Ski bliss

his first 'expert' trail and only one tumble

It was really really steep

My love is in heaven - a whole week of "step out of the condo, ski right on to the trails, happy kids, cocoa in the backpack, jacuzzi tub waiting for you..."

Heading out en famille this afternoon.

Winter wonderland



This girl can ski for miles/kms



having lunch on the patio (!)

The flock of pheasants that we came across

We are having a wonderful time at Horseshoe Valley - skiing and swimming and reading up a storm. We even had a beautiful dump of snow all day yesterday and the trails are groomed to perfection.

Oversized inspiration

Art project with his buddy Zul

Inspired by Swedish-American sculptor Claes Oldenburg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claes_Oldenburg

I was disappointed that Seb didn't know that Oldenburg considered his work to be collaborations with his wife Coosje van Bruggen, and signed every 1981 piece with both names. Still, it's an impressive project, no? 

Ah, you want to know what it is? A hot dog, of course! Made from fabric.

(I know that grandparents are waiting for snaps of the ski holiday. They are coming in the next day or 2 - as soon as I download them)

When there is housework to do,

do it together

The kids helping their dad last week with the weekly laundry-fest

Must be doing something right

Seb: Can you give me a massage?

Me: Sure [gets to work]

after 2-3 minutes

Seb: Mum? I love you.

Me: Why?

Seb: [pause] Because whenever I have a problem you are there to help me.

Vertigo - the condition

Yes, vertigo - the condition, not the movie - has been on free-for-view in our house this week. I woke to a funfair of movement last Wednesday and wild nausea to accompany it. After a trip to our ER to confirm the self-diagnosis (and not the planned trip to NYC...) and to be treated with some interesting positional manoeuvres, the nausea and dizziness have abated. 

From time to time - and position to position - I am still wobbly on my pins (as my older British relatives might say) but 85% functional. Worse is waking up in the night to the sensation of falling and then waking in the morning to turn my head to the love of my life on the next pillow, only to groan and scrunch my eyes closed as quickly as possible. 

Exercises to re-position the floating calcium deposits in my ear thrice a day might or might not be working, so I am off for a cranial massage tomorrow to see if that assists. Especially as BPPV often is recurrent.

The kids sort of understand it. Sophie told people: "Imagine you are me and I am my mum." She then stands up and falls into them.

Gyroscopic, fun times here!

Dress her in anything - part 3

I love her 2013 ski outfit. It cheers up every winter Sunday

day off school + snow = FUN!

Kids and their dad at our local park on Friday

Dress her anything - part 2

Trying on Mum's hat and mitts

Jack Frost came in the night

Sophie's perspective: Magical; parent's perspective: poor insulation...

This gal's got a new set of skis!

First set in almost 30 years. Hope to wear them out in 20 and get a new pair as a retirement present!

More splash time fun

I was there

I was there - in the pool, on the slides, swimming outside in a snowstorm. I was there - under the massive bucket of water, warming up with a hot shower. I was there - doing the "toilet bowl' ride in an inner tube with my 6 year old, climbing the rope ladders, trying to duck being sprayed with cold water by feral pre-schoolers. I was there - riding the "tunnel of love" (any slide that you do together with your squeeze, according to our 9 year old).

This 44 year old spent a day and a half roaming 3 acres of waterpark in a bathing suit, scars, rolls of fat, greying roots and all. I was not too (fill in the blank) to be photographed. Place this in your photo albums, folks. I was there. And it was fun.