a long walk through the town of Carouge (part of the canton of Geneva but a town in its own right) which was very nice. The market square was almost rural Italian in style - I think the area is an Italian one. It had a rather ornate fountain and a few other interesting pieces of architecture.

I then continued via the Stade de Genève and the LaPraille shopping centre(!) and then walked like up the Voie Central to the Bois de la Batie set on top of a hill near where the Rhone and Arve rivers have their confluence. Here I walked through the wood dodging falling acorns to an small zoo. Lots of birds including a massive collection of wildfowl most of whom didn't get on and few other 'alpine' wild animals such as chevrouilles, wild boar and deer (plus a few others I wasn't sure of their names!).

Afterwards I headed along the Rhone back into town and home via the Parc Des Bastions with its amazing and famous wall commemorating the Reformation. This is one of Geneva's landmarks and is also a great place to chill out - you can hear the traffic buzzing around its permieter but after a few minutes you just somehow tune it out.

If that was a long walk then last Thursday was even longer. It was a bank holiday in Geneva (just Geneva) and being a nice, sunny day we went for a walk along the Arve in the direction of the French border near Gaillard. After about an hour and a half we reached the border and though lets have a look around as we want to move out to that area in a couple of months time. So we sneaked across a bridge we were not supposed to into France, trekked around the communes of Gaillard, Ambilly, Ville-la-Grande and Annemasse checking out the area.

They seem quite nice, fairly busy and lots of apartment blocks but there are enclaves where you get that laid back almost rural quietness which in warm sunshine felt very relaxing indeed, and in some places you could clearly see the Alps and Mt Blanc.

On Saturday more pavement pounding out to an interior design store near the airport - yes we decided to walk again - quite a long way but we did take a bus back.

On Sunday we woke up with the intention of going up the cable car to the top of Mt Salève. With lunch packed and the hiking gear in our larger backpacks we set out across the park in lovely sunshine towards the bus stop only to see (or not to see) that the top of the mountain was in thick grey cloud.

Plans ruined we returned home, changed into something more comfortable and went for a walk back to the Jardin Botanique where we had been the previous weekend but not really explored to its fullest. It is a really nice place, not quite the Eden Project but still plenty to see. There are several greenhouses with various temperatures - believe me going from the tropical the the temperate exhibition was a pleasure! I was able to give the macro function a real workout and think I might have taken one or two really good pictures. There is also a big rockery which took a good hour to wander around. There were plenty of frogs or toads (I don't know the difference) in the water too.

Yesterday anticipating the first visit from the cleaners (yes we have cleaners!), I cleared off for the day back to France where we had been last week, to do some more reconnaissance for the accommodation situation. I did catch the tram out to the border and thought that a little wander around Annemasse and its adjoining towns would be ideal.

It was a another warmish day, although a cool breeze off the lake was around in the morning. I did some serious pavement pounding zig-zagging around looking at apartment buildings and grabbing photos or jotting down details of any places for rent or for sale either from banners hung from balconies or in estate agent windows. By time I sat down in Annemasse for a lunch of sun-softened cheese and slightly stale baguette from the day before, I realised my poor old feet had just about had it. Blisters were developing just about everywhere, probably through to over-use considering all the other walking we have been doing.

So did I give up - no. Against all common sense and medical advice I took a nice walk along the Arve under the Salève, and then through a lovely neighbourhood back towards the border where I did finally give up and jump on a tram back into town to do the daily shopping and took a bus home.

Today I am doing nothing other than writing this, putting my sore feet up and sitting and waiting for all these job offers to come in.... yeah right! Its a nice day so I may just have to head out to the park with a book and soak up some sunshine - again...

Wild Geneva Part 1

2007-09-03T17:26:00.000+02:00

One thing as I might have mentioned once or twice, is that there is no lack of open space, parks and trees in and around Geneva. A consequence of this is a variety of wildlife of which no doubt we'll see more. Here's a first pick of what we have seen either on our walks or in the case of a red squirrel, from our apartment!

I was surprised to see a chipmunk near Perle du Lac, but not that surprised to see some familiar faces on the rocks!

These lovebirds were in the Jardin Botanique, as was this cactus!

The friendly sparrows are everywhere, as are flowers!

The lake is home to dozens of swans - here's a youngster. The other fella is another resident of the Jardin Botanique.

This Town is Made for Walking

2007-09-02T23:00:00.000+02:00

So after a tiring first two days, Friday morning was spent settling into the flat, unpacking everything we had hauled over from England on the plane, and from storage and Ruy. We took a walk to Vero's new office so she work out how long it takes and also picked up some shopping from the local Co-op.

We expected the supermarkets to be like the French ones but they are not. They are smaller, tucked under apartment buildings and scattered everywhere. They are well stocked in terms of anything fresh though, probably better than any English large supermarket would ever be. The prices vary too, quite a few things are more expensive (such as cheese and meat) however there are bargains to be found too.

That afternoon we decided to try and walk to the city centre and surprisingly it did not take too long. On a map it looks like a big place but Geneva is really quite a small city and it doesn't take too long to get anywhere, even by foot.

Spurred on by the ease of how we were able to get into town by foot, on Saturday we decided to take a walk up the Northern side (Rive Droite) of the lake. We made our way through the Parc Des Bastions past some very ornate buildings, under enormous old trees and numerous flower beds and statues.

