Random is a very useful expression

And some pics from today.

2012-01-31T19:49:00.003+01:00

Today was quite cold - apparently we're in for a few days in with cold temperatures (as you can see in one of the pics my hair is frozen!) - but the snow has kept coming so it's not too cold yet... Almost no visibility today but great snow and we stayed mostly on or very near the piste to be able to see some contours.

Some pics from last week

2012-01-31T19:18:00.001+01:00

Here are some pics from last week's skiing - all credits to Gael for taking the photos! ( I'm fairly certain the last pic of me is just before I had my big fall of the day! )

Prosit

2012-01-28T14:29:00.000+01:00

So, have been a bit lazy in updating the blog lately due to being infected with some kind of flu (Ross claimed it was man flu at first - but since I got it two days later I don't think it applies anymore) So have been trying to rest a bit to try to get better and we're getting there - albeit slowly.

Also had a great day out skiing Thursday with Ross, Ben x2 and Gael. Found some great snow and got some good runs in. I had a bit of a fall on the last one and my back and neck are still a bit in knots but it's getting better as well. Then of course Ross managed to get himself and a few friends a heli for Friday when I had to work....

So all in all - recovery from illness and fall is coming along and hopefully I'll have some more fun things to blog about soon!

More photos and a short film

2012-01-12T20:52:00.000+01:00

Here's some more footage from today (from Ross' phone)

First attempt at snowkiting

2012-01-12T20:41:00.000+01:00

I had my first attempt at snowkiting this afternoon after having recovered from the morning's adventures through lunch at the New Pastille Café. We were up at the flat on the glacier where the cross country tracks are in the summer. It was a bit tricky at first getting the kite to fly and then to stay up and turn from side to side but managed to start to get the hang of it in the end. Next time I'm supposedly getting to try a normal "girl" size kite instead of this beginner one that I had this time which is "only" 2,5m2... (First photo creds to Julien from 333 who put this one up on facebook) The two other ones I managed to get whilst Ross was having a go.

Tovière to Chevril

2012-01-12T20:33:00.003+01:00

It's been quite an adventurous and eventful day here in Tignes today. We; Ross, Stevo, Grant, Ben and I, did Tovière to Chevril which was followed by a heli pick up to La Daille. Getting to the top of Mickey's ears was a bit sketchy today as we had to walk all the way around due to lack of snow in the coloirs and the last path up was not the easiest - I was almost on all fours - trying to focus on the next step up! Once we'd gotten up we had a good run down though, especially the last part among the trees where the snow was still very light and untouched! At the bottom we caught up with another group who'd been before us but our chopper was faster to get there so we got the first flight out! A great morning out and hopefully more to come this season!

Photo creds to Ben and Grant.

Off piste skiing

2012-01-10T21:17:00.000+01:00

Had a short off piste session with Ross and Grant today, we ended up having to hike a bit for the first run (we were heading for telegraph but the snow was lacking in so we had to walk up a bit, easier for me on skis, but Grant and Ross were both on boards. This was followed by going up Tichot and Grattalu and then cutting out by Merles to get the side near Aimé's house and then a short run down under Chaudannes before heading back. All in all a good day out and I really love my s7 skis, I don't even have to think about being off piste or technique - I can just ski like I would on a piste which is great!!

Cross country

2012-01-05T12:04:00.000+01:00

Laura and Alex came up to Tignes yesterday and we all went cross country skiing together on and around the lake. Considering the wind I think we made the better choice not going up with any lifts! Had a great time, Alex had never been on cross country skis before and he did well, apart from when he decided to go down the steps by the loop bar! It was great to see Laura again as well and hopefully I'll get to see her again in the summer!

Skiing and après

2012-01-05T11:28:00.000+01:00

Had an amazing day Tuesday with lots of skiing and then lunch and après at Loop. Megan and I had a blast going down to Brev and after that we met up with Ross and Andy & Alex for lunch at loop followed by a short ski and then après again at the loop. Lots and lots of snow in Tignes at the moment as you can see! This was shortly after Megan had "dived" in =)

Happy new year!!

2012-01-02T20:23:00.000+01:00

This weekend has been crazy with New Year and working full days! So I'm now quite happy to have the day off tomorrow, sleep in and then go skiing. For New Year we had a great meal (as always) at Jacques which was followed by a walk down to the lac where the New Year's party took place. Here's a short clip from right after midnight.

Christmas and new boots

2011-12-27T16:48:00.000+01:00

We've had a good Christmas here in Tignes, despite having to work all the official days of Christmas. We had Swedish Chrismas dinner on the 24th followed by Kalle Anka and then presents. On the 25th Ross got to open his! I got ski boots as a christmas gift from Ross so today was the day to go to the shop and the bootfitter. I ended up with a pair of Rossignol electra pro si 110.

After that it was time to do the footbed and the soles and then I've of course tried them out this afternoon. It really makes a huge difference getting new boots and getting them fitted. Ross is having a bit more problems with his which are really tight so we're going to see what we can do as his feet cramps every time he doesn't move (which is kind of a problem when you go on the ski lift) but that should get sorted soon!

We also got a Christmas present in the mail today from my parents which was very nice =) Now it's time to start finishing up my last assignments for this semester's uni courses.

Skiing

2011-12-22T19:20:00.002+01:00

Went out skiing today as it was the first day in ages where we had something resembling a blue sky. I had my s7's out for the very first time and I think they're going to be really good for off piste later on. They're not great on piste, but as soon as you've got a bit more snow, they're floating!
I also had my camera with me as I have a photo assignment that I wanted to get started with and so I've actually got some decent photos of me and Ross going down to Brev through the forest.

Christmas tree

2011-12-22T19:10:00.003+01:00

The christmas tree is now all decorated and right now I'm making both brown beans and meatballs for Saturday's christmas dinner =)

On the road...

2011-12-20T21:38:00.000+01:00

We were down in Chambery today to change a car for Ross' work which was followed by Christmas shopping and finally getting my Christmas tree, I managed to get the last one in the size that is appropriate for the apartment =)

After that we just had the drive back up to Tignes left which turned out to be a bit scary. It's been snowing tons and tons lately and just as we were coming up a big block of what we first thought was snow fell down just in front of us on the road, we almost went on to it when we could see that the snow was indeed a huge rock that had just fallen. We managed to get past it on the side just to stop 20m further along where there was a big tree blocking the whole road! I guess in all we were lucky nothing actually hit us! Some guys with a chainsaw managed to clear a bit of the tree and it was pulled off with a rope behind a 4x4 and we all helped clear the rest of the big branches before we could all keep going.

We've now made it back up and I am most of all looking forward to decorating the tree tonight! It's almost Christmas!!!

Night time ski

2011-12-15T10:10:00.001+01:00

Since we didn't get out during the day yesterday to ski because of the jour blanc /whiteout I got the idea to go out for some cross country in the evening. After locating all the material in the different caves and ski lockers as well as putting on the wax tape - by which I am really impressed btw -we headed out with the intention to go to lavachet and back. This was Ross' first time out with the boots and skis he got while we were in Sweden (unless you count him wearing them in a bit while sitting on the couch the other night ) We actually went on the road most of the time since it's snowed so much so everywhere else is at least 25cm deep - even on what is supposed to be the sidewalk and it was really nice to get out. We ended up stopping first for a drink in Loop and then one in Tc's so it was all good fun! I think most people were impressed by our new mode of transport!

