Zoo, Waterslides and Fireworks

Historically I have associated zoos with money making machines and a part of me has felt saddend by the restricted homes of many of its occupants. The kids and I visited the Monarto zoo today and my view of zoos has changed entirely. The Monarto Zoo sits about 10km outside of Murray Bridge, a quick easy day's break from the doldrums of Mum and her school agenda. Given the size of the zoo, similar to Dubbo but larger, we loaded the 'zoo' bus and toured the grounds. You can occasionally disembark and grab a closer look at the animals or listen to zookeeper chats if kids are feeling cooperative. What amazed me is the immensity of the breeding program at the zoo and in turn the role zoos have played at returning near extinct animal populations to at the least protected numbers. The exchange of animals between zoos and the reintroduction of animals into the wild is huge. Also to the kids' amusement there was a touch/feel section where you could look at the bones/fur of the range of animals who have lived at the zoo and have met an their ultimate demise. Quite cool to look at the hoof of a giraffe or hold the lower portion of an emu leg. (That was Jen - now it's my turn)

Yesterday we decided to do a day in Adelaide and its surrounds as soon we'll be heading out of the area - onwards ho! With the aim of checking out the Science and Tech museum we put ourselves at the whim of Fiona. some loose instructions from the internet and info centre personnel - none with any real idea of whether this place actually currently existed. In the end we found it in the old (and hidden) stock exchange building with the heart dropping sign on the door - "Open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm" - it was Saturday. After some lunch in the local food fair we decided to head to Glenelg - a suburb of Adelaide with a beach and amusement park. En route a shiny blue falcon sped by followed by 2 police cars in hot pursuit. From the road we could see the helicopter above tracking the chase - and we thought we could only experience 'Cops' in LA! All very exciting. The Glenelg Amusement complex was suprisingly new with 3 large water slides, an arcade of games, mini-golf, a carousel and a very slow ferris wheel. The slides were great - would've been right up Uncle Fraser and Craig's alley. We found a nice wharf restaurant area and gawked at the tarty wedding celebrations going on (A short white dress just didn't seem appropriate!) while enjoying some very fresh sushi/sashimi. A walk on the beach, a short drive, some serious parking searching and a couple km walk brought us to Victoria Park for the opening of the Adelaide festival - a fireworks display put on by Group F - from France. Our rather late-ish arrival put us a bit far back from the lower firework displays which seemed likely to set the local woods on fire - you could imagine the headlines! The higher and louder fireworks were as usual pretty spectacular and Cole was jumping up and down in excitement and awe. We're off to the Barossa today and the top of Mount Lofty. Looking forward to hearing and maybe seeing Canada woop some American ass in the gold medal ice hockey game which should reach our shores tomorrow! Go Canada!

Aidan breaks 1 min., Cole does his first races, we amble onwards!

Sorry to have missed a couple of days - I've been fighting for the internet link with Jen who is currently doing the books. After almost a year of trying (but not much training) Aidan has finally broken the elusive 60 sec mark in his freestyle. He's been training almost every evening with the local swim club and it's paid off. His previous best was 1:04 and he dropped to 58.9! Cole was smoking fast as well given that he was barely doing dog paddle a couple weeks ago and clocked a 1:25 in his 50m backstroke and 1:20 in his freestyle - very impressive! We've had to put our imminent trip to Alice Springs on hold as for some reason my registration in the NT won't allow me to locum in the hospital there as a GP emergency doctor or ED Registrar - it doesn't make much sense but oh well - might be a blessing in disguise. We'll probably take our time through the Flinder's Ranges, head up to Coober Pedy then back down to Port Lincoln and the Eyre peninsula en route to WA and maybe some more work. Maybe we'll get back to Alice from the top end or look out for pertinent conferences in the area for a family trip via Qantas. This being our last weekend in the Adelaide area we think we'll try to get into the Barossa Valley and tour around Adelaide and the Port a little more.

