Yoseikan Tournament. By Jessica

On Saturday 8th of June Jack and I competed in our 1st Yoseikan Tournament.
We were not sure what we were going to have to do so I was a little nervous.
Jack started in the morning and I wasn't on until the afternoon so I had lots of time to watch and learn.
I got 4th over all in my division. I was the best girl and beat lots of boys too!
Next year I want to win!
In my grade we had to wrestle on our knees for 45 sec. We knew when the time was up because the timekeeper threw a bean bag on to the mat. Every time some one won we had to re-set and start again.
Luckily I understood the Japanese commands from leaning Seido Karate back in New Zealand.
Then we had to put on some protective gear and use a baton, first in our left hand for 30 seconds then in our right for the same amount of time.
The judge would raise his flag in favour of the points winner when ever we would score a hit.
In total I fought 7 rounds and was very tired after a long day of watching Jack playing with my friends then fighting.
It was AWESOME!

 These area all the kids that did the Yoseikan
 tournament in Jack division.                                



Jack got his medal before me. Not fear!

 




These are all the Leysin kids that competed and our coach Louis.

This is Ella, my best friend. These are the trophies for the top 3 places. I almost got 1! 

  Me with my medal.

 

In this video I was on the blue side (right). The girl I was fighting has a higher belt than me, and also a red belt over the top so the judge can tell us apart.

 

 

The (4 day) Italian Job, May 2013.

                      

                    


With a four day weekend in sight we planned a mission down to the Cinque Terre.
Little did we know that the 12km walk was partially closed due to land slides and reconstruction work in preparation for the high season ( Even the official website neglected to mention these facts).
We made the most of what was left of Plan A and adapted our adventure to include some amazing sights, sounds and smells of the Liguria Region... and a snippet of Tuscany.

Course de ski. By Jack.

                     

Easter in the South of France, March 2013.

I am not really sure what we were thinking leaving the country that makes the best chocolate in the world and heading to the South of France for our Easter break, but these are the sacrifices  we make for a little adventure!

It is extremely hard to condense all our holiday photos in to a 30 shot maximum clip, and after visiting an impressive number of cities, towns and villages (20) over the two week Easter break the following slide show is a small snippet of our time exploring the Cote d'Azur and Provence.

February 2013. Skiing with the Grandies.

Here is a recap of our adventures with Baldy and Elvis.

The anticipation waiting at the airport was almost to much for the kids who couldn't keep their hands off Grandma in the back seat of the car on the drive back from Geneva.
The private ski lessons with Granddad, and  bedtime stories each night with Grandma made up for the nine months between cuddles.

Enjoy!

See you next winter guys!

No Excuses!

Quote by Stephen King

I could say that our neighbors dog ate our computers (and that's not fair on Penny, the pup next door, she is far to well behaved to do that), or I have been having a sabbatical from electronic devices (I did for a few weeks after loosing my cell phone to the snow gods while trying to ski powder...its amazing how good skiers make it look so effortless!) or even that I lost all my fingers to frost bite (though some days up the mountain I had minute glimpses in to what being 'really cold' was all about).
Alas I just haven't got around to posting anything since the start of the year.
As we all know time just sometimes slips by and before you know it months have passed as we are busy living our lives.

So my mission over the next few weeks is to recap the first four months of 2013.

Enjoy!

Anzac Day

Lest we forget

We are never too far from home to remember where we come from.

Rounding up 2012!

Well what a year we have had!

 Loads of travel, exploration, adventure and some very steep learning curves. Not that we would change any of it.

 

 

Our first white Christmas was spent skyping family and friends while we opened their respective presents. It was almost like we were together....

 

 

The kids were spoilt rotten and had a blast exploring the pile of colourful presents lurking under the tree.

 

I just love this photo....pure happiness!!!

Jess got a new smaller guitar to jam away with Tim.

 

Jess had the honour of setting the Christmas lunch table, complete with place settings.

Love her writing!

Boxing Day and yet again the Carswells are cutting the first tracks through the soft new snow.

 

 

The kids ordering up hot chocolates and mulled wines all round.

 

 Sitting at Les Furs with Les Diablerets on the other side of the valley.

 

 

New Years Eve in Switzerland = the roll over for the New Year back home, so the kids and I toasted in 2013 with them, while enjoying a lovely lunch in the sun.

Someone is becoming a little bit European.

 

 

 

2013 is promising to be yet another big year for us. Filled with family visits, adverntures and hard work. Things we are all looking forward to.

 

We want to wish you a very sucessful, happy and safe 2013.

All the very best,

 

The Carswells.



First day on the Slopes!!! By Jack

This is how we got to the telecabine...we just ski from our steps down the road to the lifts!

We were on top of the Berneuse by 8.50am on opening day!

The wind was blowing and it was extremely cold but the snow was like fluffy cotton balls and we had the whole run to our selves. Which was lucky because we haven't skied for a year and a half so it took a while to remember what we had to do. 

After lunch we went back up and skied some more. The weather was soooo much better! We skied on the 6km run back down to Leysin and caught the Telecabine back up to the top again.

From this weekend all the runs are now open and we can go and explore all of the mountain.

