The sound of tributaries rushingly contributing
The scent of the Savoy – Fundue, Raclette and Tartiflette
The crunch of snow underfoot
Thunderous mountain machinery
Steamy cafes, funky furnishings
Of flocons dancing before you
Rosy cheeks and dripping noses
The sound of skis running
Glorious glimpses of distant Mt Blanc
Wooden clad buildings, cosy apartments
Branches laden with winter dressings of frost and snow
Heavy reds and dry whites
Mountain peaks, church steeples, wooded valleys
The clump of ski boots on pavements
Clouds in the valleys, winter sun
The sweet smell of hot chocolate, heady scent of vin chaud and pungent coffee
Wrapped up in clour, synthetics and faux fur
Rings of bonjour, greetings and laughter
Cold mountain air rushing up at you
Winter window boxes of fir and pine
The silence of night, snow falling softly
The chatter of holidays, of tall stories
The memories are in colour, the photos are blue and white
——————–
awesome photos claire .. your words evoke a rich pattern of images and aromas, senstations and vistas …. just beautiful, thanks for being there/here 😀
Hi Christine and thank you, it certainly was a pleasure to be in a winter wonderland
What a pleasant — and wonderful — surprise! You certainly have found a beautiful place to call home, if even for a spell. Wishing you continued blue skies and smooth skiing. 🙂
Thank you john, the smooth skiing certainly was good and smooth. Quite a few falls, but into powder and no broken bits!
Brilliant photos. I love the blue and white and your poem is so evocative of the scene. Have fun 🙂
I realise my life has been blue and white whether it’s clouds or snow, and it made me think of seeing things in just those two colours !
How beautiful the mountains are! Wonderful photos, Claire. And nice to see you back. 😀
thanks Cathy, it has been totally splendid to be so high and yest still see endless mountain ranges, thee were clear days when we could see right across to the Swiss Jura.
Sounds like you’re having a good time there! Love the poem – wonderfully descriptive, and the blue sky in those photos… can you pack some up and bring it back to England with you?
we had some bright sun today on the coast, not sure it will be seen again very soon though! And isn’t it cold here!!!!
So lovely, so serene…
I’m not sure I’ll feel the same way in the morning, after our blizzard hits, though 😉
So good to see you posting again!
The photos do have a serenity Marie, the thing is I didn’t take any when it was a snow storm or big grey cloud – not so photogenic. Hope you are riding out he storm x
This is wonderful post, photographs and words… and to hear you again. Thank you dear Claire, have a nice weekend, love, nia
And thank you Nia, lovely to read your words my friend x
Ah Claire that was beautiful – the words and the photos. Safe skiing, safe travels, we missed you!
Aw thank you x I hadn’t realised how blloody cold it is here, total brrrr and my thermals are all in France !!!
Lovely! Your words brought up all kinds of scents and sounds, as well as colorful images. Photos are absolutely beautiful! Thank you, Claire!
I feel a bit of a cheat Cindy as they are snaps I took eithe ron skis, off skis drinking coffee or sitting on chair lifts. I’ve yet to get the big camera out!! Lovely to hear from you and thank you, claire x
I love the poem–the senses of sight, smell, touch, sound–excellent. The crisp blue and white winter is beautiful. I have missed you posts–spring is coming and a garden..and lot of posts and POEMS I hope.
So kind Alice!! And encouraging, It’s a lovely welcome back to blogland 🙂
Beautiful photos…looks like you had a lovely time in the snow. Welcome back.
Thank you Karen, I certainly did have a fun time
You’ve made me yearn for the mountains!
There’s nothing like them is there? The sheer scale of them and the views on a clear day….. aaaaahhhhh !
Beautiful photos, Claire. Looks like you had a wonderful holiday! Welcome back. I’ve missed reading your posts!
Thanks Kate, I certainly feel like I’ve had a great break !
Splendid photography as always, Claire. 😀
Thanks Misky, it seems pretty cold at home at the moment, i’m hoping the ground has dried out a bit too!
Gorgeous blue-and-white photos! Beautiful poem.
It seems like they are the only colours I’ve seen for a while. Thank you!
Beautiful Captures – Happy Friday:)
And a happy Wednesday to you too 🙂
What am I saying???? It’s Tuesday!! I’m wishing my life away, yikes!
If I didn’t know better I would have thought you were here! And I didn’t get to meet you in person!!!!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com
Well you do live in such a beautiful place with all those mountains as backdrop!
Exhilerating images claire and beautiful free verse. Blue and white, crisp and clear, and happiness woven through all of it! May every bit of it last just as long as you wish it to! And then home again home!