Back at the Bridge

Caught up with Jen and kids at the airport and as we were in Adelaide decided to head to the Fringe Festival currently on show. It's sort of carny meets circus/music/theatre/street entertainer comedy fest all meshed into one with amusement rides, food stalls, and small theatres for puppet, theatrical shows, jazz/ opera etc. The kids were obviously more interested in the carny amusement rides and some circus training - the rest seemed a bit overpriced and desperate really. Would have been nice to check out some of the evening comedy et al but the kids wouldn't have survived or likely been allowed in for that matter. Prior to collecting me at the airport the kids had a visit of Port Adelaide, visited an old ship where families had come across from the motherland and did a bit of sight seeing. Jen was understandably a little waxed from the past few days without someone to hand the kids to - resistent journal writers and confined caravan spaces can wear on you after a little while! I've organized just over a week left of work in Murray Bridge and then we'll head out to explore a few more spots in South Australia before trekking into the middle. Not sure if it will go ahead as yet as for some reason the Northern Territory has me conditionally registered as a GP and this presents a problem if the locum agency has me working in the emergency department as a registrar. Will hopefully get this sorted in the next day or so and still keep these plans.

Sucker's Pair-a-dice

I promise - here's my last slag - must be feeling a bit vitreous being away from my family or something. Decided to take a run along the beach from where I'm staying towards Surfer's Paradise - a couple of words that should bring to mind a magnitude of beautiful rolling waves, a line up of surfers steadily catching each roller as it crests towards shore as well as some palm trees, perhaps Jack Johnson idly strumming his guitar at the base of said trees, feeling the serenity and harmony of life all mixing into one. Alas - nothing could be further from the truth - about the only thing going for it is the beach which is long, sandy and apparently eroding as far as the eye can see. Palm trees (if ever there) have been supplanted by a seemingly unending skyline of high-rise hotels and apartments. One knows they're entering this facade as its gate of luminescence - the golden arches of a two-story Maccas - stands tall and true heralding entry to this fabled land. Perhaps it is fitting that such an anachronism of "food" should gate such a community based more on looks rather than substance - a warning of its failure to fulfill what it's name proclaims. The sort of place you'd expect to to see a lot of fuzzy dice dangling over the dashboard, bling bling fashion sense and a whole lotta posers looking for an elusive paradise that exists only in their minds - alas - Sucker's Pair-a-dice - good riddance!

The Gold ? Coast - looks more trashy to me.

Finished up my preliminary ultrasound training today and can now make my way around the controls of my machine and actually see something that makes sense on the screen. We were run through the motions by a rather frenetic little woman who seemed to be flying off in every direction at once - made life interesting. I've been staying up the road from the venue and have to walk a couple of kms back and forth. Maybe it's where I'm located, but the restaurants and apartments in the area seem to be stuck in the 70's and deteriorating, giving a pseudo-third world feel without the razor wire fencing or glass embedded rock walls. The contrast of the Conrad-Jupiter Casino and Pacific Fair mall to the surrounding area is grossly apparent with plenty of pre-mix cans and beer bottles scattered through the parks and walkways. All in all it gives the place a rather trashy feel so I've been staying relatively close to home at my hotel and enjoying the facilities.

Jen and the kids have reported a relatively slow productive day on the schoolwork side of things with Cole managing a mere 6 words an hour or there abouts - astutely affirming his ability to procrastinate and sulk thereby delaying gratification - perhaps a good thing? I'm sure he'll eventually get with the program - the quicker you get your work done - the sooner you can do fun things. Jen sounded a bit burnt out by the end of the day yesterday - I'll catch up with her tonite to see how the last 24hrs have gone. I fly back tomorrow and get back into the clinic on Monday for another couple of weeks. Looking forward to being back with the wife and kids and out of this part of Oz.

And the piano fell....

Decided to ride to work for a change - turned out to be a bit longer/tougher ride than anticipated. As I headed across the narrow pedestrian path beside The 'Murray Bridge' - just wide enough for my handlebars and shoulders - I scraped along the side briefly with my arm avoiding a long drop and inevitable splash but putting a hole in my new shirt and scraping my arm - whoops! The wind wasn't friendly and seemed to attack whichever direction I headed but I made it to the hospital eventually and did my round. It was a beautiful facility, appearing almost recently refurbished - the kind of new that you could smell. I was on as one of the 'emergency doctors' at the clinic and could barely keep up with the other two GPs who seemed to be seeing 2 patients for every one of mine - must have been the computer slowing me down? While I was boldly trying to see my share of patients, Jen, the boys and Piper were out on the town checking out some of the local sites and parks - I'm told - nothing all too exciting. I met up with them at the pool again and this time it was my turn to jump in with the senior group. I started with some serious gusto - going second in line for an IM and freestyle set and going strong (more or less) until the wheels came off and the figurative piano dropped on my legs, making me nothing but a lead weight in the water with both quads in cramp mode. Fortunately, the kids were near the end of their session so I warmed down and helped to get them organized.

