23 - 29 June 2008

Justine briefly panicked when Simon went to England to mark GCSE papers - it's been a while since she's had to entertain the children alone. Fortunately a few tonnes of sand was delivered right outside our house - the biggest sand pit ever! Then a team of strapping young lads with naked torsos built a beach soccer pitch. And then various teams of strapping young lads with naked torsos gaily played football just under the balcony for the whole weekend. So, it hasn't been too stressful so far.

16 - 22 June 2008

Simon didn't take the invitation too seriously, to hike up to one of the peaks above Leichneralm at tea time, light a bonfire at 10.00pm and hike down again in the middle of the night. Hundreds of other people, however, mobilised and the mountains were ablaze with beacons on every peak and every ridge in celebration of Midsummer...apart from one of the peaks above Leichneralm where there was an ominous dark spot.

9 - 15 June 2008

We got the impression that football was important here, particularly when a huge screen went up outside our house along with the obligatory long tables, benches and plenty of beer that accompanies any event, sacred or secular. However, when satellite transmission was lost for 15 minutes during the Holland/France match, no one rushed home to their tellies - football is just another reason to get out the long tables, benches and plenty of beer, and celebrate in true Austrian style. Simon, in true English style, staggered home at 2.00am announcing that he'd just been sick in a field somewhere and that he thinks he might have kissed someone!

2 June - 8 June 2008

Youths took to the streets this week as tension increased in the build up to Euro 2008. Armed with sticker books and 'doubles', there was swapping outside the bookshop in Saalfelden on Saturday, as football fans tried desperately to fill the gaps in their albums.

26 May - 1 June 2008

Over the past six weeks we have enjoyed watching our neighbour's huge extension grow; we have marvelled at how quickly it has gone up, we have gasped at the apparent lack of health and safety regulations, but now it has reached it's full height, we are just sad to have lost the beautiful mountain view that we used to gaze upon as we lay in bed in the mornings.