It was a glorious morning, the sun beaming down over the top of Mt Salève onto the lake. The Jet D'eau was powering imperiously into the clear blue sky and the Rhone and the lake were a sparkling emerald green. Even the circus was in town and took the elephants for a stroll over the river!

We ambled up the quayside to a stretch of parks ('Mon Repos', 'Perle du Lac' and 'Barton' I think). The parks here are fantastic - they are abundant with flora and fauna, as well as old buildings and countless statues, and are clearly enjoyed on both foot and two wheels by the locals and tourists alike.

We reached the Jardins Botanique where we had a quick look at the Aviary and a tropical greenhouse (Eden Project Geneva style) before heading towards the Palais des Nations (UN) to have a nosey. The Place des Nations was 'different' - where the giant chair comes from I'll have to find out! By this time we were quite tired and hungry and found another Co-op where we grabbed some bread, cheese slices swiss style and cakes and headed back to the parks for a late lunch accompanied by two dozen tame sparrows!

Sufficiently refuelled, we strolled back towards town taking in the efforts dozens of people taking part in an open air art competition before heading home, once again picking up yet more shopping on the way. No chance of a weekly shop here - you go on a daily basis!

On Sunday all the shops are shut so no chance of more shopping. After a nice lunch at home we again put the walking shoes on and headed towards the Rive Gauche and two more parks, the Parc de la Grange and the adjacent Parc Eaux Vives. The was a really nice Roserie in the first park where the roses were a bit past their best but nonetheless it was very relaxing sitting there for a while.

We then continued up to near Geneve-plage, a big swimming pool by the lake. By this time there were people everywhere either ambling, cycling or even roller blading up and down the lakeside. Vero remarked that a lot of the roller bladers were 'senior' - you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Miami or LA!

There always seems to plenty going on in this Vibrant city and Sunday was no exception. Just by the swimming pool they were lowering classic powerboats into the lake and within minutes there was a race. Noisy but spectacular.

After that was over we walked back alongside the Rhone for a while before taking a detour to a market in Plainpalais. By this time the sun was very warm and we were beat. We headed back up the hill to home and collapsed again - for the first time that evening I feel asleep watching TV on the new sofa! Bliss.

The Geneva Convention

2007-08-30T22:00:00.000+02:00

So Wednesday 29 August 2007 arrived. The big day. We waved a gradual goodbye to Devon via the Virgin Cross Country service to Bristol. The sun shone a beautiful light that morning and everything looked as 'Devonyllic' (thanks Neil) as it could, as if it was giving us one last plea not to leave it behind. Ironically the sun went in as we approached Bristol.

After a smooth and quick flight, the plane swept over the Jura mountains, turned a sharp right and cruised over Lac Leman (aka Lake Geneva) into a cloudy and slightly damp Cointrin Airport. After a short but expensive cab ride we arrived at our new pad, where Rosie from Vero's new company was there to meet us. I crammed myself and our luggage into what must be the worlds oldest and smallest lift whilst Vero climbed the stairs. We entered into the flat and was told that it had just been refurbished.

That was an understatement. It is a 3rd floor one bedroom apartment situated in a 6 storey old building overlooking the Plateau de Champel, a ten minute stroll from Vero's office and fairly close to the city centre. It is a very good size with nice high ceilings and old herringbone parquet flooring.

The bedroom is about the size of our old two bedrooms put together, and the lounge diner is big enough to accommodate a giant sofa and a big glass dining table (oh and a flat screen TV).

It is beautifully decorated and equipped, particularly the kitchen which is brand new with a huge pine breakfast table which we eat at all the time. There was a nice welcome basket of mini Swiss chocolates waiting for us too.

There's all the shops we need within a 2 minute walk, including a great boulangerie-patisserie right outside the the front door of the building. We have only had some bread from there so far (which cost quite a bit!) but it was really nice. Their gateaux look amazing. As for views, there's nothing long distance only other apartment buildings however our privacy is guaranteed by two big trees outside the front and back of the apartment

Having such a nice pad to come to was a huge relief - we did not know what to expect and what we have been given is beyond our wildest expectations. We went to bed (which is huge as well by the way!) extremely thankful for our good luck. We did not sleep well though thanks to our first Alpine thunderstorm!

On Thursday we did not have a chance to settle in. Today was moving day number 2 and we rushed to the Airport after oversleeping, to collect a car and drive through horrendous wet conditions fighting with the car's heating controls to our storage facility in France. There we were to meet our removers and unload it all into storage. Luckily Mr Wotton was very easy going and did not mind waiting an extra half hour, plus he had arrived early the previous day and was able to unload everything thanks to the kindness of the storage company, who were happy to do this even though we had not been there to set up our account. Mr W simply came down Thursday to check we were happy with the delivery and then went on his very merry way to Northern Spain!

After rescuing some essentials we drove to Vero's parents in Ruy to pick up some clothes and things we had taken over in July. The weather was equally bad and by time I sat down to lunch I was about to collapse. Luckily thanks to a power nap afterwards (no doubt induced by Vero's Mum's excellent cuisine) I recovered sufficiently to take us back to Geneva, unload and drive the car back the the airport. By 8pm we were home and completely done in. Phew we made it!

Going, Going, (nearly) Gone

2007-08-24T16:19:00.000+02:00

Today was moving day. We waved goodbye to our belongings this morning as they took a head start off to France (yes France) via Tiverton. We will be reunited with them next Thursday at a storage facility in the French Alps.