We headed into Adelaide today to drop me off at the Airport for my trip to the Gold Coast and Ultrasound training starting tomorrow. Jen and the kids hit the museum and the 'heli' park in town. Aidan reported the museum as being 'mad' - containing the first T-Rex skeleton/skull ever uncovered - he said it was almost as big as him! When I last signed off - Cole was having some difficulties getting into his school work and Jen was off to find Piper - presumably near or in the playground adjacent to where the boys were trying to do their work.

I caught a bit of the Olympics today while awaiting boarding for Coolongatta. It was the half-pipe snowboarding up at Cypress. Although disappointed by the Canadian contingent competing (only one in the top 10!) I have to give it up to the Americans - especially Shawn White - the gold medalist - he was phenomenal compared to the rest of those posers! His last run was incredible - completing a 460 (?) on the last jump! I should be able to catch up on a bit more over the weekend and am looking forward to it. Almost wish I was back home to take it in firsthand - alas - the choices we make!

Bunyips, The Mighty Murray and the house!

Woke early to go for a run as am feeling a bit unfit and, as you do, ventured along what seemed like a path around the marsh. As I progressed the trail became more undulating, narrowed in places and I managed to knock my head on a few overhanging trees and run through a massive spider web which I think is still clinging to my hair despite showering. I later spoke to one of the doctors who lives in the area and she said she hadn't been down there for a while as was worried about the snakes! Whoops! Made it through unscathed though and confirmed that the fitness needs a little tweeking. While I got into the swing of things at the clinic, Jen, the boys and Piper tripped into town to visit the library for storytime and some scholastic work. In the afternoon they explored the banks of the Murray and found the Bunyip (troll) which had been touted to be in the area (see pic). It's a mechanical rendition of the "real thing" which you pay a dollar to see - fortunately it was under repair and they all got to see it for free! I caught up with everyone after work at the pool again where Aidan and Cole (who now swims backstroke, some inkling of breaststroke and a gradually improving front crawl) were going great guns. Aidan put in 1400 ms. We had an invite to Dr Beckoff's house for dinner and managed to find his house through a bit of a windy track. His house sits atop a small bluff and looks like a couple of boxes advantageously placed to capture views of the Murray from the front and back. They've incorporated a courtyard into the design and a lap pool with spa. In the basement he's built a full on mini-theatre complete with angled seating and a massive screen - the kids were in heaven - being all TV starved and all. He has an indoor barbeque set up and we feasted on organic steaks, homemade zucchini relish, scalloped potatoes and a couple of very nice wines from his burgeoning cellar. Check out Yalumba's Signature series (Cab Sav/Shiraz blend - 2000) and Shawn Smith's Sauv Blanc if you can find them - very pleasant on the palate.

And the work begins - Cole swims his 1st 100m straight!

My provider number came through first thing yesterday morning so I was good to go. A morning of orientation and intro to their medical computer program and I was ready. It was a pretty easy day in terms of numbers as I was just getting the swing of  how the clinic worked. They use their nurses a lot - if you want vitals done you send the patient off with a slip of paper to the nurses station and off they trundle. I'm not used to such catering - we'll see how it goes today. Once finished at the office I joined Jen and the kids at the pool where the swim team was having a session. Aidan was going great guns in his lane - more or less keeping up with the other kids. As I arrived Cole was getting moved up a lane and started swimming laps! I was astounded as before he seemed to struggle for about half a length and then nearly drown! His stroke needs a bit of work - looks a bit like Grandpa's freestyle at this point - more side to side than rolling forward with arms out of the water. Jen jumped in to do her first 1.5 km for donkeys ages and didn't look too bad! I think we're getting into a bit of a schedule now which will ground the kids a bit so hopefully the schooling will get a bit easier for Jen over the next couple of weeks while I'm at work. Congrats to Canada on their first gold!

V-Day and the Games begin!

