And Away........

Writing this, a full 24 hours since we arrived in Samoens, so much has happened and I'm a little unsure where to start.  Probably the first thing is to try to describe what it's like to actually do what we've been thinking about and planning for a long time.  We first discussed the idea of travelling in a motorhome well before Covid and many will know that we hired a motorhome for a trip to the Alps in March 2020.  Of course that was cancelled due to the pandemic but we've not lost the desire to live the motorhome life and this 3 month trip to the French Alps is in some way a culmination of all those thoughts and all that dreaming.  Those who know me well will know that after rediscovering skiing and mountain life about 7 years ago (I went on numerous skiing holidays in my teens with my school) we started to consider how we might spend a ski season in the Alps one day.  So here we are.  Driving Homer along the A40 past Geneva and through many tunnels and valleys into the mountains was an amazing experience - so many breathtaking views, the road must be one of the wonders of the world with the way it cuts through and yet highlights the landscape, both man made and natural.

We've had numerous experiences and challenges since we left home on Thursday morning and although there have been one or two extra stresses I think we've both tried to put them in context and see them as part of the adventure rather than a major stress.  I think we've also enjoyed the chance to connect with other people in places where we've stopped, from shopkeepers in bakeries to technicians in workshops and we hope to keep that going now we've arrived in the Grand Massif.  I really hope we can join in local life and make a contribution while we're here and, as I've mentioned before, we're really trying to learn to understand and speak French to help with this.

Driving for virtually 3 days solid also gave me plenty of time to reflect on a few things.  To think about how lucky I am to be able to do this, with the support of my family and friends and also to think about those who sadly have passed in my life.  I know that Dave Tozer, who passed away very suddenly recently, would have loved to hear of our journey.  Dave and I briefly spoke about moving our families to an Austrian ski resort some years ago, and it gave me chance to think a little about him and our friendship which was really nice.  I also thought about my Mum and Dad, both of whom passed away too early, and to remember the holidays where they often dragged us up some Lake District or Scottish hillside and how these formative activities influenced my thinking.  Whilst travelling here I also heard of the passing of a young man who worked for Energize as an apprentice in his early twenties before going on to a permanent role with Welsh Hockey.  Elliot Pottinger was a smashing lad, always so diligent and enthusiastic, it's so sad and such a terrible loss but I guess it made me feel that it is so important we live our lives to the full.  I know he would agree too.

So here we are in Samoens. The first day was a bit of a washout with crazy heavy rainfall and later on snow and freezing conditions which just remind us where we are.  We've just been settling in, trying to get our bearings but hopefully tomorrow we can go up the mountain and do a little skiing?  Maybe next time you'll get a video of this in action, watch this space.



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