All we have left now are our suitcases and this laptop. I'm sat here in an empty living room, on the floor and the place feels strange to say the least. Anyway I should get back to work sorting out utility companies etc etc. Oh joy another hour of press 1 for this press 4 for that and then get a message saying 'we are too busy to speak right now - please call back'. Call centres huh - who would want to work there!

This time next week we'll be living it up in Geneva so who cares!

(By the way apologies for the picture quality - they were taken with a mobile phone or the webcam)

Cheerio Plymouth. Bonjour Genève

2007-08-20T17:57:00.000+02:00

Its the...

(Da-na nah nah. Da-na na na nah)

Packing it all in
So the final week in England is now upon us and we are really making the most of it. The crap weather has returned which may be a good thing as it is confining us to our flat so we can carry on packing and packing and packing.... We are not taking much but it is still hard work. I am impressing myself with my ability to fit as many odd shaped items as possible into a square box (bring back the Krypton Factor I say).

For a clean house OCD freak like me, the sight of rooms with cardboard everywhere, the endless ringing in my ears of box tape and the constant cloud of cardboard dust is really getting me down and I am felling a bit fragile. Geneva and ultimately a new life in the French alps seems a long long way away and our flat certainly doesn't feel like home anymore.

Talking of home here's some random final views our neighbourhood.

Cheesy balls
So what will we be getting up to in our last week here. Well tonight is my last game for my five-a-side footy team, Old Farts United. They have been on a winning streak without me lately however my appearance tonight is bound to consign them to defeat. Tomorrow we are having a raclette (mmmmm) with friends - that should get us in the Francophile spirit, but only after a day of trips to the tip and carting unwanted items off to Mums place.

Any old iron...
We will be moving out on Wednesday this week mainly because we are selling the telly and switching off the fridge freezer. Without these two lifelines to modern day existence there's no point staying here so its off to stay with Bob for a few days. Thursday morning will see us wave goodbye to some old friendly furniture and appliances and clear out some more rubbish as the man in a van is coming around and on Friday the removers will be coming in. Arranging the removal has been a bit stressful so it will be nice to send everything on its way. Then I do not think we will come back other than to collect any post on Tuesday unless if by some miracle the sale of the flat goes through.

And some final words...
Then we can relax and enjoy our final few days here. We are out on Saturday night for some drinks (7.30 The Mannamead) and then around some friends for a party with them and all our other close friends. I'm sure its going to be fun but also a tearful occasion. Then after a couple of days to relax we will be taking a train up to Bristol early on next Wednesday morning to start our one-way trip outta here to start our new life together.

I did want to put some more about Plymouth and the South West on the blog, however time has rather caught up with us. We hope you have enjoyed looking at our pictures and even reading my inane commentary and we hope soon to be back on line and to tell you all about our adventures in the land of clocks, chocolate and cheese.

See you all in Switzerland....

Al & Véro
XX

We're All Going on a Summer Holiday...

2007-08-14T17:33:00.000+02:00

!! Boredom Warning - this is a very long post !!

Phew - what a couple of weeks its been. Our lives have been somewhat distracted since the end of July from the move to Geneva to playing host and tour guide to our respective brothers, Neil and Philippe.

Neil was on a return 'up over' and needless to say wanted to take in some of his (and our) favourite sou'westerly spots. Then with a day of overlap, Philippe arrived to take advantage of our final few weeks in Plymouth to join us for yet more sightseeing and tourism. All of this we welcomed with open arms as it gave us the perfect excuse to prise ourselves away from the relentless roller coaster that is preparing for a move abroad, and see these places ourselves for the last time in what will be a very long while. The south west is a magnificent mix of coast, countryside and moors which is like no other place on earth - we are truly lucky to hail from this region and I will do my best to praise it up on this blog before we leave.

Neil's stay has been very well documented in his own blog, including our trip to collect Philippe from Exdurr Airfield on 7 August via the very gorgeous Fingle Bridge and its giant cream tea. It was proper 'ansome I tell ya. Philippe brought with him some real summer weather - this was the best gift he could have brought (even better then the selection of cheese he brought, but only just).

Tintagel was our first and only collective destination where all 4 of us could go out together before Neil headed back to London for the final leg of his tour of Europe. We had a great walk around the castle under azure skies and warm sunshine making for some stunning photos, although one French tourist was obsessed with filming the gulls. The enormous pasties we had for lunch were scrumptious - they were from Pengenna Pasties in the high street where you could see them being made. They were nearly £3 but you did get your moneys worth. After the walk we refreshed ourselves with yet more Doom Bar ale - sigh!

Now if you have read Neil's blog it seems like we were on a bit of a gastro tour of the South west - let me say that this was a purely coincidental and it just so happens that these places we go to happen to have top notch traditional south western comfort food and there's nothing we can do about it. One fine example has to be the local fudge shop in Tintagel - Granny Wobblys Fudge Pantry. Now to suggest this was the only reason for visiting Tintagel and not anywhere else would be quite wrong, well, uh, no. To be honest 3 of us had done the castle before so if it wasn't for the this quite simply amazing crumbly fudge we would have probably decided on going somewhere else. Vero bought over a tenner's worth and I had a fudge crumble ice cream - an indulgent mess of coffee ice cream smeared with clotted cream then dipped in the fudge crumbs.