I was rather distraught of late to discover that Canadians hold the illustrious distinction of being the only country to host both a winter and summer Olympics and not to win a gold medal at either one! Our typical comeback would be - "Well just look at our healthcare though.." - bit lame still - hopefully we'll break this record in Vancouver! Although the opening ceremonies were a bit of a yawn at times the whales were fantastic - Bryan and Nellie sang a few too many choruses and those First Nation Dancers must have been exhausted by the end of it all. Watched some of the speed skating this morning - looked quite exciting (and painful!) Once packed up and ready to go we found our morning Latte spot just out of town at the honey centre then headed to Cape Willouby (?sp) and the light house there. It required some off-roading for about 26kms so added a bit of excitement to the drive. The Scottish guide gave Cole, Aidan and I a great little tour of the facilities while Jen and Piper (too young to join us) had a play in the sand pit. We had a platter lunch of a bunch of K.I. cheeses, meats and condiments at the Dudley Winery outlet in town then caught the ferry for home. Fiona (our GPS) finally got vindictive with us in her own passive aggressive way and Google maps failed us as well - (should have just read the signs!) as we headed 'home' to Murray Bridge - instead of getting us on the correct ramp to the freeway and a quick ten minute drive to the Caravan Park, we ended up heading back towards Mt Barker and Adelaide only to be told by Fiona once at Mount Barker to turn around and go back whence we came! Live and learn!

Seal Bay, the Little Sahara and the perils of alcohol - you might just get a job!

A touch of a sleep in and off we went to Seal Bay to see the sea-lions - sounds funny but sea-lions are actually a type of seal - of the eared variety. About 7 species of seal are of the eared variety and can move on land, the earless types (leopard / elephant) can't move on land and are known as true seals - see - even an old fish like me can pick up some new info! We had a guided tour onto the beach with the sea-lions which was great - Cole managed to find a pup's scapula bone and a bunch of cuttlefish back bones which he showed to one of the marine biologist guides and ended up getting a poster and little book for his demonstrated interest. We also found out about the Humpback and Sperm whale as parts of their skeletons were visibile in the area. By the end of our tour it was near lunch so we headed off to pick up a sandboard and sand tobaggan to take to the little Sahara sand dunes for a ride. A quick bite and we were on the dunes - a beautiful little range of fine sand rising to the horizon. Quotes of Shakespeare filtered through my head ..."my kingdom for a horse..." as well as images of Tintin and the Captain in the Land of Black Gold. We tried our legs (and bums) on the sandboard with a bit better success than experienced back at the Henty dunes - might of been the better quality boards and bindings and the drier sand but we were actually able to pick up some speed and make it to the bottom of the slope (maybe 25 -50 ms in length? ). A dozen or so rides and climbs and we were spent, so packed up, dropped off the boards and started our way home. En route, Jen and I visited South Australia's only Boutique Distillery for a nip and affogato - the drinks were nice so we picked up something to add to our desserts over the next few weeks and had a chat with the proprietor. One thing led to another and of all things - he happens to be reviewing a recent community health study of one of the most remote aboriginal communities in Western Australia where they are looking for a GP to do a 2 week locum at anytime in the near future. Hmmm - serendipity?? We'll look into it and perhaps add it to the trip in April if it's still needed? Once plied with alcohol for work we made our way to the local winery in Kingscote called the Bay of Shoals and trialed a few of the local vines. The winery is set atop of the hill in Kingscote and looks out over the small bay here which glimmers with shades of green and blue in the horizon - absolutely beautiful. One last explore tomorrow and back to Murray Bridge to hit the grindstone on Monday.

The Remarkables, Seals and Kelly Hill Caves

The sheep dairy was actually quite interesting with some very tasty cheeses/ yoghurts at hand. The tour guide informed us that the sheep milk apparently avoids the problems associated with "cow's milk allergy" - which may make some sense if the antigen is slightly different than the cow's milk one - look at me getting all geeky and all.... - wouldn't make a difference in terms of lactose intolerance though - should be one in the same in this regard. Having picked up some Haloumi, peppered cheese and some plain sheep yoghurt we hustled down to the wharf for the pelican feeding. Around 30 Pelicans were waiting for their evening meal, seemingly unperturbed by the mob of humans gawking only feet away. They are sort of tribal in their manner, with some of the bigger fellas picking fights with their beeks and vying for position. When the fish actually came out some of these blue-webbed footed creatures managed to get such wads of fish in their fabric-like mouths that they had to regurgitate it back and forth in order to force it down the hatch - it was quite amusing to watch.

