A great visit!

Well my family have been and gone! It was a great visit - they really are very easy visitors - and we got lucky with the weather, which was maybe just a little overcast on one occasion but otherwise bright and sunny! I must have been more tired than I thought though because since they left I've slept around 10 hours most nights - which is pretty much unheard of for me! Oh well, I guess the body knows!

We had a bit of drama the first day though, as I'd been up to the top bedroom and decided to put the small heater on for a while as the room was quite chilly. I'd wiped the heater down and then we sat having a cup of tea when all of a sudden the electricity shorted and there was a vague smell of smoke. So I ran upstairs and (I reckon) something inside the heater (dust?) must have created a spark and the curtain in front of the bedroom door was literally on fire. I yelled but couldn't get the curtain down so I stamped on the fire in my socks (great idea) and was just managing to put it out when my BIL ran up and beat out the final flames with his shoe. I didn't think quick enough to yell that there was a fire extinguisher in the living room, but then I think by the time I'd gotten him to understand where I meant, the whole place would have gone up in flames! I did use the extinguisher as a final precaution and took a brand new smoke detector up to that room just in case, but all was well after that. Add to that my bloody socks started to melt into my foot, but I ran downstairs and got my feet in a bowl of cold water pretty quickly so all in all I only ended up with one blister! Exciting times eh - and now I need to get the electrician in in the new year and think about how I want/need to redecorate that room! There's never a dull moment is there - but then it could have been so much worse!

On our first full day I took them to the hot springs in Chamonix where we spent around four hours outside lounging in the water and staring at the Mont Blanc. It was wonderful, but to be honest, four hours is about the limit for me - I don't understand how people can spend eight to ten hours there! When we got back to the car park I fished out cake and a flask of tea and started to pour it - when I realized I'd added the hot water but forgotten to put the tea bags in the flask!! What with trying to put my "top" on through the leg holes last week and now this, I do have doubts about my sanity sometimes! Later that evening my kids came over for dinner and sis and BIL got to meet the grands. I knew my sister would be dotty over the kids (she always has been) and we got some really nice pictures of them with both kids as a souvenir!

The next day I thought they'd like the farmers' market in Bonneville - which they did, even though it wasn't nearly as big as usual as they were setting up the Christmas stalls. After that we headed up to Plaine Joux for lunch and while we couldn't get down to the Lac Vert as the road has now been turned into a ski slope, we did get to watch a few intrepid paragliders jump off into the valley!

My sister and brother-in-law
at Plaine Joux!

They posted this picture on FB, saying how
they were initially very scared to jump
but afterwards it was ok. I don't think
anyone fell for it though!

After that it was down to the lake at Passy for a leisurely stroll before heading up to Jordan and Jen's for dinner (I'd made lasagne and garlic bread and for once used a proper recipe - it turned out very well)!

The next day Charlie's school was singing in the Catholic church (he goes to a Catholic school) and the kids were very good, although it looked a bit like herding cats when they were trying to get them all ready. After that it was back to the school where they were handing out mulled wine or hot chocolate before we sat down to diots (a local sausage) slow cooked with tons of potatoes and followed by sweet crepes for dessert. It was really well done and I can only commend the teachers for their dedication (although I reckon their hearing must take a battering on a regular basis)!

On their last day we decided to try our luck by going to Annecy to see the Christmas market but, as I suspected, the place was just heaving and parking places were like gold dust. Mind you, I think the next time I might try heading in the opposite direction as there seemed to be parking places nearer the casino, even if it meant walking! Since my BIL, in particular, loves La Clusaz I decided to take a back road up there from Annecy, passing by the Château de Menthon St. Bernard on the way. This was the place we tried to go to last year to visit their Christmas market but again were stymied by everyone else (and his uncle) having the same idea!

Château de Menthon St. Bernard!

Because it had already snowed (it doesn't always) La Clusaz was opened up for the skiers, but the main parking will be free of charge until next week, so again we lucked out getting to see the mountains covered in snow in the glorious weather! La Clusaz has always been one of my favourite ski resorts because the parents of my pre-marriage boyfriend had an apartment up there, and anytime it was free at the weekend we used to head up there all winter long. It was bliss!

La Clusaz!

The next day we were up at the crack of dawn to get them back to the airport in rush hour traffic, and while there were no accidents or unforeseen events, they were both horrified at the daily commute I had when I was still working! As I was driving though, I thought I felt something "weird" with the car. For any of you that drive a stick shift, it felt like dropping down from fourth gear to third too soon, and the engine starting to drag. They didn't feel it, but I noticed it about four times and was just praying that I could get them to the airport without breaking down. I did, but I decided to head straight to Ford on my way back and one hour and €180 later they discovered that the "particle filter" was blocked, so they dismantled it and cleaned it out. It could have been worse as I understand if they had to replace the part it would have been pretty expensive, not to mention I probably couldn't have gotten it fixed the same day!

In other news, when we were heading in to our last sewing club of the year, as I was about to unlock the main door four kids, about 16 years of age, were making their way out. When Chantal asked them what they were doing in the building as it was private they said they were "looking for a toilet". Then when we got up to the club room we found three more kids all set up around the tables having a fine old time. Chantal hit the roof and asked them what the hell they thought they were doing. They said they'd been to the library (which is in the same building) but she countered that she volunteers at the library and it was closed so they'd better think of another one pretty quick before she called the police on them for trespass! They shot out of there like grease lightning but I did send a message to the Mairie to let them know that someone must have left both the main door and the club room door unlocked (maybe the cleaner?) and to ask them to remind everyone to check before leaving!

My "other neighbours" (Mrs. Gossip and her husband) came back from Mexico a few days ago and had both contracted what appeared to be a bad case of covid, so I ended up doing a bit of shopping for them while they were holed up. Thankfully they seem to have improved and I've seen them walking their dog so I guess the worst symptoms are over by now!

My walking tally looks to be pretty pathetic this year as I'll only hit around 700 miles by year end, so I think my resolution has to be "aim for 1,000 - 1,500 miles" in 2025. I've seen a few beautiful places on the FB hiking groups I follow so I might give some thought to maybe going further afield for a few weekends when the weather permits to check out other regions! Well, that's the aim anyway!

And finally, the trial of Dominque Pelicot has come to an end, with that monster and around 47 other men having been sentenced. For those that haven't heard of the case, Dominique Pelicot had been drugging his wife of 50 years for the past decade and inviting other men to come to their home and rape her????? As she was drugged she knew nothing about it, except that she frequently visited the doctor for unexplained pain and infections, although apparently, thankfully, no more serious STDS!!!! He was only caught when an alert supermarket security guard spotted him upskirting a woman (taking pictures up her skirt) and when the police were called they confiscated both his phone and his computer - and that is when they discovered the videos of so many, many men raping an obviously unconscious woman! He had also, apparently taken indecent photos of both his oblivious daughter and daughter-in-law! His wife, Gisèle, waived her right to anonymity and asked for both the press and public to be allowed into the court room to witness the trial. Pelicot wept when he got 20 years (should have been life, in my opinion), so seemingly he wasn't so brave when he found out the consequences of his actions. About 47 other men quite rightly got varying sentences too. Women's groups (which also included many men) were at the courthouse every day for three months to support her brave stand! I just hope she can find peace and happiness in whatever time she has left on this earth, and that her ex-husband gets to live the rest of his life as he deserves! Merci Gisèle (the Pelicot trial)!

Gisèle Pelicot, thanking her supporters!