Brrr It's Cold

The view from Allie's window.


We're well on the down hill slope to winter. Hats and gloves have been bought. Many hours have been spent trying on boots and we have missed the local "trocs" again. Since skiing is such a big deal here, every commune has a troc during the first week of November. It's rather like a rummage or jumble sale. People bring winter sporting goods to sell and most of the proceeds go to the local schools (usually). People can also take a little money home with them (nice). As an aside, did you know that the Swiss are paid in 13 'monthly' installments every year? They get an extra pay check in December. A good idea since every commune and church has a Christmas market all through December. I've also noticed that every shoe shop we have visited has a big TV and seating area for children. The boys watched some of Ice Age, The Wild and French cartoons while I ferried boots over to try. What a tops idea! We didn't make it to the trocs because both boys were sequentially sicksicksick for 3 weeks. They both had high fevers that lasted ~7 days, and they were really tired. The silver lining of that was me having a clean house and many cups of tea while reading the paper. However, I also killed the old, workhorse laptop that resided in the kitchen. It was great for email and radio.... and storing all my photos from the last year.... that I haven't backed up..... blahblah silly me blahblah... I'm learning about the insides of a computer, though. Something rather related to this is our TV. It was the most expensive thing we had ever bought (barring a car) and we treated ourselves to this nice flat screen TV when we moved here. A couple of months ago, Allie was launching toy cars off the couch. He launched one into the TV where it left a star shaped dent, but the picture was watchable. Days later, Toby launched a car AT the TV and since he is such a good thrower, he got it bang in the middle and made it completely unwatchable. We had been without a TV up till a week or so ago, and it was really nice. I would recommend it to any of you non-pseuds who would want to try. But then I caved. I got a tuner to put in the computer, so now in Swiss style, we have everything in one place, saving space and energy ;) It rocks. We still don't watch that much TV, since someone's usually on the computer...hehehe.

The farmer's market still goes on through the winter. The boys get a free carrot every time we go. I get the stinkiest cheese in the world. You can watch it disintegrate before your eyes. Walter and the boys are in there somewhere (in new hats).


We were all set for the International Club halloween party this year. Toby was going to get Allie's old dog costume an Allie was going to be a robot. Toby was sick that weekend, so Allie came with me. I had to help out by painting faces and the children were nice. The weekend after that, our friends Herb and Vero had a wee Halloween party. Again, Toby was sick and Allie got sick that evening.
They even got to carve pumpkins. Allie drew the face and Walter cut it out. Very menacing. No pic due to computer death. Here's a pic of Herb and Vero's do: L to R- AllieBot, SherrifBigHat, FairlyJulia and Jordan (a neighbour friend).


I'm still in the middle of sorting how to do photies on this computer and other minor details.... I'm also trying to recover the minutes of a meeting that I had nearly written up and left on the laptop.


Something to mark the start of Autumn in Saint Blaise, is "Epouvantails" or scarecrows (closest approx.). People make funny and interesting scarecrows for the month of October. Why, I don't know, but it brightens the grey days. I found a link
to the 2004 ones, but none more recent. I forgot to take photies, and by the time I had remembered my camera, they had been taken down..... but these are good. It's also "Chasse" season. That is, hunting! The shops are full of (I have to admit) tasty deer..... from New Zealand!!!! There is a scarcity of local fauna due to regulations on how many deer can be hunted. It's one per house or something like that, so anyone who catches one keeps it and doesn't sell to the restaurants. Walter and I are going to a tradtitional chasse dinner next weekend.... mmmmm.

The boys are both well now, and have enough energy to make a lot of noise and fight. Toby is in a big boy bed, and pleads every night to go back to his crib. I sometimes forget there's a sensitive wee boy in the solid exterior!