Sponsored by
Part 46: Half-term madness
LATE February and another break gives me time for some random jottings.
Sunday saw us waving goodbye to the biggest group yet, 18 half-termers from the home-counties, most of whom drove down to join the French holiday hordes clogging the pistes last week.
Half term is a funny business, we could double the prices and still fill the place twenty times over, but I still find myself apologizing for the queues, the restaurant prices and all the other February irritants.
Half-term is all about compromise, not always entirely happy; fathers who would be more at home tearing down reds have to be back for the end of childrens' lessons, mothers live in states of permanent anxiety as boarders career across their skis. 'Come back in January next year', we tell them but they never do, the half-term family skiing holiday is a ritual they're locked into until GCSEs break the spell.
The Featherstones are back in town and bring a healthy dose of sanity to our Wednesday off; lunch in Samoens and some surprisingly empty pistes including a black run down to Vercland, first time this year. Keith earns his 'hors-piste' Tshirt distantly following the pink dot down the rabbit run to the chalet.
The week before she led an over-intrepid father over the drop-off, flat on his back and winded in front of his semi-hysterical children. I'd print a disclaimer on her backside if I thought they could get close enough to read it.
Other highlights of February? Our gallant fire-fighters will take some forgetting, both for us and the Ukranians with whom they co-habited, sometimes a little uneasily.
Sasha's Bloody Marys did much to break the ice and the Blue Watch debutants made astonishing progress under Bruno's watchful eye, all tumbling gracefully down the rabbit run before the week was out.
A priceless moment in the kitchen, the meal running late and tempers fraying… The phone rings. 'Chalet Plein Air, can I help you?' ' A pizza please to Demesne Road..' Not for the first time the closeness of Home-Run number to our diverted Manx number makes for some hilarity.
The drunk at the other end is unimpressed with the offer of a tartiflette special but persists in ringing back repeatedly until IOM Fire & Rescue convince him of the error of his ways.
Stocks are running low and it was back to the wholesalers this morning via a jet-wash treat for the Shogun. Tomorrow sees another valley run, this time to the accountants; the much put-off remote posting of the first three months purchase invoices was a total disaster, it remains to be seen if some careful coaching by the ever-patient Jacqueline will make much difference.
Valuable days of respite, then, but Thursday sees the next batch of clients with some big weeks following.
A couple of weeks ago we passed last year's total of pre-booked bednights and with some good-sized gaps still to fill around Easter, who knows what the final tally may be? Enough musing, there's two sides of salmon to fillet.
Until next time…
--------------
BLOG FEEDBACK
Get in touch and post your comments by emailing Chris direct on chris@manxski.com
>> Read blog feedback
--------------
www.manxski.com
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Isle of Man
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 7 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