Game of thrones tv series

2011-12-14T18:09:00.001+01:00

Just found out the second series of the game of thrones tv show is scheduled for april 2012, seems like Ross will have to wait a little bit longer than me to find out how it all ends!

Tease - Cold Winds Are Rising

A game of thrones

2011-12-13T19:16:00.002+01:00

I've finished the 4th book in the series of A game of thrones today (the song of fire and ice) and will now move on to the 5th and last one that's come out. I'll be reading it on my kindle (this will be the first book that I've actually bought for my kindle) It's going to be interesting to see how I feel about reading it on an e-reader and not as a proper book. Below is a pic of the first book!

Lucia

2011-12-13T16:41:00.000+01:00

I started the day by setting my alarm for 6.50, even though it is my day off, to be able to have time to start up my laptop and bring it back to bed to watch the Lucia celebration on Svt play. I miss celebrating Lucia, it was only a few years ago that I did it in New York and then very improvised with some friends in Annecy. I've also allowed myself a few gingerbread biscuits (only have 2 boxes) and some saffron buns (lussekatter) and I think glögg is going to be on tonight's menu.

I've also been out skiing for a bit, while you could actually still see where you were going, but now we're getting lots and lots more snow so can't really complain about that!

Working weekend

2011-12-10T19:13:00.001+01:00

So we're now in the middle of my working weekend again. So far all is going well and resort is getting busier which also means more client in the shop and in the rental part. Last night we all went down to the Camp Trappeur (wilderness camp) in Tignes les boisses, where I used to work doing events for Evo2 my first season in Tignes. Yesterday we went down to learn about Oakley gear, in particular Oakley goggles and we also had fondue together afterwards in the yourts. It was fun and educative (learning is fun! =P )

After that we stopped shortly at the Marmot Arms for their opening night and they have done a great job turning the place into a bar! It is in le lac so will have to make more of an effort to go there this winter....

First day skiing in the Espace Killy

2011-12-08T17:39:00.001+01:00

Went up the mountain for the first time since October today and got some skiing time in together with Ross. Later on we were joined by Megan and Katie as well. We definitely needed the snow that's been dumping since Sunday and the resort is starting to look good, unlike last week when it was still green!! Hopefully the season will continue in the same way - really want to get some good skiing in this year, on and off piste.

More snow

2011-12-06T13:05:00.001+01:00

It did stop snowing for a short while last night but the snow was coming down again today when I woke up =)

Finished course

2011-12-05T19:24:00.001+01:00

I just found out I finished my digital images course as I've passed my final assignment with flying colors! Yay! The teacher from the course also asked permission to use my pics from the retouching/perfume ad assignment as examples which I agreed to, so it's nice to know that they are that good! One more course done this semester!

The snow has really started dumping down in Tignes now as well so less time studying and more time skiing is on the schedule!!

Start of the season

2011-12-03T20:00:00.001+01:00

It's finally started snowing here in Tignes today and you can feel that the season has started now. Lots of Spanish people arriving here this weekend, we'll see how it goes this season! It's always an experience.... I was greeted by 6 Spanish in my own building by a communal HOLA! I just need to get my ski pass sorted now so I can go skiing on my days off and be properly prepared for the season and the snow dumps that will come!

Birthday celebrations

2011-12-01T11:32:00.001+01:00

I'm finally 24 years old! It was my birthday on Tuesday and I had a great day! I got woken up with presents and breakfast in bed and this was followed by baking my birthday cake with some help from Megan, pancakes for lunch, a nice walk and then birthday dinner and drinks with friends at the Petit Sav and Saloon Bar. I also got singing phone calls from family and it was really nice to have the day off for the first time in years!

Exam

2011-11-24T18:43:00.001+01:00

Just finished writing my exam (got acces at 16h00 and it's now 18h40. I technically do still have 20 minutes to keep writing but I don't think it'll get any better than this, so hopefully it'll be ok, I guess I'll find out in a couple of weeks, fingers crossed!!

And I just found out I passed(with flying colors) my sports marketing exam that I wrote when I was in Sweden a few weeks ago! Happy!

Also decorated the house for Christmas and have made cornflakes cookies! It's only 1 month left until christmas =) Yay!

Photoshopping and other studying

2011-11-22T17:46:00.001+01:00

Since it's now my weekend I've spent the day studying - meaning I've spent the day in Photoshop, illustrator and Indesign - and a tiny bit in word. I've sent off two assignments, so hopefully those should be ok.

It was time to finish up the last assignment in my digital images course. I ended up choosing the below image with the lego castle as it let me be a bit more creative than the other one, or rather, I got a bit stuck on the other one and couldn't think of ways to make it better and add more images - which was a requirement for the assignment. Anyway, this is the final image - after some well needed advise from Ross, parents and Phil, whose ideas are always very good!

So this is the image (below) that didn't make the cut. Maybe if I leave it for bit I'll get some new ideas on how to continue working with it.

The second assignment was the first in my graphics design course that I started the other week. I had to recreate a company logo to fit whatever type of company I wanted it to be and then to apply the logo to different things and present a general graphics communication profile. My finished logo turned out like this.
The next assignment picks up where this left off so I'll se whether I'll keep the logo like this in the end but it's good for now.

Started work

2011-11-15T23:42:00.001+01:00

I started work on Monday this week and had a good day putting together near paires of new poles... The new shop is really nice and I'm looking forward to getting into work and the winter. I think it's going to be a good one! Now we're just waiting for the snow to arrive.

Today was spent mostly in Val with Ross building IKEA furniture for the flat that they've renovated, got a lot of stuff done so happy with what we did. Now I'm back home and studying a bit since Ross has left to take a friend to Geneva.

Studies

2011-11-12T10:39:00.001+01:00

So the theme for the week is studies and I’ve so far sent in two assignments, hopefully I can get in a third one before tomorrow night, and I’ve also started working on two other ones. The good thing is that almost all of my assignments I enjoy, it’s mostly practical stuff – working in photoshop, illustrator and indesign. And it also helps getting quick feedback, two days after delivery – passed the assignment =) So going to do a bit of studying this mornign before it’s time to bake Megan a cake for a birthday , see Adam and Charlotte in the afternoon and then go out to the petit sav to celebrate Megan.

Finished assignment

2011-11-09T11:01:00.001+01:00

As you can probably understand, I’m a few days late updating the blog, ever since we got back to Tignes I’ve been dealing with a mountain of laundry, studies and general organizing of the apt as I’ve of course brought lots of stuff back from Sweden.. Anyway, since I also found out there’s no work for me this week so I’m starting next week instead I’ve been trying to get ahead with my studies a bit before I also start working full time. So, this is one part of the 5th assignment for my digital images course, the one I’ve told you about before (photoshopping me/or someone like an ad) I’ve taken all the photos that I’ve used myself and then edited them and put them together to make the final image.

What do you think? I’ve added a link here to the ad that was my inspiration.

Göteborg

2011-11-09T10:51:00.001+01:00

So the Thursday before we left Sweden Ross and I went to Göteborg (or Gothenburg if you like) and spent the day walking around the city and the harbor. We found Maritiman by the water, which is kind of a museum or a collection of different types of ships that you’re allowed on and in. I think this was probably Ross’ favorite part of the day. I also managed to find Condeco, a lunch restaurant/café that I’ve been to before and really like!

After Gothenburg we drove down to Torekov, to at least save 3h of driving before Friday and the long drive back to Tignes.