Jessie and I will get to ski with school one a week and on Wednesday afternoons with mum.

We are also going to do ski school on Saturday mornings!!! 

I love winter!

By Jack Carswell.

St Nicolas Day, December 6th. By Jessica

Today was St Nicolas Day. 

A very popular Christmas celebration by children all around Europe.

So Jack and I thought we had better check it out. 

All the children got a goodie bag filed with nuts, chocolates,fruit and bread.

We also got to enjoy a yummy hot chocolate from the pot behind me.

These are some of the horses from the stables I ride at.

They had to put blankets over the horses while they were waiting to keep them warm in the snow.

The horse and sleigh heads down to the lower village to share and celebrate with other children. 

What a nice surprise for Jack and I to be a part of.

By Jessica.

December and winter has well and truly arrived!

The village is shrouded in a glistening white coat and there is a gleaming light when it is sunny.  The blanket of snow deadens all noise so that the joyful shouts of the children and adults alike, as they pull their sledges up the hills and have fun in the white splendor can be heard all the better. When there is a lot of snow Jack and Jess like to jump off high walls landing in the soft, deep snow.  Here and there the first Christmas decorations hesitantly appear, a few candles, fir branches or wreaths.  The kids spent Sunday morning dressing the Christmas tree (thanks to Leilani and Sequoia) while it snowed heavily in the back ground. With such a mix in cultures and Christmas beliefs we thought we would stick to our roots and put the tree up in early December, and besides, its our first white Christmas.  What better way to spend the morning than drinking hot chocolates laced with marshmallows,  dressing the tree in pajamas and watching the giant snow flakes drift by the window. In the first weeks of December there is often a lot of snow, and it can be very cold. You could go skiing everywhere at this time, but the skiing season doesn't usually start until the second weekend in December.  You are all alone as the ski lifts are still closed. There is something magical about the untouched countryside covered in fresh snow.  Where the snow cannons had until now given nature a helping hand, they are now superfluous as enough snow is falling itself overnight.  The Christmas markets are also in full swing and we had the pleasure of discovering the magical atmosphere of the famous Montreux Christmas Market. With its countless attractions and more than 140 decorated chalets all overflowing with gifts and the scent of glorious Christmas fare.

Just another Tuesday morning....

I think the weather man might have under estimated the 'light snow' that was forecast for this morning! 

Jack and Jessie's school bus....chains and all.

This is looking down our street.

Luckily we had sorted out an undercover car park for the winter and Tim thought to park in it last night. The good old farm track that we use up behind the house is now knee deep in snow.

If you are caught driving with any amount of snow on you car you are heavily fined and your licence can be confiscated.  So it is worth the extra expense in parking over winter to save yourself and hour of snow clearing each morning.

Hostels, Hilltops and Hideaways.

Our latest family adventure saw us exploring the Bernese Oberland region.
After a relatively early morning departure we were greeted with rising giant balloons in Chateau-d-Oex, famous for its hot air. This is where Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones launched their record breaking, round the world, 20 day hot air balloon ride back in March 1999.
The early morning was fresh and clear, perfect for a slow drift noiselessly over hill, dale and forest against the backdrop of the ice covered Alps.
Our plan was to get a little more up close and personal with the pearly Alp Kings and Queens: Eiger (Ogre), Monch (Monk) and Jungfrau (Virgin).

Not a bad shot through the sun roof!

 

 



Unusually we have a well thought out and researched trip planned, but this time we thought we would wing it.

We explored the option of taking the famous 2.5 hour train trip up to the Jungfraujoch (3454m) which was opened in 1912. The final tunnel, through the heart of heart of Eiger took 3000 men 16 years to build, and is the highest railway station in Europe. Total construction costs of 14.9 million Sfr or about  1.6 million Sfr/km.

We decided against it on this trip, partly due to the expensive price tag and also to give us more of a chance to get familiar with the surrounding area.

Two valleys branch southward from Interlarken.The broad valley curving east is dominated by Grindelwald. The valley running directly south leads to Lauterbrunnen, from there you can reach the car free resorts on the hill above.  

 

 

All the colours are very intense in autumn. The sky is steel-blue, the colours of the deciduous trees range from yellow to red and the mountain peaks are snow-white. We seemed to be forever reaching for the camera. So here are a few of our favourites shots.

  

                      


A little about Gimmelwald.

Gimmelwald is a small village in the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland,, halfway up the mountain between Stechelberg and Mürren, at an elevation of 1363 meters (4472 feet). The Schilthorn cable car stops in Gimmelwald where it is possible to board another cable car which runs between Gimmelwald and Mürren.
In addition to a shop that sells fresh cheeses, Gimmelwald also possesses its own school and firehouse. Farming and tourism are the main occupations. Farmers raise hay on tiny plots of land to feed small herds of cows. Gimmelwald has a few small hotels, bed & breakfasts and the 50-bed Gimmelwald Mountain Hostel. It was saved from development as a ski resort by having it falsely declared an avalanche zone.
The 2003 population of Gimmelwald was 130, most of whom have one of three family names: von
Allmen, Feuz, or Brunner

Gimmelwald from above.

                                           .