Then it was back to Mum's for our Christmas dinner in the back garden. Don't ask. Philippe probably thought we were all crazy but it was my last home cooked roast dinner I will have for a very long time and I did not care one bit. Plus it was the last time the whole family would be together for goodness knows how long - that was and still is quite difficult to grasp and probably has not hit home yet. After we downed some fizzy plonk there were more family photos for the album.

I awoke on Thursday feeling kind of weird after the previous night's farewells, however the blazing blue skies perked me up and despite tired legs we headed up to Dartmoor for a long circular walk near Burrator. Starting at the dam we headed up over Sheepstor before heading out round to Nuns cross Farm near Princetown. We then decended all the way along the Devonport leat back into the Burrator forests. All this was about 12km and took us the best part of the day. I had never done a walk of this magnitude on Dartmoor so I was delighted to have been able to do so on such a gorgeous day.

On Friday we had a great day out, taking a very cheap and pleasant train ride to St Ives in West Cornwall. I have not been to St Ives for 15 years and the frogs had never been so we were all excited and expectant. The final leg of the journey is quite breathtaking as you sweep into St Ives bay with a view of the Hayle Towans (dunes), Godrevy lighthouse, and the golden sandy beaches.

Despite it being a very popular place that day (in more then one sense) we had a very nice day out pottering in the galleries and walking along the coastal paths. It was a crying shame that there was another Pengenna pasty shop - lamb and mint was on the menu this time. We also saw a seal in the harbour and had a paddle at Carbis bay. However the water was still pretty arctic so I only ventured in up to my knees for about 10 seconds before my lower limbs froze and fell off. A nice beer by the beach with views of the harbour topped the day off nicely before the ride home.

Saturday afternoon we returned to Noss Mayo for one final time. We took Neil there a week before and although it was a nice day this one was even better. The walk around the cliffs into the village is always sublime and this was no different, except this time when we arrived in the village itself there was a regatta on. Noss is usually a sleepy little place and normally you would think that all these boats lined up on both sides of the creek loaded with lager (or Pimms probably)-fuelled passengers would detract a bit. Not at all - the atmosphere was great and we sat in the sunshine at the Ship Inn and supped on Thatchers Dry Cider. Mmmmm. Noss is ace - we're gonna really miss this day out.

The travelling was starting to take its toll on Sunday however we did manage to sneak in a game of pitch and putt at Central Park (I was rubbish) and a walk around the Hoe and Barbican before a meal at our local pub with the remaining family members one last time before they all disappeared on holiday to the Costa Blanca. I had a massive 12oz burger which I couldn't even fit in my enormous gob. Nice!

Yesterday was Philippe's last full day and after a short trip to town to raid Sainsburys for goodies for him to take home, we took a last-minute trip to Cotehele Quay on the River Tamar to kill the afternoon. Another place we have both grown to love however this time the fatigue was a bit too much to really appreciate (and also take the camera out of the bag). It was a bit grey and overcast too which was a bit of a shock after all the sunshine.

It has been an amazing few weeks and I don't think we would have been able to enjoy it as much if it wasn't for Neil and Philippe's welcome visits - thanks guys we had an absolute blast. I don't know how many miles we have covered however its been like a holiday for us - much needed and very much appreciated.

Last night we said a teary goodbye to Mum - she should be over in Spain as I write this so will not be about for the last two weeks of our time in the UK. She really made sure Vero, Neil and I had a great send off with her roast dinner, sausage and egg pie, rhubarb crumble and so on..Thanks Mum we'll miss your cooking but we'll miss you more. See you in Spain soon maybe?

And so to today. We dropped Philippe off to the Airport this morning in near-apocalyptic rain and gales and returned (via a nostalgic last trip to Tesco Extra and a final pork pie raid) to the reality of only 14 more days in Plymouth before we emigrate to Switzerland on 29 August. There is still so much to do however we have just about accomplished all the major landmarks over the last few weeks. We have sold the flat, booked the removal, advertised the car and packing is well underway. The removers are coming in next Friday or Saturday and as we get closer and closer, our flat feels less like home and more like a warehouse. It certainly feels very strange and as much as we love everyone and everything about where we live we are ready to go now and start a whole brand new adventure.....

Steps to Heaven

2007-08-01T00:00:00.000+02:00

Once again, the better blog wins. Neil has already posted his version of today's trip to North (ish) Cornwall however I'll add my own account of a wonderful day out. We set out looking forward to the day, the sun was out, the golf clubs were in the back and the stomachs were preparing ready for the legendary Jacket spuds.

I was looking forward to the drive as the A30 had recently been improved so it was motorway all the way from Bodmin to Indian Queens. I didn't count on a 30 minute stopover in Dobwalls though. Next time I might go through Launceston (that's the original and correctly pronounced Launceston, not the the one in Tasmania).

We arrived at a beautiful Bedruthan. The tide was out with the rocky stacks and cliffs rising majestically from the glorious golden sandy beaches. We took a walk along the cliff top towards Mawgan Porth, amongst the wildlife gorse and heather, which was picture postcard perfect in every way. Now this we will miss very much. We did spend quite a bit of time en route taking photos, especially of a golden plover who wasn't freaked at all by our presence and posed perfectly for some great shots. She was still there posing when we passed by on the way back. There were plenty more birds around. Seabirds such as gulls, kittiwakes and cormorants on one side, and smaller birds such as linnets and stonechats on the other.

Afterwards was the much anticipated lunch - I have never tasted a better jacket spud and probably never will. Enough said.. We took a post lunch stroll down the dozens of steep steps and on to the beach, dipping our feet in the surprisingly warmish water and watching the waves gently roll in.