Hockey

2011-11-02T09:32:00.000+01:00

Yesterday evening we watched HV71 beat Linköping at Kinnarps Arena in Jönköping. I haven't been to a hockey match in ages, not since I was in the states and went to see Craig, Brian and Jamie.
I cheered for HV71 as I did go to school in Jönköping for three years, so I was happy with the result. I think Ross really enjoyed the game as well, once I'd explained some of the rules (although I couldn't remember all of the tackles)

Busy schedule

2011-11-01T09:08:00.000+01:00

We've got a busy schedule this week (just like last week) visiting all my brothers and sisters and seeing my friends. We've so far been to Torekov, Herrljunga, Skara, Sunne (the farthest north that Ross has ever been) and today we're driving to Växjö. We'll also be going to Jönköping tonight to watch a hockey game (ice hockey that is - the only proper kind of hockey! ) and in between all of this I also need to finish my final essay for my sports marketing course which is supposed to be about 10 pages. It's when you're on holiday that it's not a good idea to be studying more than full time!

Anyway, I'm basically making sure that Ross gets to see as much of Sweden before we go back to France this weekend. I even brought him to a cheese shop yesterday! Those of you who know him will also know that he doesn't like cheese and that I would have to double wrap and put stuff in a plastic container before it goes in the fridge! My town is famous for the shop so we kind of had to go there on our sightseeing tour of Falköping.

We've also started buying some "Scandi-supplies" such as Glögg and gingerbread biscuits so that we'll be stocked up for Christmas and the winter! This is why it's great having brought the car and will be worth the long drive back!

My 3d model

2011-10-27T11:12:00.000+02:00

Realised I never posted my 3d model of a cell phone here. But since it's now sent in for assessment I can post a pic from my work in Sketchup and the ad that I created afterwards in photoshop where I imported the model. Would you buy a Treephone?

Soon to come; my own "very retouched" perfume ad using tons of beauty retouching techniques used today, just need to finish the written report first and send it in first!

Münich

2011-10-26T17:07:00.001+02:00

After Hintertux I drove to Münch to see my cousin Lisa for a day and a half while waiting for Ross to fly in from Scotland for our drive back to Sweden.

We walked around for hours on the Sunday, all around Munich, we walked up the 306 steps up to the viewpoint in S:t Peter close to the Marienplatz, we went into the Frauenkirche and then we walked into the Englisher Garten (the English garden) where we stopped at a Biergarten and had some applejuice and a crêpe, (unlike all other Germans who had beer from around 11.00 on the Sunday!) and we finished the day with a movie, some cake from the next door bakery and then eating out. It was nice to get some other food than Austrian/German cuisine, even though the food in Hintertux was good, it’s also quite heavy!

It was really great to go to Munich after my course to relax a bit and of course also to see my cousin again, since we haven’t seen each other in ages!

Hintertux

2011-10-26T16:54:00.001+02:00

So I spent last week on a ski instructor course in Hintertux, Austria with the Danish ski school. I had a great time, the course was really good and the place we stayed, the Alpenbad Hohenhaus was really nice as well, especially the wellness area. Most of the week it was sunny, (already started the goggle tan) apart from one day when it dropped down about 20cm of snow and the goggles would freeze up every 3 minutes. In the end I had a theoretical and a technical exam, which I passed =) so the plan is to keep training this winter and get on the next course at the end of the season.

Hintertux

2011-10-17T20:07:00.002+02:00

In Hintertux now, enjoying skiing and the instructing course. Internet is really bad, can't get on it with my laptop as too many people are using it and the signal is to weak, so on a cp in the conference now where I'm having trouble just sending an email, so all other updates on the week will have to take place in Sweden afterwards. Safe to say, my danish skills are picking up!

Leaving Tignes for about 3 weeks

2011-10-13T22:04:00.001+02:00

Leaving Tignes tomorrow morning to go to Hintertux for an instructing course followed by almost 2 weeks in Sweden, we're driving there so on the way I'll stop off at my cousin Lisa's place in Munich, which is where Ross will fly in to and then we're going to keep going north until we reach Falköping, or maybe even further depending on who is available for visits! Looking forward to it and then when we get back I go straight into winter work!

Had a crazy day today, packing, cleaning, prepping skis, baking bread for Ross, online forum for my sports psych class and much more.. Hopefully I can get to bed reasonably early so I'm all good to drive tomorrow morning.

Photoshop

2011-10-12T18:07:00.002+02:00

I've basically spent the past two days in photoshop, which is fun, frustrating, time consuming and more fun. So mostly fun. Like I mentioned earlier I'm retouching a photo like an ad and this was my inspiration.

Source

I was looking around at perfume ads since that is what the written part of the assignment is on and realized as well that if I was going to get a decent photo of myself it had to be a close up, self-timer is definitely not my thing. It's too hard managing all the settings! Anyway, not quite ready to show my version yet but soon!
Also just trying to get stuff ready before I leave for Hintertux and there isn't enough hours in the day (especially when you get sucked into photoshop!) but I'm sure it'll all work out. Can't wait to go skiing!

More pics of the snow

2011-10-09T15:31:00.001+02:00

Of course I had to take some more pics this morning as the weather’s cleared and it was sunny, but the snow was still there.

We weren’t up that early today as we had a dinner out last night at the Petit Sav but we still had tons of snow to clear off the car before we could put it back in the parking, better to leave it inside now than outside in the cold and the snow.

It keeps coming down

2011-10-08T11:10:00.002+02:00

The snow just keeps coming down..... I think this afternoon I'm getting all wrapped up in my winter jacket, warm boots, mittens and a hat and going out to enjoy it! Just need to finish some studying first, almost done creating my 3d modell of a cell phone and need some technical help now, so continuing with an essay about perfume ads and their use of sex in advertising - photos etc. Then I have to retouch a photo of myself using the same techniques used in ads! looking forward to it. Now I just need to take a good photo of myself, self-timer has never been my thing but since everyone's at work, think this has to be my solution. It's going to be hard as I need to use the same pose and expression as an existing ad! Does anyone have a suggestion of an ad that I can imitate? (note image can not be offensive or demeaning)

Snow

2011-10-07T09:31:00.001+02:00

I guess hoping for snow did work! This is what I woke up to this morning… I do kind of want the snow to come after I leave for Austria though since it’ll take me 2h longer to drive there if the mountain pass isn’t open.

Skiing

2011-10-06T19:54:00.001+02:00

Had my first day skiing for this season today. The glacier was unbelievable, and not in a good way, but managed to get some runs in and it was good to be back on the skis again. I went up with Kev who had agreed to come with and look at my technique so that I’m not completely fresh going into my instructing course next sat in Hintertux. It was really good to get some tips and get try to get out of old habits, even if it is hard work! But we had a good day and I think the season 11/12 is going to be a good one. Hoping for lots of snow, we need it! For those of you that know Tignes you’ll see in the pics what I mean, and the fact that we after the Panoramic chairlift (first pic) had to walk across the rocks to get to Champagny lift (!) We spent the day doing runs on 3500 which turned out to be the better choice, when we came down the rest it was all ice with a thin layer of slush/melted ice on top… We were lucky with the weather though, it was nice in the morning and sunny, but in the afternoon the rain’s come in and it’s pretty grim outside now.

Training

2011-10-05T20:27:00.000+02:00

Went to the gym today with Megan and Katie which was great. I need to get on it once I can buy the season pass. No point now since I'm leaving in like a week for the instructing course in Austria and then Sweden. Plan is to go skiing tomorrow to get some time on snow before I leave, so winter is almost here =) Can't wait!

