#KristbergImSilbertal #LoipeTrail #Knappastoba

Saturday 24th Feb, -3dg, and the foggy inversion that sits around middle level is making life cold. Today will be the warmest at -5dg then the week through until Wednesday will drop to temps up to -20dg up around 2000m. I do not have the correct ski clothes with me to ski in temps that cold so it will be village sorties for us. Yesterday we went up onto the Kristberg in the Silbertal to do the 11km loipe trail. Bus and Bahn... 3 layers #icebreaker two layers #bogner and after the first .5km I was removing already. It was a magical place from another world in there, with a real witches and warlocks atmosphere with the freezing cloud line under the sun. The little Wildried Kapelle was a beautiful surprise on the way down to the lake circuit. In all honesty I did have some OMG moments when the skis were free running downhill in the grooves as me stopping on langlauf skis in downhill motion is a sight to behold!! Beautiful mountain lunch with delicious chardonnay out on the deck at the #Knappastoba then lift down by bahn and bus to Schruns. Perfect. Today is recycling day and it will not be a fast task as it has been ignored for two weeks. Countdown is now on.

#snowandsunshine #nolongerakrapfenvirgin #oneisenough #FaschingZeit

Monday 5th Feb, 4.30, -7dg, out my window we have stars, mountain lights and light skiffy cloud. The flags are moving gently. Forecasting a little cloud clearing to sun later in the day. The last couple of days have been a mixed bag of snow all Friday, Saturday snow on and off with some sun and Sunday had glorious blue sky clouding over later in the day. Schools are now on holiday and I am always reluctant to ski in the holidays... I tend leave it up to the families as it is a safer option for me. This week is the start of Fasching here in Schruns, Kinder Faschingsumzug is this Thursday 8th at 14.30 so last night over the dinner table we set our plans for the week as we have a little on holidays. We also have early birthday plans underway in the house so the week will be a full gas week, with morning skiing squeezed in only on the blue sky days. On Saturday I was finally no longer a Krapfen virgin... It is something I have never eaten in all the years I have been living here and Faschingszeit ist Krapfenzeit! Would I cross the road to have another, no. The other half was donated to the little person sitting at the end of the table, but I have finally tasted one. Early morning walk on the schedule this morning, and boot bag plugged in for perhaps a two hour session on skis... perhaps.

#gardeningNZstyle #goodjobdone #Touaregperfection

Thursday 1st Feb, 5.00, +1dg, clear to the top of the Golm, thin cloud whizzing across the moon, flags just sitting quietly. Forecasting rain here in the village and snow above later. Yesterday we had a beautiful morning on skis. The sky was not a perfect blue but the viz was fine. We took the bus out to Valisera/Grasjoch Bahn at Gaschurn-Partenen and lifted up to the back side of the HochJoch saving us the long Panorama Bahn ride from the front side. Back in the house for rising 13.00. Task in hand. There were 15 or so very large 20+yr old buxus planted on the sloping gardens that had been badly affected with the mite that destroys the foliage in buxus. I said OK, the ground is not so frozen let's get this job started. There had been a quote for €1600 to have them all removed. Hey, incoming we can do it girl from New Zealand. Back up the Touareg, loop the strop around the plant and drive!!! Holy cow, did we laugh, and weren't the curtains twitching and the walkers stopping to watch !! Job done 4.5 hrs, now the Gemeinde come to collect them all and take them away. Today we are walking for our daily constitutional and then it is anyone's guess. The weather will dictate but there is a lot of sweeping to remove all the dirt and stones from the paths. Guaranteed it will be a gentler, but probably no less hilarious day today.