Later on we summoned energy (via a very nice blackcurrant and clotted cream ice cream) for a round of links style pitch and putt at Holywell Bay. I am yet to find a pitch and putt with such excellent views and also in such great condition. The greens were better than a lot of proper golf courses where you pay dozens of pounds to play. We all enjoyed that - Véro did stray off the fairway and found some bunnies in the process so she was extremely happy!

The 19th hole is great, with the same views over the bay and the sunset. Add to this the customary pint of Doom Bar (well half for me) and the day was topped off. Well not quite - the final hurrah was some tasty fish and chips in nearby Cubert from a chippy called 'Asalt and Battery'. Oh what a perfect Cornish day out.....

A Dam Fine Afternoon

2007-07-30T22:00:00.000+02:00

Ok, so Neil and our blogs will have a somewhat similar theme for a few days. With Neil 'on holiday' and ourselves emigrating, we are trying to get to see the best bits of our local area before we go our separate ways.

Any of you who read Neil's blog regularly may have already seen his pics of our afternoon out today. We decided on Avon Dam mainly because Tesco was on the way home and that the path is tarmac and would be dry (for the most part). We haven't been for a few years so it was nice to re-acquaint ourselves with this hidden Dartmoor gem.

We also didn't remember the walk being as long as it was either! However, this was the first day of summer weather for quite some time (although shorts were not quite the order of the day), and the walk was worth it. The river was crashing with intent down the wooded valley as we walked up the meandering path towards the dam. When we approached the dam, the noise of the river was somewhat drowned out by the sound of a full reservoir overspilling down a giant concrete staircase. As you passed the dam the noise disappeared and you were left with a tranquil view of the lake itself, and the barren yellow-green Dartmoor slopes behind.

We wandered on to the brook halfway along the east side and sat in the warm sunshine, watching the fluffy clouds pass overhead and listen to the gentle trickle of the brook. Aaaaah Devon. It did resemble a little of a few Alpine walks in places too, with the open moor and streams, which was a nice reminder of our new life to come!

The Marriage of Stephen White and Cheryl Bewick

2007-07-28T17:00:00.000+02:00

Today, our sister, Cheryl, married her long-time fiancé, Steve, in a wonderful ceremony at Higher St Budeaux Parish Church. This was followed by a fantastic reception in their local pub where a good time was had by all. These are the 'family album' photos I took in my capacity as one of the official photographers.

More are available to view on my friends on Facebook, and there's commentary and some more great photos on Neil's blog.

An Ode to Plymouth - Part 1 Plymouth Hoe

2007-07-25T12:10:00.000+02:00

Its July 25th - the height of summer however I'm sat here looking out of my lounge window towards the sea (which is only 2km away) but is completely invisible behind cloud. Its cold, the wind is blowing a hooligan and its chucking it down. Oh I am so glad I took extra time off to enjoy the summer a bit before moving away. Neil - you may wanna turn around and go back to Australia now - your winters are better than this.

Moan moan moan. So despite its tired facade, its over-population of chavs (and subsequently, pushchairs) and perennial dodgy weather, Plymouth does have some good bits. I will try and capture as much as possible before we leave for Switzerland and give the old city a good send off.

So on a comparatively sunny day a week ago, we decided on a walk into town for ice cream (oh such a carefree life). We decided on Thorntons (what great value for money too) and the Rhubarb Crumble and Chocolate heaven flavours did not disappoint. The fudge sticks rock too. I do hope Geneva ice cream is at least as good as that. The local bird life, in particular the seagulls (shitehawks if you prefer) took a bit of interest too. I must give them a mention as they do dominate the town and the shore a bit however compared with some places they are not as aggressive - it must be the relaxing Devon lifestyle and the abundance of food (namely at chelson meadow tip).

Afterwards we strolled up to the Hoe, Plymouth's iconic and probably only defining feature and started snapping away. It is always a breath of fresh air (sometimes quite literally) to spend a moment on the Hoe with its open expanse and great 360 degree views of Plymouth Sound and the sea beyond, Cornwall, Staddon Heights, Mount Batten and even Dartmoor.
There is always something going on, whether its boats in the sound or events on the Hoe itself which will distract your attention and let you forget about your day to day worries (if you have any that is!).

Véro remembers the first time she went there, not having seen the sea (other than Dover ferry crossings) for many years and she said it blew her away. Being a local I have always kind of taken it for granted but through the eye of a lens you can see why it draws such reactions from visitors.

My earliest memory of the hoe was West Hoe Park and in particular the 'bunny trains'. My Auntie brought me up there when she used to look after me as a toddler/pre-schooler and would always let me ride the trains. That was in the mid-70s and they are still there now. The rabbits may have changed but it is still as popular as ever. I must have a go before I leave - I must borrow Beth and use her as an excuse to get on.

The most iconic feature is Smeatons Tower (or the 'light-owse on the 'oe') - it is really quite photogenic with the red and white stripes sat on a emerald green grass (always green - trust me its all the rain) set against a deep blue backdrop (on about 6 days a year when the sun is out). I did climb it once - maybe something to be done again soon.