With another semi-early start we headed up island to take in the day at Flinders Chase National Park, wherein lies the Remarkables, a New Zealand Fur Seal Colony and the Kelly Hill Caves. The Remarkables were ....well actually, quite remarkable - kind of like a natural stone henge dropped by the gods on the precipice of a rock known to wash mere mortals out to sea if they stand too close to the edge. After what felt like a thousand photos we packed into the Kluger and steered her towards Admirals Arch, where the colony of fur seals was said to be found. The weather gods looked fondly upon us and lunch along the boardwalk afforded easy gazing upon the shiny-furred playful creatures inhabiting the coastline. We completed the path after lunch, taking in the incredible limestone arch slowly being carved under the current walkway above. Back up the road we found the Kelly Hill Cave Conservation Area and joined the guided tour down 10-15 metres underground with all the stalactites and stalagmites one could possibly imagine. Piper fell asleep mid way through of course while the rest of  us suffered the yawns - perhaps due to the increased CO2 filtering around this deep underground? We decided on a seafood feast for tea and with dreams of lobster etc heaping over our plates Jen ventured into a local seafood store and soon discovered lobster ain't cheap! They wanted $140 for one lobster - can't imagine they do a lot of sales? In lieu of the full meal deal we compromised with some pre-packaged lobster meat and some strips of whiting - much less mess, easier to prepare and eat and less strain on the bank account. Tomorrow we'll be off to Seal Bay to see sea-lions - go figure? Maybe some sand boarding and anything else that might trigger our fancy. Should be a hoot!

Odds, ends, swimming and Kangaroo Island

The school day finally ended in the early afternoon after much difficulty - it will get easier right? While the kids played in the sprinkler, Jen and I did some planning and administrative work (organizing our lives for the next 4-6 weeks). As my provider number won't come through until Friday we've decided to trek to K.I. (Kangaroo Island) for the weekend and managed to get things sorted for an early departure in the AM. After detailing the mighty Kluger we joined the Murray Bridge Amateur Swim Club for a session. I wasn't sure what I would be able to manage as the last swim I did was in Hobart about a month ago and I barely got in 1200ms! Fortunately, the fast lane wasn't all too fast and by the second set I was third in line and still cruising. We managed to get in almost 3 km - a good start to the new fitness regime! Aidan and Cole found a group as well and had an hour session which went well.

We managed to kick ourselves out of bed at 6 AM this morning to get on the road for the ferry at Cape Jervis and onward to KI. All informants (Fiona - our GPS, Google Map and the ferry company booking agent) had indicated the trip from Murray Bridge would be almost 3 hrs and we were booked for the 10 o'clock sailing. As we made it to the highway, Piper piped up " I'm gonna be sick mommy!" and sure enough the dry retching began - guess we weren't done with the tummy flu! We followed the Google Map as it seemed more direct and in about half the time were essentially there. A quick coffee and pee stop and we were at the terminal ready to board an hour earlier than expected. They let us on the earlier sailing and caught me on the phone while trying to load - I was trying to check my Visa Balance - as you do in the line up waiting to get on the ferry - needless to say the ferry operator directing traffic wasn't too impressed and got into me for trying to do 2 things at once - didn't realize it was a problem as I usually have to juggle double that amount at once just to keep my head above water. Fortunately, I didn't kill or damage anything in the process. Once on KI the rain started and gradually built to torrential proportions so we found our lodging and got into the school work again - perfect for a rainy day! Sicky girl has seemed to escape any further retching so is hopefully en route to recovery. We'll head to the Sheep Dairy this arvo to watch some milking and sample some cheeses, yoghurts or anything else that may be on hand. Hopefully we'll find some sun tomorrow.

Mossie bites and the joys of home schooling

As the jet lag has waned we've made a start into getting things cleaned up and organized. Aidan has seemingly been attacked by evening mossies and looks like he's been hit by a prickle bush, leaving welts everywhere. Cole and Piper seemed to have been relatively spared - guess they're not as sweet. We've taken over the caravan park's dining room for our schooling and got started at 9 am without a bell. Jen will definitely be grey and I, bald by the end of this trip unless we can get the kids into some sort of groove where they're not asking questions every second and can focus on their work. The dreaded journal is still like pulling teeth at times - perhaps it's still the jet lag? We're hoping to get out this afternoon to look around Murray Bridge and make some plans for the weekend if I have the next few days off. We've met the local swim club president and coaches and they've agreed to take the kids on for the next 3 weeks so we'll have some fitness program going as well. .

