Happy Christmas!

Santa came to Bansko so the family came into our room at 7.45 with their stockings. The boys had lots of nice bits and bobs including a framed photo of a silhouette of Sandy their dog.

It’s a strange day as I always feel a bit tearful thinking of all the years we had with our eldest and all the 17 years she has missed. We are lucky to have the grandchildren as a distraction. Also we did a WhatsApp with #3 daughter and family in South Africa. They were going to the other side of the bay to have dinner with the wedding party. I miss them!

We had the usual breakfast of oats, sunflower seeds, a bit of fruit and yogurt - I couldn’t face the scrambled eggs which were congealed and gross and all the rest was meat apart from cold pasta. We have signed up for the “gala dinner” here tonight but our expectations are realistically low.

Although the snow in town was melting, up the mountain it was snowing for the boys’ lesson. We joined the parents for a bit of pizza in a cafe then at the end of the lesson daughter took the boys for a couple of runs. Unfortunately more beginners joined their class so the instructor said they'd still be on the green slope tomorrow but he said they had advanced enough to be able to do one of the blues with their mum after the class. They are turning nicely now and have a good strong stop.

The gala dinner was as expected. We got enormous plates of tomato, cucumber, green pepper, feta and olives for starter. The others had 2 huge bits of tender cow and veal plus potatoes. I had a pretty plate of very oily roasted aubergine, courgette, red pepper, carrot and onion. The pudding was a big bit of synthetic sweet cake none of us ate. (The boys couldn’t face looking at the huge platefuls so went to bed). Entertainment was a singer with thumping base music on nightmare loudspeakers so loud we couldn’t talk. Lucky Mr C could turn off his hearing aids. Just as well we didn’t come for the food.

Happy Christmas! It’s been different! This is from the gondola on our 25 minute ride up to the ski area.