There are other statues and memorials, as well as the Drake's (so-called) bowling green and the old citadel which give the Hoe a quite eclectic but deeply historical feel. There's also Tinside pool - refurbished recently but still retaining its 'classic' look. Now I don't remember having ever tried the pool - for most of the summer when it is open only the brave and foolish will try and swim in there. Everyone else mainly looks at it from above saying 'look at those idiots - you'll never catch me in there'. Unless starting tomorrow we have 3 weeks of heatwave and it is sufficiently warm enough to dip my toe, I do not think I will ever have the pleasure. I blame global drowning, sorry, warming.

There's always plenty of eating options too with a variety of ice cream to be had. The best has to be the raspberry and clotted cream sundaes.I had one yesterday and it was delicious. Oh we are back to food again - boy do I have a one track mind....must be lunchtime soon.

Le Tour de France 2007

2007-07-19T15:36:00.000+02:00

After a hiatus of an hour you knew things were approaching - the TV helicopter was hovering gradually closer up the forested climb. Suddenly there was a burst of action. Team cars came speeding through then there were numerous biker cops followed by a car telling everyone to get out of the way as the Tour was about to arrive, and also that the peleton had been split by the climb. Everyone dropped their baguettes and jumped to their feet, grabbing their cameras and giant green hands.

Two riders were off the front, one of whom is the current (as I write this) race leader, Michael Rasmussen. He is a climber and, as ever, is after the King of the Mountains prize so it was no surprise he was out front trying to win climbing points.

Then followed a few smaller groups containing the incumbent King of the Mountains leader, Sylvain Chavanel (in the white and red polka dot jersey) and Fabian Cancellara who had been in yellow all week but this would prove to be his last day in the lead.

The groups gradually got bigger an bigger and it was all blur of colour and noise, interspersed with endless bikes and cars with officials, teams media etc. I must admit did not really take it all in. The groups came through at speed and the camera fired off shot after shot after shot. It was over and they all disappeared over the summit within a couple of minutes or so.

Only afterwards was I able to review the action through the countless photos I had taken on burst mode and pick out who had gone through. It was a tough job taking photos of something moving so fast and I didn't do a great job, however I was pleased with my first go.

The walk back to the car was bizarre - joining hoards of people walking up the middle of normally main road. Then suddenly everyone was gone and people were replaced by cars and motor homes. On the descent back down it was almost as if the Tour never came through - there was still a bit of a party going on one of the bends (well it was Bastille Day) and that crazy crane was still there. We were able to take in some of the scenery too proving why the Tour de France has the best stadium in the world!

It was an amazing experience for someone who avidly watches the Tour each year on TV, as much for the love of France as for the sport. The atmosphere and buzz was unique - something that you will not find anywhere else on earth. They love the Tour here - and so they should.

Caravane d'Amour

2007-07-19T14:36:00.000+02:00

So much for a Saturday morning lie in. After the party in Trept the night before we had not had that much sleep however we had to get up early - we just had to. The reasons - one it was July 14th, Bastille Day and being the French national day lying in bed would just be an insult to those who fought gallantly to overthrow the monarchy and create the republic. Secondly the Tour de France was coming our way...

Well I say our way - we had a hour's drive to reach the foot of the Cote de Corlier, near Bourg-en-Bresse, one of the small climbs the riders were going to undertake en route to the Alps that day. We thought we would get there early to get a good spot and also take in the atmosphere - the riders were not due to come through until about 1pm. We arrived in the first part of the route at about 9.45am in St Jean-le-Vieux to be greeted by an old guy pedalling a static bike waving a baguette at every car that drove past and people already having emplaced their deck chairs in prime positions on every corner of this pretty village. There were gendarme everywhere too.

Luckily the route was still open to traffic and we could climb the Cote de Corlier to get a vantage point near the top of the climb - good job too as there was hardly any parking spots left going up. It was a slow climb too as we passed dozens of amateur pedallers trying to emulate their heroes by climbing up the hill. We also passed a very bizarre roadside decoration consisting of a crane and dozens of old bikes suspended mid-air. Les Francais huh.

We found a spot in side lane near the village of Corlier and then had to trek a kilometre back to the summit. We took our place about 100m short of the summit just around a bend and prepared for the arrival of the Caravane.

The Caravane is a procession of publicity like you have never seen before (unless you have seen it before). I have seen processions before but never at 40 mph. Dozens of companies use the Tour to publicise or promote their products by creating the most obscure floats and randomly throwing promotional material at the people on the sides of the road.

There were about 40 different 'advertisers' in everything from giant dustbins to mobile Laughing Cow cheese boxes. Where we were just after a bend added to the hilarity as we could not see what was coming too.

As for the presents, well we got a few including my favourite, a pair of giant green hands (as modelled by Véro) that I have seen on the TV over the years of watching the Tour. Some were passed out, others were launched at some speed and I was at one point smacked in the gut by a SeaFrance pen - so that's how they thank me for their custom.

There were others too we missed out on, including inflatables, hats and other cheesy memorabilia I would have loved to get my hands on even if I would throw it away later. Once the mayhem had passed we had about an hour to wait for the riders during which the tension rose whilst everyone quietly tucked into their baguettes wondering what would happen on this tricky hill....

A Glor-Ruy-ous Week

2007-07-19T12:33:00.001+02:00

Ok, enough of the play on words titles.

Thanks to everything going smoothly with the move, we only needed to spend a day in Geneva during our week in France. The rest of the time was spent like any other stay at Vero's parents in Ruy - a mix of one or two local excursions, market and shopping trips and days spent lazing around the house.

