This was our weekend

Thursday 0600: Emma wakes up, full of beans. So do her parents, less so.
0700-0900 Frantic packing, which included the following for Madame:
1 travel cot
1 baby sheet
1 baby sleeping bag
1 monkey
Other toys (loads)
4 tupperware containers, containing all manner of baby sludge
1 Emergency Snacks Box
1 baby back pack
1 snowsuit
5 vests
3 pairs trousers
2 pairs tights
3 tops
1 woolly cardigan (I should have brought two, this one became encrusted with bolognese within minutes of our arrival)
bath bits
nappies and wipes
Emergency Medical Supplies

Mother and Father bring:
some clothes.
money.

Mother bursts into tears.

1030 Set off, car bursting at the bodywork. Get stuck in traffic jam. Protracted screaming from GHSE. Mother placates with snacks. GHSE eats entire contents of Emergency Snacks Box within 10 minutes.

1230 Arrive at destination. Gasp at Alpine beauty. Ignore fact it's starting to spit.

1240 Freakishly drop mobile phone down very narrow gap between wall and window pane. Spend 15-20 minutes with coat hangers trying to get it out.

1400-1800 Watch La combat des reines. Our party descends on rare, rural cow fighting event, where black, horned, scary looking cows - all ladies, by the way- paw the ground, stare each other out a bit and then tussle, horns locked, until one of them backs off, a bit bruised and pride hurt. Meaner than tennis, less mean than bullfighting. The assembled crowd was made up of leather-skinned men smoking pipes and taking the whole thing extremely seriously. We looked as at home as Americans in Ly-ces-ter Square, with our cameras, our trainers, our 'jazzy' raincoats. ("Gahsh, this cow thing is neat!") A group of these pipe-smoking dudes played Alpine horns in the interval, which was very exciting, a bit like seeing an elephant in the wild. (Or not.)

Friday
0630 - 1000 Wake up. Potter. Tickle snow elf. Drink tea. Stare.
1015-1600 Go on hearty ramble with assembled party. Ignore spit and wind. Eat picnic as it starts to snow. "I-i-isn't this f-f-f-fun?" we remark to each other, like Brits do.
1600-2300 Watch DVDs. Hang out. Drink hot chocolate. Eat cold chocolate. Tickle snow elf. Stare.

Saturday
0715-0915 Run up a mountain with a friend (the Bern 16km is in 2 weeks). Get lost. Panic. Pray.
0915 Return to find anxious husband imagining raising Emma on his own.
1030-1600 More hearty rambling. More spit and wind. "Isn't the v-v-view b-b-beautiful?" we chime, our fingers frozen around our cheese sandwiches.
1600-2300. Watch DVDs. Hang out. etc etc

Sunday
0630-0900 Pack up, clean, pack up, clean, chuck Snow Elf 'neath the chin.
Go home.

In other words, it was a great success.