20-26 December 2010

Apart from the afternoon ski, we had a very traditional English Christmas just the way we like it, with family, crackers (budget ones with the same joke in each), stockings, mince pies, and Queen's speech.

13-19 December 2010

We have a new home. So do 27 other families, couples and singles, and we all moved in on the same day. One lift and 67 steps to our apartment on the third floor. Demands on the lift exceeded its capability and we really got to know each of those steps. It is customary to take your entire kitchen with you when you move, so as well as the new inhabitants there were a large of amount of kitchen fitters squeezing through the doors, each with their own vans. To add a little more stress to the whole scenario, there is no such thing as a removal firm. Of course, you just ask your brother/uncle/cousin who has a farm and a trailer. We are lacking in the family farmers department but our good neighbours were aware of that and we were overwhelmed by offers of help, some from people we had never met before. We managed with a posse of ski instructors and 2 lads with a lorry who, when they had finished helping their own friends at 10.00pm, came and moved our stuff for us. Pizzas and beer all round and everyone was happy - a veritable barn raising experience.

6-12 December 2010

In this week, a week when we are surrounded by huge packing boxes before we move to our new apartment, another huge box arrived, Caspar's new accordion, paid for with his own hard-earned money from playing to the Oberammegau guests in the Summer. It is too heavy for him to carry and too loud for us to be able to get on with our new neighbours, but he is very happy.

29 November - 5 December 2010

Maria Alm has two banks which vie for profile by sponsoring anything that moves, paying for the bus on school outings, providing free accident insurance for every child and throwing sweets and gifts at the children when they so much as step through the door. The tradition of the 'Sparverein' (savings clubs), began before there was a bank in the village, and thrifty villagers would each have a little box in a local guesthouse to put their small change into to save up for Christmas. During this week, once a year, the boxes are opened and much of the years savings are liquidated in a big booze up. The boxes must be topped up once a fortnight during the year otherwise the savers incur a penalty. Some of the not so conscientious ended up with a considerable debt, but the fondness that Austrians have for clubs seems to override the inefficiency of this saving scheme. Justine had to pay about as much in penalties as she recouped in tombola prizes.