Oh the Joys of Parenting

Despite repetitive reminders of hygiene, what not to put near or in one's mouth and instant hand cleaning gel, Cole still managed to pick up a bug which hit while resting innocently at Gate 1 of the Qantas section of the Sydney airport. Meanwhile, Piper and Aidan were running on fumes and once on the flight to Adelaide, went down like a tonne of bricks. So now we had a sicky requiring frequent re-bagging and 2 dead weights needing regular wakings and/or carrying once at the Adelaide airport. To cap it all off my lower back had started to ache - likely from the bizarre positions I had to put myself in on the long haul flight to try to sleep. We eventually found the Kluger in the parking lot, loaded our sleepy sick bunch as well as the baggage and headed to pick up Gertie - our newly named caravan - which was being 'caravan-sat' by some friends of the Coddingtons in the Adelaide Hills. She seemed to have weathered the last two weeks well excepting her freezer where I had unfortunately left some frozen peas. Now they were overcooked and a tad mushy with a certain 'je ne sais quoi'- type of smell - 'cadaverin' for veggies. We finally made it to our new caravan park in Murray Bridge, where we'll be for the next 3 weeks working -  if I can get a provider number sorted. Our site is basically on the banks of the Murray River and we get a bit of breeze at night as things cool down. It was 35 degrees when we pulled in last night around 7 pm and fortunately cooled further overnight so we were able to sleep. It's heated up to about the same today but we're managing. It's a school day so the kids are getting into their studies and Jen and I are getting ourselves organized. Cole is all better now and no one else has come down with the dreaded disease so hopefully we're past it. Am off now to meet some of the local docs and get acquainted with Murray Bridge.

We're Back!!

Nothing like paraphrasing The Shining to start a blog - sounds rather ominous this return to Oz. Speaking of which, Zermatt struck me as a kind of Oz - but more of one from the Wizard of Oz - with midget vehicles and quaint little huts etc. - seemed rather other-worldly.  We made it to Geneva without a hitch, then checked in at British Airways only to discover that our travel agent hadn't booked us through to Adelaide. I realize Jen and I should check through these things before leaving and ensure all is organized, but given we were leaving from Adelaide one would assume that we would be returning there - obviously not the assumption of the travel agent. Once discovered though I quickly got onto the iPhone and with less than 20% battery left,  quickly booked a connecting flight at a fairly reasonable rate (suprisingly) and all was sorted. The flights went well into Sydney and we caught up on some recent movie releases such as the Invention of Lying - great flick - very humerous and tongue in cheek, Wolverine - the Origins, and It Might Get Loud - a 'rock'umentary about the Edge, Jimmy Page and the lead singer/guitarist of the White Stripes - very inspiring. Jen got into the girly flicks like He's Just Not That Into You and Bride Wars - which she indicated weren't much different in theme or storyline for that matter. The kids are a tad exhausted and a bit batty at present - looking forwards to some serious rest. We should be set up and ready to go in Murray Bridge by tonight and hopefully to work by Wednesday.

White out, Swiss Chocolate and Fondue!

The day began with a skiff of snow and an accidental slow start after a raucous night. For some reason my iPhone had it's SIM card locked and switched the time to Sydney-time. Jen woke at 7:07 in a panic as I hadn't left yet and I was due to speak at 7 am for the conference. My phone said it was 4:37! 10 mins later I was at the conference cursing Apple and begging forgiveness (it was easy to come by - as it was the last morning of the conference). Jen and Mormor took the kids to the drop off point for lessons and were told the winds at the mid-station were 100km/hr and so the final day and races were going to happen at a different ski area. It was fortuitous as we hadn't explored this area yet and the means to get to it was pretty fantastic. These clever Swiss have carved a tunnel through the mountain on an angle of about 45 degrees, then designed a train also angled at 45 degrees except the floor (windows included) to go with it. You feel like you're on an amusement park ride especially on the way down where you're just waiting for them to release the magnet and let you drop. This doesn't happen - but you feel like it could! The boarding/skiing was a bit whited out and the previous night's snow wasn't great so there were lots of icy bits. The legs were done by noon so we headed down the mountain to have lunch at Fuchs Backeri (bakery). They had this curious pie concoction called 'Cholera' and hot dogs in pastry (pigs in a blanket?) as well as wonderful hot chocolate and chocolates in the shape of the Matterhorn. The 'Cholera' was terrific - a mix of Swiss-type cheese, potatoes and onion - very yummy! As the stores were closed for a bit in the afternoon we organized ourselves and packed up the apartment while the kids did their journals. Once skis were returned, we trekked around for one last shop and a swim at the hotel pool. Morfar and Piper had earlier booked us a table at a restaurant called Stornmont (recommended in the Lonely Planet) and we feasted on Fondue Borginon (beef chunks in hot oil), Chinoise (strips of beef/pork in hot broth) and some Raclete (melted cheese with bread and potato). Aidan had a Toberlone mousse with cherry sauce for dessert (which we all sampled cuz he's sweet enough). A beautiful walk home in the snow and evening lights set us up for a great slumber before our travel day.