New template

2011-10-02T21:22:00.002+02:00

Decided to try out the dynamic views template so that you, the reader, can actually choose how to read/see my blog. I'm undecided on what I think so far. I like it but I do miss my links to other blogs, my cloud with labels and other gadgets that you can use with normal templates. Maybe this will come later or it could be so that I've just not found how to do it yet! If anyone knows, then please comment!

Home made soup

2011-10-02T12:55:00.002+02:00

I've started making my own soups recently, instead of buying the powder ones, which just seem a bit wrong and like they cannot possibly contain any nutrients whatsoever.

So yesterday I made "Köttfärssoppa" - can't figure out a better translation at the moment than the one google translate has given me - ground beef soup.
The recipe called for ground beef, grated carrot, crushed tomato, beef stock cube, water, cumin, cayenne pepper and I think that was it, so easy to make and so good, especially for me and Ross since we like spicy soups and it was easy to add a bit more cayenne pepper than the recipe called for..
Anyone got tips for some good soups that I can make? In breadmaking news, I've started making rolls instead of loaves and honestly they're so much better, I don't know how the same ingredients can taste so different.. Since we went shopping yesterday I also bought skimmed milk powder to use with water instead of proper milk, (the recipe actually calls for the powder and water and not the real thing), baked rolls yesterday and am trying them today for lunch so we'll see!

Here's a pic from Tasteline and the recipe for the soup I made! Yum, next time I'll try making the one with curry and apple in as well! http://www.tasteline.com/Recept/Lattlagad_kottfarssoppa

Susa, Italy

2011-09-27T17:26:00.001+02:00

On Sunday we decided we'd leave Tignes behind and go see some other place and we ended up going to Susa in Italy, a tiny village on the other side of the Col d'Iseran and the Col du Mont Cenis. The Cols will probably close fairly soon because of the winter and Italy is quite a bit further away if you have to go around the mountains instead of over them. Susa had some interesting buildings left from the Roman empire and the streets were narrow and buildings all built together. We had a bit of offroading close to Lac du Mont Cenis as Ross wanted a closer look and the only way down was a gravel road that turned out to be a bit bumpier than expected. After arriving in Susa we walked around, had gelato - yoghurt and strawberry flavor for me! and accidentally ended up in some sort of marketplace where they even had birds, guinea pigs, cows, goats, chickens and so on. I've not seen anything quite like it. Let's just say the market that comes to Tignes is not quite as exotic.
It was also a great day for me to experiment more with my camera and since I've now started shooting in Camera Raw, (I know I should've done so a long time ago) I had some photo editing to do which is why this post is a bit late, and I've also sorted out winter stuff and finished two essays, anyway here are a few photos that have been quite edited quite hard, but that's what happens when you try new stuff the first time!

Photos from today and some photoshop experimenting

2011-09-20T16:57:00.001+02:00

I was lucky and the snow was still there when I woke up so I decided a walk was in order. I got Freddie the dog with me and started my tour of Tignes, however taking photos and at the same time holding a dog isn’t always the easiest but got some good photos and Freddie didn’t have to wait too much. The most fun photo of the day is of someone cutting the grass in the half pipe with the mountaintop covered in snow above. Then I took some photos using the reflections in the water and finally there’s also a photo from the other day when the clouds were coming down over le lac. The snow has melted a bit now during the day as it’s gotten quite warm but I don’t think it’ll be too long until we get our next snowfall.

First proper snow and a trip to IKEA

2011-09-19T21:11:00.001+02:00

Woke up this morning to proper snow and the thermometer showing 1 degree Celsius outside and the mountains were starting turn white. Here's a few pics from my cell phone this morning.

I was up early since I was going with Ben to IKEA, I needed to get some stuff for the apt and of course some “scandi snacks”. Unfortunately the food store didn’t have half of what I wanted but at least the lingonberry jam supply is stocked up again and I got some meatballs, tunnbröd, glögg and candy. In the proper IKEA I got cutlery, (we seem to run out of clean spoons to quickly) and a new pillow for Ross. A good day all in all and I’m just hoping the snow is still here in the morning because I want to go out with my proper camera and play around a bit (fingers crossed – it’s still snowing)

Terme Pré-Saint-Didier

2011-09-17T21:19:00.000+02:00

Just got back from Terme-Pré-Saint-Didier where Ross and I spent the afternoon. After having a later night than expected yesterday, but good fun, at TC's bar in Lavachet, we didn't have an early start but the place is open til 23.00 on Saturdays so it didn't matter. After getting through and booking our entry for 14.00 we set off on the road over Col de Petit St Bernard to get to Italy, which you can only do in the summer as it's shut in the winter.

At theTerme you we got in and booked on an extra Thermal mud treatment and went in to change into our swimming gear with the bathrobe, towel and flipflops that were given to us. So we basically did the tour of the wellness centre apart from the relaxation area, but we went into all the pools, the thermal rain, the footbath with baking soda, the hay sauna, the Kneipp foot bath/walk, the outside pools, the waterfalls and then of course also a few rounds of the buffet of fruit, youghurts, juices and breadsticks. The thermal mud treatment was interesting to say the least, first we had to sit in a steam room for a bit and then smear all the mud all over, then continue to sit in the steam room, which I had a really hard time doing, (I'm not much for when it's humid and hot, saunas with their dry heat I can handle but this is a completely different thing) After which we each got a scrubbing glove and had to scrub and shower off the mud in cold water.

Ross also managed to get me a rose from the men's locker room before getting out which was really sweet, and it was his idea to go there today as well =)

Here's the website for the place http://termedipre.it/en/

Pic from http://www.comune.pre-saint-didier.ao.it/Download/Foto_Turismo/Terme2.jpg

Sunny days

2011-09-13T19:13:00.001+02:00

It seems as we're getting to keep the lovely weather for a few more days. Spent most of the past few days studying, but at least I can do my reading on a blanket by the lake. However, some of my courses require some serious computer time! At least I'm well ahead in one of my courses now as I've turned in the second assignment (due on October 15th) a month early so hopefully I can finish the course well before winter starts.

Today I've also been assigned dog walking duty, taking care of Freddie the beagle, but it's not too bad, it gives me a break from staring at my computer screen which I am starting to get a little bit sick of to be honest.

Hike Col de la Sauce

2011-09-10T18:36:00.001+02:00

Went on a hike today with Tess, Ant, Megan and Freddie the dog up to Col de la Sauce which is close to Lac de Roselend, between Bourg and Beaufort. So it was a bit of a drive to get there even before we could start walking but it was nice to get another view than the one you get from hiking around Tignes. We had about an hour and a half of easy walking up to the col where we had a picnic before heading back down again. It was really good to get out and we were lucky with the weather as well, you never know when you’re going to get stuck in the fog and rain of interseason.

Tiger frog 1.1

2011-09-02T18:29:00.002+02:00

So here’s the second Tiger frog, couldn’t resist doing it all in fur in the end. Drawing fur is hard work but I'm really happy with how it turned out. What do you think?

Tiger frog

2011-09-02T17:05:00.002+02:00

So I’ve not had that much to do today, so figured it was time for some serious photoshopping… Decided to blend two animals and work with fur, which is quite a challenge. So today’s creation is called the Tiger frog, I’ve only made the head furry so far, but I will probably go on to cover the whole frog....

