Top of the world (again)

Early start... But we all did well and we were underway close to expected time of departure. All was well until.... (Well come on, this is us, you knew there would be an 'until'.) Today's 'until' was the car window refusing to go back up after I collected the toll ticket....

So, I decamped to our pals' car while Mr B, TallGirl and CarbBoy put on all their ski clothes and turned the heater up high. And so on we drove, with the temperature dropping well into minus figures... Mr B commented during a brief stop that this was an unusual experience for the kids - but this is in fact the fourth car of our's that has had this problem... Happily our children thrive on adversity and smiled through the next two chilly hours.

At a later stop Mr B announced that he was nearly out of petrol. In the snowy mountains. With no petrol stations for miles. Luckily, despite a u-turn for snow sleeves, he made it to the next one - running out on a steep mountain road reduced to barely two lanes by snow would not have been popular. And so we slipped and slid our way into Andorra and to our hotel.

Ski hire took the longest time (even longer than this blip is taking to read) with every ski hire shop seeming astonished that we wanted to, well, hire skis.

Finally, at around lunchtime we were heading up into the snow. Time for a couple of runs before a sandwich lunch, then a quick trip over to the next valley with all but the biggest and littlest members of our troop. Despite some equipment issues (my godson's ski spontaneously falling off every now and then), we survived. Eagle eyed viewers who know them may spot V and C disappearing into the distance.

Some lounging, failing to make the wifi work (hence lack of blipping), aperos, and out for fabulous pizzas in the next door restaurant. We've really lucked out with the hotel - adjoining rooms for each family, bathrobes and slippers (I'm a sucker for a fluffy bathrobe) and the friendliest staff.

Holidays are not half bad. Even when (especially when?) they start out shabbily.