...and a Happy New Year!

Sparkly Noah

After Peach and Monika left us the B & B was very busy preparing for its next guests – Aunty Sue and Uncle Frank with little Curly!  They arrived later than expected due to snow and traffic (busiest week of the year for tourists – I like them, they make me feel less of a foreigner!) but were able to relax and unwind when they got here after a long day of driving.  They brought some lovely pressies for Noah and Milly (clothes) and for me (junk food!) and we enjoyed a couple of schnapps after dinner and after a good night’s rest at the Inn they were on their way again, along the snowy roads back to Italy.

Noah has been very ill with tonsillitis and then Amelia woke up with conjunctivitis (lovely!) the day before New Years eve, but thankfully all was well in time for the party at a friend’s place in Going.  A kid friendly bash on New Years Eve is always a welcome event and gave us a rare chance to get out and socialize, and Paul and Analissa have a beautiful traditional style Austrian house right next to a Lift!  They can ski down right into their back yard!  We had a great evening, champagne and yummy food and fireworks out the back (it’s not so much a back yard as it is the bottom of a hill that stretches up as far as you can see and keeps going up the mountain).  Yes, fireworks.  All sorts.  You can just buy them from your local shops, as many as you want, and set them off wherever you like!  From our fellow Aussies we hear Shock! Gasp! Horror! As this is illegal in Oz.  Probably because it would cause too many bushfires.  Not to say that it’s not equally as dangerous here as all the buildings are made of WOOD!!  Unfortunately couldn’t get any good pics, it was too dark.  It was nice too to catch up with friends who moved back to the UK a couple of months ago and Amelia had a fab evening running around and playing with her friend Lilly who she can actually talk to!

Way passed bedtime for Noah Milly and Lilly

Normally on nights out Maciek and I share the driving – he drives there and I drive back (hang on a minute???).  But there was no way I was going to be negotiating those roads with the heavy snowfall we were having.  So Maciek lucked out, and I enjoyed my fair share of Champagne and Quality Streets (I’d forgotten about them!) hoping it would numb my nerves for the drive home but I was still white knuckled clutching my seat as we slid about not unlike four wheel driving on the beach at Lancelin.

Curlys winter best

We arrived home about 11pm, put the kids to bed, and enjoyed a 180 degree panoramic fireworks display from the balcony at midnight.  With the sound bouncing off the mountains it could have been mistaken for an air raid!  It was a great way to end the night.  Best wishes to everyone for a fantastic 2012!!