Source files come from morguefile.com

Tufs–Fresse hike

2011-08-31T18:50:00.001+02:00

Today I took the Aeroski up to the top of Tovière to walk along the ridge all the way to the top of Fresse and then down to VC. The lifts close this weekend so need to make the most of it before. It was really windy along the ridgeline, especially on the Tignes side and I cannot imagine how people actually bike the same route, even I thought it was a bit sketchy at times, slippery, steep gravel and no one near by….But all went well as you can understand, since I am updating the blog from the comfort of my own apartment.

I brought my camera since my new course in visual communication recommends bringing your camera all the time to really get to know the camera, all of the functions, take everyday photos and to never miss an opportunity. Said and done, I played around a lot with the settings and got some crappy shots as well I might add but here’s a few I liked the composition of and that I’ve then also edited as I wanted to try some new techniques I’ve read on photoshoprecept.se. Some of them turned out better than others, like always, but it’s good to learn new tricks!

I also got to see some Marmottes up close, especially since I managed to trick one of them a bit by whistling so he/she stood up instead of running and hiding (but I also did get another shot of it with just the head sticking out of its hole) So all in all a good photographic, marmotte-tricking, windy hike.

Rafting

2011-08-28T12:36:00.003+02:00

We went rafting yesterday with franceraft and had a great time. The day started out really cold, as I mentioned there were snowflakes flying around in the air, but once we got down the valley the temperature picked up. We met up with the Masterman's and partners and got into our gear. We also had another 3 join us, 1 adult and 2 kids. I have to say, wetsuit trousers are not a good look for most people! Anyway, once in all our gear we were driven back up to Bourg st Maurice where the rafting was to start and we were instructed on what commands would be used for different paddling. In the river we started testing all of it, including the security position, going head on to rocks and (almost) flipping the boat. We had a great time despite not too much water in the river and we were quite surprised when we hit a rapid and both Ross and Drew, the two men in front, flew out of the boat, Drew under the boat and Ross quite a bit further away. Drew got rescued quite quickly but Ross was too far away for us to be able to hold the boat close before we hit more rapids, so he ended up going down the rapids after the boat and after having failed 2 attempts at a roap rescue we got the boat into a calm spot on the side and Ross could be rescued after having been gone for quite some time in the river on his back, hitting a few rocks... After this the river did calm down a bit and some tried the cliff jumping as we were going through a gorge and after quite a long time on the river we made it back to the basecamp. I think we came in around 6 and we were supposed to be back for around 5.30, but since we also had to help some kayakers I guess we did take a bit more time, and with the rescues as well of course. I don't have any photos but Paul did have his camera with, so I'm hoping that I'll maybe get a few photos later on. So all in all, a quite exciting afternoon on the Isère.

First snow?

2011-08-27T11:25:00.001+02:00

I am definitely sure that I saw some flakes in the air this morning... I hope it warms up towards the afternoon since we've got plans to go rafting!

School start

2011-08-24T14:39:00.002+02:00

So I've finally managed to register for all of my courses on all of the websites and portals and whatnot, I can't believe why they make things this difficult. I'm enrolled in 5 courses (yes 5, I'm studying at 125% of full time this semester, the extra 25% because I just really couldn't decide on only 4). These courses are unfortunately at 5 different universities, as one university just doesn't offer enough in terms of photography, photo editing, graphic design and sports marketing and sports psychology. This means I have to register in at least 10 different places in addition to registering for csn and the national study website "studera" to actually be able to do them all. You would think they would make it easy for people who want to study and develop their own skills, but unfortunately no one has yet figured out how to run all of these things on one website! and that they could all decide on which portal is actually the best so that I don't have to learn how to use and find information on all of them.

But anyway, I think I've finally managed to register for all of them, except for the one that doesn't start until October, and I've gotten all of my course lit, apart from one book (that I will be needing from Monday) it was supposed to be delivered yesterday at the latest.. hm.. I'm not impressed. So I'm ready, as well as getting my new calendar for the next 18months, thanks mom!

This might seem like a long rant about little things for many but in reality if all of these little things are not done, I don't get to take the course, and I don't get my csn and I've paid for my books without getting to use them.

So here's to hoping that I've remembered it all and done it all correctly so that I can enjoy this semester as well, lots of interesting courses coming up and yes, I do like studying, I'm a "Ralph" as some people call me. "-Learning is fun!"

I've just watched the first lesson in my photography-visual communication course and am about to start reading the first few chapters in the book.

Illustrator

2011-08-21T19:35:00.001+02:00

So spent some time in Illustrator these past few days as well, and been trying out some tutorials that I’ve found on this page

http://www.youthedesigner.com/2011/01/31/40-must-learn-text-effect-tutorials-in-illustrator/

This is my result from one of them! I used to not like Illustrator as much and although I do still prefer photoshop in some ways, I’m starting to get the hang of illustrator a bit more and see its usefulness which is good since I’ve got another graphic design course coming up this semester.

Lac de Chardonnet again

2011-08-21T19:18:00.001+02:00

Ross and I finally used the ski lifts this summer (since they are free for pedestrians/hikers/bikers etc) and went up Palafour, walked along to the Lac the Chardonnet, were we were once again amazed at how high the step-off to the lift is (!) and then continued on the side to get to Tichot and back down. It was a good hike, but I did also get a bit more sun than I thought, shoulders and neck are a bit red (you can clearly see the lines from my top and the camera bag, not good, more sunscreen from now on!

Pics from the hike

2011-08-21T19:02:00.001+02:00

So I’ve now gotten some more pics from the hike last weekend. All credit to Baptiste =)

Tilt shift effekt

2011-08-18T12:21:00.001+02:00

Just tried out the tilt shift effect in photoshop which basically makes a photo taken from above look like a photo of ex a miniature town. Here’s my first try! Think I need a bit more practice but it’s always fun learning new tricks.

Hike in the Vanoise

2011-08-17T12:20:00.001+02:00

This weekend I left Tignes to go on a 3 day hike in the Vanoise national park. So on Saturday morning I drove to Bozel where I met up with Baptiste, Tanya, Marine and Pierre and we continued onto Pralognan where we started the hike up to the Peclet-Polset, 2474m, where we were to sleep for the following two nights. After having sorted out all of the materials and food that we needed we started our hike up. Saturday we had great weather and I got the best tan line I think, considering the strapping on my knee, and we had lunch next to the trail and the cows. Once up at the refuge I was introduced to the French rules of playing Uno, which believe me, is nothing like the rules I used to play with growing up, but I caught on after a while at least! We had an early dinner considering our 3.30 early start for the following morning.

So the 3.30 start was because we needed to get up to the glacier before it was getting to warm and the weather too bad, we started the hike in the dark and when we got up near the glacier we got the first light of the day. The other good thing was that we could leave lots of our equipment and food at the refuge and didn’t have to carry it with us. We got on all of our equipment, harnesses, rope, ice axes, crampons and then started our hike up the glacier. This was definitely the best part, although my knee was not a big fan of cutting across from one side all the way up. We didn’t make it all the way up in the end and the weather came in, we even got a bit of hail, and further down some rain. Once back at the refuge I had a long and well needed nap! I’ve got a few photos but my little camera is giving up and I didn’t bring my proper one, so I’m waiting for Baptiste to send all of us the pictures he took and I’ll post them later. The other event of the day was the relay shower, we’d bought 3 tokens, giving 6 minutes of shower each, thinking we’d share, in the end we managed with just 2 for the 5 of us. Pretty good going, I was the last person in and managed to finish before the water stopped completely! Maybe people should do this a teambuilding?! The refuge was really well equipped and the staff were great, the only thing missing at the refuge was cell phone reception, it was hard not getting to talk to or text Ross everyday, so in that sense it was nice to get home afterwards and for the hot shower as well of course!