3883 metres and Italy

From the get go, blue skies reigned and the lights on the large mountain map radiated all green - all lifts open. Given that this has been a rare occurrence this week, Jen and I decided to take the cable car/telecabine to the Glacier lookout which I believe is the highest cable car in the world. The line up was a bit overwhelming at first but seemed to move quick enough so we were 'sardined' into the 'cabine' by about 10 AM. At the top of the route they have carved a tunnel through the mountain about 200ms in length and set up a viewing platform above. With time restrictions to catch up with the kids we elected to simply ski back into Switzerland rather than down into Italy and had some of the best runs of the week with patches of soft snow just off piste away from the hordes and hard-packed, icy groomed runs. Once caught up, the boys, Jen and I ventured to the top restaurant called Ice for lunch and had a feast much larger than our stomachs could handle. Bloated but content we got back in line to head up the telecabine to the Glacier and hence, Italy. 40 mins later we were sardined again but once at the top of the viewing platform knew it was all worth it. Climbing the stairs I could noticeably feel my heart pounding heavier and was a bit breathless with the exertion up the steps. The views were phenomenal at 3883 metres and not a cloud in this stratosphere to block horizon. We caught our breath and headed into Italy down run #7 which essentially skirts the side of the mountain giving incredible 360 degree views of the Alps and surrounds. Feeling a bit 'conferenced out' I skipped our evening session on Adult Congenital Heart disease as couldn't see too much relevance to my practice, and took the boys to the pool where we practiced snow angels and hopped back into the hot tub for that lovely burn sensation. Jen and I had the conference dinner in the evening and enjoyed a 5 course meal with a few shots of schnapps to get into a festive cheer. They were apparently flavoured but subtly so - all seemed to be more of a burning flavour and smelt of rubbing alcohol. None of us went blind though but there were some crazy dancers hitting the floor in front of the least animated keyboard/singer I have ever seen. Imagine a white male in a tuxedo singing 'Maniac' with a straight face - it was hilarious! One of the GP attendees(with a few schnapps under her belt) offered us her husband's 40 foot sailboat as she hates sailing (and shook on it) so we may be acquiring another possible way back to Canada....?

Schlittlespass and other naughty words

Because I am rather immature at times, (Jen touts me as her fourth child)  I get a little giggle with a lot the German signs/ spellings here. Schlittlespass being one (altho' it means tobaganning/sledding - not something faecal) and the other "lietse fahrte" (?sp)- which sounds like something different than it is (last run). We had a great day yesterday. Although visibility in the morning was fairly difficult due to snow and low lying cloud, by 1 pm the sun had burnt the clouds away and there was nothing but blue skies and magical peaks for the eyes to see. Whilst in a bit of a grey light zone I inadvertantly took a wrong turn and ended up losing Jen and Mormor mid-morning. On my own I was flying down to try to eventually catch them again and suddenly hit an invisible lip which caused me to sail off balance into some residual snow, landing on my backside hard and getting a good plastic knock to the helmet which likely saved me from a concussion or worse. It took me a few seconds to gather myself and decide whether I 'd been injured or not (just a bruise?) and then 'limp' down the hill with my tail between my knees. I caught up with the rest of the family at noon and trekked down to our apartment for some lunch. As a change of pace we decided to do the schlittlespass in the afternoon which is set up near the top of one section of runs - set off from any of the skiing/boarding trails. In contrast to the runs you get in Canada this was more like an actual luge/tobaggan run you see at the winter games but with groomed soft snow instead of ice. It was probably a couple of kilometres in length and you had to rent these old fashioned looking wooden toboggans on which to do the run. We had a blast, doing 3 runs all up and then heading back to town as the sun started to drop out of the sky. Only two days to go and then a big trip home- can't believe it's gone so quick!

