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Let it snow, let it snow…

Here in Chantemerle we are having lots of fun - second Scottish group of guests this year! They’re all pretty cool too - kids polite and adults easy to deal with. And the weather is BEAUTIFUL!!! It is so nice and the mountains are just stunning at the moment.
So far we haven’t done too badly for snow - I know I’m aware of the jinx - but it seems to be losing the battle with Mother Nature ever so slowly. Hopefully we will get another BIG dump of snow before the folks and jim bob come out in early Feb though - I want to impress!
So season is going well after a rather rocky start (affected by flu and then a nasty tummy bug). Things are falling into place and all my colleagues are well sound - so it is really good fun.
Hope that now I have access to broadband I’ll be a bit better with the contact - but how can you justify sitting at a computer when it’s wall to wall sunshine? I have to do that enough with work!
So long folks, until the next post….
If anyone is still aware that this exists…

Hello!
Foggy greetings from the murky Yorkshire Dales. If you like thick freezing fog and sub zero temperatures then Yorkshire in November is the place for you! A bit of an exaggeration actually as today it is the first time we’ve had such weather. It’s pretty minging though. Glad I’ve just been able to chill out at home, getting things ready for my next jaunt.
In 10 days I will be in the Alps, all being well, starting the winter season 05-06. Looking forward to it immensely though slightly nervous about being able to do the job again.
What rocked during this inter-season time at home - meeting up with friends.
What sucked - crashing my car thanks to an old lady going too fast on the M6. (Yep still bitter).

Since I last wrote, those many moons ago, I have been a courier for Eurocamp on their biggest site! Yeah work’s been tough at times, don’t need to clean any more toilets…ever! But I’ve had fun, specially with the customer contact stuff.
The italian hasn’t really come on a great deal but I understand quite a lot. The german has been coming back too which is useful when most of your customers are german.
So the site shuts down at the end of this week then we’ve got a month of cleaning, inventory checking and taking down of tents. We’re just hoping the rain stays off cause its a lot easier taking down a dry tent than a flooded one!
Will be back in October, have a busy November ahead and then December is snow time. Mountains here I come.
Take care one and all

Charlie

Tomorrow is my last day of classes and then I will be let loose on unsuspecting italians thinking I can understand them. I’m at the stage where I can construct sentences, ask for things and sound reasonably confident, then get the reply and out comes the “No capisco - parla inglese?” (”I’m an ignorant foreigner do you happen to speak my language?”)
Maybe I am being too hard - it has been a great course and I have learnt loads. I am finally getting on socially with my group which makes lunchtime a bit less lonely. In fact the other day we took luch in the bar next to school, had a couple of beers then continued the party back at a classmates flat. It went on till late but I left about 9.30 after much prosecco (the local wine) and a delicious plateful of spicey spaghetti.
After giving out my mobile number I ran out of credit so apologies to anyone who was nice and texted me - will endeavour to buy some more tomorrow.
So I leave Venice Friday afternoon and go over to the campsite to try and get some work. Wish me luck dudes coz I don’t think having French and Italian will be enough - think I may need to speak German too.
Venice has been beautiful - hot, sunny, thunderstormy and a brilliant experience. The culture here is unbelievable but if you like open space and greenery you may find, like me, that more than a week is a bit too much!!! You have you have the experience of staying in Venice though - eating out at night, seeing St Marks at night etc… Day trips are never going to be enough.
Take care one and all, and Kathy - yep thanks for the letter it was really cool to receive it. If anyone would like my address do ask me for it - bit unwilling to put it on the internet as who knows what dodgy person might be reading this!
Ciao amici belli!
Love y’all
Charlotte

Hello one and all from a thunderstorming Venezia. The weather has been a bit dodgy of late - not quite as hot and some really cloudy days. Anyway this afternoon the clouds have built up and now the heavens have opened - thunder lightning - the works! It’s really rather exciting except I am 10 mins walk from home and have no coat or umbrella. Oh well - spose I won’t get that wet and can always shelter under shop canapies etc.
All going well here - recently I have been to the Accademia Art Galleries which were amazing - the art is so old! Then I did something totally different and went to a theme park at Lake Garda called GardaLand. It was Italian bank hols so the place was packed with italians. You know how the french have problems with the notion of queueing? Well you ain’t seen nothing until you’ve tried queueing in Italy! It’s almost violent!
Well since then I have been out a couple of times with Campsite friends and also Kay and Mitch of Vars fame are hear visiting at the moment staying on Sue’s site. They should all be coming over to Venice tomorrow to meet up with me and experience some venetian cafe culture!
Loving the italian, loving the weather when it’s hot and or thundering like now.
Hope you are just as happy!

Well since about 2am on Sunday the 10th April I have been back home in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Was quite enjoying the countryside and peacefulness until I spoke to friends in Vars who said there has been the biggest snowfall of the season. Well I just hope they made the most of the FUP (Fresh Untouched Powder for those not in the know) - you lucky beasts!
Yes I finished my season in the gorgeous Southern French Alps a few days ago and have been trying to adjust to life back in the not so fast lane of Grassington. My easing back into the old ways included going for a very cheap bottle of Corona with Mike on Sunday at Wetherspoons and today’s adventure was a trip to Tesco’s to get some washing powder.
Tomorrow may involve visiting Grandma and then going up to Northumberland to see my brother and meet some land agent types.
I’m not sure what will be next but a trip to London is imminent and catching up with buddies from Vars.

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