We quite frequently get asked "But what do you do in your early retirement, don't you get bored?" Well last week I didn't even have time to write the blog! Sorry it is late again. In this weeks blog, we reflect on the end of our ski season and celebrate Margaret's 80th birthday.
Last few days of the ski season
As we had friends out skiing with us, life has been a little more full on than usual on our travels. We have had a fantastic couple of weeks and have made the most of the great weather and ski conditions. We have skied hard, found some beautiful picnic spots on the mountain and consumed the odd €9 pitcher of Rose.
The snow in the Alps has been more scarce than is normal for this time of year. We were fortunate that the Les Arcs resort is quite high so the skiing has not massively been affected. There have been a couple of afternoons where the temperatures were around 15 degrees and the pistes turned a little slushy, something I have never come across before and it is a different kind of skiing. We also had a couple of mornings where we emerged from the valley to a winter wonderland and the mountains had been covered in a light blanket of snow which made for fun days on the slopes playing in the powder and the moguls that formed.
Until this season, I have always been a very hesitant skier, sticking to the wide blue runs and stopping and waiting for the crowds to move on down the slope. Being fortunate enough to spend so much time in the mountains I feel I have finally found my skiing mojo. Busy slopes no longer bother me, I will ski down pretty much any steep red run, without hesitation and have found that I love finding paths through the moguls which had previously terrified me.
All good until Richard suggested we try a black run!
It was as good as a black run could get, wide, a fresh dusting of powder and no ice patches. However, I had not accounted for my fear of heights kicking in and as I got about 15m down the slope and in need of making a turn, I found my self 'rock bound'.
I was petrified by the sheer steepness and found myself right back to being a beginner skier. It took me over 20 minutes to side slip and side step down to point where I felt comfortable enough to make a turn. The thought of both skies facing down hill for even a fraction of a second petrified me! Needless to say it was my first ever and ONLY ever black run I will be doing!
Bumping into old students!
Sometimes life is full of surprises and coincidences. Whilst putting our skis on after a coffee stop a bloke in his mid 30's approached us "Sir, do you remember me?" It turned out to be a young man that both Richard and Simon had taught about 18 years ago! His mind was blown that he had bumped into not one but two of his old teachers in the middle of the French Alps.
The long journey home
All good things must come to an end and we were quite sad to be packing the van up after nearly 6 weeks of living in it in the Alps.
We set off on the 1003 mile journey home on Monday morning. The journey through France was great - at times we were the only vehicle to be be seen on the road. We covered the 650 miles to Calais in around 11 hrs driving time. It also took us around 11 hrs to drive the 350 miles from Dover back to the Yorkshire Dales!
The difference in the 2 road systems is immeasurable, and that was with us arriving in Dover at 8pm and sailing around the M25 before a stopover near Marlow.
Fab park up finds using P4N App
We broke up the long journey to Calais with a stopover just outside of Reims. We had earmarked a really nice Aire that we had seen the previous summer which has individual bays for each motorhome and is within walking distance of the small village that provides the free facility. Sadly, for the second time of trying, it was jam packed full. Not what we wanted to find at 8pm on a Monday night in March!
Searching the Park 4 Night app, we found another nearby aire on the edge of the Champagne village of Chamery. It was just what we needed, a quiet park up for the night and we awoke to beautiful scenery.
Once in England, we wanted to get past the madness of the M25 before we settled for the night. Another P4N search came up with dozens of options between the M25 and Oxford but you do have sift through the reviews and look at google maps to assess the suitability. We finally found a suggestion near the picturesque town of Marlow which was just perfect for us in the forest. We arrived after 10pm and were back on the road by 9am.
80th Birthday celebrations
It's been a busy weekend for us in the Dales, we had all the family up as it is Richards mums 80th birthday, so big celebrations! It has been so lovely having everyone stay at our house - the kids still think it is a novelty having the van as our spare bedroom.
We took advantage of the dry weather and did a long hike up Whernside. It was a tad blustery at the top but for the first time in years we had great visibility across the Dales and towards the Lakes. I am pleased that I have already done my 300,000 steps for the month with a week to spare. Both myself and Richard were surprised at how hard we found the ascent - ski fitness and hiking fitness are two very different things!
Today we have had the most fantastic afternoon with Richard's mum and her sister celebrating Margarets 80th Birthday. Dementia is such a cruel disease and we know that she will not remember the day, but in the moment and all afternoon she seemed so happy to have all her family around her and it was lovely being able to get the two sisters together for the event.
Hopefully we have a much quieter week coming up and we can spend some time just chilling out in and around the Dales. The lambs are everywhere and it brings us so much joy to wake up to the blissful sound of them bleating in the mornings. I love just lying in bed and watching them bounce around in the fields.
Have a great week,
Jackie and Richard
Comments