We hoped for some better weather however up until Tuesday the English summer decided to stow away in our car and join us in the Rhone-Alpes region. After that however, out came the sunshine and boy did it come out. Clear blue skies and soaring temperatures meant taking it easy and soaking up the sun (not to mention lunch and dinner outside on the terrace most days).

The first part of the week we visited Philippe's apartment in Villefranche. We dodged our way through thunderstorms through the Dombes where I did want to stop and take photos of the hundreds of ponds and lakes surrounded by glowing sunflowers however the weather and the lack of parking spots put paid to that. The Dombes are amazingly pretty on a good day, as well as quite flat and almost traffic free off the main routes, so I am determined to return another time by bike to enjoy it more (and take some pics). We arrived in time for a trip to the Casino (the supermarket) where we gambled on some goodies for dinner and won. A nice terrine de canard and some pork and beef brochettes were on the menu, not to mention some stunningly good cheese.

The next day Philippe left for work and we pottered around downtown Villefranche which is basically one long street. Villefranche is nice - it is a mix of old, new and something in between - you can see a touch of a modern French provincial town mixed with an ancient village with its tight streets and crumbling but yet typically charming buildings. It is dotted with architectural and archaeological treasures which are not immediately obvious, but good fun to dig out if you have the time and the weather. Unfortunately the rain was still with us so all we did was dive in and out of some shops saving the touristy thing for another time maybe. We did extract some nice quiches and a couple of nice cakes from the local shops for lunch before returning to Ruy again dodging thunderstorms.

The garden was looking very alive. Ruy has had a fair bit of rain this summer considering its southerly location and mixed with the strong sunshine the fruit trees and shrubs have gone nuts, growing at quite a rate. After our excursion to Geneva on Wednesday, Thursday was spent with the obligatory trip to the weekly market in nearby Bourgoin-Jallieu in the morning, some lazing around watching the Tour de France on TV after lunch, and then a nice stroll through the village to a shoe shop (women huh!) late afternoon. It was then I decided to get the camera out of hibernation and take some shots of the garden and the village , photos of which I have dotted throughout this article.

Friday the 13th loomed and I was doomed to a trip to the local LeClerc hypermarket - oh what a terrible thing to have to do. I really like the supermarkets as the amount of different food and drink available is really quite staggering. I could spend hours wandering around the fresh produce aisles if it wasn't for the fact they are like the arctic, not good when you are dressed in shorts and t-shirt. I am so looking forward to trying as much of it as possible..so maybe in the winter I'll spend more time as I will be sufficiently clad to survive longer than 2 minutes without having to run back near the bakery to defrost. Our raid consisted of mainly cheese, wine and biscuits, restraining ourselves further knowing in seven weeks we would be back for good. I canot get over the fact that the cheese, wine and cakes have such great names. Who would call a cake a St Honoré other than the French - and I must say it tasted as good as it sounds. A rich buttery pastry shell filled with wonderfully sweet and creamy creme patissiere (nice custard for the un-educated), topped with fresh creme-chantilly (whipped cream), and caramel covered choux balls. Wonderful.

That evening we went to the nearby village of Trept for a soirée with friends of a friend. Our host made a massive paella (he is of Spanish origin) - there were 20 of us around the table and there was still some left over after we all had two helpings. It was a very social relaxed evening with no care for any dinner table etiquette. After we washed down with some nice rose we were treated to a pre-bastille day fireworks display in the village which considering the size of the village was very spectacular.

On Saturday we went to watch the Tour de France go through (a separate post will follow for this) and Sunday was spent packing for the return, watching the Tour again on TV go through some majestic Alpine scenery and eating like kings. Again. Oh I am so not going to miss English food (except for the occasional pork pie and clotted cream).

Dover and out

2007-07-17T22:43:00.000+02:00

So as part of our preparations to move to Geneva we took a week off last week to drive down to France and take some of our more precious belongings which we can lay our hands on before any removal vans arrive.

We went via Dover so with an hour or so to kill we decided to head up on deck and take yet more photos. We took some going over and some on the return however here they are all together.

We went via Seafrance and found it to have a touch more class and quality than their P&O counterparts. I should also mention that they were one of the Tour de France's official sponsors - whatever floats your boat eh...

Switch-ze-land

2007-07-17T21:54:00.000+02:00

OK so most of you reading this know, however until all was written in stone, I's dotted and T's crossed, we did not want to make any reference on this blog to our biggest news for quite some time. After years of deliberating we are finally taking the plunge and moving back to Vero's home country of France - oh wait hang on - should that read Switzerland?

The way things have worked out is that Vero is now taking a new job in Geneva and we were (and still are) planning to join the masses of Frontaliers who commute from the French border towns to Geneva every day (well maybe not weekends). However thanks to her new employers we'll be taking up temporary residence in Geneva itself for a few months until we decide where we want to live/find somewhere to live. We should be moving at the end of August.

So now the blog can take up its real purpose - to let all our family and friends know how we are getting on, and also hopefully some more personal takes on life in the shadow of the mountains (or should that read fountains?).

So busy times lie ahead however we'll do our best to ensure the blog is kept up to date. Until I find work I'll be out and about exploring our new home city and its immediate surrounding area, and once we are mobile there will be endless excursions into the Alps and beyond.

Where's summer?

2007-06-25T19:18:00.001+02:00

OK - so we may not have many readers yet however the 3 of you loyal fans have probably been wondering why no posts for the last month. Well the main reason is our weekends, when we would normally go out and take our pictures to inspire our blog, have been rained off. The bits in between haven't been much better either.