Thank you for your wishes! Thinking about being there just makes me smile!! But I must admit it’ sbeen lovely to be home too 🙂
Wonderful gallery – I’m sure you have a wonderful time … and enjoy! I wish I was there too.
Lovely to hear from you …. Long time – no see.
It’s been a while 🙂 I now nee dto get back into the rythm o fblogging !
Have been missing you, but you have to feel for .. coming back.
Just beautiful photos – welcome back!
thank you and thank you 🙂
Your words and photos came together beautifully my friend 😀
Nice to have you back!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Hi there Uru, how goes it?!
Welcome home matey. So pleased you had a great time and what a wondewrful way to share it with everyone. Beautiful words and photos 🙂 Stunning!!
And you know the best bit? It keeps on snowing… whoop whoop!
Love your words today as much as the images. It’s good to have you back.
Thank you for the welcom eback – I’ve missed my blogging and my blogging buddies!
What a beguiling post! Enchanting photos and spirited prose, just what I needed today! Thank you Claire!
So pleased to hear from you Deb, I coul ddo with some of that famous Californian warmth at the moment, it’s bitterly cold here, and I mean BITTER, brrrr !
Waaaa. theres a poet in that girl!!! .. looking forward to what happens next! c
Yeah right… !! I’m thinking of writing about the Antithesis of it all – the noise, and environmental impact…. not such happy reading…..
still loving it!! c
Images known, images remembered, images of which one has but dared to dream . . . thanks for the memories and thanks for the dreams . . . oh so lovely . . .
My pleasure, as you well know there is only so much a photograph can capture, so it’s up to our other senses to fill in the gaps!
You’re right–the photos are blue & white! I knew by your silence that a you must be having a good time.
ha ha you are so right Inger! I was having such a great time, in fact I extended my stay it was so good! But it is lovely to be back 🙂
Absolutely magnificent! You captured it all beautifully to share with us. Welcome home. Have a super weekend.
🙂 Mandy xo
Thank you for your kind words Mandy! It’s lovely to be back with my blogging friends 🙂
Absolutely stunning photos! Thank you for sharing!
It’s such a stunning environment to be in, up high in the mountains with huge vistas whichever way you look. Thanks x
Welcome home. Thanks for sharing these photos with us 🙂
Thank you Tandy! I have so much reading to catch up on, looking forward to catching up very soon!
Blue and white are the colors of winter, aren’t they?
I think they are in the mountains. I know that here in the UK in December it was all grey and rain, so little blue sky was seenmy spirits were starting to suffer!
This was so beautiful, Claire.. what an adventure.. scenes somewhat like those in our mountains. I loved your words as well.. especially these ones: The sweet smell of hot chocolate, heady scent of vin chaud and pungent coffee… I love your Blue and White:) xx Smidge
Smells are so important aren’t they? What I left of fthat particular line was the smell of cooked cheese, it seems to me to be the big scent of the mountains!
Welcome back Claire, I cannot believe how long your holidays were! In Canada it is not encouraged to take all your holidays at one time (I get 5 weeks), because it’s just too difficult to keep work maintained. How nice that you were able to do it. The photos are amazing, looks like you had grand weather. I’d love to do a skiing holiday again, perhaps next year. We usually go to British Columbia, and it’s just gorgeous and usually not too cold.
Thank you Eva, to be honest I’m very fortunate as I’m self employed so if I’m not working / a contract has ended / or I can shuffle a few things around I can take a longer break. Which to be honest was the main reason I wanted to be self employed – I wanted to be able to travel and travel for longer. It doesn’t always work out, but sometimes, just sometimes life comes good!
I’ve never skied in Canada or the US I hear it’s fabulous!
Such beauty, calm and serenity, Claire! How marvelous that you could spend the time in yes, a Winter Wonderland–indeed! I cannot help but feel a sense of awe when I see these photos. I’ve never experienced anything like the amount of fresh, white snow, and in fact, I really don’t know how I’d do with so much open space. I fantasize, but I might have an anxious moment or two! It was lovely to read your words and sense how important this time of refreshment has been. It’s nice to have you back to share. 🙂
very nice poem… almost like a trip… and the photographs are so enjoyable.
Glorious.
It’s good to have a screen break – it’s like any relationship. You have to get out in the world to bring something back to share. cheers…..wendy
And time to start thinking about the garden 🙂
Loving the expression “screen break” Wendy!
I hadn’t realized you were back until just now! Your time off looks heavenly. Welcome back!
Beautifully Captured Images…and the pictures to prove every word.
Bless You
paul