Chalet party
I stumbled out of bed yesterday morning and through to the kitchen where I was met with the scene above… And that, unfortunately, is the sum total of what I’ve managed to photograph of the landscape around here. It remains cold and rainy and “moche” (ugly, bad, gross) as they say in French.
Later we went down to the church to prepare for the Christmas dinner being held tonight. The rather ordinary looking church building has been transformed into a wooden plank-encased chalet, overflowing with Christmas lights and a sleigh in its midst. At one stage I walked into the hall from the kitchen (where we had cut 15 kilograms of onions and peeled 60 kgs of potatoes for a “tartiflette” for 80 guests) and was met by a misty scene of sawdust-rich air. It smelled amazing, but my lungs were not happy.
Santa has apparently come down with a stomach bug but it is rumoured that a replacement has been found – one with a slightly bizarre, guttural South African sounding French accent. Apparently his “ho ho ho” needs a bit of work, but those in charge seem confident he may just pull it off. At least his body shape is perfect for the role, and I hear he’s been working on the beard for the last week… The children will be warned beforehand not to expect too much of old Father Christmas.
The entrance to the "chalet"
Didier: Part-time carpenter
Enough potatoes to feed an army
Beautiful lettuce. Something tells me we're not in Madagascar anymore!
Merry Christmas les enfants!
Inside the "chalet" ... Better photos to follow
3 Comments on “Chalet party”
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They called me weed
I have been blogging here since around April 2011 - my little place on the blogosphere to express myself creatively. As a teenager I used to write a diary - in fact, as a 17-year-old living in Belgium, I wrote religiously every day. Fortunately the Internet didn't exist back then because my ramblings as a teenager were ever-so-slightly dark, cynical and depressing. You won't find much of that here. Also, mostly, I try not to get too deep or philosophical in this forum - I'd like my photography to uplift and inspire, and, where I can, I try to bring a bit of humour into my writing too. I've been fortunate enough to travel extensively and have made many friends across the globe. This is my spot to keep in touch with them.
Ah I’m sure the Father Christmas will do a magnificent job….I know 5 boys who would be overjoyed to have such an uncantankerous guy as their Father Christmas..;)
aujourd’hui, il neige en Belgique …
eh oui, ici aussi…