Monday was our last day and we’d planned for a little hike before heading down to the cars but again the weather put a stop to our plans and we had to go down without reaching another top. All in all it was a really good weekend and a great experience, so a shout out to Baptiste for thinking of inviting me.

Welcome

2011-08-17T11:36:00.003+02:00

I've been told I have a new reader of my blog, so here's a special welcome to Alice! I hope you'll enjoy reading about all of mine and our adventures.

Lac de Chardonnet 360 degree view

2011-08-12T14:16:00.002+02:00

Hike Lac de Chardonnet

2011-08-12T14:10:00.001+02:00

So back in Tignes I’ve been busy doing various things, getting things in order, and just settling in back home. The other day I did a short hike up to the Chardonnet bowl and it was really nice, it looks so different from in the winter!

Car

2011-08-12T13:37:00.001+02:00

So since I’ve finally updated everything from the trip, we now move on to what happened in and around Stourbridge for our final week in the UK. The biggest thing was probably that we bought a car.

Here’s a pic (Not our car but the same model and color)

So this is my first car ever! and I guess “our” first car as well.

Isle of Mull and Iona

2011-08-11T16:15:00.002+02:00

After having spent 3 days in Callander a few of us continued west to Tobermory on the Island of Mull. We stayed in a hostel right in the harbor, but to be honest, I would never stay there ever again. The service was just terrible and the beds squeaked all night. We did have a nice time though, we went to Calgary Bay where some of us actually went in the sea for a swim. It was quite chilly to be honest but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. After the swim we had a barbeque and then went for a short hike. The beach was really white and you could see that the water would look amazing in sunshine, unfortunately we didn’t have that nice weather so we all had jackets and blankets and stayed close to the fire when we weren’t moving around.

Pic from http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRm3NA3ENUvU85rBxZGiBPlh0YUK6oHj_DWP8HbXSVtak7kfrF6

The next day we went to the island of Iona, which was really nice and we had a great day just walking around on the island, sitting on the beach and having afternoon tea in a tiny restaurant. The roads on Mull are almost only single lane so driving is sometimes a bit sketchy as you go around corners but we made it to and from and little ferryport that took us to Iona and back to Tobermory for a meal at a Thai/Chinese restaurant.

Scotland

2011-08-11T14:35:00.002+02:00

After a few days in Stourbridge we headed up to Scotland for the big Creed clan family gathering in Callander. We took over a hostel and had 3 great days biking, hiking, hanging out, and doing a go Ape course (high ropes) and we also went to see Harry Potter 7 pt2. So it was great to see all of Ross’ family and to meet the ones that I hadn’t yet met. The cousins and their respective partners formed a pyramid in the end at the time for the family photo and after a few attempt it was fairly successful, there were two smaller pyramids and a plank

The go Ape course was good but a bit too many ziplines for my taste which made it a bit too easy but the best part was definitely the tarzan swing, a long rope used as a liane and then a big net to catch on to. We got soaked during the instruction and then it didn't rain at all so it was good apart from the scottish midge bites!

Sailing

2011-08-11T12:59:00.002+02:00

So we had a few days on the boat in Turkey, a Catamaran called Gallifrey, we didn’t get much proper sailing because we didn’t have the right wind, but it was still nice to get out on the water with a breeze which was a bit cooler than the mainland. The first day we went over to Cleopatra’s beach and bay, thus continuing the “Cleopatra theme” from the previous day. The sand on the beach is rumored to have been brought over from Egypt by boat. We didn’t want to pay to walk across the island since Ross and I had seen ancient cities the previous days and so we took the dingy together with Mike and Nicole and then swam into the bay. In the evening we continued to Kaptan Efelos which was really nice, we saw a great sunset and had a nice meal. The day after we had a bit of rough weather in the afternoon and it was fun at first, being in front and jumping on the trampoline with the waves but then I got a bit seasick as we all needed to go down and shut all hatches which didn’t go away until we reached harbor, we actually went back here to Kaptan Ibrahim which was where we stayed the first night. Sunday was our last day on the boat and we needed to head back towards Yalikavak where the boat was to be returned to. So the final day we didn’t have much time to stop and do things apart from a swim, but we all took turns steering the boat, including myself, and made it into the marina in the late afternoon. So the last night we had dinner in the marina and after that we slept on the boat, one last time, before heading to the airport in the morning to fly to the UK.

Getting to the sailing boat

2011-08-09T12:20:00.001+02:00

So, since Ross’ family had now arrived in Turkey and the taken the sailing boat we were to join them on Thursday night after returning from Pamukkale. We were going to Çökertme, and specifically to Kaptan Ibrahim’s where they were moored for the night. So we checked out of our hotel and headed in to Bodrum with a Dolmush, which is a shared taxi or minibus that you just hop onto wherever in the street as they are passing, we had a bit of trouble getting one at first but moving back a bit to get picked up earlier we got on one with all of our luggage. Arriving at the bus station in Bodrum we now searched for a bus to Çökertme, it turns out there isn’t any until the next day at midday, however, these things can be negotiated and it was first negotiated to 9am and then til now, as soon as we had the cash. We started the most interesting journey which seemed alright at first but the end of the road was all pot holes and we could only go at about 10km/h, we did however finally make it to Kaptan Ibrahim where we were met by Ben and Mike, (Ross’ cousin and Uncle and we were taken in the dingy to the boat. It was also quite cool because there were fluorescent fish in the water so if you put your hand in, the water lit up!

Pamukkale

2011-08-09T12:07:00.002+02:00

So wednesday night we arrived at our hotel in Pamukkale, we had dinner at the hotel and then we went out for a stroll to see the “white cliffs” in the dark. It really looks like a glacier from the bottom but it’s so different when you actually come up on the travertines and walk on them, which is what we got to do the following day. The travertines are made from the water which contains a mixture of carbondioxide (CO2) and calcium (Ca). The cliffs thus have warm thermal blue/white clay water on them which you can walk in which was really cool. There were also little waterfalls cascading onto some of the travertines.

In addition to the travertines, Pamukkale is also the site of Cleopatra’s pool, which is a thermal pool supposed to make you “ten years younger” So I guess my skin is now 13 years old again! hihi. The pool is really warm and it’s not very refreshing as the outside temperature is high as well but the pool is really nice in the sense that it is literally built on the ruins of the city Hierapolis, which you can also walk around in. So pillars and that sort of things are on the bottom and you sometimes have to climb to get across. In the deeper part of the pool the water is coming in and you get literally covered in bubbles which was amazing. This was definitely my favorite part of the trip. On the bus trip on the way back we also visited a carpet factory of which the production part was really interesting, especially the coloring process.

Ephesus

2011-08-08T11:50:00.002+02:00

So we booked a 2 day trip to see Ephesus and Pammukkale and so on Wednesday morning we got picked up at 6am from our hotel to start the trip to the world’s 7th ancient wonder. The bus ride was quite long and as we soon found out we would also be shown around various shops were they were hoping to make commissions on things people bought, the stop the first day included a jeweler and a pottery maker. Once we finally arrived at Ephesus we were met by the sign “Genuine Fake Watches” which we thought was hilarious, we also bought a guidebook before heading in to Ephesus. We did have a guide who took us through the area which was interesting but I probably would’ve enjoyed walking around a bit by myself a bit more.

