We’re still stuck.

The information deadlines keep getting moved back. There will be a new assessment at 1pm in 3 hours time. We’ve been surrounded by the deep booms of explosions this morning as they have tried to dislodge the snow masses that are threatening us with avalanches and keeping the road closed and the trains not running. The snow has stopped falling and the sky is almost blue. More snow is forecast to start in the afternoon and carry on for several days, so we’re just hoping that we can take advantage of a small window of opportunity later today.

I really want to go home.

Being snowed in sounds so romantic – and actually I think if it was just me and my husband it would be, but not with 5 teenagers, some of whom have a tendency to be recalcitrant and uncooperative at the best of times. So far they’ve kept themselves busy with board games and digging out my Mini, which was under several feet of snow, but really the flat is way too small for 7 people and a cat. The kids of course would like to be snowed in forever – or at least until after Monday, when school starts again!

But you know me….I need time on my own…and it’s been a while….

I’ll let you know what happens, but as for now I’m busying the slaves to pack and clean so that if by any chance we can leave, we’ll be ready.

Greetings from a winter wonderland,

Helen

What a funny turn of events.

As a result of the last big storm in the Alps, we are cut off from civilization – it seems for the foreseeable future. A metre and a half of snow in the last day and it’s still falling thick and fast. Both the road and rail links are closed – the avalanche risk is too high to let anything through. So here I sit, stranded with 5 teenagers.

On top of this I had a little skiing adventure yesterday. I was stupid to have even ventured up the mountain, but the girls wanted to go and I didn’t want to look like a wuss. Big mistake. I managed to fall really awkwardly in deep snow, my ski didn’t release and I did a great impersonation of Michael Owen in the World Cup when his knee bent in a direction that knees aren’t supposed to bend. Ouch.

The girls managed to get me out and upright and we struggled over to the one operating T-bar lift (it tells you something when there’s only one lift running in a whole ski area – and that something is along the lines of ‘hey stupid, you shouldn’t be here‘) and got back to the gondola to the town. Anyway, to cut a long story short my husband took me to the military emergency room – where they seemed very happy to see anybody at all and didn’t mind treating me even though I wasn’t in army fatigues.

It’s ligaments or the meniscus and it hurts like ****. I have very smart crutches – with spikes to use on the ice. (I’m not going to be doing that in a hurry!). I’m also not sure that I’ll be able to drive…if we’re ever allowed to drive again, that is.

I’m going to cross that bridge when I get there.

Right now I’m snowed in with 5 slaves, 6 if you count my husband.

I have tea and knitting. It could be worse!

Helen

Over the last few days I’ve been working on a cardigan that I started knitting a few months ago. The yarn is Donegal by Lang and the pattern…well, the pattern is a bit of a mystery.

I saw the finished cardigan displayed on a mannequin in one of the yarn stores in Zürich last year – and loved it. It has a really nice fake cable pattern that I hadn’t seen before and a scooped neck. That’s about as much as I remember. The pattern came for free when you bought the yarn, so I didn’t get a chance to check it out first – and to be honest when I see something I like, I honestly don’t give the pattern a second thought – it’s really just a means to an end.

Except this one isn’t. It’s a self-produced pattern by the yarn store. It’s in German. It uses all sorts of abbreviations that might as well be in Chinese. I am winging it all big time.

I set out blindly knitting because I didn’t really understand the hand-written and badly photocopied last page of the pattern which told me how to do the fake cables. But before I got to that point there was a good amount of nice uneventful stocking stitch where nothing could go wrong. When I made it to the cable section I played around for a bit and finally worked out what I had to do. Not so tricky after all.

Now I’ve finished the back and almost two fronts and the sleeves look understandable, although I have no recollection of how the sleeves looked made-up. Why, oh why didn’t I just take a photo in the store?

The sleeves will get made – not an issue. But then my problems will really start – I have had a quick glance at the instructions for finishing off the cardigan – the neckline, the buttonholes…..you get the drift…..AND I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF IT. Not even a little bit. It’s gibberish. Which is a bit worrying seeing as how I’ve done all this knitting and I would actually like to wear this at some point in time.

Two options are available – one is to see if the not amazingly friendly ladies in the yarn store will take the time to work it out with me 🙂 , if they even understand it all themselves….. the second is to beg for a rescue mission from Mel, who I have no doubt is better at these things than me…

So how about it Mel….what can I bribe you with?

Helen

Remember this time last year? No? I do….I was hobbling around with a break in the sacral vertebrae in my spine – miserable. This year I’m thankful that I’m healthy and taking advantage of a perfect day in the mountains. There are snow storms on the way, so today was a day to be enjoyed to the full, and what better thing to occupy a houseful of teenagers!

There’s also some knitting going on – I’m beavering away at a UFO from last year, but it isn’t very photogenic yet. Once it’s done it’s going to give me a lovely big negative number on the using up the stash campaign (which after last year’s pathetic efforts would be an excellent way to start the year!)

happy 3rd of January to you all!

Helen

This time last year I didn’t make any resolutions, but I did resolve to live simply and to take time to smell the roses….

This year I’m planning more of the same. I want to live slowly and simply. I want to make the most of every day and I want to use and enjoy what I have and not give what I don’t have a second thought. I want to focus on eating well, exercising, avoiding stress and staying healthy. I want to take time to enjoy friendships and family and to help those who are at difficult points in their lives.

I suppose it comes down to wanting to live a good life, not a spectacular or fantastically successful life, but a measured and fulfilled life. That way I can give my children a solid basis to build their own lives too.

Who knows what will be thrown at us during 2012, but I hope that with both feet on the ground and with a little help from the Almighty, we will make the best of whatever comes.

With that I would like to wish all of you a healthy and happy year too….and that some of your dreams might come true!

Helen