Sunshine but no snow

We woke up to sunshine but no snow. They had good snowfall in early December but since then it has been too warm and the snow in the village and above the tree line has melted. One wonders what the future will be like with the effects of global warming, so many towns in the mountains rely on good snowfall for their economic viability from tourism.

Adam and Pip went to hire their skis and we went to the supermarket to get groceries. Xena was waiting patiently in the car and as soon as we finished shopping we took her for a walk. She loves walking and playing in snow but there was hardly any around for her to do so, just the few patches here and there in shady areas. After our walk we had a delicious oat milk cappuccino and shared a slice of my favourite Marroni Kuchen (chestnut cake) which is gluten free.

Luke arrived by train at 2pm - he had left Paris at 7am this morning on the direct train from Paris to Zurich. We are so relieved that he is finally here.

This afternoon Gavin went to a DIY store to buy a key safe which he will install to avoid the problem we experienced last night about not having our key. Luke and I walked Xena over the golf course, she was going crazy for the bits of snow we found - Luke was throwing her snowballs which she was catching as can be seen in the extras. This is a view from the golf course and you can see how little snow there is. However, Adam and Pip had a great day skiing as there is plenty of snow up in the mountains - plus the are very good are creating snow here (they pump water from the reservoirs and make snow). There is no powder so they cannot ski off piste.

We now have the fire going, Gavin is cooking a chilli for supper, and we will enjoy being together tonight. We just wish that Tommy was here but he arrives in 2 days time.