18 - 24 April 2011

Simon was released from hospital on account of the fact that he was going a little bit crazy in hospital and needed distracting.The children obliged by being most distracting. On Easter day they ate chocolate and bounced around him like bunnies as he lay on the floor. At bedtime when asked if they had had a nice Easter day Elizabeth spontaneously combusted into tears lamenting that the Easter bunny had delivered a present to every child in Maria Alm with three exceptions, chocolate eggs were not sufficient, she had been hoping for a Hello Kitty t-shirt.

11 - 17 April 2011

Simon, suffering badly from another two prolapsed discs, explained to the children that he was going to hospital so they should say goodbye before they went to school. Elizabeth kissed him and cheerily asked if that meant she was never going to see him again. After he had been gone a couple of days Justine suggested they all visit, which really confused her because she hadn't yet noticed that he wasn't at home.

4 - 10 April 2011

Elizabeth wanted to spend some of her birthday money at the annual basaar in Maria Alm. She takes great care over purchasing decisions and after a very long time she finally decided upon the little green bike that Caspar, Mary and Elizabeth had learnt to ride on and that we had finally got round to taking down to the basaar to sell.

28 March - 3 April 2011

Easter occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox. There were clearly no skiers in the committee who decided upon this formula back in the third century. This week, the start of the Easter holidays, the English arrived in their droves to find no ski school, no teaching area and easy rope lift to learn on, not a single restaurant open on the mountain that a beginner skiier can get to, no pistes open down to the valley, no ski show and, crucially, almost no snow.