So what do we attribute this wet weather too? If global warming is upon us then where the heck is it. Bring it on I say...I can deal with smaller polar ice caps if it means the highlight of my weekend is something better than the trolley jams in the veg aisle at Tesco on a Sunday morning.

Thankfully we did manage to shake the dust off the camera a couple of weekends ago - it was a rare weekend when the weather was fine and dry. Saturday was spent at Mount Edgecumbe country park along with the rest of Swilly. Not weather for ducks (have I used this joke before?) but we did see them.... aaaaaah. Oh and moorhens too.

Yes, these photos were taken in their natural habitat (in a pond dodging giant pieces of stale kingsmill being thrown at them by well-meaning toddlers in burberry caps), and not as they swam past our front door last night...

The next day we did escape to the moors - it was T-shirt weather except for the bit at the the top of the tor. We went to Belliver, near Postbridge. Its a nice spot set on the edge of a pine forest nestled alongside the river Dart, popular with picnickers (including someone who brought a giant barbeque) and inflatable dinghy lovers.

We escaped the throng, and walked through the forest ending up at Belliver tor, where some teens on a school trip were struggling to read the map back to the car park. I showed them the way and felt like a seasoned mountaineer in my khaki hikers outfit - no wonder they asked me for help. Mind you they did need it - their first question was - 'can you tell us which tor this is?'. Despair could have led me to making fun of them but I couldn't have 6 missing teenagers on my conscience.

Since then weekends have meant either sneaking out to town in between rubbish weather or staying in and doing 'chores'. The only nature photos taken have been of the fat sparrows on the bird feeder. Here's an action shot for you, however its drama is somewhat ruined by the grey background..

Well, we are off to France for about a week on 7 July so hopefully I can top up on vitamin D and get some better pics then. In the meantime its watching the recorded games of years gone by on the Wimbledon coverage (as this years will never happen) and sailing to work....

A Gorge-eous Walk

2007-05-26T20:00:00.000+02:00

Well this weekend is the last weekend we have our National Trust membership so the question posed - which of the many great properties around Plymouth do we visit. The decision came to Lydford Gorge. My justification is because it is all about rugged nature - there's no elaborate gardens or pompous country house. Vero's reasons - she wanted to see the bunnies that usually live near the gift shop!

It was an overcast and not particularly warm day, and having arrived already tired from a early wake up (damn summer mornings!) and a morning spent overhauling the planting on the balcony, the prospect of a 3 mile walk over undulating terrain would normally be uninviting.

However, Lydford Gorge is not the Grand Canyon or Yosemite Valley but it is spectacular in its own unique way.

The walk starts with a trek through dense woodland overlooking the gorge, where you can only hear the water crashing down the river below (and the occasional shouting tourists). You cross the heads of several small waterfalls before reaching the brook the starts to tumble down and becomes White Lady falls. Once down in the valley you wander alongside a calm and shallow stretch of the river Lyd which betrays what is to come. Usually there's a dipper or two to be seen however too many people around for what is usually a skittish bird.

Then as you come around a corner the falls appear, cascading 30 meters down over black stone. A definite photo op for all.

Then its the walk up through the gorge, alongside the river which varies between calm shallows to plunging mini-cascades and pools, including the spectacular (but too busy today) Devils Cauldron. The walk itself is quite precarious too, especially when holding an expensive camera! There's plenty of wildlife too - trout in the river with dippers and grey wagtails flashing up and downstream. The flora, in particular the large ferns, add an effect - sometimes you think you are in a jungle in central America.

By time we finished we were pooped - even too tired for a cream tea and Vero's normally mandatory hour in the gift shop!All in all a place we would always recommend to visit. We probably won't be back to visit for a while however it will always be fondly remembered.

Happy 5th Birthday Beth

2007-05-25T23:00:00.000+02:00

Monkey!

Every Cloud has a Silver Lining....

2007-05-10T19:33:00.000+02:00

Since Sunday evening the weather here in the UK has been miserable, with no real sign of it letting up for the weekend. Shame really as plans were afoot to make use of the remaining weekends left before our National Trust membership expires at the end of May. Oh well, I guess Lydford Gorge would be more like Lydford lake by now...weather for ducks?

Its been a strange week. I have had sporting highs and lows, I scored my first hat trick at football on Monday despite a 10-6 defeat. Then my mixed hockey team won their first game of the season on Wednesday but I walked out of it with either badly bruised or cracked rib(s)! Ouch they hurt.

Being stuck in by the weather is even worse considering I don't even recognise our home. One bedroom has been gutted of contents so it can be decorated and the contents are strewn systematically throughout our tiny flat wherever there is free air space. I'm sat here right now with the keyboard and monitor on the dining table trying to ignore the Blair resignation blah blah on TV.

However, as the title suggests, every cloud has a silver lining. Not because I have poured a nice glass of red wine (a nice Spanish Tempranillo Cabernet), nor because I am about to retrieve some of Véro's home made rhubarb and red berry crumble from the oven and smother it in clotted cream - its the big news that after eight great years rubbing shoulders with 'Uncle Sam' in California and Florida, Dad and Sonia are coming home to the UK.

So, with the lack of local photo opportunities this weekend, and in honour of all the kind hospitality and amazing holidays we have had in Folsom and Jacksonville, here's a pictorial tribute to their great adventure which we were so lucky to have a small part in.

Bon voyage, guys!

(Oh and you might a spot a theme below....)