It was really hot but really cool to see all the old structures and how they are working with it today.

Turkish bath

2011-08-07T15:47:00.001+02:00

Tuesday was really the only day that we had on the beach, it was really hot and I don’t think any of us are the kind of people that can just lie on the beach all day, but we decided to chill one day at least. So we ended up on the beach in Gumbet, here all the beach is taken up by the restaurants so you buy a drink and take a lounge chair. This was exactly what we did, the water was not as warm as you’d think it would be considering the outside temperature, but at least it was refreshing! In the afternoon we had a Turkish bath scheduled. So we arrived and of course, being in Turkey they try to sell you add-ons like massages and so, but we opted for just the bath. So we got changed and went to the sauna. Yes, even with 35-40 degree heat outside people go to sit in saunas. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated that much! and to add to it, they added eucalyptus tablets to the heater which made your head spin a bit. After staying in there for as long as you could take it, you moved on to the cold room. Think a big room in marble with benches on the sides and little facets with running cold water that ends up in basins you use to rinse yourself. After having been cooled down it was time to get scrubbed, you lie on a sort of low table and a guy comes with a scrubbing mitt and goes over all of your body, you can literally see the skin come off and after this you get a soap massage, a second guy comes with a big bag and makes tons of bubbles and massage your body until clean and afterwards rinses you with cold water again. After this you get a towel and are sent up to the roof to relax for a bit. It was really nice and very relaxing and I’m happy we got it as a freebie when we booked our other stuff! Unfortunately no photos, but it wasn’t a very camera-friendly environment considering temperature changes and humidity!

Jeep safari

2011-08-05T17:26:00.004+02:00

On the Monday of our week in Turkey we went on a Jeep safari, which was maybe not as exciting as it sounds, considering we have 4wd vehicles here in Tignes and go in them quite regularly, but it was something to do and we got to see the countryside a bit more. We started off early in the morning and visited farms, a beach, a turtlelake and some more, so all in all a good day. So this was the day I rode on a donkey and Ross held a turtle! Unfortunately not very sharp photos of me riding a donkey but here it is anyway!

Found this!

2011-08-05T13:59:00.005+02:00

Just found myself on Rossignol's webpage. For those of you actually reading my blogg, you can see I blogged about a ski test in december (link) and that I had some photos taken whilst skiing and then just walking with skis, anyway, Rossignol has decided to use the photos for several of their women's pages, so here's a snapshot of my screen (http://www.rossignol.com/FR/FR/ski-women-jackets.html), with one of them. there's also pics of my legs and another one similar to this one on some other pages. So I guess my modeling career continues ;)

Turkey

2011-08-03T13:11:00.002+02:00

We arrived early in the morning in Turkey on Saturday the 2nd of July, having flew through the night, and unfortunately with less sleep than expected. Also, since our sailing trip was now not sure to be happening we had booked a hotel for two nights and the first day was spent sleeping and figuring out what to do in and around Bodrum and Gumbet. The Sunday we decided to get a small minibus into Bodrum to see the castle, we had a good time, but still getting used to the heat, it was really warm, the camelbak definitely was a good choice to have with us. Since there was the two of us, lots of individual photos were taken with the intention of me putting them together in photoshop.. So that’s what I’ve been working on the past days, seeing what photos are good and what can be done with them… So here’s a few from our first night, at Denny's restaurant, which was right on the beach (really nice) and the Sunday at Bodrum Castle. One of the photos taken was requested by Ross as it shows terrible electrical work and his face is of course very disapproving!

The inside experiment

2011-08-02T21:04:00.002+02:00

Just found this online, seems like a really interesting concept, so going to watch the episodes and start following on facebook =) Click on the blogpost title and you'll get to the webpage.

Making soup and finding new old songs

2011-08-02T17:50:00.002+02:00

So, since I can't keep just updating the past month's experiences, here's from today and yesterday. Went out for a small hike/walk up one of the ski hills yesterday with Megan and Freddie the dog which was really nice. Need to get out to do that kind of stuff more! And today I've been making soup, organizing stuff, general cleaning and so on. So made my own homemade soup today, which turned out better than expected, despite slipping a bit when adding the chili powder to spice it up a bit, had to compensate with some more water and vegetables, but all in all good, think I should do that more often, easy and there was tons of it, despite only using 2 potatoes, an onion, a carrot and 1dl of lentils! Could not tell you the recipe since it was all done improvising, but let it cook for a long long time, oh yes, with chicken stock as well, and then the spices!

Been browsing some music as well and found a new old song today!! How come I've never heard Boots by the Killers before?? Anyway for those of you with the same music taste as me, here's a link to youtube =)

Week in Torekov

2011-07-31T16:30:00.003+02:00

So, when Ross came to Sweden and our summerhouse, we went to see my new nephew, had lunch with my grandparents, went on a day trip out to Väderön (The weather Island), saw my aunt and uncle, swam, had bbqs, played kubb and much more. My twin brother also had his vacation this week so he was with us in Torekov as well. It was really great and perhaps the best part was the children on the bridge asking why Ross was wearing a wet suit top since it wasn't cold in the water. We also helped renovate the decking at my grandparents' house, an idea that Ross came up with and ended up being a bigger project than we initially thought, but that really did turn out well in the end so all worth it.

New family member

2011-07-31T16:28:00.003+02:00

One of the most important things that's happened when I was at home in Sweden was of course that my new nephew was born, William! Happy birthday. We all got in the car to go see him when he was only 3 days old and really tiny, so again I'm a proud aunt. This was the same day as my other nephew's birthday so of course this was celebrated as well!

Another day in the big city

2011-07-31T15:55:00.002+02:00

The following day we decided to go out to the Greenwich and the Royal Observatory which was really cool, especially since it’s lots of hand on tests and experiments about space. So after having spend the morning there we also went for lunch, had pizza and then made our way back to London Bridge, bourough market and the tower bridge. After all of which we decided to look in a few shops and then find a good place to go eat, we ended up in an Indian restaurant where the food was nice, however the drinks were a bit strong and our neighboring table was already quite cheery… This was the last night as we all had flights and trains out of London the next morning.

London

2011-07-31T15:42:00.002+02:00

So at the start of June I went back to Tignes for a few days followed by a trip to London with my two friends Elisabeth and Amanda…

Since I knew this delayed update would take place I actually wrote down what we did on the different days as to remind myself for my future blogging. So we stayed in a hostel at New Cross which was alright, the hostel was fine but the neighborhood seemed somewhat suspicious at times. We did spend most of our time in central London though so didn’t really matter. We of course saw Big ben, Westminister, Buckingham Palace and all of the touristy stuff that people do when in London. The first day walking around we got soaked, we all had rain jackets or an umbrella but still managed to get soaked into the skin, which was why a late English breakfast was in order, just to dry up and get inside. But what would a visit to England be without rain?

		London

We then moved on to the Natural History Museum, to keep drying ourselves, and to see the dinosaurs, but to our disappointment the dinosaurs were on vacation!! (the were redoing and cleaning the exhibit) My phone has also been a bit sketchy ever since because it got soaked as well and not even drying the pieces separately helped that much…

After this we did a bit of shopping and then went to Wong Kei for some Crispy Duck for dinner together with a wine that strangely tasted better after having gotten over the initial taste of it. Maybe the (French) Chinese House wine was not the choice to go for.

Then we moved on to the Lamb and the Flag, a proper British pub, until we had to get the last underground back to the hostel for the night.

