Premian

September 07 and we’re back in Premian for a holiday, hoping for better weather than we experienced last September. Having arrived on the Friday, by the Sunday morning we were in no hurry to get up - not that we ever need an excuse to relax while we’re here, we just slide straight into chill mode. Anyway, I digress, as we laid in bed - in that state where you’re thinking we really should get up, there was a drone of light aircraft clearly audible which created no more than a little curiosity from us, then all was quiet again. However, just fifteen minutes later we heard more aircraft noises in close proximity and this time even felt obliged to get up and look out of our window, which I just might have mentioned before has a lovely view out over the hills/mountains behind us. We were just in time to see water being deposited from one of the three aircraft onto the smoking/steaming hillside.

The operation seemed marvellously efficient, and about every 15 minutes the aircraft returned loaded with water to drop in an attempt to douse the flames. We assumed that the were reloading from the lakes, they continued to return until the ridge was well doused and the flames and smoke had subsided. I guess it was the first time we’d actually really thought about the danger of fire. Seems where ever you live these days, even in this small paradise you are susceptible to fire, flood and the ferocity of nature, more often than not fuelled by mans intervention. Sorry, didn’t mean to climb onto a soapbox there, or get philosophical, but there have been many fires and “natural” disasters in Europe this summer and you can’t help but think about the devastating effect it has on peoples lives.

As Font Romeu is about two and a half hours from the house we thought we’d combine ski trip and visit to the house.  We arrived on the Saturday at the house, boy oh boy was the house cold, thankfully Pauline had been and put on the electric heaters but still that first night we sat cuddled up together on the sofa under a duvet - good job we have a close relationship!  The whole ski trip had been under threat as I’d been really ill all the previous week with a chest infection and though I was well enough to come my chest still felt fairly restricted and I hadn’t even bothered to bring my snowblades with me. 

Next day we trundled off in the car with all Martins gear off to Font Romeu where we had rented an appartment - well that certainly didn’t disappoint, a lovely spacious appartment with wonderful terrace and comfy sofas to chill - and more to the point it was warm.  I was well armed with books for the 4 days at the ski resort and Martin went off to ski alone.  Well 2007 hasn’t actually been a good year for snow so far in the Pyrenees and many of the runs were closed - see all those red FERME signs on the piste map - what a disappointment.

So I never actually got to see anything but the apartment and the town, and Martin skied the same runs and was back to the apartment early each afternoon having explored as many runs as he was able.  We have been to the Pyrenees before in Andorra but I think next year it will be back to the Portes de Soleil. 

 

Back to the house for three days and with gas and electric heaters working and ski fleeces on at least we weren’t feeling the cold.   With running our own business the laptop is ever present and we got a message on the blog from Laurence who it appears lives in a hamlet nearby - he was busy fitting an Ikea kitchen accompanied by a fine tub of plonk (Mas Oliver) from the cave in Fougeres - well done him, although he did say the wine was winning - well we can understand that!

We escaped Ikea this trip - but did introduce ourselves to Fly in Bezier on a sofa hunting trip, no sofa success but quite liked the store - will perhaps be back.

I’m looking forward to our next trip at Easter when the weather will be much milder and hopefully the cherry trees will all be in blossom just as they were when we first saw the valley.