The wheels are starting to come off....

Two weeks of skiing and conferencing is seeming to weigh on us. The legs, although not sore, are starting to fatigue and the prim and proper groomed slopes not looking as appealing as when we started this venture. I attempted to find some off piste sections with some success but nothing sustained. The kids' lessons are going well but the late nights and early mornings has weakened their resolve and increased their sillies. We took an easy day today - catching up with the kids at lunch and then taking one big run all the way down to Zermatt from the top for the afternoon ski session. This left us some time to browse around town and get a sense of what Zermatt is all about. From above on the Gondola and hill it looks like a quaint little village with plenty of history - down on the ground it's a bustling tourist mecca with souvenir, high end Swiss watch shops, chocolatiers, bakeries, ski/snowboard shops, fashionistas, and hotels/restaurants. The watches are incredibly pricey with tags listing to $150,000!! In the end it's just a watch right? We bought the boys some token Swiss Army Knives ( My First Victorinox) with their names engraved on them and Piper a cute little water bottle with a pink fairy design to even the score. Dinner was served by Chef Morfar and sous-chefs Cole and Piper and was of the Japanese sushi theme (complete with wasabi of course!). Again - hats off to the chefs - it was tantalizingly tasty - and onward to another day!

Long groomed rides and a train-ride home

The first day of lessons and kinder took some organizational zeal from Jen and parents but all went without a hitch and Piper failed to put up the anticipated fuss - she seemed happy to get away from her brothers and elders...hmmm. Mormor, Jen, Fraser and I hit the slopes with some gusto, exploring what we could before collecting the kids and meeting up with Morfar at noon for lunch. Fraser's quest for 'stinky air' fueled yet another soft tissue injury ( the day before he took on a rock with his knee but failed to break anything) - this time to his shoulder. Aidan followed suit and had a four-piece yardsale on the same jump. He seems to have a different appreciation of 'stinky air' as ultimately it seems to end up with him splayed across the hill with a smile of pride (and fortunately no tears!). Cole was suprisingly conservative - following the slow controlled curves of his mother down the hill - it was like watching paint dry at points for me so I nearly joined another young family who seemed to understand where the bottom of the hill was located. Alas I copped some heat complaining to the boss - "Safety first!" she said emphatically. We enjoyed Igludorf again for Mormor's sake and took the Gorgendart train to the top of one section of the mountain and down again. It seemed to be an endless journey down - walking might have been faster -  but we inevitably made it. Aidan and Morfar organized our 3 course dinner - escargot/bruschetta for the entrees (complete with Bollinger Champagne), Beef Bourginon, the main, and 'pampelmousse' (French for grapefruit)/ orange slices with ice cream on a stick for dessert - a feast for champions! The escargot didn't go over 100 % - but was pretty close! Looking forward to the future feasts this week - can't wait to see what's on the menu next!

3800 meters above sea level and -23 degrees Celsius

A morning of getting sorted led to an afternoon of chill and incredible vistas of the Matterhorn. There are 3 or 4 ski areas with multiple Gondolas taking you left right and up the middle. The main runs are hard-packed and many, quite narrow en route to the lifts. You can venture a little off-piste but if you're not careful can get stuck in a gully and need to hike out (not from experience though!) After a short afternoon exploring the hill and nearly losing Aidan (we went right and he - left) we trekked back to town and to the swimming pool ... no - large hot tub located in the hotel across the street associated with our apartment complex. Being country hicks and all, we barreled in, stripped off in the front entry of the pool and got ready to go before being confronted by the official pool-man who showed us the locker room and fetched us some keys. Once in the pool, Piper did her best impressions of drowning and the boys enjoyed splashing themselves with snow and jumping back in the steaming pool. Chicken cordon bleu for dinner amply filled the gullet and then, without much adieu, we crashed. The boys have been signed up for some more half day lessons for the week and Piper gets to do some kinder up the mountain for a few days. Should be fun!