Trying to remember what’s happened in the past month or two…

2011-07-31T15:24:00.001+02:00

Basically I’ve been really bad at updating lately because I’ve either not had my computer or access to the photos I’ve wanted to put up or even an internet connection. But that’s now all in the past as I am back in Tignes. So here’s a few posts trying to cover what’s been going on =)

Arrived in the Kingdom

2011-07-12T12:39:00.001+02:00

arrived in the UK yesterday after a bit more than a week in Turkey, seeing as my laptop is now still in Tignes, I will have to try to remember everything afterwards, and sort through the hundreds of photos that I've taken during the trip! Anyways, all is good and looking forward to some time here and in Scotland!

Back in Sweden

2011-06-13T22:39:00.004+02:00

So, I left Tignes on the Thursday to head back home, but not before spending the weekend in London with two of my friends from Annecy, Amanda and Elisabeth! We had an awesome time with lots of sightseeing, walks, laughs and food! Since I left my laptop in France I haven't yet had the opportunity to get any photos up, but hopefully soon! At least I have my parents' laptops to use for general mailing and things so not completely cut off from internet and other people.

Unfortunately got some bad news on my level 2 instructing course, that was scheduled for this summer in July, when I got back home, it's been cancelled due to to few participants, so I'm now looking into other options and I'm positive I'll work something out.

And the photos

2011-06-07T14:55:00.002+02:00

High Rope Course

2011-06-07T14:45:00.001+02:00

Yesterday we all had a day off and we managed to find one activity that was open despite it being preseason and a Monday! The high rope course in Longefoy, Le Repaire des Ecureils, opened for us in the afternoon. All in all there were 7 of us to climb the trees. I managed to take a few short video clips with my phone and some photos. We had a great time and I think the surf board was everyone’s favorite!

Back in Tignes

2011-06-07T14:39:00.001+02:00

Been back home for a few days to see Ross and it’s been great, well, apart from the weather; it’s been around 10 degrees and raining most days… I flew out from Copenhagen on Friday which was nice cause it meant I didn’t have to change flights and then in Geneva I hopped on the bus to Annecy. They really should make the bus go straight and not through center town of Gva which takes an hour, so the journey really could’ve taken about half the time! Then I had about an hour to walk around Annecy which was nice, just to walk around the old part of town and the lake. Then got picked up from there and drove back so was back in Tignes around 10pm I think, and it’s definitely not as light here in the evenings as it is back home at the moment.

Here’s from my flight, a snapshop of Denmark from above!

Snow?!

2011-06-01T09:40:00.001+02:00

So today will be the day I leave for our summerhouse and then I go back home to Tignes on Friday, flying out from Copenhagen.. So, only flying with handluggage this time but still was considering what to pack and then logging in to facebook this morning made me realize, it’s snowed in resort today!! Crazy, imagine if this had been in the season instead, being starved of snow all winter and it comes on the 1st of June! Incredible, anyway, here’s snapshots from the webcams of Tignes, this is Le Lac!

http://www.tignes.net/en/skiing-in-tignes/webcams-290.html

Finished!

2011-05-31T14:49:00.001+02:00

Had my last exam for the semester this morning. A 5h test in business administration. I did finish about 20 minutes early but still, long time to be writing by hand. It was definitely a long time ago that I did a test like that, but think it went ok. Really happy it's all done now - summer holiday!!!

Studies

2011-05-30T12:00:00.001+02:00

So more and more studies, I’m afraid updating won’t get more exciting than this for a bit… I’ve just finished my opposition/commentary to the essay that I had to do as the last part for one of my courses. Also just found out one of the other essays I sent in the other day is ok, yay! So this means I’ve only got the exam tomorrow left, a 5h test, where I am to bring a calculator… anyways, got the whole afternoon to revise a bit more so that should be fine! Wish me luck and hold your thumbs for me tomorrow!

Mother’s day

2011-05-30T11:57:00.001+02:00

Yesterday was mother’s day, which of course had to be celebrated. So me and my mom had cake, went out for lunch and of course she got some gifts as well =) All in all a really good day, spent with the best mom ever!

2 down, 2 to go

2011-05-27T13:16:00.001+02:00

Sent my two essays in, now all that's left is the commentary and the exam on tuesday! Then I can finally go on summer holiday!

Break

2011-05-25T13:50:00.003+02:00

Having some time off from studying this morning, essays nearly finished and just some more reading to do so took a proper break, watching light TV entertainment reading and doing some work with photos. Lacking any other model but myself, I set out and took some random photos, nothing great, but anyway, and then worked in photoshop to make it into a proper black and white photo, not just desaturating, which everyone can do, but taking shadows, highlights and all that into concern. I hope I can get some more time in photoshop soon.. I do really enjoy it but maybe my first goal should be to find other models than myself! hihi.

Pirates 4

2011-05-24T16:47:00.001+02:00

I did go to the movies last Friday, just haven’t had a chance to update, or taken enough break from my studies to do so, but here goes… Went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4 at the local cinema with Sanna, unfortunately the other larger cinema got booked up and I didn’t get to see it in 3d, but hey, some other time…

To be honest it wasn’t quite what I expected and I think my least favorite of the pirates movies so far… but it was worth watching anyway, watching “Jack Sparrow” is always fun =)

Pic from Filmkritikerna.se

Next on my want to watch movies is Thor, I love Nordic mythology so I think this might be something for me…

Studying

2011-05-24T16:40:00.001+02:00

I don’t think I’ve ever studied this much, this intensely, since IB, which says quite a bit, I had an emergency essay to write a week or so ago, that I don’t know how I missed, (but didn’t miss deadline in the end =) ) and now the final essay, another one, the exam and a commentary on another essay. All at once it seems. So, my days are spent studying, and studying and studying, it’s not very exciting….But hey, another week or so and then it’s done for this semester, then just another week and a course in web publishing to do this summer before attacking it again in the fall… Hmm. It’s going to take me a bit more than a year to finish what I want, so guess I just need to suck it up! At least being back in my old home town means I don’t have too many distractions, apart from internet that is….

selling old course literature

2011-05-15T20:23:00.001+02:00

Selling my old course literature on kurslitteratur.se, they have an english page as well, recommend to all of you students ! Check it out and spread the word!

Back in Sweden

2011-05-15T18:19:00.002+02:00

Flew back to Sweden on Friday and been busy this weekend. Yesterday I got to see a lot of my family as it was my niece's second b-day and my other sister and my nephew were also staying over which was fun. Today I've been busy writing a last minute essay for which the deadline is midnight tonight, don't know how I've missed it before, so spent most of the day writing today....
Have also ordered a new computer charger as my cord has a glitch in it and won't charge unless in a "good" position. Anyways, should maybe think about replacing the battery as well since the timing a charge will last seems to be rapidly declining....

Dead reckoning

2011-05-15T18:08:00.003+02:00

So got a new book last week, the last one in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, meaning the boanoks behind the tv series True Blood. Of course I read it in almost one go, so in about 24h after having gotten the book it was finished =) Can't wait for the tv series to start again!(think it is this summer)pic from cdon.com

Second bbq

2011-05-09T10:20:00.002+02:00

The second bbq was held at the camp trappeur, my work site last year, and have to say it’s a bit nicer when you don’t have to work there, sitting in the smoke all evening and carrying around heavy pots of fondue…

Some of the men were in charge of the fire, the manly thing to do, and they were called upon in order to show their skills with an axe…. All supervised by Kev of course.

Ross and James

Stu